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Fades, and from his crimson throne
Flames the sun, and he alone
Gilds, illumines, and consumes.
Dawn derives its feeble beam
From the darkness it succeeded,
And, to make the morning seem
Bright, the doubtful dawn was needed ;-
As the peerless sun exceeded
Dawning's glimmer, morning's ray,
You eclipse the sun: I say

may remain

Needless, therefore, was the night,
Since your sun succeeds the light
Of the sun that pales the day.
D. Ang. Grateful though I
For this stretch of courtesy,
Yet with cause I must complain
Of such flattering injury.
This, in sooth, is not the sphere
Where the pomp of words refined
Should be wasted on the wind;
'Tis a homely dwelling here,
Where the finer turned the phrase
More suspicious sounds the praise.
I am not the dawn. It wears

Smiles, which my sad aspect knows not-
Not the morning, since my tears

To your eye my grief disclose not-
Not the sun, that dares display
Perfect truth unto the day.
What I am, conceal'd must sleep;
But of these, at least, I'm none,
Dawning, morning, nor the sun,
Since I shine not, smile, nor weep.
Then I pray Don Manuel will
Say and think but this of me,
Woman am I, woman still

Have I been ;-whom love of thee

Leads to this extremity.

D. Man. Slight must such extreme appear,

Since although admitted here,

I, methinks, have reason good
For complaint, not gratitude;
And I do complain, I own-

D. Ang. You complain of me!
D. Man.
Since you trust me not to know
Who you are.

D. Ang. Nay, that alone
Do not ask me. For to none
May my lips my name repeat.
you wish to visit me,

If

This must the condition be ;

Even so,

That you know not whom you meet,
That you ask not who is she!

I must ever be for thee

NO. CCXCI. VOL. XLVII.

B

As a riddle, as a dream;
What I am I may not seem,
What I seem I may not be.
While involved in mystery
You may see me: I may see
You again: should you discover
Who I am, perchance the lover
Might too soon forget his flame,
While my love remain'd the same.
As the pencil can invent
Forms that vary with the light,
And on different sides present
Different portraits to the sight,
So the painter Love unites
In my form two different lights;
Seen beneath the one, I seem
Fair and worthy your esteem;
Seen beneath another clothing,
Liking might be turn'd to lothing;
One mistake I must discover-
That Don Luis was my lover;
And to that I answer no-

I will swear it was not so.

This promising conversation is interrupted by a loud knocking at the middle door of the room, and by the voice of Don Juan, who comes to enquire whether Beatrice has yet returned to her own house. Beatrice hastily makes her escape through the door on the right: Isabel hurries Don Manuel out by the door on the right leading to the cabinet, while Don Juan enters by the middle door. He is at first surprised to find Angela in full dress; but his suspicions are allayed by her apology, that, with a woman's love for dress, she had put on her festive apparel as an amusement to divert her solitude. And after being told that Beatrice had already left the house for her own mansion, he retires, announcing his intention of paying her a visit there before she retired to rest. The scene then changes to the apartments of Don Manuel. Isabel and Don Manuel enter in the dark, through the secret door.

Isab. Here you must remain, and make

No disturbance-that they may not

Hear you.

Don Man. I shall be a statue.

Isab. Now, Heaven grant I may be able

In my fright to find the door!

D. Man. Heaven! how perilous his daring

Who thus enters to a mansion,

Knowing nothing, learning nothing!

What mischances hover near him!

What mysterious risks surround him!
Here am I within the house

Of some noble-titled lady,

At the least" Her Excellency,"

Wrapt in gloom and nightly terrors,
And so far from my abode.

Ha! What noise was that? Some door

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[He stumbles against Don Manuel.

Laid her claws upon my master,
She will leave the man alone.

Nay, in faith, she wants us both!
Who goes there? who is it?

Peace,

D. Man.
Peace, I say, whoe'er you are,
Or my dagger shall enforce it!
Cosm. Mute as any poor relation
In a rich man's house, I'll be.

D. Man. Doubtless this must be some servant
Who has enter'd here by chance.

Well, from him I may discover
Where I am :— -What house is this?
Speak ;-and tell me who's its owner?
Cosm. Señor, both the house and owner
Are the devil's, or let him take me ;-
For a lady here resides

Who is call'd the Lady Goblin :

'Tis the devil in the likeness

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Cosm. Who am I? a drudge, a servant,

A poor knave-a luckless devil_

Who, without or rhyme or reason,

Is the victim of enchantment.

D. Man. And your master-Who is he?
Cosm. Why he is a fool, a madman,

Idiot, simpleton, and ninny,

Since he dotes upon the devil.

D. Man. And his name?

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But how found you entrance?

I

Am your master. Tell me, did you
Follow close upon the litter?"
Lid you enter to this chamber,
Seeking too, like me, concealment ?

Cosm. Pleasant jesting, on my honour;

Rather say, How came you here?

Did you not, alone and boldly,
Follow where they waited for you?
How have you return'd so quickly?
Last of all, how have you enter'd
Here, since I have never parted
With the key of this apartment?

D. Man. Whose apartment then is this?

Cosm. Why, your own, or else the devil's.

D. Man. Now, by Heaven! a shameless falsehood.

Far removed from my apartment

And within another mansion

Was I but a moment past.

Cosm. Sleights like these are of the devil's

Own devising: I have told you

But the simple truth.

D. Man.

Lose my senses.
Cosm.
To convince you?

You'd have me

There, step out

What is wanting

2

Through the door, into the passage,

Look around you, and let that

Undeceive you.

D. Man.' It is well,

I will search and see in person.

[Exit.

Cosm. When, my master, shall we 'scape

From this region of delusion?

[ISABEL enters gently through the secret door in the dark.

Isab. Now, Don Juan has departed—

That our captive guest Don Manuel

Mayn't discover where he is,

I must let him out. Ilist, señor,

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Isab. (aside.) Your master-who is he?

D. Man. (re-entering) 'Tis indeed my own apartment.
Isab. (to Cosme.) Is it you?

Cosm.

Isab.

'Tis I.

Then quick.

Come with me.

Don Man. Come, you were right.

Isab. Stay not-there is nought to fear.

[She takes hold of COSME by the hand, and draws him

out by the secret door.

Cosm. Master! help! the Goblin takes me! [Exit with ISABEL.
D. Man. Shall we not at length discover

How this mummery takes its rises?

What, no answer? Cease this fooling.

Cosme! Cosme! Nay, by Heaven!

I encounter but the walls

Did I not converse with Cosme?
How could he so suddenly
Vanish? Was he not beside me?
I, in sober sadness, shall

Lose my senses. Yet since some one,
By some strange conveyance, enters,
How they come I must discover;
So in the alcove I'll hide me.

Mean time Isabel, under the impression that Don Manuel is her companion, introduces Cosme into the apartment of Dona Angela. Though confused at the mistake, the ladies are resolved to keep up the mystification of the servant; who is directed to refresh himself with a glass of wine, as he has a journey of more than two hundred miles to perform through the air the same night. In the midst of their merriment, however, Don Luis knocks, demanding admittance. bel precipitately retreats with Cosme through the door on the left. Beatrice conceals herself behind the curtain. Don Luis who, in consequence of overhearing the conversation between Angela and Beatrice in the Second Act, expects to surprise Beatrice and her brother together, enters, sees the traces of the entertainment, and, observing the

Isa

[Goes into the recess.

apparent confusion of Angela, insists on searching her apartments. A noise is at the same time heard in the apartment to the left, and Don Luis hurries out in pursuit, leaving Angela, who in terror and anxiety resolves to seek protection with the father of Beatrice, till an opportunity for explanation with her brothers arrive.

The scene again changes to the apart ment of Don Manuel. It is dark; Isabel and Cosme enter hastily through the secret door: almost at the same moment, Don Manuel, hearing the sound of persons in the apartment, enters from the recess. Isabel, after depositing Cosme in the room, hurries out by the centre door, forgetting, in her agitation, to wheel the cabinet back into its place. A light is seen behind, and Don Luis enters by the secret door.

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Cosm. This goes ill.
D. Luis.

To displace this cabinet?

How have they managed

Cosm. (aside.) Ha! the light comes: let the table I've encounter'd here conceal me.

[Creeps under the table. D. Man. (advancing.) Let this mummery have an end. D. Luis. Don Manuel!

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Ever witness'd such confusion?

Cosm. So, 'twas thus the Goblin enter'dThousand times I've wish'd to say so.

D. Luis. Craven heart, dishonour'd knight, Traitor comrade, perjured guest,

Who against a brother's honour,

That esteems, receives, and trusts thee,
Thus without remorse conspirest,
Thus without respect adventurest-
Draw at once thy shameless sword.

D. Man. Yes! but only to defend me
Will I draw it: so confused

Thus to hear thee-thus to see thee-
Thus to hear and see myself,

That although you strive to slay me,
'Twere in vain; a life like mine,
Put so oft by cruel fortune

To the proof, must be immortal.

Though you strive, you cannot give me
Death-since sorrow gives it not;

I will own your arm is strong,

But my grief is stronger still.

D. Luis. Not with reasons, but with deeds,

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