Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1894-09-26
The Story of Ghismondd.

One OF the most romantic OF all llallal
stories is told anew by Marion Crawford in
the July number of The Century. Describ-
ing the great citadel of Amalf, Mr.. Craw-
ford says:
Court within court, rampant behind ram
part, tower upon tower, the ancient pile
rises from the rocks of the sky labyrinthine
in its intricacy and colossal in strength
Somewhere beneath one of those described
courts lies the hidden underground chamber
to which Ghismonda went daily by secret
passage from her room above while Guiscar-
do, her lover, let himself down by knotted
rope through the aparture, oyergrown with
shrubs, and with thorns so sharp that he
wore leather clothes to protect himself
Ghismonda was Tancred's daughter, and
Guiscardo was one of her fathers gentle
men at arms. 1t grim and yet tender
story of very true love. For some reason
which deeper students may discover, CHS
monda did not marry again when her hus-
band, the Duke of Capna's son, died after a
few months of wedlock, and she loved the
handsome young soldier to despair, though
his station was too far beneath her own for
an open alliance.
So they met and loved, and met again, till
one day, growing bolder she led him in an
evil hour up the secret stair to her own
apartment where, she did not guess it, Tan
cred sat nodding behind a curtain alfasleep
in the MONDAY heat after dinner, waiting for
his daughter, with whom he loved to spend an
hour in conversation during the long after
Moons And as the lovers were there togeth-
er Tancred saw them and heard them, un-
seen and unheard. Being as wise as he was
brave, he choked down his anger, and wait
ed whole day before he spoke. Then
Guiscardo was taken at nightfail by two
men, and brought secretly to his lord, and
Tancred reproached him with tears But
the young man made only one short answer:
Love is far stronger than you or |, and so
was led away to his death. And Tancred,
heavy at heart, spoke bitterly to his daugh-
ter and most bitterly of all because she loved
one beneath her. Then he was silent and
waited for her reply with bowed head
Ghismonda turned upon him, dry-eyed and
brave, as women sometimes were in those
desperate days and Messer Giovanni Boo
cacci has recorded what she said defending
her faith and honor.
'For it is true" she answered, chat !
have loved Guiscardo, and | love him now,
and shall love him while live, though that
may be not long; and if beyond death one
loves, I shall not cease from loving him.
For you, Tancred, my father, are of flesh and
bone and blood, and your daughter is like
you, and not of stone or iron and see, l
have lived so little that am still young
and much more to like intent "And so"
she said at last, "if you are grown cruel in
your old age as you used not to be, be cruel
now, even to me, for | tell you that you do
not do to me what you have done to Guiscar-
do, my own hands shall do that same mis-
chief to myself"
And Tancred was cruel indeed, for he took
Guiscardo's heart and placed in it ina pre-
cious golden vessel and sent it to his daugh-
ter, But she brewed poison, when she had
wept many tears, and filled the cup, and
drank her death from her lovers heart, and
lay down to die, pressing it 20 her own, and
crying: 90 much loved heart, my service to
thee is fulfilled, nor is there anything left for
me to do but to come to thee with my soul
and bear thine company forever" And
Tancred came and wept over her, and re-
pented of what he had done; but she spoke
bitterly once more, and asked only that her
body might be buried with him she loved
Then she pressed the dead heart once more
to her bosom. "God be with you" she said
"for l am going" So she died, and was
laid beside her lover somewhere in Palermo.
People were in earnest in those days. To
love was to live; to be cut off from love was
death-real, literal, cruel death.