The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 253: what you’re looking at

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

t THE BRONZE STATUE. 251 will eventually triumph, I feel assured | many chances in favor of those soldiers __and that the Princess Elizabetha will| who are best paid and best fed.’ ere long sit upon the throne of her an- cestors, [ am wellconvinced. But that the struggle will be short, or that our | arms will achieve’a prompt success, I do not for a single moment imagine. No—the conflict will be long and bloody; and the royal standard will trail through oceans of gore and its bearer will tram- | ple over myriads of the slain, ere it be | planted upon the Castle of Prague. For | remember that this will be a war not so much between religious sects, as be- tween the principles of Monarchy and Aristocracy on the one hand, and those of Republicanism and Democracy on the other.’ ‘Granted !’ ejaculated the Carthust- an. ‘But what would your lordship have me thence infer ?’ ‘Meseems that your lordships are entering into a discussion which may well be deferred to a more fitting occa- sion,’ said the Carthusian; then, by vay of at once diverting the discourse to another topic, he said, addressing himself to the Baron of Altendorf, ‘I hope that your lordship’s son will be at the castle to receive the Count of Re- senberg.’ ‘There can be no doubt of it,’ re- sponded the baron. ‘ Rodolph | would not on any account have quitted the cas- tle—no, not even when he must have heard of my arrest at Prague. For if ‘the accursed T'aborites had raken it into ‘That the masses will fight despe- | rately on the side of the man who up- holds and indeed represents the princi- ples which they must naturally love and | admire,’ responded the Marquis of Schomberg; ‘whereas all-our troops will be mere hirelings and mercenaries —men who sell their swords to the highest bidder. ‘These are the reasons which induce me to declare that the struggle will be a long and a sanguinary one—a struggle in which no quarter will be given, and which will devastate Bohemia’s cities as if with an earth- quake, and depopulate her fairest pro- vinces as if with a pestilence. For all these tremendous results must we pre- pare ourselves; but the triumph will be our’s in the long run, because the middle class will in due time déclare on the side of the royalists, and the poorer orders will then be crushed and com- pelled to place their necks beneath our feet.’ ‘Your opinions demand respect, my lord,’ said the Baron of Altendort; ‘and yet I am the more inclined to agree with Father Cyprian, that the struggle will be crowned with a speedy triumph. For do we not possess the grand talisman of success !” ‘Gold?’ said the marquis, not pre- cisely comprehending the baron’s mean- ing. ‘Yes, gold,’ rejoined the latter. “I'he fortune of the Princess Elizabetha is in our possession, and John Zitzka would almost give his remaining eye to get that vast treasure into his own hands. For he knows full well that if the soil be sown with gold pieces, vast armies will soon spring up; and there are their heads to throw a garrison into Al- tendorf, Rodolph was prepared to resist the attempt unto the very death; and he had my most positive orders to stand ‘siege, and storm, and escalade, sooner | ! than yield an inch to the republican rabble. With such a spirit and deter- mination, it was imperatively necessary that he should remain at the castle which he had sworn to defend.’ ‘But no endeavor has been made on the part of the Taborites to occupy Al- tendorf, 1 believe?’ said the Marquis of Schomberg, inquiringly. ‘Not to my knowledge,’ answered the: baron. ‘But judging of the for- 'bearance hitherto shown by Zitzka to- : / : | | eee ; —————— wards the strongholds and mansions of the aristocracy in general, I should scarcely apprehend that any molesta- tion has been attempted with regard to my fortalice in particular.’ ‘The Count of Rosenberg will reach Altendorf to-night,’ remarked Father Cyprian; ‘And he will therefore give Lord Rodolph such information as will lead to the most ample arrangements—’ ‘For the reception of the princess and the immediate gathering of all my vassals to defend the royal standard,’ addedthe baron. ‘It was fortunate that Lord Rosenberg so willingly undertook, or rather volunteered, to hasten forward wiih all possible speed and prepare my son for our arrival.’ ‘The count, be it remembered,’ ob- served Father Cyprian, ‘was anxious to reach his own castle and place it in a condition of defence—-well knowing that the rage of Gitzka at the escape of his State prisoners would know no bounds.’ ‘Yes, the count will be at Altendorf this evening, and he will sleep at his | own stronghold to-night,’ said the baron comicbooks.com