The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

<> =F ces *-3 GDS £3 wa al ——_ . wy -or § — Tl = THE BBONZE STATUE. | ll other rooms of the Castle, Sir Ernest de ©olmar was induced by closer survey of his chamber. tapestry, he found that it actually crumbled | like scorched rags in his hands, leaving | nevertheless a clammy sensation of slimy dampness; and an inspection of the wai scotting behind showed him how dilapida- ted all that wood-work had become. Cur- rents of air poured through the gaping panels, which in many paris were green with a fetid moisture, and in others were black with acccumulated dust. Suddenly a reminiscence flashed to his_ mind. Had not Wildon the furest-keeper | snformed him that the right wing of Alten- dorf Castle bad been shut up for many years ?—and did not this apartment bear every indication of one which long disuse had consigned to the ravages of decay ¢ | Startled by these reflections, and deter- | mined to clear up all doubt as to the point which they involved, Sir Ernest approached | one of the windows, which, having been hastily cleansed, were besmeared with the dirt that there was not time to wash away - thoroughly. The casement to which he thus | advanced, was consequently 60 obscured that he could see nothing outside: but ter some troubie, and by the assistance of his poniard in removing the well rusted fastening, he was enabled te open it. The might was one of continued moon-lit splendor; and the moat gave back to the deep purple sky the silver lustre and the image ot the chaste queen of heaven. But all uncertainty as to the position of De Colmar’s chamber was cleared up in a moment; fur, as he gazed forth from the window, the bridge communicatiog with the entrance under the central tower was on the left; and he was there right wing of the castle ! Moreover, at ashort distance hand, the furest-trees stretched close up to the edifice in that direction 5 and thus had he succeeded in satisfying himself that he was really an inmate of the very potion of the building where strange sights were said to have been viewed and preternatural noises heard, For an instant aco!d and mysterious tre- mor crept over Sir Ernest: but drawing himse!f proudly up to his full height, and | shaking off the superstitious awe that had begun to steal into his breast, he exclaimee aloud, ‘This feeling ig unworthy of me- God renders not the night hideous and ter- | vible to the innocent ? And he was about to close the casement, when he suddenly caught a g-lmpse of something white moving slowly amidst the trees that stretched towards the extremity of the right wing of the Castle. curiosity to take a |rooted to the spot, he kept his eyes fixed Raising the | upon that object—or rather followed it with nis looks as it passed graduaily on through the raze of fuliage, deeper into the forest. it appeared to proceed with measured 'steps—never once halting, nor turning aside, mor accelerating Its pace: like a spectre did it seem to move slow!ly ainidst ‘he trees—until it suddenly vanished, as if lthe earth had swallowed itup, or as if it had melted all in a moment into thin air. minute upon the spot where it had thus disappeared; and when, with a start, he turned aside from the window, he felt that he was perspiring at every pore. de Colmar never couched lance; and this wag ibe first time in his life that he had experienced the influence of superstitious awe. But he could not conceal from him. self that the object he had just seen had for the time unnerved him—had drenched , af- | indignation at having given away to that fore in the| tion of the building, hud created in his on his right | ery. might be meditated, though for what Again did achill pass over him: and, The Knight stood gazing for nearly @ Ina battle a braver man than Sir Ernest hig brow with the big drops of terror—and had caused his ample chest to remain up- heaved with the suspended breath, But now, with a cheek flushing through iuysterious awe, the Knight closed the casement and resolved to seek his couch. First, however, he visited the adjacent chaiuber, in order to extinguish the pastiles, the perfume of which was overpowering ; and, having done this, be passed into the vesubule to assure himself that the door leading ito the passage was closed. He found that it was shat; and he drew the rusty bolts to make it secure—for the cir- cumstance of Lord Rodolph having con- signed him to that long unoccupied por- breast vague suspicions that some treach- purpose he was at a loss o conceive. tie was retracing his steps into the sleeping-chamber, when It struck him th t he would only be acting with the proper precaution if he were to ascertain whether there were any other moce of entrance ‘ato his suite of apartments, besides the eet door which he had just fastened. | Llaving the lamp in his hand, he carefully ‘examined the vestibule, which was sur- | rounded with the wainscottng, 4 nd decay- cd and crumbling. Thrusting his poinard ‘ various places through the broken wood- work, he encountered the solid wall only 5 pand ‘hus far satisfied, he passed into the middle chamber. This room was likewise | wainseotted; and here again the point of ‘the weapon was resisted by the masonry lbehind the panels, on each oceasion that | the Kuight sounded the depths of the fis- : comicbooks.com