The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1878-03-28


breeze, her noble attitude and the ma
jestic bearing of her head, like me. you
would first of all have admired like me,
you would have felt an involuntary re-
spect for her like me, perhaps, you
would have loved her / was then only
twenty-five, and knew nothing of wo-
men but what I had learned in the clois-
ters of Salamanca or the courts and re-
vels of Madrid. My heart was yet in
its virgin freshness, my head was heated
under our burning sun, and felt that
inscrutable want of something to love
something to invest with the rich wor-
ship of my soul; something which should
burst upon me like O vision of light,
even if it consumed me in its revelation.
When I commenced my examination I
was much more agitsted than my prison
er. We were alone, and I am sure my
emotion must have been apparent when
I said
"Do you know the punishment to
which the steward has condemned you p
eyes, my lord," she answered, il a
low, calm voice. TO DEATH"
"Before confirming the laws sentence
[ have ,f-eired to see you, to ascertain
from ys,rsslf whether you have no ex-
tenur H0c circumstances to allege."
"Eoihing."
"Yoa are a smuggler, then ?"
"Oh, no |"
"Why, then, do you cross into France
every night? What other motive could
induce you to expose yourself to such
peril P"
"That will never disclose"
"Recollect that the only means of
saving your life is q frank and unreserv-
ed declaration of -"
60 know it, but I will not do it. I
will reply to you, my Lord, as I did to
your Judge 1 have never smuggled.
| Whether cross nightly into France or
not is my own business, and my motives
are my own. My doom is spoken ; let
it be executed am ready to suffer it.
My Lord, 1 shall not answer another in
quiry."
From that moment she was insensible
to advice, menaces, or entreaties. Moth
ing could overcome her obstinate silence.
During three days was constantly with
her, and did all that could to extract
her secret from her; but she treasured in
the bottom of her heart what she wished
to conceal from me, while she soon
guessed what I dared not disclose to her.
Yes, it was in her chill and comfortless
cell that I-her Judge, her lord, the ar
bitter of her life-fell at her feet and re-
vealed in passionate accents what she
had already read in my looks and ges-
t,res. 1t was in her prison that she
oddly repulsed my love and rejected her
nardon on the terms offered it. No one
W no had seen us then would have said !:
He is the Judge and che is thevictim. /"
She was always calm, cold and resigned,
while I endured all the tortures of dis
appointed love irritated by repulses.
The vault of the prison resounded with
my entreaties and angry ordinations,
with my sighs and passionate appeals |;
aud momentarily was tho prey of every
contending emotion-now ready to kill
Milanetta, and now resolving to save her
at all hazards now begging her to be
mine, and now determined to bid the ex-
ecutioner perform his fatal office. Twas
no longer myself loved for the first
time, and the being to whom 1 poured
out my heart and soul in protestations
of alteration, transport, and idolatry,
coldly answered.: 81 cannot listen to
you love auother." After an awful
outbreak of rage at such an announce.
ment, insisted upon knowing who my
rival was, but she replied, with the same
calmness of tone and look, "That you
shall never know"
At this juncture q violent knocking
was beard at the prison door. My people
were looking for me on all sides, as
French nobleman had just arrived in
great haste at the castle, and demanded
to see me Immediately. went to him
at once, striving in vain to hide from my
servant the emotions with which 1 was
agitated, and at whose violence myself
was alarmed. made my appearance in
the great hall, a prey to the most gloomy
forebodings. there saw young man
who was pacing the hall with hurried
steps, and who desired to converse with
out witnesses.
81 am the Marquis de Clairval," said
he; 81 possess castle in France, which
like yours, is on the very frontier, and
like you L am engaged in suppressing
smuggling and executing justice against
those engaged in it."
The name of the Marquis was familiar
to me, as we had corresponded together
to devise measures for the security of
the frontier.
"But," continued he, "however rigid
and unrelenting may be our justice
against those taken in tho act, it is
rather too mud that we should condemn
innocent people to death merely because
they refuse to give reasons for their be-
havior.
"To what do you allude, Monsieur ?"
"Listen to me. A young girl, named
Milanetta, has fallen into the hands #
your officers"
"Ha can you explain-?"
"Tbat is the sole object of my visit.
1t was but this morning that l heard of
her arrest, her condemnation and that
she declined disclosing the motive of her
frequent trips into France by night. 1
know the cause and am come to unfold it
to you; but it is ia full confidence of
your honor and discretion. Milanetta is
mine 70
"Yours :? You Milanetta's lover |"
"You feem surprised at this-because
snch beautiful creature as Milanetta
did not reside with me in my castle, or
that L did not take her with me to Paris
during last winter. You may he also
that noble of France should
be sufficiently enamoured of peasant
girl to submit to the constraint of mys-
terry and the harass and trouble of night.
ly and dangerous interviews. But Mil
anetta is not one of those women who
yield easily, nor is she one whose infiu-
ence can be easily shaken off,"
81 think 1 know her character" /
added.
UOl, ooI w., x.o,.o. 80. -, A.