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her once more! Supplicate for me, and for thy own life! for if thou return without having obtained her forgiveness, thou shall forfeit thy life. I will indict unheard of torments; I will twine my bony fingers in thy hair, and dash out thy brains against this wall, and after-ages shall relate thy death with horror." More dead than alive, Maria once more retraced her steps back to the dreadful vault, and again knelt, and earnestly supplicated the figure in black to forgive the dread skeleton; but the lady again shook her head three times, in the negative. Almost frantic, the wretched girl exclaimed, in an agonized voice, ' Oh, do not withold your forgiveness 'For mercy's sake do not doom me to the most dreadful death! If I do not obtain your pardon the horrible skeleton will destroy me.' The lady breathed a deep sigh, and after shaking her head three times continued to read on.—Oh thou cruel one, cried Maria, in an agony of despair.—If my fate be so indifferent to thee, pity at least the innocent being which I bear. Alas! I expect every day to become a mother; if thou have ever in thy lifetime experienced the feelings of a mother, oh, forgive the skeleton! pardon him for my sake, and for that of the little innocent, who through me implores thee to save the life of its wretched mother.' The figure instantly arose, with a face animated with pleasure, closed the hook, and extinguished the
