The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 340: what you’re looking at

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

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And now let me conduct men and women—aye, great men and | you down into the place of tombs.’ noble ladies—who have lingered for The preceding conversation had com- years in that monotonous imprisonment, | inenced in the hall of the Statue, from and yet no word of bitterness escapes | which place the Carmelite had led the their lips. And why is this forbear- | way into the little chamber already de- ance shown? why is this Christian | scribed as the workshop, and so deno- feeling manifested? Because I have! minated. ‘here the lady and her two tutored them to leave vengeance to Him | young companions had paused to con- to whom it alone belongs, and not as-| tinue the discourse; and now they de- pire to grasp the thunderbolt which He | scended the granite staircase into the alone may wield.’ chamber of the machinery. Past this ‘Pardon us, dear lady once again, | frightful engine did the lady hurry on, pardon us,’ exclaimed Lionel, ‘if we} purposely shading the lamp in such a have said aught that gave thee pain, or! manner that the beams should not fall made thee think less favorably of us.’ | fully upon the vast cylinders bristling ‘Once more I assure you that I have | with the countless knives ; for, although nothing to pardon,’ answered tlie Car-|she was aware that the pages had al- melite; ‘because | commisserate your | ready seen that tremendous spectacle, unhappy lot too deeply not to be ready | she was loath to torture their souls by to make all possible allowances for you. | allowing them leisure to take another And when I ask you to think of me and | survey. of my wretched fate—when I remind! Into the vast vaulted cemetery did you that twenty years have now elapsed | the White Lady conduct the youths; since I first became an inmate of these | and the first tomb to which she directed subterraneans, and that in the begin-/| their special attentiou was the one bear- ning | was alone—yes, alone in that | ing the inscription dedicated to the Ba- gloomy apartment, where now upwards | roness Ermenonda of Altendorf. of fifty individuals daily meet to thank} ‘Was this the wife of the present God for having saved their lives, and to | baron ?’ asked Lionel, his looks wander- partake of the bread which his bounty | ing from the brazen epitaph and'settl- sends them,—when | tell you that I|ing upon the sculptured figure of black have known more anguish, more sor-| marble that reposed upon the tomb. row, more terror, more afiliction, than| ‘The Carmelite answered in the affir- all those fifty persons have together ex-| mative; but her voice was low, tremu- perienced,—then, my dear young boys, | lous, and scarcely audible. | may in confidence implore you to bear| ‘ His lordship must have been deeply your own doom with resignation, and | attached to her,’ observed Konrad, * for cast aside all dreams and hopes of ven- | the inscription is couched in the most geance.’ affectionate terms. It says that she ‘Admirable woman!’ exclaimed Li- {was snatched away in the spring-tide of onel, ‘un angel speaks in your voice |her youth and the glory of her beauty, and with your tongue! You not only | froma husband by whom she was loved save our lives upon earth,—but you | most tenderly. Yes, he must have teach us how to save our souls for here-|Joved her well,” added Konrad, in a after! And, oh! it grieves me, deeply, | musing tone, ‘ and yet his heart is made profoundly grieves me to know that! of iron, or else were it impossible for you have fresh misfortunes weighing | him to retain the chieftainship of that upon your mind! Indeed, ever since | terrible tribunal , Hubert visited the subterraneans this| ‘Come,’ suddenly interrupted the morning and had a private conference | White Lady, ‘and let me show you with you, methought that a deeper other tombs well worthy of your notice gloom had settled upon your counten-| on account of their sculptural beauty ance, that a sadder expression had fas- | and architectural richness.’ tened upon your features———’ Thus speaking, the Carmelite led the Z _ a ee pms : ; } * Fl J comicbooks.com