And that reserve which is a woman's glory,
I may speak freely, I will teach my heart

To love you.

Lara,

Prec.

O sweet angel!

Ay, in truth,

Far better than you love yourself or me.

Lara. Give me some sign of this,—the slightest token.
Let me but kiss your hand!

Prec.
Nay, come no nearer.
The words I utter are its sign and token.
Misunderstand me not! Be not deceived!
The love wherewith 1 love you is not such
As you would offer me. For you come here,
To take from me the only thing I have,
My honour. You are wealthy, you have friends
And kindred, and a thousand pleasant hopes
That fill your heart with happiness; but I
Am poor, and friendless, having but one treasure,
And you would take that from me, and for what?
To flatter your own vanity, and make me
What you would most despise. O Sir, such love,
That seeks to harm me, cannot be true love.
Indeed it cannot. But my love for you
Is of a different kind. It seeks your good.
It is a holier feeling. It rebukes

Your earthly passion, your unchaste desires,
And bids you look into your heart, and see
How you do wrong that better nature in you,
And grieve your soul with sin.

Lara.
I swear to you,
I would not harm you, I would only love you.
I would not take your honour, but restore it,
And in return I ask but some slight mark
Of your affection. If indeed you love me,
As you confess you do, oh, let me thus
With this embrace-

Vict. (rushing forward). Hold! hold! This is too much.
What means this outrage?

Lara.

First, what right have you

To question thus a nobleman of Spain?

Vict. I, too, am noble, and you are no more!

Out of my sight!

Lara.

Are you the master here?

Vict. Ay, here and elsewhere, when the wrong of others

Give me the right!

Prec. (to LARA). Go! I beseech you, go!

Vict. I shall have business with you, Count, anon!

Lara. You cannot come too soon!

Prec.

Oh, we have been betrayed!

Vict.

Victorian!

Ha ha! betrayed!

'Tis I have been betrayed, not we!-not we! Prec. Dost thou imagine

[Exit.

Vict.

I see how 'tis thou whilest the time away

When I am gone!

Prec.

I imagine nothing;

Oh, speak not in that tone!

'Twas not meant to flatter.

It wounds me deeply.

Vict.

Prec. Too well thou knowest the presence of that man Is hateful to me!

Vict.

Yet I saw thee stand
And listen to him, when he told his love.
Prec. I did not heed his words.
Vict.

And answeredst them with love.

Prec.

Vict. I heard enough.
Prec.

Indeed thou didst,

Hadst thou heard all

Be not so angry with me.

Nay, say no more.

Vict. I am not angry; I am very calm.
Prec. If thou wilt let me speak-

Vict.

I know too much already. Thou art false!
I do not like these Gipsy marriages!

Where is the ring I gave thee?

Prec.

In my casket.

Vict. There let it rest! I would not have thee wear it!
I thought thee spotless, and thou art polluted!
Prec. I call the Heavens to witness-
Vict.

Nay, nay, nay l

Take not the name of Heaven upon thy lips!
They are forsworn!

Prec.

Victorian! dear Victorian!

Vict. I gave up all for thee; myself, my fame,
My hopes of fortune, ay, my very soul!
And thou has been my ruin! Now, go on!
Laugh at my folly with thy paramour,
And, sitting on the Count of Lara's knee,
Say what a poor, fond fool Victorian was!

[He casts her from him and rushes out. Prec. And this from thee!

SCENE V. The COUNT OF LARA's Rooms.

Scene closes.

Enter the COUNT.

Lara. There's nothing in this world so sweet as love,

And next to love the sweetest thing is hate!

I've learned to hate, and therefore am revenged.

A silly girl to play the prude with me!

The fire that I have kindled

Enter FRANCISCO.

Fran.

I've found

The men you wanted. They will all be there,
And at the given signal raise a whirlwind
Of such discordant noises, that the dance
Must cease for lack of music.

Lara.

Ah! little dost thou dream,

What lies in wait for thee.

Bravely done.
sweet Preciosa,
Sleep shall not close

Thine eyes this night! Give me my cloak and sword.

[Exeunt.

SCENE VI. A retired spot beyond the city gates. Enter VICTORIAN and

HYPOLITO.

Vict. O shame! O shame! Why do I walk abroad

By daylight, when the very sunshine mocks me,
And voices, and familiar sights and sounds
Cry," Hide thyself!" Oh, what a thin partition
Doth shut out from the curious world the knowledge
Of evil deeds that have been done in darkness!
Disgrace has many tongues. My fears are windows
Through which all eyes seem gazing. Every face
Expresses some suspicion of my shame,

And in derision seems to smile at me!

Hyp. Did I not caution thee? Did I not tell thee I was but half persuaded of her virtue?

Vict. And yet, Hypolito, we may be wrong,

We may be over-hasty in condemning!

The Count of Lara is a cursed villian.

Hyp. And therefore is she cursed, loving him

Vict. She does not love him! "Tis for gold: for gold!
Hup. Ay, but remember, in the public streets

He shows a golden ring the Gipsy gave him,

A serpent with a ruby in its mouth.

Vict. She had that ring from me! God! she is false !

But I will be revenged! The hour is passed.

Where stays the coward ?

Hyp.

A villain, if thou wilt, but not a coward.

Nay, he is no coward;

I've seen him play with swords; it is his pastime.

And therefore be not over-confident;

He'll task thy skill anon. Look, here he comes

Enter LARA, followed by FRANCISCO.

Lara. Good evening, gentlemen.

Hyp.

Good evening, Count

Lara. I trust I have not kept you long in waiting.
Vict. Not long, and yet too long. Are you prepared?
Lara. I am.

It grieves me much to see this quarrel

Hyp.
Between you, gentlemen. Is there no way
Left open to accord this difference,

But you must make one with your swords?
Vict.

I do entreat thee, dear Hypolito,

No! none!

Stand not between me and my foe. Too long
Our tongues have spoken. Let these tongues of steel
End our debate. Upon your guard, Sir Count!

[They fight]. VICTORIAN disarms the COUNT. Your life is mine; and what shall now withhold me From sending your vile soul to its account?

Lara. Strike! strike!
Vict.

You are disarmed. I will not kill you.

I will not murder you. Take up your sword.

FRANCISCO hands the COUNT his sword, and HYPOLITO interposes. Hyp. Enough! Let it end here! The Count of Lara

Has shown himself a brave man, and Victorian

A generous one, as ever. Now be friends.

Put up your swords; for, to speak frankly to you,
Your cause of quarrel is too slight a thing
To move you to extremes.

Lara.

I am content.

I understand you.

I sought no quarrel. A few hasty words,
Spoken in the heat of blood, have led to this.
Vict. Nay, something more than that.
Lara.
Therein I did not mean to cross your path.
To me the door stood open, as to others.
But, had I known the girl belonged to you,
Never would I have sought to win her from you.
The truth stands now revealed; she has been false
To both of us.

Vict.

Ay, false as hell itself!

Lara. In truth I did not seek her; she sought me ; And told me how to win her, telling me

The hours when she was oftenest left alone.

Vict. Say, can you prove this to me? Oh, pluck out
These awful doubts, that goad me into madness!
Let me know all! all! all!

Lara.

Here is my page, who was the messenger

Between us. Question him.

Francisco?

Fran.

Lara.

Ay, my lord.

You shall know all.

Was it not so,

If further proof

Is needful, I have here a ring she gave me.

Vict. Pray let me see that ring! It is the same!
[Throws it upon the ground, and tramples upon it.

Thus may she perish who once wore that ring!
Thus do I spurn her from me; do thus trample
Her memory in the dust! O Count of Lara,
We both have been abused, been much abused!
I thank you for your courtesy and frankness.
Though, like the surgeon's hand, yours gave me pain,
Yet it has cured my blindness, and I thank you.
I now can see the folly I have done,

Though 'tis, alas! too late. So fare you well!
To-night I leave this hateful town for ever.

Regard me as your friend. Once more, farewell!
Hyp. Farewell, Sir Count.

Lara.

[Exeunt VICTORIAN and HYPOLITO.
Farewell! farewell!

Thus have I cleared the field of my worst foe!
I have none else to fear; the fight is done,
The citadel is stormed, the victory won!

[Exit with FRANCISCO.

SCENE VII. A lane in the suburbs. Night. Enter CRUZADO and BAR

THOLOME.

Cruz. And so, Bartholomé, the expedition failed.

But where wast thou for the most part?

Bart. In the Guadarama mountains, near San Ildefonso.
Cruz. And thou bringest nothing back with thee?

Didst thou rob no one?

Bart. There was no one to rob, save a party of students from Segovia, who looked as if they would rob us; and a jolly little friar, who had nothing in his pockets but a missal and a loaf of bread.

Cruz. Pray, then, what brings thee back to Madrid?

Bart. First tell me what keeps thee here?

Cruz. Preciosa.

Bart. And she brings me back. Hast thou forgotten thy pro

mise?

Cruz. The two years are not passed yet. Wait patiently. The girl shall be thine.

Bart. I hear she has a Busnè lover

Cruz. That is nothing.

Bart. I do not like it. I hate him,-the son of a Busnè harlot. He goes in and out, and speaks with her alone, and I must stand aside, and wait his pleasure.

Cruz. Be patient, I say. Thou shalt have thy revenge.

the time comes, thou shalt waylay him.

Bart. Meanwhile, show me her house.

When

Cruz. Come this way. But thou wilt not find her. She dances

at the play to-night.

Bart. No matter. Show me the house.

[Exeunt.

SCENE VIII. The Theatre. The ochestra plays the cachucha. Sound of castanets behind the scenes. The curtain rises, and discovers PRECIOSA in the attitude of commencing the dance. The cachucha. Tumult; hisses; cries of "Brava!" and "Afuera!" She falters and pauses. The music stops. General confusion. PRECIOSA faints.

SCENE IX. COUNT OF LARA'S Chambers. LARA and his Friends at supper.

Lara. So, Caballeros, once more many thanks! You have stood by me bravely in this matter.

Pray fill your glasses.

Did you mark, Don Luis,

Don Juan.
How pale she looked, when first the noise began,
And then stood still, with her large eyes dilated!
Her nostrils spread! her lips apart! her bosom
Tumultuous as the sea!