The Mysterions Wadding.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 24 September 1891, Page 4

The Mysterions Wadding.

I (Concluded.) [ his features were severe and his lips comI pressed as if in wralh ; a bold acquiline nose ■ heightened the haughty appearance of his countenance ; and dark shaggy brows levered over his fiery eyes. He wore a green coat, with large golden braids, and a glittering star. The hricie, who now kneeled beside ■ him, -was magnificently dressed. A sky-blue ! roke, richly trimmed with silver, enveloped ■ her slender limbs, and floated in large folds i over her graceful form ; a diadem sparkling ! with diamonds adorned her fair hair ; the utmost loveliness and beauty might be traced in her features, although despair now expressed itself in them ; her cheeks were pale as those of a corpse— her features unani--1 mated— her lips were blanched— her eyes dimmed — and her powerless arms hung motionless beside her almost lifeless form. j As she knelt before the altar, the picture of I death itself, terror seemed to have wrapped I her consciousness as well as her vital powers i in a fortunate slumber. The cure now discovered near him an old ugly hag, in a parti-coloured dress, her head covered with a blood-red turban, who stood gazing with an expression of fury and mockery on the kneeling bride ;and behind the bridegroom he noticed a man of gigantic size and a gloomy appearance, whose eyes were fixed immovably on the ground. Horror-struck, the priest stood mute for some time, till a thrilling look from the bridegroom reminded him oi the ceremony he had come thither to perform. But the uncertainty whether the couple he was now about to marry understood his language afforded him a fresh sourccu£ uneasiness. He ventured, however, to^j^^Bbridegroom for his name and that ofJ^^^^^^^Teander and Feodora," was ti^^^^^^^^ten in a roughfa^. .'■■**'• in .leaved — a violent gush of tears flooded me brilliance of her eyes, and the "yes" vas heard pronounced like the scream o anguish uttered by a dying person, am' seemed to find a deep echo in the sounds o! tjrief which burst from the surrounding multitude. The bride sank into the arms o. lho horrid old hag ; some minutes passed in awful silence; the pale corpse like female men kneeled again, as if in a deep trance, and the ceremony was finished The bridenow rose and led the trembling bride 'o her iormer place, lollowed by the tall nan and the old woman ; the two strangers ■ hen appeared again, and having bound the priest's eyes, drew him with violence through the crowd, and pushed him out at the door, which they then boiled within. For some minutes he stood endeavouring to recollect himself, and uncertain whether the horrid scene, with all i'.s ghastly attendant circumstances, might not have been a dream ; but when he had lorn the bandage from his eyes, and saw the illuminated church before him, and heard the murmuring of the crowd, he was forced to believe its reality. To learn the issue, he hid himself in a corner of the building, and while listening there he heard the murmuring within grow louder and louder-then it seemed as •f a fierce altercation arose, in which he thought he could hear the rough voice of the bridegroom commanding silence— a long pause followed— a shot fell— the shriek of a female voice was heard, which was succeeded oy another pause — then followed a sound of labour, which lasted about a quarter of an hour — the candles were extinguished — the murmuring arose again— the door was Hung open, and a multitude of persons rushed out of the church, and ran towards the sea. The old priest now arose from his hidingplace, and hastened back to- the village, where he awoke his neighbours and friends, and related to them his incredible and mar- j vellous adventure ; but everything which had hitherto fallen out amongst these simple people had been so calm and tranquif — so much measured by the laws of daily routine, I that they were seized with a very different terror, they believed that some unfortunate accident had deranged the intellects of their beloved pastor, and it was not without difficulty that he prevailed on some of them to follow him to the church, provided with picks and spades. Meanwhile the morning had dawned, the sun arose, and when the priest and his companions ascended the hill towards the church, they saw a man-of-war standing off from the shore under full sail towards the north. So surprising a sight in this remote district made his companions already hesitate to reject his story as improbable, and still more were they inclined to listen to him when they saw that the side-door had been violently burst open. They entered full of expectation, and the priest showed them the grave which he had seen opened in the night-time ; it was easily perceived that the stone had been lifted up and repl . td again ; they put their implements in motion, and soon came to a new richly adorned coffin ; the old man descended with almost youthful impatience into the grave, and others followed him, the cover was taken off, and the priest found all his awful forebodings confirmed. In the coffin lay the murdered bride — a bullet had pierced her breast right to the heart — the magnificent diadem she had worn had disappeared ; but the distracted expression of deep grief had vanished from her countenance, and a heavenly calm seemed spread over her features as she lay there like an angel. The old man threw himself down on his knees near the coffin, and wept and prayed aloud for the soul of the murdered, while mute astonishment and horror seized his companions. The clergyman found himself obliged to make this event instantly known, with all its circumstances, to his superior, the Bishop of Zealand ; meanwhile, until he got further instructions from Copenhagen, he bound all his friends to secrecy by an oath. Shortly ■afterwards a person of high rank suddenly arrived from the capital ; he inquired into all the circumstances, visited the grave, commended the silence which had been hitherto observed, and stated that the whole event must remain for ever a secret, threatening at the same time with severe punishment any person who should dare to speak of it. After the death of the priest a writing was found in the parochial register narrating this event. Some believed that it might have some secret connection with the violent political changes which occurred in Russia after the death of Catherine and Peter I. ; but to solve the riddle of this mysterious affair will ever be ft difficult if not impossibly ! l».*^ ..." .'" *■ "■ :