The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 214: what you’re looking at

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

« 7 [ae * “4 ~ eS ae > = _" a * ‘ ws 2a tes ay < — on a ty. Caer TiS eer : ~~ > ~~. oe . * i “ = * — ~* 4," d — “x ak a oa a pe a a te *_~ 4 at * ‘oe s, ~~ yew we - 212 ‘] hope that General Zitzka took it not | amiss that [ paid not my respects per- sonally to him ere I quitted Prague ?’ ‘The Captain-General entertains too high an opinion of your excellency, to judge you harshly under any circum- stances,’ responded Gloria. speak soothly,’ she continued, ‘he was fully occupied this morning in endea- ‘And to! ' voring to fathom an extraordinary oc- | currence which took place last night, and a rumor of which doubtless reached your excellency ere you took your de- parture from the Golden Falcon ?’ ‘Ah! you allude to the disappear- ance of the three State Prisoners!’ ex- claimed De Colmar. ‘ Doubtless the general was much vexed at the inci- dent 2’ ‘More than vexed, Sir Knight,—far rnore than vexed.’ observed Gloria, in a solemn tone. ‘lhe mighty Zitzka be- / ' ' : : i 1 SO - came a prey to so terrible a paroxysm | of rage that in the height of his fury | he vowed to commence an immediate crusade against the whole Bohemian Aristocracy. Yes,—he swore that he would extirpate the very germs of no-| bility from the land, raze their feudal castles to the ground, partition their estates, and proclaim an universal equa- lity of rank throughout Bohemia.’ ' THE BRONZE STATUE. ‘ Not so, lady—far from it!’ cried An- gela. ‘Sprung from the people myself _—at least so lam bound to believe—my ‘sympathies are with the people; yes, and in favor of religious and political re- form. But still there may be noblemen in whose welfare I can feel interested, and whose ruin would afilict me pro- foundly.’ ‘Our unknown friend, lady,’ exclaimed De Colmar, hastily ad- dressing himself to Gloria, for he fancied that the conversation was touching upon delicate ground for his youthful deliver- er, whom—as the reader will remem- ber—he knew to have likewise been the liberator of- the three nobles from the Castle of Prague, a fact which, con- sidering Gloria’s connexion with the ‘'aborites, it was of course necessary to keep concealed from her, ‘our unknown friend has gone so far as to admit by im- plication that he in reality sympathises with the Reformer of Mount Tabor. But as you are well aware that J have no right nor power now to interfere in Bohemian politics.’ he added, lowering his voice so as to render his words au- dible only to Gloria, ‘you would do | well, fair lady, not to raise any discus- sion wherein | may not bear a part. lor the compact which was imposed ‘And will the Captain-General seek | upon me on behalf of your sister Sata- to accomplish this vow, lady ?’ inquired | nais, contained a clause to that effect.’ Angela Wildon, taking especial care to | ‘Yes, lam no stranger to the severe render her voice as masculine in its in- | conditions to which you were bound to tonation as she possibly could. ‘Within ten days from the present | in a low tone. | | assent,’ murmured Gloria, also speaking ‘And it was for the love time will that crusade commence,’ re-| of Satanais that you dared so much sponded Gloria; ‘unless, indeed,’ she| danger and embraced such arbitrary added, after a few moments’ pause, | terms,’ she added, in a tremulous voice, “the Captain-General should which is by no means probable. you, brave unknown,’ she exclaimed, | turning towards Angela, ‘are you in| relent, | and with a look full of uwndefinable feel- But | ings. ‘Oh! speak not to me again of a love which has no longer a hope,’ responded any way interested in this decision of | Sir Ernest de Colmar; then spurring the mighty Zitzka? do you belong to | : : some proud and wealthy Bohemian fa- | mily, whose ancestral castle will there- by be menaced with siege and sack, and whose patrimonial domains will be sub- jected to division amongst the vassals now toiling thereon?’ ‘ No, lady,’ answered Angela; ‘I am of humble birth, and of equally humble pretensions; and the crusade contem- | plated by the Captain-General can only depths of her soul, while she threw a 7. injure me in the sympathies which [ entertain, and not in respect to any in- terests of a more selfish nature.’ ‘Ah! then your sympathies are with the Bohemian aristocracy ?’ exclaimed the Daughter of Glory. | | / : his horse suddenly forward, he exclaim- ed aloud, ‘ Behold a fine tract of level road stretching far as the eye can reach —let us put the mettle of our good steeds to the test.’ Angela and Gloria immediately fol- lowed the example which the knight thus gave them; and as the romantic lady of transcendant beauty urged her own graceful palfrey into that swift gal- lop, she again murmured within the burning look of passion upon De Col- mar, ‘ fe is mine! he ws mine!’ comicbooks.com beauteous | on —