The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 400: what you’re looking at

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

398 THE BRON pouse the side of the weak, agi inst the strong, when amongst his te llow-pages | ope might happen to ul treat another A youth of so. prepossessing an exterior, of such chivalrous qualifications, and so noble a character, was well calculated to muke an impression upon the heart ofa susceptible, amiable, and artless young girl such as Ermenonda was; and the sentiment grew upon her without being ever suspected, much less understood by herself. An affection thus gaining upon her, springing up in her soul like | a mystic plant and entwining all its ten- drils around her he: rt, was the highest abstraction of the holiest, purest feeling of love—stainless as it was profound— immaculate as it was indestructible ! Never did man win and wear a brighter or chaster gem than that young maiden’s heart! And John Zaktiz was not only the object of Ermenonda’s unconscious love, but he loved her in return—loved her more ardently, more passionately, more enthusiastically, because he com- prehended the fact that he both loved and was beloved in return, and could therefore cherish and dwell upon the teeling which he alike experienced and had inspired. For the love of the youthful page was as honorable and as sublime as that of the still more youthful lady was pure and innocent. Men do not desire the women whom they love with a holy love, in the same way that they desire those whom they love with an ardent passion; and never did a gross idea, much less a voluptuous hope or disho- norable intention, mingle its turbid un- der-current with the pellucid stream of | the young page’s adoration for the art- less Ermenonda. Nor dared he even to reveal that love, nor did the maiden | herself suspect it, antil accident one day raised the veil suddenly and enabled Ermenonda to read into the depths ‘of her own heart as plainly and as lucidly as if it were a murror that all in a mo- ment reflected her countenance for the frst time. Ina word. ZGaktiz was one day wounded in a boar hunt; and then Ermenonda wept bitterly and was sore afflicted; and the questions were natu- rally forced upon her mind wherefore she thus wept, and why she was thus afflicted. The discovery now made respecting the state of her own mind, was like a torch guiding her understanding to the perception of the love of which she was mutually the object; and thus, the first time that the nobly-born maiden ZE STATUE. and the handsome page met after the recovery of the latter from the effects ‘of his wound, the blushes of the former Ibe ‘trayed the eonsciousness which she |now exper ieneed relative to the senti- fe nts existiug between them. A few murmur ing words of avowal were speedily exchanged ; in the depths of /each other’s e yes did they read all that fondness which fills the hearts of youth- ‘ful lovers with so much pure but ecsta- ‘tic delight; there was a pressure of hands, a breathing forth of tender vows land solemn ple dges, and then a meeting .of the lips to seal the compact In one long, delicious, innocent kiss! And weeks and months passed away, and Ermenonda de Rosenberg and John | Zaktiz were.as happy as if this earth were the promised paradise of here- ‘after. ‘They lost no opportunity of | being together; in the picture gallery, ‘or the armory of the castle, in the gar- dens, or in the forest, ‘heir partiality for each other did not long remain un- discovered by the depe ndants and vas- isals; but no one had the hardihood, even if he possessed the inclination, to play the part of tell-tale in any matter wherein the valorous page was con- cerned. ‘Thus while the love of Erme- nonda and Zaktiz became a subject of general conversation in the household ‘ef Rosenberg, the young lady’s brother and mother remained totally unsuspici- ous of all that was going on. Alas! de- ‘spite the honorable character of John Zaktiz, despite the holiness of that af- fection with which he regarded Krme- nonda,—despite, also, the purity of her soul and the natural artlessness of her | disposition,—so enthusiastic a passion, | beating in the breast of vigorous youth- fulness and encouraged by such mani- fold opportunities, could not possibly resist the temptation; and thus, in one of those moments when opportunity serves too well and temptation gathers all its force,—a moment, when the strength of the strongest-minded wo- preee yields and the virtue of the purest and chastest is absorbed in the melting weakness of human nature,—at such a moment was it that passion proved more powerful than reason. Zaktiz erred, aud Ermenonda fell! Weeks and months again passed away, and the young lady was now ap- proaching her seventeenth birthday, 'One morning her mother sent to desire her attendance in the state-apartment of Rosenberg Castle; and a mortal shivering ran through the unhappy ——— ee SS A comicbooks.com