Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1852-02-25

lie, and once more took her hand. She
looked up and in one glance read his inmost
thoughts. &C.," said she, Ego and fulfil
your destiny. Gods will be done You
will become great man-you will be the
companion of princes and of kings, ,and your
name will extend the fame Of your coun-
try to the uttermost parts of the earth. l
see it ALL and let my selfish love perish
Only promise this; when you are hereafter
in the full blaze of your triumph, sometimes
turn aside from the high-born, lovely danes,
who are thronglng around, and drop one
tear to the memory of the lowly Danish
gil who loved you better than herself. Ber-
tel, fareceUP'
The next day Thorvaldsen quilted Co.
penhagen for Rome, where he resided near
ly the whole remainder Of his long life, and
more than realized his own widest aspira-
tions of fame, But the prophecy of poor
Amalie was literally fulilled--he never
tIiore beheld his parents, nor her, his first
love.
Nearly half century had elapsed, and
again the scene was Copenhagen. The
streets were densely crowded with eager,
sorrowing spectators, and every window OF
every house was filled with sadly-expectant
faces. At length the, cry, They come"
was echoed from group to group, and the
crowd swayed to and fro, under the sympa-
thetic swell of one common emotion.
A withered old woman was seated at the
upper window of house, and when the
cry was taken up she raised her wrinkled
countenance. and passed her hands over
her eyes, as though to clear away the
mist of more than seventy winters.---
An immense procession drew nigh. APP
bropriate military music preceded corpse
being conveyed to its last earthly abiding
place. The King of the land, the royal
family, the nobility, the clergy, the learned
the brave, the gifted, the renowned, walk
ed after it. The banners of mourning were
waved the trumpets walled, and ten thous-
and sobs broke alike from stern and gentle
breasts, and tears from the eye of warriors
as well as lovely women showered like rain.
1t was the funeral of Bertel Thorvaldsen,
with the Danish nation for mourners And
she, the old woman who gazed at 1t as 1t
slowly wound--she was Amalie, his first love!
ThorYaldsen had never married, neither had
She,
"Ah, Hm7en!" murmuredthe old woman,
wiping away tears from source which for
many long years had been dry, Chow mar
vellous is the will of God TO think that I
should live to behold this sight! Poorpoor
Bertel All that predicted came to pass
but, ah me! who knows whether you might
not have enjoyed happier lie, after all,
had YOU stayed with your old father and
mother, and married ME. All, Himlen,
there's only one can tell Poor Bertel y
-Four Years more sped, and one fine Sab;
bath morning an aged and decrepit female
, painfully dragged her weary limbs through
the crowded lower rooms of that woundrous
building krrswn as Thorvaldsen's Museum.
r She paused not to glance at the matchless
works of the sculptor, but crept onward un-
til she reached an open doorway leading IN
| to the inner quadrangle, in the centre OF
which low tomb of gray marble encloses
: the mortal remains of him whose hand Gre
{ ated the works which filled the edifce.-
I Step by step she drew close to the tomb
and sank on the pavement by its side. Then
she laid down her crutch, and pressed her
t bony hands tightly over her skinny brow
{ "Ja ja!" murmured she; "they told me ht
: lay here, and prayed to God to grant me
: strength to crawl to the spot-and He has
heard me. Ah, Himlen |, can die happy
a now."
She withdreW her hands, and peered at
t the simple but all-comprehensive inscription
of "Bertel Thorvaldsen," )" deeply cut on ono
: side of the tomb. Then she raised her fore
G finger, and earnestly traced with it every
f letter to the end.
Smiling feebly, she let fall her hand ant
o complacently sighed, while an evanescen
:. CLEAN of subtitle emotion lighted up her lin
eaments. 'Tis true; he moulderS here
}. Poor Bertel, We shall meet again-in heav'
), en- p
Her eyes closedi and her hand slowly
, sank on her breast, in which attitude she re
0 NAMED until one of the officers of the muse
um, who had noticed her singular behaviour
( a ne ur. "Gammel kone," (old Wife, sai'
: he, "what are you dong p
She answered not; and he slightly touch
$ ed her shoulder, thinking she was asleep
n Her body gently slid to the ground at the
/, touch and he then saw that she slept th'
y sleep of death,