Page:The genius - Carl Grosse tr Joseph Trapp 1796.djvu/121

Rh brace! Her heart palpitated feebler and feebler under my hands, till it entirely ceased. I took the whole for a fantastic sport of the imagination, and wavered between truth and uncertainty. It was not till after a long conflict between contradictory sensations, that I discovered Elmira was no more. Her blood had been rilling over my hands, and when I took off the veil, I found her countenance quite distorted; not a feature was cognizable, her eyes were sunk deep in her head, no moan heaved the suffering bosom, she was like a congealed corpse—My grief was suspended by a glowing desire of vengeance, my tongue was parched and began, as it were, to thirst for blood; methought her fleeting manes demanded no tears, but signal revenge.

A volume of light rushed at the same time upon my mind respecting the proceedings of the Cabal; never had I felt myself thus much the sport of those fatal strangers, never had they so barbarously treated me as their slave. I became sensible that their despotic yoke required, that I should with ab-