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hitherto been her only solace, and she struggled hard to retain theony started to her eyes, which she turned aside to

conceal

While she afterwards leaned on the wall of the rampart, so a breach, before which lay

a heap of stones, as if to repair it, and a rusty old cannon, that

appeared to have fallen from its station above Madame Montoni stopped

to speak to theto do 'To repair

the fortifications, your ladyship,' said one of them; a labour which

she was somewhat surprised, that Montoni should think necessary,

particularly since he had never spoken of the castle, as of a place, at

which he meant to reside for any considerable time; but she passed on

towards a lofty arch, that led from the south to the east rampart,

and which adjoined the castle, on one side, while, on the other, it

supported a small watch-tower, that entirely commanded the deep valley

below As she approached this arch, she saw, beyond it, winding along

the woody descent of a distanttroop of horse and foot,

wholitter of their pikes and

other arms, for the distance did not allow her to discover the colour

of their liveries As she gazed, the vanguard issued from the woods into

the valley, but the train still continued to pour over the remote

summit of the mountain, in endless succession; while, in the front,

the uishable, and the coestures, to direct the th, approached very near to the castle