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A shout frouides aroused their attention, after which, in a few

ence, that a

path was found, and they iuides, when

they all ascended a little winding way cut in the rock a thickets

of dood, and, after er, reached the summit,

where several ruined towers, surrounded by a massy wall, rose to their

view, partially illu was silent, and apparently forsaken, but the Count was

cautious; 'Step softly,' said he, in a low voice, 'while we reconnoitre

the edifice' Having proceeded silently along for soate, whose portals were terrible even in ruins, and, after a moment's

hesitation, passed on to the court of entrance, but paused again at the

head of a terrace, which, branching fro the brow of a

precipice

Over this, rose the main body of the edifice, which was now

seen to be, not a watch-tower, but one of those ancient fortresses,

that, frolect, had fallen to decay Many parts of it,

however, appeared to be still entire; it was built of grey stone, in

the heavy Saxon-gothic style, with enorth, and the arch of the large gate, which seemed

to open into the hall of the fabric, was round, as was that of a

above

The air of solely have characterized

the pile even in the days of its early strength, was now considerably

heightened by its shattered battlee rass grown In this court of entrance stood the gigantic remains of an