Page:Marquis de Sade - Adelaide of Brunswick.djvu/103

 "All this announces something sinister, Milady," she said. "Believe me, we should put all our papers in order and be prepared for any event."

At this time they usually went to bed; but now they did not even undress, but locked themselves up in their rooms. At two o'clock in the morning a noise could be heard. They listened and trembled, noticing that the noise was increasing. There was a tramping of heavy feet outside and suddenly the doors were opened by force. Three men seized Adelaide without saying a word. Two of them dragged her out of the room while the third held Bathilda to keep her from following.

The weeping of Bathilda, the cries of Adelaide, the curses of the abductors, the doors which were opened and closed with a frightful noise, the disorder of the torn clothes of the princess after her struggles, her loose hair falling on her bare shoulders, her arms of such dazzling whiteness brutally gripped by the hairy hands of the monsters who were taking her away, some traces of blood on the hideous faces of these scoundrels, caused by the violent blows she had given them when she was trying to prevent their taking her off; all this scene projected into the dark passageways of the castle through which this beautiful victim was being dragged, resembled a dead body removed from a coffin surrounded by many bright candles and thrown into the obscurity of the tomb.

After what seemed hours to the terrified woman, her captors stopped, opened a door, and threw her into a totally darkened room. Heavens! What a moment for her! It was like the total destruction of the senses, like the breaking of the thread of life, leaving in the mind only one expression: "you are no more."

Adelaide groped her way around in the room. Suddenly, her arms were pinned behind her by one strong hand, while the other explored the most intimate parts of her body. She tried to free herself, but then her lips were seared by the hot mouth of the margrave. Through the thin layers of clothing which separated them, she felt the passionate quivering of his strong muscular body. With a violent effort she broke from his grasp and ran blindly across the darkened room. But the