282 ANOTHER CHAPTER ON THE " RIGHTS OF WOMAN."" 



The princess summoned her attendants, and St. Julien and his coun- 

 sellor, Galeotto, are thrown into a dungeon. From this dungeon he 

 is mysteriously conducted through obscure and winding passages, to 

 a marble vault, richly sculptured after the manner of the Saracens. 

 Four bronze lamps were burning at the angles of a tomb of black, 

 upon which lay an alabaster figure in the attitude of sleep. St. Julien 

 started with horror as he recognized the vault and the monument 

 mentioned by Galeotto ; and as he observed on the front of this ceno- 

 taph, the three large silver letters forming the name of Max. He 

 fell upon his knees, and as he bent over the alabaster figure, he was 

 struck with the resemblance it bore to his romantic friend, Spark, the 

 favoured gallant of the princess. He was roused from his reverie by 

 the entrance of a tall figure, robed in black, and armed with a sin- 

 gular weapon resembling a large glittering sword. Julien could 

 suppose him to be no other than the executioner ; but his terrors are 

 soon dissipated as this formidable personage proclaims himself to be 

 the professor of natural history, Maitre Cantharide, and makes use of 

 his glittering instrument to raise the lid of the sarcophacus. St. 

 Julien gazed on the operation with a thrill of horror ; but to his asto- 

 nishment, all that it contained was a gold box in tfce shape of a heart ; 

 and all that the box contained was a packet of letters, fastened by a 

 black riband. St. Julien is ordered to untie and peruse them, and 

 they furnish a full explanation of the equivocal conduct of the prin- 

 cess. The first in order, is a contract of marriage between her and 

 Max, bearing date ten years previous. It then appears that Max, 

 and Spark, and Rosenheim, are the same individual, who is in the 

 habit of coming, after intervals of absence, to visit his wife, the 

 princess, with all the mysterious precautions of a lover. " This 

 union/' says the professor, " has been so beautiful, and so pure, that 

 it proves the excellence of the laws of Lycurgus, enjoining husbands 

 never to visit their wives without taking all the precautions of lovers 

 to avoid observation." And this, we believe, is the clue to the moral 

 of the tale, if moral there be any the possibility of the existence of 

 perfect love and happiness in an union which is in reality matrimony, 

 while it looks as unlike it as it possibly can. 



After being thus enlightened, St. Julien and Galeotto are conducted 

 beyond the territories of the princess. Galeotto goes in pursuit of 

 fortune, whilst St. Julien returns to his paternal home, where he is 

 received with the strongest demonstrations of affection. After a six 

 weeks' effort to endure a country life, he repairs to Paris, and plunges 

 into study, to overcome the troubles of his wounded spirit. For a 

 length of time he was a prey to his passion, and his soul was sealed 

 against the hope of a new life and new affections. 



A year had passed away, when one night, as he was coming out of 

 the opera, he observed a lady glittering with jewels proceeding to her 

 carriage. Although he had seen little more than her velvet robe and 

 her naked shoulder, a thrill ran through his frame, and he almost 

 fainted. He sprang forward, and recognized Madame davalcanti as 

 she was getting into her carriage ; he advanced towards her with an 

 exclamation on his lips ; but she looked at him with an air of astonish- 

 ment, raised the window, and disappeared. 



