The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 270: what you’re looking at

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

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Beak 184 £' : ' . ;” ad rf Tt a ae at : : Sobe w=. oo => ~~. oe =—s — - —— & - ~ - = a 2 ee Se * - -~ i o . > ; 4 m ime - ow — “ éa - - ~_ = uy le a. - le ~- > #s2@ ae * o~ — a * * —_—- Et * ty ~~ Pere pee 5 oe RI GRAY Tse . atu | + ¢'te™ foe eer - “4 = ? 7 Ps 7 “2% -* 7 vm o - ? and »_ = : — _ . ~ — . _ i* Dam tm. s » ~~ ‘ i Soi 268 Ermach’s murder and Gloria’s escape, a hasty narrative of which the vener- able functionary had lost no time in de- spatching to the Captain-General of the ‘T'aborites. tained an account of the arrest of a youth whose name and rank alike re- mained unknown, but who wore the ar- mor described as having been selt-ap- propriated by the liberator of the State Prisoners ; and the magistrate failed not to specify, for his own justification, the reason which had induced him to re- lease his prisoner from custody—name- ly, the influence possessed by the wear- er of Zitzka’s signet ring! But comparatively light and trivial was the regard which Zitzka paid to this latter portion of the magistrate’s communication; so tremendously ab- sorbing was the fearful interest of all that concerned the Daughter of Glory. For upwards of an hour did the Captain-General pace his room in a state of excitement such as he had never been known to experience before —and the wonted iron sternness of his features was relaxed and distorted with the workings of an unspeakable an- guish. At last,—between two and three o’clock in the morning, he appeared to} /explanation of the motives of her sud- have arrived at some sudden resolution —and ordering the Captain of the guard to be summoned to his presence, he addressed this officer in the following manner : ‘Take horse without delay—yon and half a dozen of your men, and ride as if for life and death, in pursuit of the Austrian knight, Sir Ernest de Colmar, who is journeying along the great southern road towards his own country. In his company you will find Satanais ; and, without hesitation or remorse— without pity or fear,—despite, too, of her menaces or her entreaties,—you will tear her away from him—you will make her your prisoner—-and you wil! bring her back with all possible expedi- tion to Prague. Depart,—away with you,—there is not a moment to lose!’ The Taborite captain bowed and wag about to retire, when Zitzka, struck by a sudden thought, called him back. ‘Stay!’ cried the one-eyed chieftain, who was still laboring under a strong | excitement, ‘T have something more to | say. It may happen that Sir Ernest de Colmar will protect Satanais against | you, that he may disbelieve your autho- | rity and question the truth of your mis- | sion, for he is brave as a lion and would | Zi THE BRONZE STATUE. The same document con-| a eee ee 2 ———— ee ee EE et - — | defend to the very death any one whom ‘he loves or esteems. In such a case— | but only in such a case,—you will give him this note.’ And Zitzka, seating himself at the table, penned a hasty line upon a piece of paper, which he folded, secured with wax and silken string, and handed to the Taborite captain. his officer then withdrew; and the one-eyed chieftain retired to his own chamber. CHAPTER LXVII. THE JOURNEY CONTINUED AGAIN. We left Sir Ernest de Colmar and the beautiful Satanais at the moment when Angela Wildon sped away from the roadside hostel with the rapidity of an | arrow shot from a bow,—the gallant charger which the knight had given her, having suddenly appeared to borrow the wings of the wind. ‘Yes, away she flew upon the fleet courser, with the quickness of a thought flashing through the brain; away—away _—without having revealed her sex and name—and likewise without giving any —_ ee — —— den departure. To the reader who knows who she is, and who is also aware that she is in love with Sir Ernest de Colmar, her precipitate flight must be intelligible enough; tor in Satanais she beheld a rival, and her woman’s pride as well as her virgin modesty suddenly revolted at the idea of her revealing her sex in the presence of that superb beauty. But to Sir Ernest de Colmar, who knew not that his gallant deliverer was of the gentle sex, much less that she was An- gela’ Wildon the forest-maiden,—that abrupt flight, without the promised re- velation of name and rank and without even the friendly ceremony of a fare- well, instantaneously became a mingled source of astonishment and vexation. ‘Wherefore has your friend thus hastily quitted us?’ inquired Satanais, advancing from the door-way to the spot where De Colmar had halted, and where he stood gazing in the direction in which Angela had disappeared from his view. ‘IT know not—I am bewildered!’ ex- claimed the knight. ‘ Everything con- nected with that youth is full of mys- tery, and [ begin to fear : comicbooks.com *