Sinking upon a chair herself, she sat long looking at
the convulsed and working frame of Sigismund in silent horror. It appeared
to her, that Providence, for some great but secret purpose, was disposed
to visit them all with more than a double amount of its anger, and that a
family which had been accursed for so many generations, was about to fill
the measure of its woes. Still her own true heart did not change. On the
contrary, its long-cherished and secret purpose rather grew stronger under
this sudden appeal to its generous and noble properties, and never was the
resolution to devote herself, her life, and all her envied hopes, to the
solace of his unmerited wrongs, so strong and riveted as at that trying
moment.
In a little time Sigismund regained enough self-command to be able to
commence the narrative of what had passed. They then concerted together
the best means to make Christine acquainted with that which it was
absolutely necessary she should now know.
"Tell her the simple truth," added Sigismund, 'it cannot long be
concealed, and it were better that she knew it; but tell her, also, my
firm dependence on our father's innocence.
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