Lord, and assured him that the vision of the gigantic leg and foot
was all a fable; and no doubt an impression made by fear, and the
dark and dismal hour of the night, on the minds of his servants.
She and the chaplain had examined the chamber, and found everything
in the usual order.

Manfred, though persuaded, like his wife, that the vision had been
no work of fancy, recovered a little from the tempest of mind into
which so many strange events had thrown him. Ashamed, too, of his
inhuman treatment of a Princess who returned every injury with new
marks of tenderness and duty, he felt returning love forcing itself
into his eyes; but not less ashamed of feeling remorse towards one
against whom he was inwardly meditating a yet more bitter outrage,
he curbed the yearnings of his heart, and did not dare to lean even
towards pity. The next transition of his soul was to exquisite
villainy.

Presuming on the unshaken submission of Hippolita, he flattered
himself that she would not only acquiesce with patience to a
divorce, but would obey, if it was his pleasure, in endeavouring to
persuade Isabella to give him her hand--but ere he could indulge
his horrid hope, he reflected that Isabella was not to be found.
Coming to himself, he gave orders that every avenue to the castle
should be strictly guarded, and charged his domestics on pain of
their lives to suffer nobody to pass out. The young peasant, to
whom he spoke favourably, he ordered to remain in a small chamber
on the stairs, in which there was a pallet-bed, and the key of
which he took away himself, telling the youth he would talk with
him in the morning. Then dismissing his attendants, and bestowing
a sullen kind of half-nod on Hippolita, he retired to his own