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and can best appreciate his mercy in permitting you to depart."
"And are you," I cried, "the dupe of this man? He dreads me alive as an
enemy, and dead he fears my avengers. By favouring this clandestine escape
he preserves a shew of consistency to his followers; but mercy is far from
his heart. Do you forget his artifices, his cruelty, and fraud? As I am
free, so are you. Come, Juliet, the mother of our lost Idris will welcome
you, the noble Adrian will rejoice to receive you; you will find peace and
love, and better hopes than fanaticism can afford. Come, and fear not; long
before day we shall be at Versailles; close the door on this abode of crime
--come, sweet Juliet, from hypocrisy and guilt to the society of the
affectionate and good."
I spoke hurriedly, but with fervour: and while with gentle violence I drew
her from the portal, some thought, some recollection of past scenes of
youth and happiness, made her listen and yield to me; suddenly she broke
away with a piercing shriek:--"My child, my child! he has my child; my
darling girl is my hostage."
She darted from me into the passage; the gate closed between us--she was
left in the fangs of this man of crime, a prisoner, still to inhale the
pestilential atmosphere which adhered to his demoniac nature; the unimpeded
breeze played on my cheek, the moon shone graciously upon me, my path was
free. Glad to have escaped, yet melancholy in my very joy, I retrod my
steps to Versailles.
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