Browning's Heroines

rovence; it is the fourteenth century, for tourneys and hawking-parties are the amusements, and a birthday is celebrated by an award of crowns

y. She was very happy; she laughed and "sang her birthday-song quite through," while she looked at herself, garlanded with roses, in the glass before they all three went arm-in-arm down the castle stairs. The throne and canopy were ready; troops of merry friends had assembled. These kissed the cheek of the youngest princess, laughing and calling her queen, and then they helped her to stoop under the canopy, which was pierced by a

ns, which were lowered, when the moment came fo

ood up, and as she did so, the

he thunde

d. 'Bring no

es! Wind the

Let her shu

elf before

whose body

g, queen it

sake no cro

*

riend, and when she came to Count Gauthier's accusation, she had to s

what she had answer

answered?

ancied su

possible

re, when some monstrous engine of torture is d

o face before, but now, so beholding him, she knew that she was saved. He walked up to Gauthier and gave him

North

I looked. Th

nd truth stoo

t; then said how her gladdest memory of that hour was that

that on hi

nd for my p

watch him

just brace

hauberk, o

foot . . . my

tamp out,

s ringing ga

lay, "prone as his lie," upon the ground; and Gismo

ll out the t

he dragged h

re die, but

fession, le

t, to God's

u lied?' And,

er,' he said

s which even to this dear friend she co

ead his ar

the worl

e shouting multitude, never more to return. "And

find the characteristic marks. On that birthday morning, al

hey loved me

selves; 'twas

ir jealousy had entered her

Each

f her brow

to be crow

en when I w

of them spo

sideways wit

y let me la

song quite t

"foolish throne," while everybody applauded her. Then had come the moment when Gauthier stalked f

er, when he c

and place

it it

he world"-to aid her, she can see that

essly ere h

one, he must

*

breast is torn open, when he is dragged to her feet to die, she knows not any shrinking nor compassion-can apprehend each word in the dialogue between slayer and slain-can, over the bleeding body, receive the avowal of his love who but now has killed his fellow-man like a dog-and, gathered to Gismond's breast, can, unmoved by all repulsion, feel herself smeared by the dripping sword that hangs beside him. . . . All this we women of a later day have "resigned"-and I know not if that word be the righ

ead his ar

the worl

ike the throbbing fingers in the Northern skies. Well, the "Northern Lights" rec

by tears as we saw, she stops speaking. While still she struggles with her sob, she sees, at the gate, her husband with his two boys, and at once is able to go on. She

boy has g

ho' when his

hows scorn

with her and Adela. The first words we hear her speak to that l

Gismo

brought my

as telli

ds it struck

not think it necessary to tell that fib. We should say nothing of what we had been "telli