Margaret Tudor: A Romance of Old St. Augustine

The land to west of us was Virginia, and we sought harbour at Nancemund, and lay there some weeks for needful repairs on the sloop, which was also provisioned afresh for her fur...

He is a handsome man, this Spanish Don, and he bears himself with the airs of a courtier--when it so pleases him. As he stood that day at the open door of our hut prison, in the...

After writing these words I cast aside my pen, and, throwing myself upon the bed, buried my face in the pillow. I could feel the drumming pulses in my ears, and my heart swelled...

It was not until the rain-clouds had all passed by that the padre chose to embark. The wind was still high, and our frail canoes were roughly cradled on the river's turbulent bo...

A day went by, and though I had become even letter-perfect in my new rôle I had not the chance to play it to my audience; but it came at last.

I had already pictured him, in my thoughts, as a man of commanding presence, with keen, dark eyes set in a stern countenance; crisp, curling locks--such as Melinza's--but silver...

About an hour after midnight there was a great stir in the house and the sound of opening doors and hurrying footsteps. The unwonted noises terrified me. I leaned against the do...

The light grew ever stronger behind the hurrying clouds, but the deep places in the forest held their shadows still. Tall cypress-trees reared their heads amid the hollows and s...

It was a moonless night, and a haze of cloud obscured the stars. We passed silently under the vine-covered arbour, across the garden, to the gateway. Into the heavy lock Doña Or...

What? when my betrothed lies in prison, ill, perhaps, or fretting his brave heart away, am I to be dragged forth to make part of a pageant for the entertainment of his jailers?...

Doña Orosia and Melinza have had a disagreement, which has resulted in his removal hence--at his own demand. Although I know nothing of the cause of their quarrel, Doña Orosia's...

I found her in her favourite seat,--a great soft couch, covered with rich Moorish stuffs, and placed under the shadow of the balcony that overlooks the sunny garden. Up each of...

I awoke this morning with a sense of horror haunting me,--and then I recalled the scene of yesterday and the dumb appeal in the eyes of the dying hound. The story the Spanish wo...

For six months I have added nothing to this record; though time and again I have taken up my pen to write, and then laid it by, with no mark upon the fresh page. Can heartache b...

At first all seemed to go well enough. The Governor's lady was fairly gracious to me; old Señor de Colis was profuse in his leering smiles and wordy compliments, none of which I...

It is now more than a month since our captivity began, and there seems scant likelihood that it will come to a speedy close,--altho', being in good health myself, and of an age...

There were other women on the ship, and one of them came forward and led me away to her cabin and aided me to rid myself of my drenched garments, lending me others in their stea...

I have seen Mr. Rivers. It is the first time since that night--nine months ago. I have seen him and spoken with him in the presence of Melinza, Doña Orosia, and the Governor.

Among the Spaniard's followers was a young mulatto whom he called "Tomas." Very tall and slight of figure was he, yet sinewy and strong, with corded muscles twining under the br...

The rest of the day passed by like a long nightmare. The friar had us removed to a small but strongly built hut, containing two rooms, separated by a thin partition of hides nai...

All the morning after that terrible night, with Barbara I waited fearfully for some manifestation of Doña Orosia's anger. But there was none, nor were we summoned out that day....

When I began this tale of our captivity it was with the hope that I might find some means of sending it to friends, in this country or in England, who would interest themselves...