I will see her. I will bid defiance
to them all! She shall know my power, and upon one condition only will I
use it to save him. She will not dare to refuse the condition; she will
consent; she will at last be mine: and for this I will do so much--go so
far--ay, save him whom I would yet be so delighted to destroy!"
Night came; and in a small apartment of one of the lowliest dwellings of
Chestatee, Edith and her father sat in the deepest melancholy, conjuring
up perpetually in their minds those images of sorrow so natural to their
present situation. It was somewhat late, and they had just returned from
an evening visit to the dungeon of Ralph Colleton. The mind of the youth
was in far better condition than theirs, and his chief employment had
been in preparing them for a similar feeling of resignation with
himself. He had succeeded but indifferently. They strove to appear firm,
in order that he should not be less so than they found him; but the
effort was very perceptible, and the recoil of their dammed-up emotions
was only so much more fearful and overpowering.
Pages:
741
742
743
744
745
746
747
748
749
750
751
752
753
754
755
756
757
758
759
760
761
762
763
764
765