The vision faded, and a momentary darkness ensued. Suddenly a
blaze of light irradiated the apartment. Rodolf beheld, for one short
glimpse, a Gothic hall. Kate was there, and a lover kneeling at her
feet. Madness seized him, agonising and intense. In vain he sought the
features of his tormentor; the vision had departed, and with it his
repose.
A new and overwhelming emotion had overpowered him. It arose with the
speed and impetuosity of a whirlwind. All just and sober anticipations,
reflections, possibilities, and a thousand calm resolves, were swept as
bubbles before the full burst of the torrent.
His first impulse was to seek his mistress. But--she had another lover!
The bare possibility of this event came o'er his bosom like the icy
chill of the grave. He shuddered as it passed; but the pang was too keen
to return with the same intensity.
Soon a low murmur, like the distant sough of the wind, gradually
approached. A faint light flashed through the chamber. He saw his own
wild woods and the distant castle. It was just visible, dimly outlined
on the horizon, as he had last beheld it in the cold grey beam that
accompanied his departure.
Pages:
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460