A LEGEND OF READING ABBEY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 98, 13 March 1875, Page 10

A LEGEND OF READING ABBEY.

Chapter ll.— Continued. +hf™Tw fl 6 stat t lyhaU > wh ere the shafts of the sunbeams laid the marble floor with alternate bars of light and shade, and glinted on the trophies of the chase, and the figures of knights armed cap-&-pie, worthies of the house of SunniSgdale, who were ranged in then-iron panoply as if they lived, on either side the hall ° Up tlie broad oaken staircase, and through the long ffaUeiT, puiTTedp'aSS beaiUS ' tellwitll a ftdnt" "diaaSse tlu-ough t\e eS At the end of the comdor was the lady's bedchamber. its owSff^TS^^sS^ " d decoration had I>eacliea of Su^gd2e Pl>inCeSS iS SCarCe S ° ricWy lodged as was the lady than^n^Sf the o£ hei> of no worse material for holding flowers, filigree boxes of silver and gold forholdirS pastes and peAmes, and other accessories employed by LflS m the ancient tune as well as the modern, to enhance theif beauty! thisfab^ U^kT^,loSS^ chlmber P ° ak fl ° 01 " ** the lady of Sunningdale's «mi Ji h fn!SL 0 J t 5 G ro ? ni . was ' however, close,- and a vase of bm-ning P w-f^ f l ° f P^^S' only made it faint and sickly. ° With a face whiter than the sheets of Eennes, and motionless Snc^rhJ 1 ? T r % a ? eady d^ lay the owner of inSffSSS +w^ ftf t dy , ?f? f Sunningdala was an heiress, and her husband, *vhoUy d to h ei a w c family > owedhis titie ' d^nd lofty posSJ Tl1 ! g 01 * 60 ™ curtains were tin-own back at the foot of the r,r.t^.f t ff noei cyea Ot 1)oth told them, too BOMly, that tho bJae rose as the monk and the mediciner entered, her black JoteVffi-.tl, »-i^* S2tf *SSS JSSSea W™ °* th 6 &^ g M^ ; "* om "■ttodimce i."St "Of that, -we are ourselves the best judges," said Father Sb&b. B £3& " Stand - aside " Lettiee Mir thou Si TnofyS tho SS7S^ hesit * t^' J ut her bold, defiant glance sank under muttSgWvfr 6 ° f m ° nk ' aUd She aside, sullenly The monk caught her words. fear-'tharS/ 0111 '; « xclaim ed, "that you have nought to teai , that what yoxi have done you would do again ? I doubt it j

?hm,^Sf '* + b y * * lUstlI Ustl £ c yet lias sway in this realm °* England, thou skalt , not have the chance to do again what thou hast done." iheY^Jftg o ***.?"? Tl?'T 1 ?' the apotoecaiy had approached the bed, and hfting the head of the unfortunate lady succeeded in , forcing down her throat a few drops of some powerful 5355? lifn «n£ f th6 ™ ao ? 1 '< ies of science, when brought too late, prolong 0?^ for a bri ef space to produce torture. 8 The poor lady, who had laid white and still as thouo-h she were already dead when forced to swallow the pcCutaS^W 2aS£Sf" vP* £* ah>eady azing eyes P gl ai -cd q Seopen! with a pxteous expression on the face of the apothe- »« iJwT d f ! *£ ois . oned ! P° ison ed !" exclaimed the mediciner, S« SiS f c st l enm^ hand i and dropping on his knees beside the bed, wept over the corse of her who had been to him, as to all Sf thG SphGre ° f >er gGntle mxvm »* a