The Hill of Venus
THE HILL OF VENUS
BY NATHAN GALLIZIER
AUTHOR OF "Castel del Monte," "The Sorceress of Rome," and "The Court of Lucifer"
PICTURES BY E. H. GARRETT
DECORATIONS BY P. VERBURG
L. G. PAGE & COMPANY BOSTON MDCCCCXIII
Copyright, 1913 BY L. C. PAGE & COMPANY (INCORPORATED)
All rights reserved
First Impression, March, 1913
THE COLONIAL PRESS C. H. SIMONDS & CO., BOSTON, U. S. A.
"_Thou art all shrouded, in a gauzy veil, Sombrous and cloudlike, all except that face Of subtle loveliness, though weirdly pale. Thy soft, slow-gliding footsteps leave no trace And stir no sound. Thy drooping hands infold Their frail white fingers, and unconscious hold A poppy-wreath: thine anodyne of grace._
_Thy hair is like a twilight round thy head, Thine eyes are shadowed wells from Lethe-stream, With drowsy, subterranean waters fed; Obscurely deep without a stir or gleam. The gazer drinks in from them with his gaze An opiate charm, to curtain all his days, A passive languor of oblivious dream._"
--JAMES THOMSON.
CONTENTS
BOOK THE FIRST The Sacrifice
I. The Summons II. The Pledge III. Vistas IV. Proserpina V. Waves of Destiny VI. The Broken Troth VII. The Passage
BOOK THE SECOND The Pilgrimage
I. The Vigil of Santa Maria Assunta II. The Passing of Conradino III. Tonsure and Thorn IV. The Call V. The Dells of Vallombrosa VI. The Duke of Spoleto VII. Rome!
BOOK THE THIRD The Bondage
I. The White Lady II. The Feast at the Capitol III. Quaint Wayfarers IV. The Pawn of the Church V. The Red Tower
BOOK THE FOURTH The Passion
I. Siren Land II. The Lady of Shadows III. An Interlude IV. The Hill of Venus V. Twilight Waters VI. The Crimson Night