The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 385: what you’re looking at

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

Be. "Tn! * ee THE BRONZE STATUE. 383 with his daughter, ‘ you have rendered feelings of the father’ and daughter as us a great service, and you shall not}they pursued their way through the lack a suitable reward. Now leave the| place of tombs; what the nature of those trap-door open, keep watch over it, and | feelings must have been, the reader ee if we do not return in half an hour, then | will presently understand full well. ef may you argue that some peri! has be- And here must we leave then fora i fallen us. In this case, you will alarm} few moments in order to relate an inct- ib the guard and order the soldiers thereof | dent which occurred in the little chapel '#. to plunge unhesitatingly down into the | where the sentinel had remained mount- ot subterraneans to which this trap-door|inog guard over the trap-door which was a leads.’ ‘left open. fi: - Your orders, general, shall be fuith-| Tie Captain General, be it remem- eh fully executed,’ said the Taborite sen-|bered, had taken the pine torch in his tinel. hand: and the T'aborite soldier was left : ‘Tig well.’ observed Zitzka. ‘And|in the semi-obscurity of the chapel. ‘oie now,’ he added, turning towards the | But this place was only partially involv- ed forest-maiden, ‘let us proceed, Angela,/ed in gloom, forasmach as the silver upon the solemn and important busi-| planet of the night had by this time ness which we have in hand. ‘risen and was pouring its effulgence,. Thus speaking, the Captain-General | cold and colorless like a slanting column began the descent of the stone-steps, | of transparent ice, into the diminutive carrying the pine-torch in his hand. | building. And it was while the senti- His daughter followed close behind him, | nel was marvelliag within his own mind and in this manner did they enter the| what object the Captuin General and descending and ascending passages lead- | his fair companion could possibly have ing under the moat and debouching in- in visiting the unknown subterraneans to the vast subterranean place of tombs. | to which the open trap-door led,—it was The door opening into this cemetery | while he was thus meditating, we say,. was fortunately unlocked; otherwise | that the stream of argentine lustre flood its massiveness would have proved a|ing in at the entrance of the chapel was: formidable, if not insuperable barrier, | suddenly darkened by the appearance to the farther progress of the Captain- | of a female form upon the threshold. General and his newly-found daughter. | ‘Who comes?’ demanded the senti- ‘The torch flung a lurid glare upon/nel, and his quick eye perceived at a the dark marble monuments and brought | glance that the figure was tall and grace- out the white ones into ghastly relief;|ful, though enveloped in a long dark the air struck with a sepulcbral chill to | cloak ; while the black veil thrown over the very marrow of the bones, and the | her head revealed inits undulating folds: gloomy vaults gave back the echoes of | the taper length and undulating arching the footsteps, as the father and daugh-|of the neck, the splendid slope of the ter pursued their way. But what could shoulders, and the statuesque carriage daunt the intrepid Zitzka? or how| of the bust. could Angela experience alarm when| ‘ Who comes ?’ echoed the lady, in @ protected by the most redoubtable war- voice so musical in its metallic intona- rior of the age, and that hero her own | tion that it produced upon the soldier sire ? . the same effect as a halo may be sup- Nevertheless, the whole person of| posed to excite when significant of the Zitzka quivered from head to foot, and} presence of an angelic being. ‘ You the graceful form of the forest maiden; asked me who comes,’ she continued, was likewise influenced by a nervous| ‘and I may assure you 1n all confidence trembling. And yet it was not fear that} that | am a friend.’ either felt. But the hardy Taborite| ‘Surely—oh! surely I should know was about to meet one whom he had_| that voice 7’ exclaimed the ‘T'aborite, long deemed dead, and the thought of his own voice trembling with joy and encountering whom had already excited | suspense. many varied feelings in his breast, and ‘Yes, you may doubtless recognize ; called up many touching associations in| the voice, as you are sure to remember his memory ; while Angela was swayed this countenance,’ said the lady, at the by those emotions which had naturally | same time throwing back the dark veil, ‘ followed a certain revelation which her| and turning her face in such a manner : father had made to her touching the| that the flood of moonlight streamed full a White Lady. upon her features. But we will not pause to analyze the! ‘Oh! lam clad you have come back . ——— — _—— eee et raha pe ge - - - -— - er Seo ore ee > oo OOo or Oo —:—n—n— — a O8 ee eee —— ee ee , a + ok a £ oan) comicbooks.com