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Enter VALDEZ.

VALDEZ.

Ye pitying saints, forgive a father's blindness,

And extricate us from this net of peril!

TERESA.

Who wakes anew my fears, and speaks of peril?

VALDEZ.

O best Teresa, wisely wert thou prompted!
This was no feat of mortal agency!

That picture-Oh, that picture tells me all!
With a flash of light it came, in flames it vanished,
Self-kindled, self-consum'd: bright as thy Life,
Sudden and unexpected as thy Fate,

Alvar! My Son! My Son! - The Inquisitor-
TERESA.

Torture me not! But Alvar-Oh of Alvar?

VALDEZ.

How often would He plead for these Morescoes !

The brood accurst! remorseless, coward murderers!

TERESA. (wildly.)

So? so? I comprehend you-He is

VALDEZ. (with averted countenance.)

TERESA.

He is no more!

O sorrow! that a Father's Voice should say this,

A Father's Heart believe it!

VALDEZ.

A worse sorrow

Are Fancy's wild Hopes to a heart despairing!

TERESA.

These rays that slant in through those gorgeous

windows,

From yon bright orb-though coloured as they pass, Are they not Light?-Even so that voice, Lord

Valdez!

Which whispers to my soul, though haply varied
By many a Fancy, many a wishful Hope,

Speaks yet the Truth: and Alvar lives for me!

VALDEZ.

Yes, for three wasting years, thus and no other,
He has lived for thee-a spirit for thy spirit!
My child, we must not give religious faith

To every voice which makes the heart a listener
To its own wish.

TERESA.

I breath'd to the Unerring

Permitted prayers. Must those remain unanswer'd,

Yet impious Sorcery, that holds no commune

Save with the lying spirit, claim belief?

VALDEZ.

O not to day, not now for the first time

Was Alvar lost to thee

[turning off, aloud, but yet as to himself.

Accurst assassins!

Disarmed, o'erpowered, dispairing of defence,
At his bared breast he seem'd to grasp some relict

More dear than was his life

TERESA. (with faint shriek.)

O Heavens! my portrait!

And he did grasp it in his death pang!

Off, false Demon,

That beat'st thy black wings close above my head!

[Ordonio enters with the keys of the dungeon

in his hand.

Hush! who comes here? The wizard Moor's em

ployer!

Moors were his murderers, you say? Saints shield us From wicked thoughts

[Valdez moves towards the back of the stage to meet Ordonio, and during the concluding lines af Teresa's speech appears as eagerly conversing with him.

Is Alvar dead? what then?

The nuptial rites and funeral shall be one!
Here's no abiding-place for thee, Teresa.-
Away! they see me not-Thou seest me, Alvar!
To thee I bend my course. But first one question,
One question to Ordonio.---My limbs tremble-
There I may sit unmark'd-a moment will restore me.
[retires out of sight.

ORDONIO. (as he advances with Valdez.) These are the dungeon keys. Monviedro knew not, That I too had received the wizard's message,

"He that can bring the dead to life again."

But now he is satisfied, I plann'd this scheme
To work a full conviction on the culprit,
And he entrusts him wholly to my keeping.

VALDEZ.

'Tis well, my son! But have you yet discovered
(Where is Teresa?) what those speeches meant-
Pride, and Hypocrisy, and Guilt, and Cunning?
Then when the wizard fix'd his eye on you,

And you, I know not why, look'd pale and trembled-
Why-why, what ails you now?-

ORDONIO. (confused.)

Me? what ails me?

A pricking of the blood-It might have happen'd

At any other time. Why scan you me?

VALDEZ.

His speech about the corse, and stabs and murderers,

Bore reference to the assassins

[blocks in formation]

VALDEZ. (confused.)

True-Sorcery

Merits its doom; and this perchance may guide us

To the discovery of the murderers.

I have their statures and their several faces

So present to me, that but once to meet them

Would be to recognize.

ORDONIO.

Yes! yes! we recognize them.

I was benumb'd, and staggered up and down
Through darkness without light-dark-dark-dark!
My flesh crept chill, my limbs felt manacled,

As had a snake coil'd round them!-Now 'tis sun

shine,

And the blood dances freely through its channels!
[turns off abruptly; then to himself.

This is my virtuous, grateful Isidore !

[then mimicking Isidore's manner and voice.

"A common trick of gratitude, my lord!" Old Gratitude! a dagger would dissect

His "own full heart"-'twere good to see its colour.

VALDEZ.

These magic sights! O that I ne'er had yielded
To your entreaties! Neither had I yielded,
But that in spite of your own seeming faith
I held it for some innocent stratagem,

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