The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 314: what you’re looking at

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

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For scarcely were the remains of the Baron of Ildegardo laid in the tomb,—scarcely had the Lady Emilia and her hapless Gloria assumed the weeds of a widow and an orphan— when Manfredo arrived with his host to take vengeance upon Baron Georgey for STATUE. seem | undergone its influence yesterday, for those maddening memories are seared the succour and support lent by the | venerable old peer to his late son-in- law. ‘lhe few vassals who had escaped alive from the conflict beneath the walls of [ldegardo Castle, made a desperate resistance: but all was in vain. T sood old Baron, Emilia’s father, was killed while fighting at the head of his | retainers; and the sanguinary horde led on by Manfredo poured into the Castle. scene of eorror which followed : for the victors, intoxicated with success, com- mitted the most unheard-of barbarities | I accordingly resolved to fix my abode not only in respect to the prisoners whom they took, but likewise towards the hapless women ;—and then, so soon as the work of slaughter, plun- der, and violatiou was complete, they set fire to the building. Not content with perpetrating these horrors, they proceeded to the desecration of the con- vent where the Lady Emilia’s sisters dwelt: but those noble recluses, driven No tongue can describe the | as with a red hot iron upon my brain! ‘Then, as soon as | had somewhat re- covered from that paroxysm of unutter- able affliction, I looked around me—I rose—and, finding that the solemn si- lence was broken by no other footstep save my own, I wandered slowly amidst the ruins, pausing at each well-remem- bered spot and bathing it with floods of tears. ‘IT ascended to the summit of this | Donjon—and in the far-off horizon J he | beheld the remnants of Georgey Castle as we see them now ;—and [ likewise dwelt long and lingering on the for- talice in the south-east where my be- loved lady and her charming daughter were retained captives. It then struck me that | might experience a taelan- choly pleasure in contemplating every 'day that Castle which had now become to desperation by the dishonor which) menaced them, and preferring death | to such crowning ignominy, fired their cloistral abode and perished in the con- flagration. As for the Lady Emilia, | Manfredo protected her from the bru- tality of his soldiery, because her love- liness had captivated his heart, and he resolved to make her either his wife or his mistress: he accordingly removed her, together with her daughter Gloria, to his own Castle. ‘ Vainly did 1 implore permission to accompany the heart-broken lady into her captivity; the ruthless Manfredo spurned me from him, heaping the most opprobrious epithets upon my head, and bidding me think myself for- tunate in escaping with my life. As a wanderer was I, therefore, cast forth upon the world ; of Iidegardo Castle did I bend my steps. The place, once so animated and full of busy life, was now desolate ; and I sate down upon a stone to give free vent to the bitterness of my affliction. Four- teen years have elapsed since then; but the anguish of that hour remains as per- teenie - =" ‘and Georgey as two traitors and towards the ruins | her dwelling-place and her prison; and in yonder cell. For it had escaped the fire, aS you perceive; and, as it was wont to be tenanted by the warder who had charge of the night-watch, it con- tained a few rough articles of furniture. irom that period until now—an interval of fourteen years—have I made my hab- itation there ! ‘But I must make a speedy close to my long narrative. The Baron Man- {redo was summoned to Prague to give an account to the King of his conduct towards two such powerful chieftains as the Barons Ildegardo and Georgey, as well as for the catastrophe which had involved the destruction of the convent; but he doubtless succeeded in giving such a complexion to the whole affair and was so well backed by influential friends at Court, that the matter was dropped so far as he was concerned.— he result of the tale which he told, and which proved his own safeguard by representing the Lords of [idegardo to their Sovere ign, nevertheless militated against his rapacious aims in one respect; for, instead of becoming invested with the estates of the two de sceased peers as he had hoped, he had the mortification of seeing them confiscated for the benefit of the Crown. A_ royal commissioner shortly after arrived to take formal pos- session of them; and from this function- tect to my recollection as if I had only | ary did I receive permission to continue my residence in that lonely cell. I did not fail to represent to the commissioner that the Baroness Jidegardo and her comicbooks.com