The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 198: what you’re looking at

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

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But the bravos were hither. beaten back, just at the moment that ‘ Now, my gallant unknown friend,’ the baroness, recalled to consciousness exclaimed De Colmar, turning to con- | by the din of weapons, began to rend front the bravos, and uttering these|the air once more with her piercing words hastily, ‘we have more work to | shrieks. ; do, but let us only succeed in cutting ‘ Back, back, my brave unknown ! our way through these miscreants to | exclaimed De Colmar, ‘ and prepare to the marble hall below, and we shall then | shut the portal upon them! be safe.’ Obedient to this command, Angela For De Colmar remembered his|retreated behind him, while re a agreement with the young page Ermach. one tremendous effort sti stoned ange 1er One glance around was sufficient to|of the foemen at his feet and drove the show the armed servitors who had just | survivors several paces back into the arrived in the gallery that a desperate | passage, he left the threshold clear for conflict had taken place; and quickly | Angela, who instantaneously closed the as that look was thrown upon the scene, | door, and the bolt was shot into its did the ruffians commence a furious at- socket. . oy tack upon De Colmar and Angela. ‘Thus far have we triumphed!’ eja- With each new danger that thus | culated De Colmar, ‘and now to the presented itself in such rapid succes- marble hall? : = sion, did the forest-maiden’s courage Along the brilliantly-lighted corridor vise and her ardor receive additionalin-|they sped, with their blood-stained spiration; for, to speak soothly, she swords in their hands. ‘lhe passage was combatting by the side of the man | was clear to them, and on they went whom she loved—and she was well | without molestation. The door of the aware that defeat would be followed by | apartment in which Angela had made death at the hands of such desperados | prisoners of the three nobles and the as those to whom she found herself and | Carthusian was still fastened ; and the i i a —“ hr . | tos ; A Let b ip aa -™ r hat her companion opposed. violent knocking inside seam her t The object of De Colmar was now to | they yet remained captive t vote i sustain a running conflict, so that he| Down the marble staircase did the and Angela might reach the hall; for | maiden and the Austrian warrior speed ; the numbers against whom they had aj but the moment their eyes could com- second time to contend were fearfully | mand the range of the hall, they ane disproportionate, and there was the | ceived that another and perhaps sti chance, amounting almost to a certain- | more desperate struggle was now at ty, that their enemies would receive hand, for eight armed men, ee Beto ample reinforcements. ing the pines black mask, were sta- +On, my brave unknown !’ ejaculated tioned there! De Colmar: ‘on, with the strength of} Then Angela instantly recollected a thousand!” |that this must be the party intended Upon the maiden’s armor the blows for the escort in pursuance of, the com- rained like hail: but the valorous Aus- | mand given by the Baron of Altendorf ; trian knight not only defended himself— | and the looks of amazement yhiers aye, and kept his opponents fully em- those men threw upon De near ps ployed—but likewise parried many a | the maiden proved that they ha no thrust levelled at his companion, whom | idea of the bloody scenes which had he took for some youthful gallant, little | been enacted in the Gallery of Porcelain deeming her to be a female and one so | Vases. Indeed, the distance between well known to him. that place and the marble hall was too Right and left blood was shed in the | great to have allowed the screams and ranks of the armed servitors, and in -a|the clash of arms to reach thetr ears. minute two of them lay weltering in| But when those eight men beheld De their gore. This time Angela’s wea- | Colmar and Angela descending the stairs pon had done futal work; but her own | 1n so hasty a manner and with the blood- good steel panoply kept her lovely form | stained swords naked in their hands— unscathed, while De Colmar’s exquisite | when too, they marked the terrible skill saved his own person from harm. | looks of menace and defiance which the And now with a desperate rush did| Austrian hero threw upon them,—they they cut their way through their sur- | saw at once that something was wrong viving opponents, and on the threshold ; and instinctively prepared to receive the of the door the conflict was renewed | knight and his companion as foes. : — — comicbooks.com