they had been deposited. Don Manuel directs him to unpack their contents; and announces his resolution of still going out to pay a visit of business, and returning to meet Don Juan at supper. Don Manuel goes out Cosme remains; but thinking it more advisable to employ the interval in a wine-house than in obeying his master's orders, he, after some deliberation, leaves the portmanteaus on the floor, and makes his exit after his master. The cabinet is then pushed aside, and through the secret door enter Dona Angela and Isabel. An in spection of the portmanteaus by the two females takes place; and Angela discovers, to her mortification, among Don Manuel's effects, a miniature and a bundle of letters in a woman's handwriting. Impelled partly by gratitude, and partly by an incipient feel ing of jealousy, she determines to leave a billet for Don Manuel, and sits down to write; while Isabel, in the mean time, amuses herself with emptying Cosme's purse of the few copper coins it contained, and filling their place with cinders. Don Angela leaves her note under the coverlid of Don Manuel's bed, and they retire The confusion which follows when Cosme on returning to the room, which he had left locked, finds the contents of the portmanteaus littered about the floor, and Don Manuel, on retiring to his couch, finds the billet addressed to himself, is given with great liveliness and effect. The valet is persuaded that the whole is the work of the devil. Don Manuel, though at first confounded by this unexpected discovery, more justly concludes that some one, whom he conjectures to be the lady whom he had assisted, and suspects to be the mistress of Don Luis, was enabled by some secret passage to enter to his chamber. Of the cabinet he has no suspicion : being open in front and apparently quite filled with glass, it never occurs to him that it is moveable; neither can he explain how this lady, who appeared so anxious to escape from Don Luis, should be an inmate in his house. But while he resolves to answer the billet, and to leave the answer, as directed, in his room, he is determined, one way or other, to find a key to the mystery. Cosme asks, What, then, is your resolution ? D. Man. Simply this: by day and night Careful watch to keep, till I Neither goblin nor familiar. Act II. opens in Dona Angela's apartment. Angela is relating to Beatrice her admiration, and the answereturned to her billet by Don Manuel. She confesses her intention of having an interview with him, and is about to mention the nature of her plan, when the female consultation is interrupted by the appearance of Don Luis. On seeing him, Beatrice attempts to retire. D. Luis. Wherefore should you fly, fair lady? D. Luis. What! the fairest, purest light, Whence the sun derives his beam, Passion, from your slights, in vain Mine to love for both shall be. D. Beat. While you chide in such sweet strain, Though my heart were on your side, Still the boon would be denied, But to hear you still complain. D. Luis. Since beneath your scorn I've lain, I the slighted lover's tone Well have studied. D. Beat. Wisely done, Since for him on all occasions D. Luis. Nay, since chance has will'd it so, D. Beat. I'll not hear: for mercy's sake, D. Luis. What! forget her? 'midst regret Don Luis's complaints are interrupted by the entrance of Don Manuel, who announces, that in consequence of the King's absence at the Escurial, he is under the necessity of [Exit. setting out that night for the royal residence. Cosme is directed to make the necessary preparations, and in doing so happens to enter Don Manuel's chamber with a light just as Isabel had entered on the opposite side to deposit the basket and letter which Dona Angela had directed her to leave for Don Manuel. Isabel dexterously gets behind Cosme, dashes the light out of his hand, extinguishes it, and is about to make her escape, when she stumbles on Don Manuel himself, who unexpectedly enters and lays hold of the basket which she is carrying. She contrives, however, to quit her hold of the basket, which she leaves in Don Manuel's hands, and in the darkness escapes through the cabinet while Don Manuel is waiting for a light. On examining the basket, a letter is found, the important part of which is the following sentence: -"As to what you say of your friend, under the persuasion that I am the mistress of Don Luis, I give you the assurance that I neither am, nor can be, such. This much until we meet, which will be shortly." Don Manuel, after giving special directions to Cosme to pack up certain letters which he intended to take with him, departs for the Escurial -but with his curiosity and impatience wound up to the highest point-to solve the riddle of this mysterious visi tant to his chamber. Dona Angela, resuming the conversation which had been interrupted, imparts to Dona Beatrice her scheme for introducing Don Manuel into her chamber, without his being aware that he is in reality within a few feet of his own room. A servant is to watch for him in the dusk, and to convey him blindfold in a chair to Dona Angela's apartment, by the door leading from the back street. Mean time, in order to get quit of the constant presence of her brothers, both attracted by their pas. sion for Beatrice, Angela is to give out that a reconciliation had been effected between Beatrice and her father, and that the former had consequently returned to her own house : while in reality she is to remain concealed in Angela's apartments, and to assist in the scheme for further mystifying Don Manuel. This latter part of the conversation is overheard by Don Luis, who, conceiving that this pretended removal of Beatrice is a scheme to deceive him, and to favour his brother Don Juan, determines to surprise the parties in his sister's apartment when the intended interview takes place. Thus the train is naturally laid for a series of very interesting scenes in the third act. Don Juan, who now enters, communicates the intelligence that Don Manuel has departed for the Escurial, but is to return the next day. Angela, affecting great annoyance at the idea of his return, secretly determines to avail herself of his absence this evening, to carry into effect her resolution of visiting his apartment, and getting possession of the letters and the obnoxious miniature. She retires with Isabel, while a scene of compliment, in the highest style of Spanish gallantry, takes place between Beatrice and Don Juan. The following sonnets, which conclude the scene, are characteristic specimens of that carte and tierce of love-logic in which Calderon deals so largely, and which was afterwards copied in the heroic plays of Dryden: DON JUAN. Fair Beatrice, so true my constancy, So firm my love, so heartfelt my affection, That, could I wish to sever our connexion, Against my wish love would triumphant be. If to forget were possible for me, I would forget thee: that with free election Who loves, because he cannot cease to love, DONA BEATRICE. If choice upon the changeful will depend, That passion must the surer seem to me For even the few brief moments that I strove Dona Angela's visit to the chamber of Don Manuel leads to an unexpected consequence. In the course of his route to the Escurial, Don Manuel discovers that Cosme had, in his very anxiety carefully to lay the letters aside which were to be packed up for the journey, left them lying on the table in his apartment. This obliges him to return. He enters the house softly, in order to create no disturbance, opens the door of his chamber in the dark, and just as Cosme is beginning to express the wish that the goblin visitant who had made so free with their apartment before, would have the civility on this occasion to provide them with light, Dona Angela, who had entered the apartment from the other side along with Isabel, in the firm belief that, for that night at least, Don Manuel was safe at the Escurial, opens the dark-lantern which she carried, and begins to examine the letters which are lying on the table, while Don Manuel looks on with a mixture of terror, amazement, and admiration. Of her eyes. Those eyes are doubtless Stars that in their day have twinkled D. Man. Every hair is like a sunbeam. Cosm. Ay, 'twas thence these locks were stolen. D. Man. Every ringlet seems a star. Fell from heaven, they drew behind them D. Man. Rarer charms I ne'er beheld. Cosm. Nay, in faith you would not say so D. Man. Beauty's best epitome. Nay, a very angel she! She is looking out the letters For us, just to save us trouble, Like a serviceable goblin. D. Man. Guide me, Heaven! What shall I do? Never till this hour before, Have I felt myself a coward! Cosm. I have-often. D. Ang. (aside.) Yet I will dissemble still. Hénriquez, for whom by fortune When I wrote to you this evening When the secret of my being Cosm. Now, since she tells us D. Man. I vow by Heaven I am angry that I ever 4 |