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