The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

THE BRONZE STATUS. Overhead the branches shot forth at Ime tervals in wild and fantastic forms; and In ‘the lengthened shade which the wall of trees threw upon the ground, the shadows of man and horse were alike absorbed. Sometimes the projecting boughs as- sumed in the imperfect light such singular and almost terrific shapes, that it appeared as if the stately oaks had become spectres of colossal size, stretching out their mighty 'arms to pluck the lonely traveller from his CHAPTER I. THE FORREST. Our tale opens in the month of July, 1435. It was towards the close of a day which had been oporessively warm and poltrys | that a solitary traveller, mounted on a pow- erful steed, was pursuing a rough and unbroken road that skirted the eastern side wae of a vast forest in Bohemia. eo am The radiant blush which the departin But little inclined to superstitious terrors Se partine | was he: and while he is wending his way Siin suffused over the western sky, was vapidly giving way to the increasing ob-|S°%) os PN onderneesmett rae S 0 9 scurity of the evening; and although the). wil) endeavor in a few words’to poi ay tops of the tallest trees—those giants of the | : ; vey : Ne: ~| an idea of his persona: appearance, vegetable kingdom—were still tinged with) qi, tall and well-knit form, though the ruddy glow, yet utter darkness already}... : waltiead : lh ee Pe sn PRE BN eres evincing great physical strength, was © reigned within the wood, an sombre were lmirable a and a fal -¢ the shades which the dense foliage threw admirable proportions and gracet’ oy. upon the traveller’s path 5 ‘metry: his bearing was noble and digni- : : | fied ;—and if his countenance, with its ac- The variegated richness and sparkling | quiline cast and the haughty curl of the hues of fioral coloring which in the day- short upper lip, bespoke a lofty pride, there time decked the border of the forest with a| was nevertheless a reassuring blandness in gorgeous garniture, were now invisible to the eye: for the flowers, having banqueted on the evening dew, folded up their leaves to join in that repose to which all inanimate nature was yielding. Deep, solemn, and awe-inspiring was the silence that prevailed around—a si upendous its smile, and the benevolence of a chival- rous disposition was expressed in every linearnent. His fine blue eyes, flashing from beneath jetty lashes long and slightly curling like those of a woman, denoted a powerful intellect and a generous heart: and nothing could exceed the magnificence stillness which seemed not to belong to the | of that pale and elevated forehead, above air itself, but to come as it were like a|which the dark brown hair was parted im The high arching of the spell, from the black depths of that vast| wavy masses. wood. From time to time, howevér, there was a whirr of wings in the drowsy atmosphere, as some bird of night swept by in its im- meee path : urst on the traveller’s startled ear ;—or brows took away from the severity of louk which their deep pencilling would other- wise have occasioned; and although his features were strongly marked with the or the scream of the ow! | faultless Roman outline, yet so expressive were they of a noble mind and an honora- else the distant grow! of the wolf made his ble character,—so completely, too, did the steed wince and tremble till encouraged by | light of | lofty feelings prevail over any grosser at- the caressing hand of its master. The evening deepened. intelligence and the animation of tribute,—that there was nothing sensna)h. comicbooks.com