The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 121: what you’re looking at

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

THE BRONZE STATUE. 119 through a motive which she never ex- plained. she purchased a small villa in a secluded spot at a distance of about ten leagues from Prague, and there she devoted herself to the nurture of myself and Gloria: She had brought with her a quantity of valuable jewels from Geor- “gia; and thus her pecuniary resources were ample. to remain long inthis world; the Al- | — ee —— become his beyond all possibility of re- Cettain, however, it is, ‘that demption,—his, to do his bidding and obey him in all things,—/7s, to dazzle the bravest knights with my lustrous eyes, and lure them on unto destruction, _—his, to procure him proselytes and But she was not destined | mighty determined to make her a saint | in heaven. Six months afier she had | settled in Bohemia, death tore her from | the children whom she loved so tender- ly, and who loved her so passionately in return. were left orphans. at the tender age of Thus Gloria and myself nine, the faithful old domestic being | Our guardian. when we had numbered our sixteenth summer, healso died. Buton his dea:h- bed he called us to him, prepared us to hear a terrible tale, and then related Some years passed, and | - ee all the varied incidents which | have. now recounted, and which my mother | ere her decease had unveiled to his Knowledge. You may imagine far more easily than I describe how shocked ‘both myself and sister were when the dread compact which my father had made with the Prince of Darkness was thus revealed to our ears,—accounting as itdid not only for the whole chain of misfortunes which had fallen on the heads of our devoted parents, but like- ~vise to the dedication of Gloria to the service of heaven—as well as for the marvellous contrast. which existed be- tween our complexions, and for the sin- gularity of the Christian names that had been bestowed upon us! ‘A year afterwards Gloria entered a convent. Fain would I have accompa- nied her; but it was necessaay that [| should remain abroad in the world in order to court the means of emancipa- ting myself from the thraldom of Satan. For did he not say *‘ that when, I should have grown up into the glory and splen- dor of my charms, should it so happen that there be found a Christian knight who would espouse my cause through | to people his kingdom with the lost souls that would be sacrificed to my charms !” ; ‘+Yes—such was the declarations made by the Enemy of Mankind; and in the hope of finding a champion to undertake my cause have I sought the scenes of warfare and the bustling en campments of armies. Four years have passed since the fatal secret was revealed to me by the old domestic on his deuth-bed: and in the meantime numberless suitors have thrown them- selves at my feet imploring my love; but. alas! alas! I saw that weeks and months were passing rapidly—my hour was drawing nigh—and no Christian knight demanded my friendship or of- fered to become my champion in any ‘ause or service that I might name. Hoping to find more truthfulness and sincerity of heart amongst the ‘l'abor- ites, and flattering myself that if ever such a champion were to rise up In my favor it would be from the ranks of that gallant band to whom selfishness is un- known,—under these impressions. | say, did I join them. The generous Zitzka gave me his hospitality, and to him did I reveal my tale of terror, mys- tery and wonder. The fact that he ‘thus became acquainted with my nar- | | | | rative debarred him from becoming my champion; because the offer of friend- ship and the demonstration of sympa- thy must be made by one ignorant at the time of all that concerns me. Amongst the Taborites I received at- tentions the most delicate and a respect ‘the most profound: but the charmed friendship and compassion only, and) ) appeared. Heaven threw him in my not in the hope of winning my hand or engaging my love, then might my sual- vation be wrought and my emantipation won by snech a champion. should reach and pass my twentieth year—if the hour of midnight on that anniversary of my birth should ‘see no champion arise to combat in My Cause against Satan himself—then should I But if 1) words were not breathed in my ears. Thus, with an anxious heart, and fre- quently overwhelmed by appalling fears, did I behold the time passing: for on the fifteenth day of August—this very month—shall I complete my twentieth year ! | ‘At length—Oh! ‘at length, a knight way at a moment when hope seemed to be abandoning me. He came to the Taborite encampment one evening, and next morning he departed aguin. But ers he went, we walked ulobe together in the wood. He asked me if 1 were happy, and I replied by a question. ‘© Who is entirely happy in this world?” ‘ ‘ comicbooks.com eo oe Pe Oe