Angelina: Or, The Mystery of St. Mark's Abbey — page 47: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

JA — ANGELINA ; OR, ~ terminated by a circuitous flight of steps, and after passing along a narrow passage, and descending some more broken steps, Angelina found that her con- jectures were correct, for she was in the dismal vaults beneath the chapel of Saint Mark. She shivered with the cold air of that loathsome place, and holding the lamp above her head, as its faint rays fell upon the damp and gloomy walls, she coald almost imagine that she saw the grim phantoms of some of the monks of old, who formerly inhabited these lonely cells. She was not allowed much time for thought, for she was startled, and somewhat alarmed, when she re- membered what she had overheard between the Baron de Morton and Rufus, by hearing a heavy door creaking upon its hinges, and looking up, she beheld a door open at the very extremity of the vanit, and standing there she again saw the form she had seen not long before in the apartment up stairs.—Ste seemed apparently in the act of emerging into the cell, when the light from the lamp which Angelina carried, streamed across her eyes, and uttering a shrick, which sounded dismally through these subterraneous apartments, she darted back, and ere Angelina could reach it, the door was closed with a loud bang, and resisted all her efforts to open it. Angelina’s curiosity and suspense were now almost insupportable; she paced the vault to and fro with hurried and impatient footsteps, and then knocking at the door, ejaculated in the most earnest tones :— ‘‘ Mysterious being, whatever you are, do not fly from one who has ‘not the power, had she even the will to harm you; and who has a heart that can sym- pathize in your sorrows, and would pour the balm of consolatiun into your bosom.” No answer was returned fo this appeal, and after wailing a few moments to no purpose, until the damp, unwholesome vapours of the place began to carl around her lamp, and to have a powerful effect upon her, Angelina, finding that she could not proceed any further in that direction, with cautious footsteps, re-ascended the steps, and once more returned to the apartment in which she had first seen the female form. She was not a little surprised when she behe\d the secret panel open, and stepping lightly towards it, she listened, but hearing no sound, she ventured to enter the room into which it opened. It was a small dark closet, and contained no articles of furniture, save a couple of chairs. She could perceive no place of outlet beyond, and while she was wondering in what way the female had effected her escape, she felt the boards tremble under her weight, and she had only just time to step aside, when a trap door fell in, upon the spring of which she imagined she had trod, and revealed to her a small depository underneath the flooring, which con- taineda large iron chest. Angelina tried to open it, but it was locked, and she was about to give up the examination in despair, when her foot suddenly kicked sgainst something, and stooping, she found it was a rusty old key, which seemed to have been dropped there by accident and not design. Angelina paused ere she applied it to the lock, and a strange sensation came ever her, but soon recovering herself, and knowing the justice of her intentions, she felt firm and undaunted, and with a mental prayer, she put the key into the lock. Instantly the lid flew open, and to the horror of the intrepid girl, re- vealed to her gaze the mouldering bones of a human skeleton ! | ’ With a loud shriek, she let fall the lid of the chest, and starting into the yd COMIC OOOlKS.€O