The Romance of the Forest, interspersed with some pieces of poetry.Radcliffe, Ann Ward
General
The Romance of the Forest, interspersed with some pieces of poetry.
Radcliffe, Ann Ward
Gothic fiction
The travellers stopped to breakfast in a village, where the road was at
length obscured by woods, and La Motte's spirits again revived. Adeline
appeared more tranquil than she had yet been, and La Motte now asked for
an explanation of the scene he had witnessed on the preceding night. The
inquiry renewed all her distress, and with tears she entreated for the
present to be spared on the subject. La Motte pressed it no farther, but
he observed that for the greater part of the day she seemed to remember
it in melancholy and dejection. They now travelled among the hills, and
were, therefore, in less danger of observation; but La Motte avoided the
great towns, and stopped in obscure ones no longer than to refresh the
horses. About two hours after noon, the road wound into a deep valley,
watered by a rivulet and overhung with wood. La Motte called to Peter,
and ordered him to drive to a thickly embowered spot, that appeared on
the left. Here he alighted with his family; and Peter having spread the
provisions on the turf, they seated themselves and partook of a repast,
which, in other circumstances, would have been thought delicious.
Adeline endeavoured to smile, but the languor of grief was now
heightened by indisposition. The violent agitation of mind and fatigue
of body which she had suffered for the last twenty-four hours, had
overpowed her strength, and when La Motte led her back to the carriage,
her whole frame trembled with illness. But she uttered no complaint,
and, having long observed the dejection of her companions, she made a
feeble effort to enliven them.
They continued to travel throughout the day without any accident or
interruption, and about three hours after sunset arrived at Monville, a
small town where La Motte determined to pass the night. Repose was,
indeed, necessary to the whole party, whose pale and haggard looks, as
they alighted from the carriage, were but too obvious to pass unobserved
by the people of the inn. As soon as beds could be prepared, Adeline
withdrew to her chamber, accompanied by Madame La Motte, whose concern
for the fair stranger made her exert every effort to soothe and console
her. Adeline wept in silence, and taking the hand of Madame, pressed it
to her bosom. These were not merely tears of grief--they were mingled
with those which flow from the grateful heart, when, unexpectedly, it
meets with sympathy. Madame La Motte understood them. After some
momentary silence, she renewed her assurances of kindness, and entreated
Adeline to confide in her friendship; but she carefully avoided any
mention of the subject which had before so much affected her. Adeline at
length found words to express her sense of this goodness, which she did
in a manner so natural and sincere, that Madame, finding herself much
affected, took leave of her for the night.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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