The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 24: what you’re looking at

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

22 THE BRONZE STATUE. i | | | | and raising her Jooks once more, ‘ my name | fruits, and drank naught save water; but Hy ii is Satanais, dark and ominous though its Satanais quaffed the s; arkling wine, which ny meaning be.’ Sir Ernest de Colmar courteously poured | ‘ She speaks truly,’ observed Zitzka,in a | out and gallantly presented to her; and as low tone, to the Knight: ‘ her name is Sa-|she gave him back the cup, it struck him tanais—but whence she obtained it, or why that her taper fingers touched his hand Hi it was conferred upon her, is one of the | otherwise and in a more lingering manner | many mysteries that make up the sum total | than as if through pure accident. At the | of the wild and almost incredible romance | same instant, through the darkness which i } which constitutes the history of her life.’ had by this time deepened considerably, 1 | i ‘You interest me strangely in this being | shone those glorious eyes with a supernal | Bt whom all circumstances—beauty, name, dazzling, and bewildering lighx. ie # nation, and history—combine to invest; At length the meal was ended; and ti with a species of supernatural attraction,’ | Zitzka, rising from his seat upon the { | said the Knight, also speaking in a low | ground, said, * It is the hour for retiring to ia) whisper, ‘ An invisible but witching halo | rest, after the fatigues of the day. Behold! appears to surround her: she seeins to dwell | the good Taborites have withdrawn to their within a magic circle, which her own ra- | tents—silence prevails throughout the en- diant presence fills with light, but which, | campment.’ nevertheless, presents an adamantine bar-| While Zitzka was thus speaking, Sir rier against every effort which imaginatica | Ernest de Colmar proffered his hand to Sa- may exert, or which conjecture may make, | tanais, to assist her to rise from the sward, in order to penetrate the wild mystery that} on which the dews—those pearly tears of thus envelopes her,’ night—were now settling; but, light as a Hy | ‘And fiom my lips will your Excellency | fewn, she sprang upon her feet, and, plac- oe a glean nothing with regard to Satanais,’|ing the plumed cap upon her head, threw ery! rejoined Zitzka, in a tone of remonstrance, | over her polished shoulders a rich velvet “Get as if De Colmar were seeling to know | scarf, which one of her handmaidens pre- too much for one who was a complete | oented to her. ea || stranger. | May all good genii attend upon your ae |: : I demand your pardon, General,’ said | repose, Sir Knight,’ she said: then, ap- eet the Knight, witha manly frankness, which proaching Zitzka, the beautiful creature | ! instantly brought a good-humored smile to | folded her arms meekly across her bosom, Ht |i the countenance of the Taborite chief: ‘ it | cast down her looks, and awaited his bles- eer was wrong—nay, even insolent on my | sing. Pt i part—to press you with my queries, seeing| Themoon shone forth from the deep blue that this is the first time we have ever | arch of heaven ; and its silver rays illumined met.’ this picturesque scene, bringing out into While he was thus speaking, Zitzka's | strong relief the tall, martial, and grim form two personal attendants, Arnold and Hein-| of the Taborite chief, as he extended his rich, re-appeared from the pavilion; and | hands over the slightly inclining head of they speedily spread upon the grass the that glorious creature, and ina low but im- provisions and wine with which they were| pressive tone invoked all the bounties of laden. Providence in her behalf: then, gently ) The sun was now setting behind the | touching her high and noble forehead with western hills, and the shades of evening | his lips, Zitzka exclaimed in a louder voice, were gradually acquiring an increased |‘! bless thee, Santanais, and I adjure the power. But even through the semi-obscu- | spirit of the murdered Huss to watch over rity of twilight did the splendid eyes ot | thy slumbers and defend thee from evil !’ Satanais glow and burn with a supernatural! "The lady made a low obeisance ; and as lustre ; and the deeper grew the dusky sha-|she raised her head again, it struck the dows in the midst of the woo, the more fre- | Knight that her superb eyes glanced rapidly quently did the mysterious creature seem | towards himself. But at the next moment to fix those shining orbs upon the counte-| she turned away—and, attended by her nance of the Knight: yet, whenever some | handmaidens, passec along the side of the instinclive impulse told him that she was| great pavilion without entering it, and thus gazing upon him, and made him piunged into the deep recesses of the wood. glance rapidly towards her, her eyes were; Aitzka now conducted Sir Ernest de Col- invariably withdrawn instantaneously. marto a tent which was divided into two The repast was partaken of by Zitzka, | compartments each fitted up with a due re- Sir Ernest de Colmar, his two pages, and | gard to comfort. The Knight tovk pos- the handmaidens of Satanais, Arnold and | session of one division --his pages of the Heinrich performing the part of servitors. | other: and when the Taborite chief had The Taborite chief ate only bread and dried | retired to his own pavilion, Sir Ernest, s oo oe See 4 Bes a ee ee ee COmMmICDOOKS.COlM