A Sicilian Romance

'By no means,' replied the marchioness, in a tone of irony,

'my presence would only interrupt a very agreeable scene. The count, I

see, is willing to pay you his earliest respects.' Saying this she

disappeared, leaving Julia distressed and offended, and the count

provoked at the intrusion. He attempted to renew the subject, but

Julia hastily followed the steps of the marchioness, and entered the

castle. The scene she had witnessed, raised in the marchioness a tumult of

dreadful emotions. Love, hatred, and jealousy, raged by turns in her

heart, and defied all power of controul. Subjected to their alternate

violence, she experienced a misery more acute than any she had yet

known. Her imagination, invigorated by opposition, heightened to her

the graces of Hippolitus; her bosom glowed with more intense passion,

and her brain was at length exasperated almost to madness

. In Julia this sudden and unexpected interview excited a mingled

emotion of love and vexation, which did not soon subside. At length,

however, the delightful consciousness of Vereza's love bore her high

above every other sensation; again the scene more brightly glowed, and

again her fancy overcame the possibility of evil.

During the evening a tender and timid respect distinguished the

behaviour of the count towards Julia, who, contented with the

certainty of being loved, resolved to conceal her sentiments till an

explanation of his abrupt departure from Mazzini, and subsequent

absence, should have dissipated the shadow of mystery which hung over

this part of his conduct. She observed that the marchioness pursued

her with steady and constant observation, and she carefully avoided

affording the count an opportunity of renewing the subject of the

preceding interview, which, whenever he approached her, seemed to

tremble on his lips.

Night returned, and Ferdinand repaired to the chamber of Julia to

pursue his enquiry. Here he had not long remained, when the strange

and alarming sounds which had been heard on the preceding night were

repeated. The circumstance that now sunk in terror the minds of Emilia

and Julia, fired with new wonder that of Ferdinand, who seizing a

light, darted through the discovered door, and almost instantly

disappeared.

He descended into the same wild hall he had passed on the preceding

night. He had scarcely reached the bottom of the stair-case, when a

feeble light gleamed across the hall, and his eye caught the glimpse

of a figure retiring through the low arched door which led to the

south tower. He drew his sword and rushed on. A faint sound died away

along the passage, the windings of which prevented his seeing the

figure he pursued. Of this, indeed, he had obtained so slight a view,

that he scarcely knew whether it bore the impression of a human form.