The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 173: what you’re looking at

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

THE BRONZE STATUE. distance—then the archway and the draw-bridge by which he was conduct- ed forth when mounted on horseback— these gradations seemed to describe a complete route in accordance with that pointed out by his suspicions, for what could be more plain than that he was at first introduced to the W hite Mansion, whence the subterraneans led to Hamelen Castle, this being the building from which the party had emerged on horseback ? But what circumstances were there confirmatory of this hypothesis ! ‘Lhe reader will remember that @ strange sus- 22C10N flashe a. LO Di Colmar’s mind when Angela informed him how Father Cy- prian had expat iated on the benevolence and charity of a certain noble lady with whom he was acquainted, and who pos- sessed a splendid mansion in the vici- nity of Prague—a lady to whose care the Carthusian had preposed to intro- duce Angela, with the assurance that she would be welcomed cordially and affectionately. Now was it not proba- ble that the lady thus alluded to was the Baroness Hamelen! did not every circumstance seem to show that it was in the White Mansion the Princess Elizabetha had been placed by Father Cyprian? and was there not irretraga- ble evidence pointing to the conclusion that the baroness must be either an ac- complice or a dupe of the intriguing priest, and that both her dwellings were either the head-quarters or the haunts of the agents of the tremendous tribu- nal of the Bronze Statue ! To these conclusions did Sir Ernest de Colmar come; and with them was necessarily associated the appalling fear that his two gallant young pages, in fol- lowing up their researches with regard to the Princess Elizabetha, had fallen into the hands of the miscreants be- longing to the tribunal just alluded to. But what course was the knight to adopt! ‘lhe conditions imposed by his dread conqueror: on the heath, merely ‘nterdicted his interference touching the political affairs of Bohemia, and certainly could not apply to any search which he might institute relative to his missing attendants. As for any promise which he might have given lather Cy- prian with regard to maintaining secret the princess's hiding-place, no violation of that pledge could possibly be involved in the circumstance of tracing the lost youths whithersoever his suspicions might lead him. At the same time it was necessary to 171 proceed with caution, circumspection, and secrecy. Sir Ernest could not in- voke Zitzka’s aid to obtain the assist- ance of a few ‘Taborite soldiers, be- cause the mere fact of visiting the White Mansien with such an escort would probably lead to the betrayal of the Prineess Elizabetha’s abode to the Reformers ; whereasthe policy of Aus ‘'tria and the chivalrous disposition of De Colmar were alike repugnant to the idea of her royal highness falling into the hands of Zitzka. Besides, the in- vocation of T'aborite aid on the part of Sir Lrnest would have a direct political significancy, and therefore be in con- travention of the terms stipulated by nis sable conqueror. Having thus well weighed the posi- tion in which he was placed, the Aus- trian warrior came to the conclusion that he must embark alone and unaided in the dangerous enterprise which lay him. Single-handed and with all imaginable secrecy and precaution must he venture into the haunt of the myrmidons of Father Cyprian and the masked officials of the tribunal of the Bronze Statue. But the knight shrank not from the undertaking: he who had braced on the steel panoply to wage battle against the Enemy of Mankind, was not likely to be daunted by such an adventure as this. Again, however, did he ask himself how he was to proceed? Should he repair to the White Mansion, demand an interview with the Baroness Hame- len, force himself into her presence, if refused an audience, and then trust to circumstances to develop results in his favor? "This scheme was scarcely a prudent or cautious one ; and yet he knew none other that was practicable. And here we may as well mention a little incident, the occurrence of which was too trifling to induce us to stop the previous thread of our narrative in or- der to record it in its proper place. For the incident merely was that three or four days after the knight’s arrival at Prague he had despatched a note to the Baroness Hamelen requesting to be al- lowed to pay his homage to. her; and although the letter was couched in the most courteous terms, and stated that the writer was Austria’s representative at the council then about to be. holden, it remained altogether unanswered. Not so much as a verbal reply was betore -vouchsafed ; and ‘l'’emplin, to whom the | dolivery ot the note had been entrusted, and who had himself become the bearer ~ ~~“. : — = ~~ = -— — ~~, Sg ne Sy nee : a a= = r 7 & =< —. . % . — ae of comicbooks ~~ ee ae — io. cr«< ed ee oot me -* a 2 r [sao Es | il — - ‘ = — . ~ te, . a} + - se hee 2a wv 4 -- « . ~~ 7 *- vie pn + ae 4 a>’ “vse + ‘ ‘a 2. 9 Oem Com, ol —- , * ll * .cOmM