The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 396: what you’re looking at

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

- -_ “eu 2 es ee ee OS ee eas ee a >< - nd SDD OST We Oa ee aa os gn OR ly ae a é ‘ f” —4 - ~ - ~~ ee oe -—"% - F itt ot «as - —- = ~ z et aay } P . 7 . ‘ } “er ‘ ‘ s 5 ; i ' ' 4 ' - § * i , ° 1 ' * t ' ° ‘ + rs ' - Fi, We ah : ALA; ; . .) ‘yy? id ™) ae ’ . : i, 7s . hBe Gade * *, > . US : ne. 7 ® "4 : 7 1 a} > ‘ - 2° : “ t - , ‘ ‘) 5 - i €* +s « i 7 + ae ' } mes ie iy ae — - = . - ind — - - ° - - " - J = » a: ad ° a > = ~ = ——— Se 2 tribunal. diabolical, 394 rupted Ziftzka; ‘nor is it worth our while to waste time in conjectures upon the subject.’ ¢+But I can understand the cause full well,’ muttered the baron to himself ‘And you say, general, that Gloria II- degardo is your niece?’ exclaimed the nobleman aloud. ‘As assuredly as you were her fa- ther’s persecutor,’ replied Zitzka. ‘Yes, my sire was Baron Georgey; and the ruins of my ancestral halls are at no oreat distance from Altendort Castle. ‘This is a night ef wondrous revela- tions,’ said the baron. + But we were ere now discoursivng upon a topic pro- foundly interesting to myself ‘And we will return to that topic,’ interrupted Zitzka, with the curtness that wis habitual to him. ‘I was ob- serving, when the conversation sudden- ly diverged into another channel, that having been a spectator of the infernal punishment inflicted by the Bronze Statue, I can full well comprehend the bitter loathing—the intense aversion— the awful repugnance—and the burn- ing shame which you, Baron of Alten- dorf, must experience in making to your son Rodolph any revelation that will prove you to have been a votary—nay, more—the chieftain of so tremendous Yes. as a father, fearful of being execrated by his own son, you must shrink from the bare idea of al- lowing him the faintest insight into mysteries so appalling and atrocities so But what course can you adopt in order to keep from his ears the real truth respecting. those discoveries which have this night been made in Al- tendorf Castle, and which rumor will shortly spread throughout Bohemia? For when my soldiers burst into the fortalice ere now, they had every op- portunity of beholding the statue and the machinery—nay, more—of even gazing upon the latter during its horri- ble revolutions! ‘lheretfore the mys- teries and terrors: of Altendorf Castle are already known to many; and | have likewise promised that at day- break the engineers of my army shall uproot the accursed instrument of tor- ture and death, and destroy them as they had never been. Such proceed- ings cannot be kept from the ears of your son.’ : At this moment an impatient knock at the door resounded through the apart- ment; and the old steward hastened to answer the summons. - | ' THE BRONZE STATUE, and laboring under a powerful excite- ment, into the room. ‘What has happened?’ demanded Zitzka. ‘Lord Rodolph, general the ba- ron’s son,’ exclaimed the man, in bro- ken sentences, *‘ has endeavored ' ‘What of my boy? what of my be- loved Rodolph ?’ cried the Lord of AlI- tendorf, suddenly seized with the pre- sentiment of some terrible eyil. ‘He endeavored to escape; he at- tacked the sentinels who were mount- ing guard over him,’ said the 'T'aborite soldier; ‘he slew one, mortally wound- ed another, and ‘And what?’ demanded the baron, with all the excitement of the most agonising suspense. ‘And he was shot by a hackbutteer,’ was the answer. ‘Shot! You do not mean that he is dead? you would have me understand that he is wounded, and that he has sent for me?’ exclaimed the baron, clinging to this last hope as the ship- wrecked mariner tenaciously holds to the frailest cord or the slightest spar. ‘Speak—speak! ‘Tell me that he is not dead ‘Alas! I should not tell you truly, my lord,’ said the ‘l'aborite soldier, in a tone of deep compassion. ‘O Rodolph!—my son Rodolph cried the baron, with a yell of inde- scribable anguish, as he staggered for- ward and fell upon his knees; then, dashing his open palms against his fore- head, he exclaimed, ‘O God! this— this indeed is retribution !’ And at the same moment the Count of Rosenberg was ushered into the apartment. CHAPTER XCVII. ANGELA'S UNCLE. Tue Count of Rosenberg was al- ready prepared to hear that events of: an extraordinary nature had occurred within the walls of Altendorf Castle. Previously to the arrival of Zitzka’s courier at his own fortalice, he had re- ceived intelligence of the total rout of the aristocratic army; and having has- tily gathered together all the oe | money he could at the instant commana, and all the jewels which he possessed, he was about to fly with a few fuithful A Taborite soldier rushed, breathless ‘retainers into Austria, when the an- or ; yf — —_ ' ee — 7 comicbooks.com fror him nye ii ber; res) he rer eX} mit the wk his an. my i)