The Steam-Packet: A Tale of the River and the Ocean — page 269: what you’re looking at

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

20'4 THE STEAM PACKET. exchange. The vision—if such it were—lasted only for a moment: the drapery was as suddenly expanded again over that bright and luminous picture—or reality (whichever it. might have been) ;—and Pauline, uttering a seream of terror, threw herself into her husband’s arms. ‘‘ Depart—depart !:’’ ejaculated Mademoiselle Lenormand: “my art can do no more !”’ Henri threw his purse upon the seat which he had just abandoned, for he knew that the sorceress accepted payment for her services ; and with his own mind a prey to the most conflicting opinions, he bore his wife from that abode of mystery and wonder. When Alvimar and his wife sate down next day, eoolly and quietly to discuss the events of the preceding evening, their marvel and be- wilderment increased only with conjecture. Henri possessed a strong mind; and he was unwilling to admit the powers of the sorceress to their full extent; but still there was no room for placing faith ina part, and rejecting the remainder. She certainly was acquainted with them, and their history ; and had declared that the venerable Pierre and Albert were still alive. This statement he was inclined to believe, because she was evidently well informed with regard to the past events of the Michel family :—but how reconcile with all preconceived opi-. nions the affair of the apparition? To convey information in respect to: the life or death of persons was within the attributes of mortal power: but to summon to a certain spot the effigy—all animated, warm, and smiling—of a being dwelling elsewhere, at the option of any particular individual, was a proceeding calculated to disturb even those minds which were prepared by previous education or experience, to place. reliance upon any wonders, however superstitious—however unnatural. As is usual in such cases, all the discussion and conjecture in the world led to no satisfactory result: at one moment both Henri and Pauline were inclined to believe in the association of the sorceress with invisi- ble powers, while at another they looked upon the whole proceeding as a well-combined fraud and imposture. Time, however, wore away, and the dangerous aspect of political affairs would have driven Alvi- mar and his wife away from Paris, back to their abode in the Basse- Ville of Calais, had not a secret and indestructible hope that Mademoi- selle Lenormand’s prophecies would be in some way oranother fulfilled, retained them in a city which was about to be the scene of the most extraordinary popular ebullition the world has ever yet beheld. The measure of regal iniquity had arrived at its full: the people could no longer tolerate the state of bondage in which they lived; and the Re- volution commenced with the storming of the Bastille. : Gomichbooks (E(0)