The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1852-03-04


Nothing could bo more touching than
the scene presented. Agatha had strewn
flowers over her dead mother, and was
kneellng by her side, weeping and sing
ing low chants, and by tums exhaustinr
her little stocks of prayers learned from
her lover, and then breaking forth into the
most passionate expressions of grief. II
was blending Of Christian and oriental
usages, harmonious only because the ma
tural utterance Of a young and fervcnt
heart.
At the sight of her lover, poor Agatha
cast herself upon his bosom, forgetful of
the present, and, in the excess of conflict
! mg emotions, she tainted. ITalt-dclirious
as vas the meeting of the lately eslran-
ged lovers, perhaps tiiese moments of per
feet union were the nearest approach to
happiness allotted TO mortalS. 1t was
certainly the last awarded to these, and
poor Agatha sat hour after hour clasped
in the arms of Guido, forgetful of the past
thoughtieSs of the future, with nothing but
the dreamy consciousness of being blcst in
the present. Alas. that the waking Of
love should be always to sorrow-ottcn to
despair.
That night. when Agatha removed her
dress for tn" night, the emerald snake up
on her bosom recalled her to all the hor-
ror8 Of the future. Smplc-heartti as she
was, ignorant of all countcracting sources
oil thought, she never once doubted the
truth Of the prediction, but Welded to it as
to an mcOnqurrablc fate. She to cause
the death OF Guido the thought was
madnss'. She dwelt upon it till to her nj
irght"d vision the most terrible contingent
ccS seemed realities, and every impulse Of
her own sweet, loving heart grew deadly
and distorted. Guido, the true Guido, re-
coded from her into sublime majesty, nm
angelic uobl,n"ss and forbcarancr; while
she, unhappy girl, grew lienIish and ma
i'En&nt in her own eyes.
She pssscI the night with these images
floating before her, and when her lovcrrc-
turned i'll the morniGg, she was tossing in
the dvlirun of ttycr. WiI manly ten
dcrncsS Guido conveyed her to 4 conyynt
where she would have all the care and
protc ction which helpless and rricnllc<s
maiden required. The good sisters did al
that gentle care could do to relieve her
suticrings, and shortly she was able toun-
dcrStand her situation, and prcpaIc for the
future. Her course IN this wav WAS made
easier by the vigilance of the sistcrhood,
who, finding how dcpIorably ignorant was
the poor girl IN all spiritual matters, set
themselves at once to the task of CONVEX
sion.
Agatha, tractahlo and aficetionatc, found
no difficulty IN adopting all Christian IL
sage, and she submitted TO baptism as
we'll as to other rites, with readiness
that quite charmed her lover and delight
cd the nuns. Still Guido wits far from
being happy. From the time of her re-
covery he hGd observed an abstraction
and coldncss on the part of Agatha, which
surprised as much as it gricvcd him; for
her look and tone were so sadly tender
that hc felt assured her heart was un-
changed. To all lis inquiries she answer
ed only with flood Of tears and the sim
pie words: : "Do not ask me, Guido; |
love You, but am most miserable"
AZ length Guido bcsought the abbcss
to ascertain, if possible, the cause of the
young girls grief, and Agatha, glad to
disburth"m her mind, withheld nG..!!,ino
but the secret Of the emerald; this beiu~
necessary to her own preservation from
horrible torturcs at a period she mhcsi-
tatng!y believed must come, she instinct
lively reserved it in her communication
The advice of the abbcss was death to the
hopes Of Guido. She impressed in the
most earnest manner upon the mind of
Agatha the necessity Of hcrmaking VOWS.
as the only means of escaping crime; for
1t has never been the policy of Rome to
suppress superstition, of whatever kind.
but rather to direct ii into channels sub
servicnt to the Church. The girl now
found herself no match for the many influ
enccs brought to bear upon her. The
steady exercises of power by the abbcss,
the prayers and cXhortations of priests, bc-
wildcred and dcadcned her faculties. and
she had nothing TO oppose to them but
her own instructive love of freedom, and
that heartfelt repugnancc to pursuits and
ceremonies which she neither loved nor
understood. Added to this, the melancho-
ly Guido haunted the passages of the con-
vent with his pale, sad looks, till the girl
was half mad with grief and terror
In the meanwhile, the old Count Julian
missed the song Of the pretty ballad girl,
and sought far and wide to ascertain her
fate. At length he traced her residence
to the convent, and hastcned to hold an
interview with the abbess. The latter at
once detected the opportunity for enrich
ing her order. She dwelt much upon the
purity and beauty of Agatha, and the 0lo-
r. it would be to the chnrc.t., to have .nrb
lamb f"!45d benea..aa its care, one who
Proln..se,i hereafter to rival st. Cecilia her
self in her beauty of voice, and the rapt
devotion Of her inspired melody. The old
count was rich and crafty, but no match
for the organized craft OF the abbess, with
her newly awakened oovctousness, and the
object or barter in her power. She dila