The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 206: what you’re looking at

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

~~ ee ete ee —— as < -— le Oe ee eee alle th portals: of the Bohemian capital, the knight reined in his steed—an example which was immediately followed by 204 THE BRONZE STATUE. te the crisp fresh air; and the droning of| mounted on prancing palfreys elegantly the bee, the shrill carol of the lark, the) caparisoned, emerged from the outer whirr of the wood pigeon’s wings inthe grove, the lowing of the cattle and the bleating of the sheep in the pastures all these familiar sounds greeted the glory of the nascent day. And then to thee, O Lord of Hosts! ascended the incense of grateful wor- ship from the shrines of thine own temples ; and the chaunt of the matin choristers sent up to thy throne the pean of rejoicing and the hymn of thanksgiving for the presence of that glorious sun which lightened the earth’s darkness again ! And it was while the earliest beams of that rising orb were glinting above the blue mountains in the far-off east, and stealing like threads of pensile lus- tre through the grey mists which be- gan to flee before the presence of the dawn— it was at this soft and witching hour that a party of four persons rode slowly forth from the southern gate of the Bohemian capital. The foremost horseman was Sir Er- nest de Colmar, attired in that plain and simple travelling garb in which we first introduced him to our readers; and it was only by the golden spurs upon the heels of his boots, that his rank of knighthood was proclaimed. Following close behind him was Er- mach, mounted on the steed which be- jonged to Lionel, and leading by the bridle the one that Konrad was wont to bestride. ‘This latter horse was ready caparisoned, and was intended for the use of Angela. At a short distance in the rear of Ermach, two grooms were mounted on sumpter-horses, one carrying behind the knight’s armor carefully packed;, and the other the valise containing the ne- cessaries of his toilette. We should observe that these two srooms had followed Sir Ernest de Col- mar at a couple of days’ journey dis- tance on the occasion when we found him travelling towards Prague in the opening chapter of our tale. On passing forth from the southern Ermach and the grooms in respect to their animals; and the party halted thus for a few minutes until the sounds of horses’ hoofs upon the inner draw- bridge reached their ears. Then, in re A — —— ._ ____.., gates of the fortifications. Although Gloria was veiled, yet De Colmar immediately knew that it was she, not only by a single glance sweep- ing the admirable symmetry of her form which in its own rich beauties had no parallel save that of Satanais, but likewise because he instantaneously re- cognised the sweet countenances of her handmaidens, Linda and Beatrice. Spurring his horse towards the lady, he doffed his plumed cap in courteous salutation; but the eagle glance of Glo- ria immediately detected a certain gloom upon his features and a restraint in his manner, both of which he endeavored to subdue. But even the very effort which he thus made for the generous purpose of concealing from her the fact that he deplored the necessity of be- coming her guardian and escort to the Austrian capital—even this attempt which he struggled so hard to accom- plish, rather than wound her feelings by the faintest appearance of annoy- ance or vexation at her companionship even this very endeavor, which his natural goodness of heart prompted, was Observed and understood in an in- stant by that being who loved him with such indescribable fervor ! But not choosing, at the very outset of the journey, to make him aware that she had even noticed the feeling which she had nevertheless so quickly and so profoundly read—and moreover cheer- ing herself with the fond hope that she possessed in her sovereign beauty and her winning eloquence all the mears necessary to dazzle the imagination, captivate the heart, and enchant the soul of the Austrian warrior, Gloria threw back her veil in acknowledgment of his graceful salutation, and thus sud- denly opened upon him that formidable battery of charms which were so well calculated to touch a spirit that the shock of armies could not move, nor the roar of battle shake. And radiant indeed was the Daugh- ter of Glory in all the translucent love- liness, the romantic splendor, the su- pernal brilliancy of that beauty with which she was endowed, Parted above the brow of spotless white, was that golden hair which covered her head with its smooth, velvet, glossy sheen, and flowed thence in such lustrous masses and such glowing undulations another moment the graceful cavalcade| over shoulders stainless as milk, yet of aludy and her two dependents, alli flesh-tinted as when alabaster reflects comicbooks.com = - —_t.)