The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

— ‘ 5 dl, ae Site 1 pat a a en ipenada' nd See al =~ eee Oe SS Oe ees ee eee MO ie ne ae eee ee ee ee -—- —— RO ee, ‘ ~- ~—~-* a ed . — A sw. me z ta Oh ae - ~ ow Rae tne ES 44 ‘ . ae | reer ’ “member; and | have lived in this district 6 THE BRONZE STATUE. her home: . In her name and in our own, [| chievous withal; but I o ghee stage n renew the most heartfelt thanks.’ |had cause to complain of *y hte ne ‘Have you any idea who the wretches | he has no control over me: vale’ Be oh eo could have been that thus dared to maitreat | mission of my noble master, 1e e her >’ inquired the traveller. wood, and on those 2 a gto aa — ‘Not the remotest,’ answered W idon.: him. If he be some what an = I ¢ But perhaps, wlien her mind is sufficiently | headstrong, tis perhaps Prova ek be fie composed to enable her to give us full par-| never known a mother's pare since ticulars of the outrage, we may learn some-| ew months of his infancy. ct ; thing on that score. Will it please you,}; ‘A peasant, at wnose cottage i reste worthy gentleman, to accept of such poor. myself awhile in the afternoon of this day, hospitality as this cottage may afford ’| told me that the Baron’s wife died suddenly, ‘Ere I can decide upon your courteous | and even mysteriously, abont twenty years proposal,’ interrupted the stranger, ‘ I must | ago, observed the traveller. ‘a ask to be informed how far distant is the ‘There was strange talk on the subject Castle of Altendorf ? at the time,’ answered W ildon ; * but l know ‘ A matter ot a league,’ was the response. | not with how much truth, People shook ‘ The road skirting the forest in that direc- their heads, and gossips whispered ; but if tion” continued Wildon, pointing with bia there had been aught really wrong, the hand, ‘ leads straight up to the entrance.’ | Count of Rosenberg would not have borne ¢ And tell me, worthy peasant,’ said the) it tranquilly ; for the late Baroness of Al- traveller, ‘of what repute is the Baron of| tendorf was his sister.’ Altendorf? Does he beara good name in| ‘ I see that you are not one of those who his district ?—for I opine that you are one | think evil ofa man without having positive of his vassals.’ proof, observed the traveller; ‘ and I ad- ‘ No, sir” answered Wildon: ‘ This forest | mire your character. But while l am thus is upon the estate of the good and kind- talking, my good steed which I lef in the hearted Count of Rosenberg, whose castle | road is doubtless growing impatient. is situated about three leagues to the west-| Touching, therefore, the kind and courteous ward of my cottage. I am his head forest-| invitation which you ere now gave me to keeper, and you may judge,’ he added, cast- | partake of your hospitality, L am compelled ing his eyes feelingly and complacently | to refuse it at present. My ultimate desti- around the comfortable room, ‘ that I serve| nation is Prague, where I hope to arrive a generous master.’ within three days; and to-night I propose ‘Yes; I have heard favorable reports of| to rest beneath the roof of the Lord of Al- the Count of Rosenberg,’ said the traveller,| tendorf. Some weeks hence I shall be re- in a musing tone ; then, after a few instants’ | turning this way, when I will stop at your pause, he exclaimed, ‘ But the Baron of| cottage for an hour and renew my acquaint- Altendorf bears not, I believe, an equally | ance with you.’ amiable character ?’ ‘ And on that occasion, which I shall look ‘To speak frankly and candidly, good) forward to with pleasure,’ responded Wil- sir,’ returned the man, ‘ I am unacqusinted | don, * our Angela will be enabled to thank with any specific charge against his lord-| you with her own lips for the signal] ser- ship of Altendorf. His vassals speak of him | vice you have rendered her this evening.’ as cruel, severe, and tyrannical; and gos- ‘ By no sweeter lips in the universe can sips whisper idle tales concerning him. ’T'is| man be thanked,’ said the traveller. even said that strange sights are sometimes| Then, having bade the honest peasant seen and supernatural sounds heard in the | farewell, he plunged once more into the Castle: and true enough it is that the right | forest. wing of the building has been shut up for}; Remembering the direction which he had many years; indeed, as long as I can re-| ere now taken, when bearing the beauteous Angela in his arms to the cottage, he found since childhood. But if you ask me whe-/| no difficulty in retracing his way; and, on ther | know of any crime or evil deed which | passing the scene of his combat with one of his Jordship has ever committed, | say un-| her abducers, he bethought himself of the - hesitatingly nay.’ man whom he had first overthrown in the ‘ You speak as an honest man,’ exclaimed | encounter. But after a strict search, he the traveller, who, in the frankness of his|could perceive no trace of him; and he, own generous nature, was well pleased with | therefore, concluded that the ruffian, bein Wiidon’s ingenuousness, ‘ Has not this| only stunned, had recovered his senses, “id Baron a son ?” | taken himself off. ‘The Lord Rodolph—a youth of about} The traveller accordingly hastened one one-and-twenty,’ answered the forest-keep-| ward through the thicket into the road, er. ‘ Ue is a wild boy, andsome say mis-! where his steed was banquetting on the — ee oe comicbooks.com