38 Miranda d'Arngon ; [^Jult, 



held the abbess, who had sunk on her knees, extending her arms to 

 him in a posture of entreaty. Zagurina drew him towards the grating, 

 saying, " dost thou know that woman?" He looked, and saw the origi- 

 nal of the picture ; the veil of time gone by was Ufted up. Striking 

 his forehead, he exclaimed, " Isabella!" 



"■ Do you know me again ?" said she, mildly ; " have you not forgotten 

 the faithful, forsaken Isabella ? — she who now throws herself at thy feet 

 to implore thee to spare the life of our child?" 



" All gracious God of Heaven 1 — be silent !" cried Miranda, as he 

 started back, shuddering ; " be silent ! — what hath thy lips uttered ?" 



" The dearest, — the most sacred secret of my life ! — Mira is our 

 child!—" 



JMiranda, at these words, sunk on the ground, as if annihilated. 



" When they forced me away," continued Isabella, "from our retreat 

 in the mountains, I was conveyed as a punishment to this convent. 

 Here your daughter was born in secret, and here I was forced to take 

 the veil. I confided our child to my faithful Clarita. She brought it 

 up with a mother's care. In a gipsy's disguise she took it with her, 

 and endeavoured to find you out, to learn if you were worthy of your 

 daughter, and to resign it to your care. After many years' long and 

 fruitless search, you were discovered in a miserable hut, in France, 

 where Mira became your nurse. Your heart clung with a fatherly affec- 

 tion to the girl, who was imprudently left in your hands till I was con- 

 sulted on what further steps should be pursued. During that time, your 

 frightful passions turned to madness, — you stole away your own daugh- 

 ter \" 



" Oh ! heavens ! why did you conceal from me she was my daugh- 

 ter?" exclaimed Miranda, in an agony of grief. 



The gipsy during this time had thrown off her disguise : she now en- 

 tered in the dress of a lay-sister : — " Do you remember," said she, to 

 JMiranda, "how I placed Isabella's ring upon your finger? do you re- 

 member how I implored you, when I conceived you were in your last 

 moments, to confess to me the abode of my child, and how I endeavoured 

 to awaken in you old recollections ? — But you dashed Isabella's picture 

 to the earth, — you wanted to murder me ! I then prayed to God he 

 might terminate your existence on the field of battle I — Heaven seemed 

 to have heard me ; I saw you fall ! — No danger withheld me from seek- 

 ing you amidst the ranks of death, to explain the secret of the birth of 

 your child, and to request from you the avowal of her residence. But 

 you were already senseless, and the enemy tore you from me. I myself 

 remained a prisoner, until the peace ; I then hastened back to Spain, 

 and to my astonishment found you here beneath the habit of a monk. 

 All might have been happily explained, as fate had also conducted your 

 child hither : Alas ! at the very moment I thought of bringing you to- 

 gether, you were sitting in judgment on your children !" 



" Oh 1 my poor innocent children !" cried INIiranda, in despair: "yes, 

 I loved the child to distraction, though I did not understand the source 

 of the affection, — I see it now ; I beheld in her the youthful image of 

 Isabella !" 



Isabella implored of IMiranda the life of her child, but he sat with 

 clenched hands ; his head sunk on his breast : — he sobbed bitterly. Isa- 

 bella begged him even to hazard his own life to save their child. His 

 faculties at last seemed to resume their energy ; he exclaimed " I will 



