The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 31: what you’re looking at

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

THE BRONZE STATUE, 29 nuns and priests were hurrying ou’ of sel young lady was the object of some deeply church with all possible speed, And, in ramified design, and suspecting that Zitzka addition to these rapid shuffling sounds,| must have encounjered toul play—an idea there was a noise as ofa desperate struggle | which the reminiscence of the scufiling taking place somewhere in the vicinty of| noise and the fall of the heavy body tended the alter: but in a tew moments these | to confirm,—Sir Ernest de Colmar paused signs of strife ceased abruptly with the fall | for an instant ere he opened the door—drew —— a of a heavy body. his sword—and lifted his Jovely burthen in Bounding on through the pitchy dark-| such a manner that his left arm held her ness—jostling against the fugitive nuns— altogether, so that his right was thereby and neatly overthrowing one of the retreat- | left entirely free. For Sir Ernest resolved ing priests, Sir Ernest de Colmar made | to cut his way through any opponents who direct for the spot where he had seen Glo-| might venture to molest eim—and either ria fall ;—and just as he was darting up the | bear the entranced Gloria to a place of steps, he came 10 such violent contact with | safety or perish in the attempt. some individual that this latter was hurled} Having thus resolved, and with his naked backwaids by the concussion. But to the | weapon in readiness to strike, De Colmar ineffoble surprise and delight of Sir Ernest, | threw back the door, and issued forth. His his hands encountered the long flowing|eyes immediately fell upon the Abbess, locks of a woman’s hair; and it instanta-|several of the nuns, and the two priests neously flashed to his comprehension that| who had officiated at the altar; and the the man whom he had thrown down was| moment he thus made his appearance, with in the act of bearing away the senseless | the beauteous Gloria reclining on one arm, Gloria in his arms. and his drawn sword upraised by the other, Convinced that no good intention was me- | ejaculations of mingled rage, disappoint- ditated towards the lovely being, the Knight | ment, and surprise, burst from the lips of tore her from tke embrace in which the| those who were assembled round the falling man tenaciously held her: but ina door. ) moment that individual dealt a deperate| For the moonbeams, penetrating through blow with a dagger at Sir Ernest de Col- | the foliage, illumined the scene; and it was mar. Fortunately for the Knight, the dark-| evident to the Knight that the priests and ness was so intense that the ruffian struck| runs had expected some other individual at random; and the weapon, encountering | to bring forth the charming Gloria from the our hero’s belt, broke short off at the han-| church. dle. Retaining the still senseless Gloria, ‘ Weare betrayed” ejaculated one of the in his left arm, Sir Ernest instantaneously | priests ; and a panic-terror seizing upon the applied so vigorous a blow with his right ecclesiastical group, they all turned and hand to the countenance of the unseen op- | fled precipitately. ponent, that the latter fell heavily and; Well pleased at having thus easily rid without a moan—but whether dead or anly| himself of the only persons who appeared stunned, the Knight did not wait to ascer-| to bar his passage, Sir Ernest de Colmar tain. struck into the path which had originally All this had passed in a very few mo-| brought himto that building, and which, he ments, and in the midst of the deepest ob- | therefore knew, led to the encampment. scurity; and, having rid himself of his} But scarcely had he proceeded twenty | | _ unknown enemy, Sir Ernest hurried in the| paces, when Gloria began to move in his direction of the church door, the lovely | arms: then low gasping sounds came from Gloria remaining senseless in his arms.| her lips, as if the very fact of returning ani- But she was not dead—of this he was well | mation convulsed her with an acute pain— assured :—for his hand could feel the slight} and the Knight felt her bosom heaving pulsation of the heart growing stronger} against his chcst. Suddenly recoilecting and stronger every instant. that there was a stream close by, he bore Just as he had gained the door, it struck| the resuscitating lady thither: and by the Kuight that the scheme of carrying the | sprinkling a little water upon her face, he beauteous creature away was not the idea| materially assisted in her recovery. of that one individual alone from whose| Slowly opening her superb eyes, she power he had rescued her, but must have | gazed up vacantiy for a few moments into been concerted by the priests and nuns| the Knight’s countenance: then she closed generally : otherwise, terror and confusion | those magnificent orbs again, as if to collect would have followed the sudden extinction | her thoughts more easily when undisturbed of the lights—whereas, we repeat, the| by outward impressions. screain uttered by Gloria was the only in-| For nearly an>ther minute, therefore, did dication of alarm produced thereby. Con-/| this angelic being repose in the Knight's vinced, therefore, that the abduction of the | arms, her head resting upon his shoulder comicbooks.com *-eni—. me | Sa —t me ee = a > cert ’ Serco om. = Pein Aree ee oy Te ome oe e.. *> > - sz. oa a al - i, ——