The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 296: what you’re looking at

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

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In a few moments he suddenly cried, gasping with a dif-| we ascended to the open air once again; ficult utterance, as if his tongue were | and, still remaining blindfolded, 1 was parched and ashes were in his throat.| assisted to mount my horse. ‘Then ‘* Suffice it to say. my Emilia,” he has- away we all galloped, our path appear- tily continued, **that the baron’s wores! ing to lead for some distance through a shot through my brain like an arrow; | forest; but the bandage had been so and I was indeed impressed all ina mo-| carefully tied over my eyes that I could ment with the tremendous conviction; see nothing. However, at length the that the tribunal of the Bronze Statue | waving of the trees ceased to fall upon must be all—aye, and ten thousand times| my ears, and we then emerged on a more than its terrible chief had hinted hard road, along which our steeds thun- tome. But I had not much leisure to| dered at a furious rate. My brain be- give way to reflection, for while the an-| gan to whirl, my senses grew. bewilder- guish of the baron’s revelation was still| ed, and methought that I was in the inflicting its poignancy upon my brain, | company of demons, who were bearing I was hurried away from the presence | me away from this world to the place of of the colossal statue, into aroom where | eternal torture. All the horrors which jars, bottles, and various implements|1 had witnessed, and all the terrible stood upon atable. This chamber we | things that I had heard, came back to had previously traversed when repairing| my memory with an overwhelming to the apartment where the bronze im-| power, till my very thoughts turned to age stood; and on thus entering it a| scorpions, lashing me into a frenzy.— second time, the.party paused on a sign} Delirium seized upon me ; and yet there from the Baron of Altendorf. Then | was a momentary gleam of light and this terrible chieftain addressed me, in| reason when the party suddenly halted, his deep sonorous voice; and after re-| took the bandage from my eyes, wished minding me that I was now full well! me farewell, and galloped away in an acquainted with the means of the tri-j instant. But no sooner had this cir- bunal to afflict any appalling vengeance | cumstance occurred, than my own steed upon offenders. he warned me against} bounded furiously on once more, my cherishing either an intention to resist thoughts resumed their frenzied gush, its power, or a hope that such an en- and like a madman was I borne on at | | | | —————————————————— en — — deavor could possibly succeed, in re-| whirlwind speed through the darkness spect to the compact which I had so/ of night. Gradually my memory be- solemnly formed. And he continued to | came a complete blank, and I awoke to observe, that in order to keep this com- | find myself lying on my own couch, with pact perpetually in my mind, and to set | you, dearest Emilia, bending affection- as it were the seal of the Bronze Statue | ately over me! But tell me, was not upon it, he would impress an indelible | this a hideous dream—a frightful vision? mark upon my flesh. ‘Then his retain-| Speak to me, my well beloved: where- ers seized rudely upon me, replaced the | fore do you thus avert your counte- bandage over my eyes, and held my)| nance? Emilia, dearest Emilia, why right arm stretched out at length, with | trembles your hand thus convulsively in the hand resting upon the table. All| mine? and, oh! wherefore now quiv- this was the work of an instant; and ere’ ers your entire form? My God! that I had time even to think of what could! burst of anguish—what does it mean?” be the meaning of the sudden proceed-| ‘And the terrified lidegardo sprang ing, | felt a sensation as if the rowel of up in his couch, as a groan of unspeak- aspurwere drawn rapidly round my) able misery went forth from the lips of wrist several times, producing a prick- | his young wife, notwithstanding all the comicbooks.com