Her Royal Lover: A Novel — page 234: what you’re looking at

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

ae HER ROYAL LOVER. wandering over her lips, she surrenders it to him again, and forever. But hardly had the broad palm of the king imprisoned again this slender, delicate hand, trembling like the fragile petals of a rose ready to fall, than a second flash of lightning, this time redder and more terrible, glittered anew and like the powerful rays of an electric light illumines with its pale light the whole church; then, for a sec- ond it delineates long and inflamed the silhouettes of this group, who at the feet of the master of life and of death are trembling like criminals caught in a snare; it was sinister. Then obscurity reigns again, and annihilates this frightful vision. Then, predominating that of the angry elements, the grave and solemn voice of the clergyman is heard, and from his lips falls, one by one, the sacramental words: “Those whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder.” Hardly were these imposing words pronounced, before a clap of thunder, long and terrible, like the clamor of a thousand cannons in battle, seemed to shake the sacred edifice from its summit to its base; a profound obscurity was reigning still. As in all Protestant churches there were no candles to give their soft light to enliven the ceremony; the few witnesses affected by the tempest which was raging without, remained immovable in their places, really believing that their last hour had come. The minis- ter himself, despite his apparent calm, had been obliged to interrupt the course of the ritual. Madame de Mineleko, as if to support herself, pressed con- vulsively the hand of her royal husband, from whom she seemed to demand assistance and support. Poor little creature! alas! what would she have felt if she had been able to foresee that the protec- Gomicbooks.com