The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 188: what you’re looking at

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

186 THE BRONZE STATURE. take to place her in the care of a worthy | loss of time. And, behold! most for- lady of my acquaintance ; but our dis-| tunate was this resolution on my parts course was cut short by the arrival of|for on arriving at the cemetery this Dame Martha. To another rooim did [| evening—~wearied, exhausted, and worn accompany the old woman, and there we | out with six davs’ severe travelling—I conversed at length upon many matters. | learnt, as I have already explained, that At last it suddenly struck me that thea certain knight had passed that way in partition-wall was a mere boarding, | your company an hour previously; and and available for eaves-droppers. Ter- | the deseription given by the groom rified with the conviction that. several | proved at once that it was the person- things had been spoken by Dame Mar-|age calling himself Sir Ernest de Col tha and myself which were. dangerous | mar.’ to be heard by strangers, [ made inqul- ‘Now we have come back to the ries of the lundlord and found that the point. whenee we started at the begin- adjacent room had been appropriated ning of this long discourse.’ said the | to Angela Wildon. But she had fled|baroness: then after glancing at the in the meantime—yes, fled witha haste | clepsydra which stood on an elegant and an evident alarm which had sur-|table, she observed, ‘There are yet prised the people at the inn, but which twenty minutes to midnight, and the only frightened without amazing me.| Austrian is in the toilette-chamber For all the indiscretion of which I had | What course shall we adopt ?’ ’ been guilty in thus incautiously speak-| «Under what circumstances. did you ing aloud on,secret matters, was ren- | become acquainted with him ?? inquired dered terribly vivid to my mind; and I | the priest. - | felt convinced that Angela had heard ‘T was walking in Prague, when I enough to prompt her to so precipitate | beheld him,’ answered the lady ; ‘and of a flight. ‘hen that design of making] being struck by his appearance I af- her an inmate of the sisterhood of the} forded him an opportunity of address- White Mansion—a design which was/ing me. You may conjecture the rest.’ mere policy in the first instance, now ‘Did he mention your ladyship by became a necessity—an absolute neces-| name 2’ asked the Carthusian. sity; and instead of immediately as- ‘ No—he seemed to be utterly i no- suming the. disguise which the old wo-|rant who J was; and he stated Ban. he man had brought me, and in which I| himself was Sir Louis de Hazburgh.’ had purposed to penetrate into the Cas- ‘Then did he know right well oa ii tle of Prague and attempt the rescue you were,’ exclaimed the priest; ‘and of the State prisoners—instead of at| he purposely threw himself in your once undertaking that enterprise,I say, | way in order to obtain admission to the 1 despatched Dame Martha in pursuit| mansion. The-circumstance of givin of the maiden, while I hastened hither | the false name places this matter om to send off some of our sworn servitors | yond all’question; and for once in m on the same mission. And fortunate, | life T am at a loss how to st ee was it, as I have already observed, that | course to adopt—what policy to pursue.’ =e oye Se ied ~ ~—< - de << ee ~ 4 “ iar Bee 1 r = - a= . = hg — = - —->- - ¥ or 4 me += het _—— ™ eel -_o ’ ee * of owns ‘ ~~ ~~ — ——— r= - 7 ae — eee “7 ~ re “ ZS —_— ~~ ae. ae 4 at le “- : ee ee ee a *. hes ~ - +. Maar 2eh ee. ms a e . ~ = * b Cw or er 4 ° c= 2 Cc 7-2 >. t 7 j ay i fal4\ vs s He Figel } z a — t P ~ — ~ —— . ae KY * = = “> +e,» ww 3 =? ewe eee * 7 ——- ° = * =e. : ll na . oe 4. « ~~ . * = > + = TL ae | PI OMe ~~ x. oF ~ leer 7 fe or oe epee Shy a a = Per ‘ os : - mn * * eo > : ee. ~ ie 2B tg RF tt Re ere—#- ret —— oe ee * —ta © ae ie ee Tae + or ¢ hn. eer # ee. s? —- . * ~ ee See = ee ee - = oo: pee « he - ~ ° ~ * a i ~Sieees pa ~~ < Qa rr. «. « — =” x eS ° o —_ aa.*~ ra OS i’ * a pon ey ee =_ a4 ‘Flow could 1?’ exclaimed the Car-|and the Bronze Statue has received its thusian. ‘Scarcely had I set foot wiih-|victim in due course. W herefore in these walls, on the particular occa-|then, are you wavering now? what | sion of which we have been speaking, | talisman of security does this Austrian when the occurrence of that adventure possess ? what vengeance can menace. ° with the pages compelled me to hurry | us as the result of consigning him to a off for Altendorf Castle—which place | well-merited doom? For, in addition Idid not reach after all; for the dis-|to the treacherous intent which has no covery of Dame Martha’s body on the | doubt prompted him to seek admission morning of the third day’s journey, in- | here this night, is he not an impostor ? duced me to retrace my way withont| has not this point been satisfactorily eg- H BY i waged vy pi pace gas an wah Se Rcy- | ‘ The knight is in our power, and we Pee ane elt, TY Nour; imas-}can punish him terribly for any treach- REY ici t much as my presence defeated the|erous designs which he may contem- if Hanae | schemes of De Colmar’s pages to car-| plate, observed the baroness. < Why Sat tert ry off the Princess of Bohemia.’ ; do you hesitate? On every other oc- i: ie it | ‘And your Reverence has neither casion when an enemy or a traitor has He ee heard nor seen any more of this Ange- | fallen into your hands, holy father, your H a | i la Wildon iS said the Baroness Ilame- | decision has been prompt—your orders te . Batt len, inquiringly. have been instantaneously executed, ae ..%, * comicbooks.com