m to follow their monotonous
round, seated himself at the foot of a column, and immediately opposite
a large aperture, which permitted him to enjoy a full and undisturbed
view of the gigantic dimensions of the majestic ruin.

Franz had remained for nearly a quarter of an hour perfectly hidden
by the shadow of the vast column at whose base he had found a
resting-place, and from whence his eyes followed the motions of Albert
and his guides, who, holding torches in their hands, had emerged from
a vomitarium at the opposite extremity of the Colosseum, and then again
disappeared down the steps conducting to the seats reserved for the
Vestal virgins, resembling, as they glided along, some restless shades
following the flickering glare of so many ignes-fatui. All at once his
ear caught a sound resembling that of a stone rolling down the staircase
opposite the one by which he had himself ascended. There was nothing
remarkable in the circumstance of a fragment of granite giving way and
falling heavily below; but it seemed to him that the substance that fell
gave way beneath the pressure of a foot, and also that some one, who
endeavored as much as possible to prevent his footsteps from being
heard, was approaching the spot where he sat. Conjecture soon became
certainty, for the figure of a man was distinctly visible to Franz,
gradually emerging from the staircase opposite, upon which the moon was
at that moment pouring a full tide of silvery brightness.

The stranger thus presenting himself was probably a person who, like
Franz, preferred the enjoyment of solitude and his own thoughts to
the frivolous gabble of the guides. And his appearance had nothing
extraordinary in it; but the hesitation with which he proceeded,
stopping and listening with anxious attention at every step he took,
convinced Franz that he expected the arrival of some person. By a sort
of instinctive impulse, Franz withdrew as much as possible behind his
pillar. About ten feet from the spot where he and the stranger were, the
roof had given way, leaving a large round opening, through which might
be seen the blue vault of heaven, thickly studded with stars. Around
this opening, which had, possibly, for ages permitted a free entrance
to the brilliant moonbeams that now illumined the vast pile, grew a
quantity of creeping plants, whose delicate green branches stood out in
bold relief against the clear azure of the firmament, while large masses
of thick, strong fi