She doubted whether this was not all
delusion, or whether she was not still in the palace of Don Ambrosio,
and that her escape, and all its circumstances, had not been but a
feverish dream. She closed her eyes again, endeavouring to recall the
past, and to separate the real from the imaginary. The last scenes of
consciousness, however, rushed too forcibly, with all their horrors,
to her mind to be doubted, and she turned shuddering from the
recollection, to gaze once more on the quiet and serene magnificence
around her. As she again opened her eyes, they rested on an object
that at once dispelled every alarm. At the head of her bed sat a
venerable form, watching over her with a look of fond anxiety--it was
her father!
I will not attempt to describe the scene that ensued; nor the moments
of rapture which more than repaid all the sufferings that her
affectionate heart had undergone. As soon as their feelings had become
more calm, the alchymist stepped out of the room to introduce a
stranger, to whom he was indebted for his life and liberty. He
returned, leading in Antonio, no longer in his poor scholar's garb,
but in the rich dress of a nobleman.
The feelings of Inez were almost overpowered by these sudden reverses,
and it was some time before she was sufficiently composed to
comprehend the explanation of this seeming romance.
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