Andreas Hofer: An Historical NovelMühlbach, L. (Luise)
History
Andreas Hofer: An Historical Novel
Mühlbach, L. (Luise)
Hofer, Andreas, 1767-1810 -- Fiction; Tyrol (Austria) -- History -- Uprising of 1809 -- Fiction
"Begone, Eliza!" cried Ulrich, "or--" He pushed her violently from
him, and quickly raised his sword against her. But two Tyrolese
prevented him from carrying out his fell design by rushing upon him,
seizing his arm with Herculean strength, wresting the sword from his
hand, throwing the weapon tar away, and exclaiming triumphantly:
"Now surrender, Bavarian! You are our prisoner."
" Then shoot me at least," shouted Ulrich, beside himself with rage;
"shoot me, I say; death is preferable to the disgrace of being a
prisoner of such miserable rabble."
"Hush, beloved, for God's sake, hush!" said Eliza, clinging to him
tenderly.
He pushed her violently from his side. "Begone, hypocritical wench!"
he shouted in a paroxysm of fury; "I do not want to have any thing
to do with you!"
"But you shall have something to do with her," said Anthony Wallner,
with proud calmness. "The girl says that she loves you, and that you
promised to marry her. It was bad in you to persuade her behind the
backs of her parents and infatuate her poor heart, and you shall be
punished now for your infamy. You shall marry Lizzie. The proud and
wealthy baron who despises the Tyrolese peasants so much shall now
marry the Tyrolese peasant-girl."
"Yes, yes, that is right," exclaimed the Tyrolese exultingly; "the
proud baron shall marry the Tyrolese peasant-girl."
"Let us go down to the village, then," said Anthony Wallner; "our
curate shall marry them immediately at the church; and then let the
two leave the place as quickly as possible, and beware of ever
returning to Windisch-Matrey; for never shall the wife of the
Bavarian Captain Ulrich von Hohenberg dare to say that she is Eliza
Wallner, daughter of the Tyrolese Anthony Wallner-Aichberger, the
innkeeper of Windisch-Matrey. I have no longer a daughter--I tear
her from my heart, as she tore honor, righteousness, and faith from
hers."
Eliza called two Tyrolese with an impetuous wave of her hand to her
side. "Hold him," she said, pointing to Ulrich, who, pale and
tottering, exhausted from his superhuman efforts and loss of blood,
was scarcely able to stand on his feet; "hold him, I must speak to
my father."
She hastened to him, seized both his hands despite his resistance,
and drew his face so close to hers that his hot, panting breath
touched her cheek; but he averted his eyes with a gloomy expression
and avoided meeting her fiery glances.
"You do not want to know me, father!" she asked mournfully. "You
avert your eyes from your Lizzie, whom you called only yesterday
your dear, brave Tyrolese girl?"
"You are no child of mine, you are no Tyrolese girl," exclaimed her
father, angrily and mournfully. "You want to marry the Bavarian, and
become an aristocratic lady."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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