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
Take him instantly from the room, and see that he is strongly fettered,
said the Marquis; he shall soon know what a criminal who adds insolence
to guilt may suffer.--Theodore exclaiming, Oh, Adeline! farewell! was
now forced out of the room; while Adeline, whose torpid senses were
roused by his voice and his last looks, fell at the feet of the Marquis,
and with tears of agony implored compassion for Theodore: but her
pleadings for his rival served only to irritate the pride and exasperate
the hatred of the Marquis. He denounced vengeance on his head, and
imprecations too dreadful for the spirits of Adeline, whom he compelled
to rise; and then endeavouring to stifle the emotions of rage, which the
presence of Theodore had excited, he began to address her with his usual
expressions of admiration.
The wretched Adeline, who, regardless of what he said, still endeavoured
to plead for her unhappy lover, was at length alarmed by the returning
rage which the countenance of the Marquis expressed; and exerting all
her remaining strength, she sprung from his grasp towards the door of
the room: but he seized her hand before she could reach it, and
regardless of her shrieks, bringing her back to her chair, was going to
speak, when voices were heard in the passage, and immediately the
landlord and his wife, whom Adeline's cries had alarmed, entered the
apartment. The Marquis, turning furiously at them, demanded what they
wanted; but not waiting for an answer, he bade them attend him, and
quitting the room, she heard the door locked upon her.
[Illustration 06]
Adeline now ran to the windows, which were unfastened and opened into
the inn-yard. All was dark and silent. She called aloud for help, but no
person appeared; and the windows were so high that it was impossible to
escape unassisted. She walked about the room in an agony of terror and
distress, now stooping to listen, and fancying she heard voices
disputing below and now quickening her steps, as suspense increased the
agitation of her mind.
She had continued in this state for near half an hour, when she suddenly
heard a violent noise in the lower part of the house, which increased
till all was uproar and confusion. People passed quickly through the
passages, and doors were frequently opened and shut. She called, but
received no answer. It immediately occurred to her that Theodore, having
heard her screams, had attempted to come to her assistance, and that the
bustle had been occasioned by the opposition of the officers. Knowing
their fierceness and cruelty, she was seized with dreadful apprehensions
for the life of Theodore.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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