The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 258: what you’re looking at

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

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At sunrise the authorities came from the next town; and senti- nels were posted to guard the prisoner’s chamber. ‘I'he mugistrate took down the necessary depositions, and then visi- ted the lady, who was attended by her hand maids.’ ‘'T wo sweet girls in appearance,’ in- terjected the landlady. ‘Pray proceed, worthy host,’ ex- claimed the Carthusian, whose curiosi- ty was profoundly excited. ‘The ma- gistrate visited the Lady Gloria in her chamber ‘And she begged that she might not be immediately moved to prison,’ con- tinued the landlord; ‘declaring as a sister the Lady Satanais Now every one has heard of this romantic and mys- terious being: bit that was the first oc- casion that | ever knew she had a sister at all.’ ; ‘I have been aware of the fact for some time,’ observed the Carthusian.— ‘But pray proceed.’ ‘Well, holy father,’ resumed the host, ‘the kind-hearted old magistrate accorded the request made to him by the Lady Gloria, and permitted her to remuin in her room at this hostel; but as a matter of course a sentinel was left under the window, and another posted at the door. And now comes the most extraordinary part of the whole affair. For all on a sudden the rumor flies through the establishment that the pri- soner has escaped. ‘She bribed a sentinel, perhaps?’ suggested the Carthusian. “I will not take it upon myself to say that she did or she did not,’ observed the landlord. ‘But the magistrate ex- amined into the whole business : ‘And what did he make of it?’ de- manded the priest. ‘ Nothing,’ was the response. ‘That the Lady Satanais did really visit the inn, | myself can affirm, because I met her as she was leaving it; and I watched her until she disappeared round the corner of the grove which your reve rence may observe from this window,’ added the landlord, pointing towards the rrr rrr casement. ‘Moreover, the man who was second on guard at the prisoner's chamber-door, likewise saw the Lady Satanais and spoke to her. Ia short, two witnesses deposed to seeing her on : way out of the hostel ; but no one saw her enter it.’ ‘This is strange—most strange!’ murmured Father Cypriaa, suddenly falling into a profound reverie which lasted upwards of five minutes: and during that interval he seemed to be pursuing a particular idea which had struck him, and following it up with all the earnest attention and keen obser- vation of a man who is determined to unravel a skein intricately complex, but to the disentanglement of which he nevertheless sees an issue. * Be so kind as to give me the minutest and most pertect details of this extraordinary es- cape,’ he at length said, awakening from his, profound meditation and ad- dressing himself to the landlord. ‘T'his individual proceeded to comply ) | with the Carthusian’s request; and he reason that she expected a visit from her| accordingly related all the evidence | which had been given before the magis- rr a a_i trate, and which we have duly recorded in the sixtieth chapter of our history. While he spoke, the priest appeared to weigh with deep deliberation every new link which he supplied to the chain of his narrative; sometimes he stopped him and made him repeat particular facts over again; then he bent bis brows, bit his nether lip, and looked keenly before him with the air of a man who is plunging his mental vision through a maze of bewildering and even contradictory circumstances, in order to seek the glimmering of the real truth at the end of that avenue of — ideas; and lastly, when the landlord had ceased speuking, the Carthusian sprang from his chair, exclaiming, ‘ By heaven, it must be so! Yes—that is the solution of the enigma; I see it all —I comprehend every thing now! The mystery of those two sisters Ah! it is no longer amystery to me! Fool, fool that | was, never to suspect the truth till now! O Marietta! the ser- pent excels thee not in cunning; but now—Oh! now, 1 shall soon be re- venged !’ And thus musing aloud as he paced to and fro with a strange excitement of manner, the Carthusian forgot that he wus either observed or overheard, At length, suddenly perceiving that the landlord and landlady were coatem- plating him with an earnest curiosity, ” « comicbooks.com an