The lost bride; vol. 2

As we drove home Aunt Jane said that she felt sure that Mrs. Lacy had something on her mind, for she had never known her to be so reserved before.

I found afterwards that Aunt Jane had often heard from Norah during my long illness, or rather stupor, but she carefully concealed the letters from me, lest my attention should...

Among the subjects which Aunt Jane, for my own sake, encouraged me to talk about at this time, was that of the character and adventures of my remarkable relation, Countess Rossi...

The grand ball was appointed to take place at Schloss Hohenstein, on the night before the day fixed for the wedding. The Count had placed the carrying out of the fête in the han...

Dorina was loved by all the retainers and peasants on her father’s vast estates, and bitter were the lamentations uttered by all who heard of the catastrophe. That she should ha...

For a wicked person, Cunigunda was, or rather had been, unusually happy. She had succeeded in most of her wishes, and her life had been an incessant series of triumphs. Her deep...

The old housekeeper was then called, and came curtseying in, with her picturesque, old-fashioned Brussels lace cap and stomacher, and a brocaded petticoat which had formerly fig...

A few days after the occurrences related in the last chapter, I accompanied Aunt Jane to the old blind woman’s cottage. We had not been there for several weeks, for Aunt Jane ha...

I felt rather disappointed at this idea of the ghost of Baron Hugh being, after all, no ghost, but only a trick of the smugglers; and disposed to be angry with Aunt Jane for her...

As we heard long afterwards where the strange Joe Naylor went after quitting the old dame’s cottage, I will now follow his footsteps to the old Castle-hill. Proceeding by a narr...

On hearing of gold, the men began to work hard, and soon the nine coffins were lifted down. Just as they were about to wrench the top off the tenth, a wailing sound was heard, w...

The preparations for the grand masquerade ball were now nearly complete, and the neighbourhood, as well as the highest portions of the _Morning Post_ world, in those days of the...

Alone!--how often our angry wishes to be left “alone” are literally and direfully realized. At this moment Cunigunda felt almost for the first time in her life a sensation of ut...

In the meantime the Countess, as I said before, had left the blue room in an unusually sad or perhaps rather _ennuyé_ state of mind, utterly dissatisfied with everything and eve...

Early in the following week was the day fixed for the masquerade ball, and a number of guests arrived at an early hour. The Count had gone out early in the morning, and the Coun...

While Lady Selina was writing her letter, Cunigunda tried to repose on her sofa, in order that she might be fully equal to the grand ball. But she was rather restless and uneasy...

When the old housekeeper led the Count through the mysterious opening from the blue drawing-room into the old bed-room, which happened to be her own (only she had another approa...

The Duke of Dromoland was then shown to the Duchess’s bedroom; and soon afterwards the Countess was interrupted in her toilette by the entrance of Mrs. Spinnyfit, with a note in...

Soon afterwards the guests began to arrive, most of whom were in fancy dresses, which they preferred to show during the first part of the evening, so they left the masks and dom...

Cattarina Diabelli had arranged her plan very well, but she was not aware of the dogged determination and cleverness of English coachmen--how they often contrive when drunk not...

By the time we reached Castle Hall, most of the company had arrived, and dancing had already begun. I had only seen the place by daylight, and when most of the old rooms were in...

In the meantime Lady Selina Bugginfield came up, and endeavoured to draw me into conversation; but Aunt Jane, whose quick eyes discerned her look of curiosity, said in a gruff v...

The workmen, assisted by the Count and several other gentlemen, soon succeeded in tearing down the stones which had closed up the passage through an ancient Norman gateway; and...

Aunt Jane began to be very anxious, and quitted the room to see whether she could hasten the Count’s return. It was a dreadful moment of suspense, for Cunigunda was quite sensib...

In a former chapter I described the mysterious disappearance of Dorina at the ball given in the caves at Hohenstein, on the eve of her bridal-day, as it was told by my mother. S...

The Castle of Hohenstein had been left, since the death of the last Graf, in charge of an old seneschal, who had gained much influence over his master, and who contrived, even d...

Frau Müller was led for some distance along the sweet-scented grass, then up a gentle ascent, by what seemed to be a winding path, then down again into another valley, and then...

But Frau Müller was too cautious to say anything about the existence of Dorina till she had thought the matter over most deeply, and had consulted her sister, who had been house...

The descendants of Martha Bevis, who had come from Castle Hall with Lady Alice, had always kept up a correspondence with their relatives in England, and also with the family of...

While Aunt Jane and I had been watching with intense interest the death-scene in the cameo boudoir, and Dorina’s extraordinary resurrection and most unexpected appearance there,...

“Never be ashamed of kind feelings,” said Aunt Jane, as we drove off from the door of Castle Hall. “I saw you were quite annoyed because Dr. Johnson perceived that you felt a gr...