The Mysteries of Udolpho

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: converfation of Annette, concerning .it, with very unpleafant emotions. She looked fearfully on the almoft rooflefs walls, green with damps, and on the gothic points of the windows, where the ivy and the briony had long fupplied the place of glafs, and ran mantling among the broken capitals of fome columns, that had once fupported the roof. Barnardine ftumbled over the broken pavement, and his voice, as he uttered a fudden oath, was returned in hollow echoes, that made it more terrific. Emily's heart funk; but fhe (till followed him, and he turned out of what had been the principal aifle of the chapel. Down thefe fteps, lady," faid Barnardine, as he defcended a flight, which appeared to lead into the vaults; but Emily paufed on the top, and demanded, in a tremulous tone, whither he was conducting her. " To the portal," faid Barnardine. " Cannot we go through the chapel to the portal?" faid Emily. " No, Signora, that leads to the inner 3 court, court, which I don't choofe to unlock. This way, and we fhall reach the outer court prefently." Emily ftiil hefitated; fearing not only to go on, but, fmce fhe had gone thus far, to irritate Barnardine by refufing to go further. " Come, lady," faid the man, who had nearly reached the bottom of the flight, " make a little hafte; I cannot wait here all night." " Whither do thefe fteps lead ?" faid Emily, yet paufing. " To the portal," repeated Barnardine, in an angry tone, " 1 will wait no longer."' As he faid this, he moved on with th'e light, and Emily, fearing to provoke him by further delay, reluctantly followed. From the fteps, they proceeded through a paflage, adjoining the vaults, the walls of which were dropping with unwholefome dews, and the vapours, that crept 'along the ground, made the torch burn foditnly;, th...