The Yazoo Whig and political register. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1840-1842, 1842-10-28

naughty pile shall live to thank you for i
Also
! 50 saying, and bowing her proud heac
CouTleously TO the recluse, who had dutifull,
held her stiHup as she mounted, the Baron
"lte rode forth from the monastery, follow
ed by her attendants.
The day was far advanced ere the Lad
Ellka reached the convent, which was
moreover, darkened by the huge shadow o
the mountain even beyond the gloom Of the
hour; and all the shrines were buried il
obscurity, save one in lateral chapel neal
the confessional, which threw broad ligh
upon the face of the penitent.
As the maiden passed the threshold Of the
edifice, the monk was SLOWLY pacing to and
fro the side-aisIe by which she must advance
1t was the first occasion on which he had
ever seen her; and even amid the twilight
he was struck by the light grace of her flo.
re, and the bouyancy of her step. But he
did not linger to offer any salutation; and
meekly bowling his head upon his breast, he
at once led the way to the confessional.
The pause which enabled the Baron's
daughter TO collect her thoughts, and TO
offer up her silent prayer ere the ceremony
of confessional commenced, as she knelt
before the grating which separated her from
the monk, was far differently employed by
Father Odilo. A veil seemed to have been
Withdrawn from before his eyes. Hitherto
he had only dreamed of beauty, but now he
saw It before him-real, sentient, palpable.
Hitherto he had looked upon no woman-face
tairer than that of some mountain maiden
whose brow had been swept by the keen
blasts of her native heights, until its bloom
was deepened into rudiness; or some Bo-
hemian wanderer, whose sparkling eyes and
teeth were inadequate TO counteract the
effect OF the cunning and audacity of her
expression; but now, as the broad light Of
the shrine streamed full upon the high pale
brow, and finely cut features of the LADY
Elika, and turned her auburn curls to threads
of gold, the monk felt his heart beat high.
and his pulses throb with new and strange
emotion.
Ii was not without effort that Father Odilo
his attention from the person of his
pentent TO fix it upon her confession; and
for awhile he was lost in wonder at the
beautiful purity of nature which had never
dreamt of sin, but imputed TO itself as crime
even the most venial errors; and he was
rapidly forgetting to hearken to the out
pourings of the innocent young mind, and
suffering himself once more TO become alb
sorbed IN the surprising loneliness of the
fair girl who knelt before him; when at
length painful and laboring sobs, which al
most rendered her words inarticulate, again
drew the attention of the monk to the dutv
which he vas there to perform; and ere the
rite was ended, he had discovered the Sc
cret cause ofthe maiden's repugnance to her
bridegroom.
Midway between the castle of Znio and.
Battnitz, in deep gorge, formed by the re-
ceding of the rival mountains, stood small
chapel, dedicated to the Virgin, as "Our
Lady of Hope" 1t was small ediice. half
and half rock; the inner portion of
the shrine being formed by natural cavern.
where the uncouth outline of the irregular
surface having been believed, in some mo-
ment of pious enthusiasm, by a former All
bot OF Blattnitz, TO resemble the form of a
female, he took advantage of the conceit 10
induce one of the superstitious ancestors of
the present Baron to erect the chapel. and
to endOw it forever; the commnnitv &c
Blatmitz undertaking from the grant T. :.
dorm the altar, to light up the shrine on The
days Of high festival.
In this chapel, whose heavy door ever
stood open 10 receive the prayers and the
aims of all the pilgrims who might chance
to brave the mountain-path, the Lady Elika
bad vowed deep and holy VOW, of which
the object was the handsome. chivalrous and
high-bOrn lllamer, the fayorite page Of the
Lord Of Znio.
When and how they bad first met both
had forgotten: it was enough for them to
feel and know that they had become every
thing TO each other; and that neither time.
nor absence, nor opposition, could ever make
them faithIess.
They bad pIighted their vows in the chanel
Of the pass; Elika had laid upon.,he altar 4
golden ring and q chaplet Of the wild bav,-
thorn; while Illamer had cast J bandfnI "a
coin into the metal plate, which held its
hOnOred station at the feet Of the Virgin:
and when they rose from their knees thew
forgot, in their young happiness. that there
were other wills and other hopes on earth
besides their own,
All this wild tale Of innocent and reckless
love did the monk eagerly devour: the
fate was in his hands. Full we'll
he knew that the Baron Of BIat,nitz was moi
one whowould give bis daughter 10 penny
less page, who had even name Ia win. h,t
he soothed the weeping maiden with hind