He found, however, that she never went out except to mass,
when she was accompanied by her father. He waited at the door of the
church, and offered her the holy water, in the hope of touching her
hand; a little office of gallantry common in Catholic countries. She,
however, modestly declined without raising her eyes to see who made
the offer, and always took it herself from the font. She was attentive
in her devotion; her eyes were never taken from the altar or the
priest; and, on returning home, her countenance was almost entirely
concealed by her mantilla.
Antonio had now carried on the pursuit for several days, and was
hourly getting more and more interested in the chase, but never a step
nearer to the game. His lurkings about the house had probably been
noticed, for he no longer saw the fair face at the window, nor the
white arm put forth to water the flowers. His only consolation was to
repair nightly to his post of observation, and listen to her warbling;
and if by chance he could catch a sight of her shadow, passing and
repassing before the window, he thought himself most fortunate.
As he was indulging in one of these evening vigils, which were
complete revels of the imagination, the sound of approaching footsteps
made him withdraw into the deep shadow of the ruined archway opposite
to the tower.
Pages:
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200