She restored the Lamp to its former place, and continued her
route in darkness, till She reached the foot of the Staircase.
The first beams of the rising Sun darting down it facilitated the
ascent. Matilda and the Abbot hastened out of the Sepulchre,
closed the door after them, and soon regained the Abbey's western
Cloister. No one met them, and they retired unobserved to their
respective Cells.
The confusion of Ambrosio's mind now began to appease. He
rejoiced in the fortunate issue of his adventure, and reflecting
upon the virtues of the Myrtle, looked upon Antonia as already in
his power. Imagination retraced to him those secret charms
betrayed to him by the Enchanted Mirror, and He waited with
impatience for the approach of midnight.
VOLUME III
CHAPTER I
The crickets sing, and Man's o'er-laboured sense
Repairs itself by rest: Our Tarquin thus
Did softly press the rushes, ere He wakened
The chastity He wounded--Cytherea,
How bravely thou becom'st thy bed! Fresh Lily!
And whiter than the sheets!
Cymbeline.
All the researches of the Marquis de las Cisternas proved vain:
Agnes was lost to him for ever. Despair produced so violent an
effect upon his constitution, that the consequence was a long and
severe illness. This prevented him from visiting Elvira as He
had intended; and She being ignorant of the cause of his neglect,
it gave her no trifling uneasiness.
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