The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

12 THE BRONZE STATUE. sures which Time had made in the carved | rotting tapestry, and therewith cleaned it wood-work. No secret door, therefore, ap-| scmewhat. The result of this proceeding peared to exist in either the vestibule of| was the discovery of a small object shaped this room. | like the head of a nail, and resembling that Sir Ernest de Colmar now re-entered the! which he had found in the panel, large, sombre, and dilapidated sleeping-| By pressing hard upon the iron, the door chamber; and, raising the tapestry, he used | gave way—and the Knight thrust it com- his dagger on the wainscot in the same] pletely open: but so powerful a current of way as he had done in the other apart-| air immediately rushed from the aperture, ments. ‘he result was equally satisfac: | that his lamp was nearly extinguished. He tory so far as he pursued his investigation ;} however shaded the light with his hand in but he knew not how to deal with that! time to save it; and, waiting till the gust portion of the wall against in which the| had subdued, he continued his survey of bed-tead stood. | the place. For the head of the couch was of thick Ihe open door revealed the head ofa 4 carved oak, rising almost to the cealing,| flight of steps which Sir Ernest unhesitat- and forming at the top of the canopy | ingly began to descend. The steps were : whence the drapery had descended. | of stone; and, although slippery with the But being resolved not to leave a single | damp, they were~wGirm and solid in their precaution unadopted, In case treachery setting, Protecting the lamp, the Knight should be intended, Sir Ernest sueceed: d,| passed gradually down toa considerable by dint of all his strength, in moving away | distance: when he found his way suddenly the bedstead in such a manner that he| barred by a door, This however yielded, could pass behind the solid head; and,} on the bolt that held it being drawn back ; lifting the tapestry, he thrust his poinard|and Sir Ernest. now continued his way through several fissures in the wainscot. along a vaulted passage, very narrow and At first the weapon encountered only the|so low that he was compeiled to stoop his wall: but at last its point entered some-| head. thing made of wood. ihe sides, the arching roof, and the The Knight fetched the lamp from the! floor were of solid masonry ;—and when ~ table where he had deposited it, and com-| Sir Ernest calculated the direction in which menced a keen scrutiny of the wainscot. | this tomb-lke passage ran, on considering Ina few moments he discovered a small} it in reference to the position of the flight round piece of iron set in the corner of a} of stone steps which he had descended, he panel, and having the appearance of the | felt certain that it must have been formed head of a naii. Suspecting that it might | in the thick wall overlooking the moat. _ have connexion with a secret spring, he Carefully shading his lamp, and proceed- pressed it hard with his thumbs; and the| ing with caution, the Knight advanced panel gave way, opening towards him to a| about a hundred paces, when he was ab- distance of two or three inches. ruptly stopped by a dead wall which seem- oe Had not the hinges been eaten with! ed to arrest his progress altogether. But rust and clogged with dirt, the panel} in another moment he became aware that would have doubtless flown wide open by | the passage merely turned off suddenly to the mere force of the spring which ae right; and he pursued his way till he | = See ———— — a — _ — " Bide ie Seo SE ae — + —— ae. -* * be ; ' ‘ x 7 ‘ s< ; - s ° >< - - - a == = one * « > - e £ ==. ~- ¥ - < "ree or —— ee o* ay “A te eo A ve j 7. hor . Ro SB es! OE Se ae ES ems ae set it tree. reached another door. This he opened However, De Colmar easily opened it ;} without much difficulty ; and he found that and the aperture, which was five feet high, | it led toa second flight of stone steps, at and two anda half ‘in width, revealed a| the bottom of which there was another long door of similar size set in the solid ma- arched passage, i sonry. Once more was his lamp nearly extin- With a strange and mysterious presenti-| guished by a gust of wind, which came ment that he was about to fathom some sweeping from thé farther extremity of the wild and romantic secret bea ring reference | vaulted corridor ; and again did he succeed to the right wing of the Cast'e of Alten-| in Saving the light. A distance of about : dort,—and beginning to put some faith in| a hundred paces brought him to a smali the rumors which appeared to be current circular chamber, looking like a cavern Concerning that part of the old feudal| hollowed ina solid rock. 80 rugged and structure,——though more than ever bew}!/d- | massive was the masonry. A stone cruci- ered in respect to the motives which could | hx, about three feet high, stood in a lone have induced Lord Rodo! ph to lodge him | niche; and on the pavement beneath, there in that chamber,—Sir Ernest de Colmar} was a block of granite, roughly shaped like how examined this inner door with a rigid| the hassock on which the penitents kneel scrutiny. But as it was covered with the in churches. mildew of damp, he tore off a piece of the! Facing the entrance from the passage - —~ c = . al eer” - inane ie dkeciemme ee a Tn Dee Oe < | COMNCDOOKS CONT