The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 125: what you’re looking at

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

re ms 7 _ THE BRONZE STATUE. 123 ‘Adjoining this palace—but on the | as if those few instants contained the opposite side,’ continued Satanais, | essence of life’s. cup of early joy! pointing towards the massive pile that; But a!lon a sudden (and as if struc, shone grey in the silver moonlight, | or ratherstartled, by some thrilling idea) ‘there is a chapel the door of which has | Satanais burst from the arms of the been locked ever since the ‘Tuborites| Knight; then, placing her finger upon entered Prague a week back: for, as; her lip, she said in atone of deep mean- you are Foubliess aware, they have ‘ing but with bashful gravity, » Remem- closed many of the Catholic churches | ber that it is friendship which has made and converted the rest into temples of} you my champion worship for the Reformers. The key| Having thus spoken, she passed away of the chapel belonging to the palace [| with such rapidity and turned the adja- can procure, ’ observed the Daughter of | cent angle of the building with such Satan: ‘thither shall I repair shortly | spirit-like speed, that had it not been before eleven on the night of the 15th,| for the rustling of her garments, she and there shall [ offer up my prayers | would have seemed an aerial being for thy success and safety !’ gliding and melting back again into the ‘And if heuven should indeed vouch- i thin atmosphe re which gave her a sha- safe me success and bring me in safety | dowy existence. from the conflict,’ said De Colmar, ‘1 will join thee in that chapel within an hour after midnight. If otherwise But on that alternative we will not spe- culate,’ he exclaimed, raising his head ———$ $$ CHAPTER XXXII. and drawing himself up in ali the confi- AN AVOWAL OF LOVE. dence of his chivalrous nature. ‘Il must now bid thee farewell, my| Foraweek and upwards the city of brave and generous champion,’ said Sa-| Prague had been in the power of the tanais, taking his hand and pressing it | Taborites: but no violenee of any kind first to her lips, then to her heart.| had been perpetrated,in respect to the * Farewell, dear Ernest,’ she cried, in a| inhabitants. ‘The three hostages, name- tone of fervor and enthusiasm as she}ly, the Marquis of Schomberg, the fixed her superb eyes with an expres-| Count of Rosenberg, and the Baron of sion of mingled admiration and passion} Altendorf, remained as prisoners in the upon his handsome countenance, ‘ fare- | Castle, where General Zitzka likewise well, and may all good angels accom-| took up his abode. A strong garrison pany thee in the task of danger which| was maintained in that fortress: the thou hast undertaken! Farewell, and| barracks were also filled with Taborites; may strength nerve thine arm even as|and detachments of these. armed Re- courage animates thy heart! In the} formers were distributed in different interval which is to occur until the! parts of the city for the purpose of period of the combat, we must meet no | guarding against a surprise. more: how soon we meet afterwards, The nobles who had assembled at depends upon circumstances which| Prague to hold the council, had all dis- heaven must control! Farewell, then, | persed and retired to their respective my kind and generous friend, farewell!’ | mansions and feudal castles, with the And Satanais was about to depart) exception of the three hostages above precipitately, when Sir Ernest de Col-| named. The retainers of all those peers mar retained her by the hand which he | had been disarmed the moment Zitzka held in his own, threw his arms round| entered Prague; and some of them her splendid form, strained her to his | subsequently enrolled themselves volun- breast, and covered her brow, her| tarily in the ‘T'aborite army, while the cheeks, and her lips with kisses. Floods| rest were suffered to depart to their of ecstatic feelings poured into his soul, | homes. and kindred emotions were expressed| _ In a word, the entire territory of Bo- in the swimming eyes of Satanais. For} hemia was now subjugated to the rule nearly a moment did she not only yield | of the formidable Jolin Zitzka surname herself to his impassioned caresses, but | ed the One-Eyed. Without assuming aye them back with as fond an ardor.|any other title than that of Captain- Prerything—the future as well as the | General of the ‘l'aborites, this extraor- past—was forgotten by them both dur- | dinary man became the administrator ing this brief but elysian rhapsody ofthe | of the affairs of a large, rich, and popul- feelings: and for both also did it seem ' ous country—a task quite unequal to his —— comicbooks.com ee ee = ee or