A Sicilian Romance quotes

Her features were finely turned—every laughing grace played round her mouth, and her countenance quickly discovered all the various emotions of her soul. The dark auburn hair, which curled in beautiful profusion in her neck, gave a finishing charm to her appearance.

Thus lovely, and thus veiled in obscurity, were the daughters of the noble Mazzini.

But they were happy, for they knew not enough of the world seriously to regret the want of its enjoyments, though Julia would sometimes sigh for the airy image which her fancies painted, and a painful curiosity would arise concerning the busy scenes from which …

The pleasure she now felt she believed would always be renewed, and in an equal degree, by the objects which first excited it.

The weakness of humanity is never willingly perceived by young minds.

It is painful to know, that we are operated upon by objects whose impressions are variable as they are indefinable—and that what yesterday affected us strongly, is today but imperfectly felt, and tomorrow perhaps shall be disregarded.

The beauty and accomplishments of Vereza raised in her a new and various emotion, which reflection made her fear to encourage, but which was too pleasing to be wholly resisted.

Tremblingly alive to a sense of delight, and unchilled by disappointment, the young heart welcomes every feeling, not simply painful, with a romantic expectation that it will expand into bliss.

Julia sought with eager anxiety to discover the sentiments of Vereza towards her; she revolved each circumstance of the day, but they afforded her little satisfaction; they reflected only a glimmering and uncertain light, which instead of guiding, served only to perplex her.

the day seemed to stand still—she became melancholy, and thought the breakfast-hour would never arrive. At length the clock struck the signal, the sound vibrated on every nerve, and trembling she quitted the closet for her sister’s apartment.

Love taught her disguise.

Till then Emilia had shared all her thoughts; they now descended to the breakfast-room in silence, and Julia almost feared to meet her eye. In the breakfast-room they were alone.

When the ball broke up, she retired to her apartment, but not to sleep.

Joy is as restless as anxiety or sorrow.

She seemed to have entered upon a new state of existence;—those fine springs of affection which had hitherto lain concealed, were now touched, and yielded to her a happiness more exalted than any her imagination had ever painted.

She believed, too, that the musician who had addressed her in his sonnet, was not the Count; and thus at once was dissolved all the ideal fabric of her happiness.

How short a period often reverses the character of our sentiments, rendering that which yesterday we despised, today desirable.

The tranquil state which she had so lately delighted to quit, she now reflected upon with regret.

Soon after the nuptials, my husband and Orlando were remanded to their regiments. My brother’s affections were now unalterably fixed upon Louisa, but a sentiment of delicacy and generosity still kept him silent.

He thought, poor as he was, to solicit the hand of Louisa, would be to repay the kindness of the count with ingratitude.

I have seen the inward struggles of his heart, and mine has bled for him. The count and Louisa so earnestly solicited me to remain at the villa during the campaign, that at length my husband consented. We parted—O!

“My children,” said she, “I will not attempt to persuade you that the existence of such spirits is impossible.

Who shall say that anything is impossible to God?

We know that he has made us, who are embodied spirits; he, therefore, can make unembodied spirits. If we cannot understand how such spirits exist, we should consider the limited powers of our minds, and that we cannot understand many things which are indisputably true.

She now held herself in readiness to depart at the moment in which Ferdinand and Hippolitus, for whose steps in the gallery she eagerly listened, should appear.

The castle clock struck twelve. The sound seemed to shake the pile.

Julia felt it thrill upon her heart. “I hear you,” sighed she, “for the last time.” The stillness of death succeeded. She continued to listen; but no sound met her ear.

but no sound met her ear. For a considerable time she sat in a state of anxious expectation not to be described. The clock chimed the successive quarters; and her fear rose to each additional sound. At length she heard it strike one.

Hollow was that sound, and dreadful to her hopes; for neither Hippolitus nor Ferdinand appeared.

She grew faint with fear and disappointment. Her mind, which for two hours had been kept upon the stretch of expectation, now resigned itself to despair. She gently opened the door of her closet, and looked upon the gallery; but all was lonely and silent.

He persisted in a simple and uniform declaration of his innocence; but as the marquis believed it impossible that Julia could have escaped without his knowledge, he was ordered into imprisonment till he should confess the fact.

The pride of the duke was severely wounded by this elopement, which proved the excess of Julia’s aversion, and completed the disgraceful circumstances of his rejection.

The marquis had carefully concealed from him her prior attempt at elopement, and her consequent confinement; but the truth now burst from disguise, and stood revealed with bitter aggravation.

He departed in the morning, very well pleased with the accommodating principles of monastic religion.

He had been told that the enjoyment of the good things of this life was the surest sign of our gratitude to Heaven; and it appeared, that within the walls of a Sicilian monastery, the precept and the practice were equally enforced.

He was now at a loss what course to choose, for he had no clue to direct him towards the object of his pursuit; but hope still invigorated, and urged him to perseverance. He was not many leagues from the coast;

Madame pursued her journey with a heavy heart. Separated from the objects of her fondest affections, and from the scenes and occupations for which long habit had formed claims upon her heart, she seemed without interest and without motive for exertion.

The world appeared a wide and gloomy desert, where no heart welcomed her with kindness⁠—no countenance brightened into smiles at her approach.

It was many years since she quitted Calini—and in the interval, death had swept away the few friends she left there. The future presented a melancholy scene;

The rude manners, the boisterous passions, the daring ambition, and the gross indulgences which formerly characterized the priest, the nobleman, and the sovereign, had now begun to yield to learning—the charms of refined conversation—political intrigue and private artifices.

Thus do the scenes of life vary with the predominant passions of mankind, and with the progress of civilization.

The dark clouds of prejudice break away before the sun of science, and gradually dissolving, leave the brightening hemisphere to the influence of his beams.

Thus do the scenes of life vary with the predominant passions of mankind, and with the progress of civilization.

The dark clouds of prejudice break away before the sun of science, and gradually dissolving, leave the brightening hemisphere to the influence of his beams.

But through the present scene appeared only a few scattered rays, which served to show more forcibly the vast and heavy masses that concealed the form of truth. Here prejudice, not reason, suspended the influence of the passions;

and with what other term than injustice would you, Sir, distinguish the conduct of the marquis, if the fear of his power did not overcome the dictates of truth?”

The Abate felt the full force of this reproof; but disdaining to appear sensible to it, restrained his resentment.

His wounded pride thus exasperated, and all the malignant passions of his nature thus called into action, he was prompted to that cruel surrender which he had never before seriously intended.

when, no sound having interrupted the profound silence of the place, he at length once more ventured to the mouth of the cave. Again he threw a fearful look around, but discerned no human form.

The soft moonbeam slept upon the dewy landscape, and the solemn stillness of midnight wrapt the world.

Fear heightened to the fugitives the sublimity of the hour. Ferdinand now led Julia forth, and they passed silently along the shelving foot of the rocks.

After his arrival in Calabria, immediately on the recovery of his senses, he dispatched a servant back to the castle of Mazzini, to gain secret intelligence of what had passed after his departure.

The eagerness with which we endeavour to escape from misery, taught him to encourage a remote and romantic hope that Julia yet lived for him.

Yet even this hope at length languished into despair, as the time elapsed which should have brought his servant from Sicily. Days and weeks passed away in the utmost anxiety to Hippolitus, for still his emissary did not appear;

She represented these circumstances to her mother, and urged them so forcibly that the lethargy of despair yielded to hope, and the marchioness committed herself to the conduct of her daughter.

“Oh! let me lead you to light and life!” cried Julia with warm enthusiasm.

“Surely heaven can bless me with no greater good than by making me the deliverer of my mother.” They both knelt down;

He revolved the means which might effect his purpose—he saw but one—this was the death of the marchioness.

The commission of one crime often requires the perpetration of another.

When once we enter on the labyrinth of vice, we can seldom return, but are led on, through correspondent mazes, to destruction.

The commission of one crime often requires the perpetration of another.

When once we enter on the labyrinth of vice, we can seldom return, but are led on, through correspondent mazes, to destruction.

To obviate the effect of his first crime, it was now necessary the marquis should commit a second, and conceal the imprisonment of the marchioness by her murder.