his arms upon
her knees, and once more had recourse to prayers and supplications.
This attempt had no better success than the former. On the contrary,
taking advantage of her situation, the Ravisher threw himself by her
side: He clasped her to his bosom almost lifeless with terror, and
faint with struggling. He stifled her cries with kisses, treated her
with the rudeness of an unprincipled Barbarian, proceeded from freedom
to freedom, and in the violence of his lustful delirium, wounded and
bruised her tender limbs. Heedless of her tears, cries and entreaties,
He gradually made himself Master of her person, and desisted not from
his prey, till He had accomplished his crime and the dishonour of
Antonia.

Scarcely had He succeeded in his design than He shuddered at himself
and the means by which it was effected. The very excess of his former
eagerness to possess Antonia now contributed to inspire him with
disgust; and a secret impulse made him feel how base and unmanly was
the crime which He had just committed. He started hastily from her
arms. She, who so lately had been the object of his adoration, now
raised no other sentiment in his heart than aversion and rage. He
turned away from her; or if his eyes rested upon her figure
involuntarily, it was only to dart upon her looks of hate. The
Unfortunate had fainted ere the completion of her disgrace: She only
recovered life to be sensible of her misfortune. She remained stretched
upon the earth in silent despair: The tears chased each other slowly
down her cheeks, and her bosom heaved with frequent sobs. Oppressed
with grief, She continued for some time in this state of torpidity. At
length She rose with difficulty, and dragging her feeble steps towards
the door, prepared to quit the dungeon.

The sound of her footsteps rouzed the Monk from his sullen apathy.
Starting from the Tomb against which He reclined, while his eyes
wandered over the images of corruption contained in it, He pursued the
Victim of his brutality, and soon overtook her. He seized her by the
arm, and violently forced her back into the dungeon.

'Whither go you?' He cried in a stern voice; 'Return this instant!'

Antonia trembled at the fury of his countenance.

'What, would you more?' She said with timidity: 'Is not my ruin
compleated? Am I not undone, undone for ever? Is not your cruelty
contented, or have I yet more to suffer? Let me depart. Let me return
to my home, and weep unrestr