The Mysteries of Udolpho

Ludovico’s Return

The Count’s servants appear, with the exception of two keeping watch at the gate, and Ludovico soon arrives afterward with news of the approaching mules.

The Bear Skin Bearer

Ludovico shows a bear’s skin fastened to a couple of long poles—originally adapted to carry wounded banditti home from their encounters. He spreads it on the ground, layers it with goat skins to form a bed, and the revived Chevalier is gently lifted onto it.

Departure from the Fort

The poles of the improvised litter are raised onto the shoulders of the guides, whose footing on the steep terrain is most reliable, and St. Foix is borne along with an easy motion. The Count’s wounded servants, their injuries bound up, follow toward the great gate.

Tumult in the Dungeon

As they pass through the hall, a loud tumult is heard at a distance, alarming Blanche. Ludovico identifies the noise as coming from the banditti in the dungeon, and the Count observes they seem to be trying to burst the door open.

Mules at the Gate

Ludovico reassures the group that the cell has an iron door and there is nothing to fear. He offers to go first to look out from the rampart, and the others follow quickly to find their mules browsing before the gates.

First Light of Dawn

The party listens anxiously at the gate but hears only the torrent below and the early breeze sighing among the branches of an old oak in the court. They are glad to perceive the first tints of dawn appearing over the mountain tops.

Ludovico Guides the Party

Once mounted on the mules, Ludovico takes on the role of guide and leads them by an easier path than the one they had previously used to ascend into the glen. He warns the Count they must avoid the eastern valley, where the banditti departed that morning.

Into the Valley

The travelers soon leave this glen and enter a narrow valley stretching toward the north-west, where the morning light on the mountains strengthens rapidly to reveal green hillocks tufted with cork trees and ever-green oaks.

Sunrise on the Mountains

With the thunder-clouds dispersed and the sky perfectly serene, Blanche is revived by the fresh breeze and the brightened verdure left by the recent rain. As the sun rises, the dripping rocks, their fringed shrubs, and turfy slopes sparkle in the rays, while a wreath of mist is lifted toward the mountain summits by the gale and the sunbeams.

St. Foix’s Faintness

After proceeding about a league, St. Foix complains of extreme faintness, and the party stops so that he may take refreshment and the men bearing him can rest in the shade of dark green pines.

The Spanish Wine

Ludovico produces flasks of rich Spanish wine brought from the fort, which serves as a reviving cordial to the whole party. For St. Foix it offers only temporary relief, feeding the fever that burns in his veins, and he cannot disguise the anguish he suffers nor suppress his wish that he were already arrived at the inn where they had planned to pass the previous night.

The Count Questions Ludovico

As they rest, the Count asks Ludovico to explain briefly how he disappeared from the north apartment, how he fell into the hands of the banditti, and how he contributed so essentially to the family’s deliverance, which the Count rightly attributes to him.

A Pistol Shot

Before Ludovico can answer, the echo of a pistol shot reaches them from the way they have just passed. The party rises in alarm and hastens to continue their route.

CHAPITRE XIII.

Chapter XIII opens with an epigraph from Beattie lamenting Fate’s stormy paths, then follows Emily as she walks alone to Theresa’s cottage on a gloomy autumnal evening, tormented by forebodings about Valancourt. There she receives news confirming her fears of his death, only for Valancourt himself to unexpectedly appear at the cottage door, leading to an emotionally charged reunion filled with mingled joy, grief, and unresolved tension.