Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-03-23

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~ - - ~ dsG1A - unaFusa oSd
dGosngsosD uaA Thsn, whsa - bscoaes
eouButcuD q ~ 0ppsuoch ok biz rival, tn
SOLDIER lns1incs rsvivo h him; ~ calls fcg
~ sword; - rsfuso him, end ~ nakes {
thrsaesning sesp tUwarts ~.
Msc Ny swurd. HlvirA
Glvifo-NUvuft
Evira--Goi No blood shall iow Tor ,ne.
Come no nsaFH--or shall shsathe 70 In thia
bgUask
An the desperate ensrgy Of loving woman
driven 10 bay was in her attitude e. chs ~
pellsd Nacias, whereas in the agony Of bee
last elinging appeal 70 him, - his guards led
him o6, every trnce Of her mou,eutary hero.
Ism had died away. Faint and trembling,
rscctling from every harsh word Of his a
from blow, shc had followed him towards
tho door, and In her straining eyes and seek.
ing, outstretched hands a she watched him
disappear, there wns q pathos 80 true. 20
poignant, that tt laid . spell upon the au.
dteDce, and the curtain fell amid breathless
silence, which made Tho roar that instantly
followed doubly noticeable
But IL was In the third act that she won
her highest triumph. Tho act opened WITH a
scene between Elvirn and her husband. l.,
which she implored him, with the humility
and hopelessness Of grief, to allow her 10 re-
tlro from the world and 70 hide the Tea .,tv
which bed wrought such ruin from the light
oR day. He, in whom jealousy has taken
horce root, refuses with reprcach aud insult,
and In the full tide Of her passionate reaction
egainst his tyranny, tho news is brought her
~ Beatrk that Fernan, In his determination
10 avoid tho duel with Nacias ON the morrow,
which the duke, In accordance with knightly
usage. has been forced to grant, has devised
means for assassinating his rival In prison.
Naturally, her whole soul Is thrown into an
effort 10 save her lover. She brites his guards
Ghe sends Beatris to denounce the treach-
cry Of her husband TO the duke, and, finally,
she herself penetrates into the cell Of Macias,
TO warn him Of the fate that Threatens him
and to persuade him to fly.
Il was, indeed, dramatic moment when
tho gloom OF Macias' cell was first broken by
the glimmer Of the hand lamp, which re-
vealed to tho vast, cxpectant audience tho
form OF Elvira standing on tho threshold,
searching the darkness with her shaded eyes;
and, In the great love scene which followed,
the first sharp impression was steadily deep
ened word by word and gesture after gesture
BY the genius Of tho actress. Elvira finds
Macias In q mood Of calm and even joyful
waiting for the morrow. His honor. Is satis-
bed; death and battle arc before him and
the proud Castilian Is almost at peace. The
vision Of Elvira's pale beauty and his quick
intuition Of the dangers she has run In forc-
ing her way to him produce q sudden revul-
sion Of feeling towards her, food Of passion
ate reconciliation; be 10 at her feet once more;
be feels that she Is true. that she Is his. She,
IN frenzy Of fear, cannot succeed for all
her efforts In dimming his ecstasy Of Joy or
In awakening him TO the necessity Of flight,
and at last he even resents her terror for
him, her entreaties that he will forget her
and escape
''Great Heavensl' he says, turning from
her in despair, "it was not love, 1t was only
pity that brought her here.n Then, broken
down by the awful pressure Of the situation,
her love resists his no longer, but rather she
sees in the full expression Of her own heart
the only chance Of reconciling him to life
aud Of persuading him to take thought for
his own safety.
Elvira-See, Macias, these tears-cach one
is yours, is wept for yosi Oh, II to soften
that proud will Of yours this haplcss woman
must needs open all her weak heart to you, II
she must needs tell you that she lives only in
your life and dies i'd your death, her lips will
brace itself even TO that pitifui confessioni
Ah mel these poor checks have been SO
left.
10 her this supreme avowal Is the only
means Of making him believe her report Of
his danger, and turn towards flight; but in
him it produces a joy which banishes oil
thought OF personal risk, and makes separa-
tion from her worse than death. When she
bids him fly, he replies by one word,
"Comep and not till she has promised TO
guide him to the city gates and to follow him
later on his journey will he move step to-
wards freedom. And then, when her dear
hand is about to open to him the door Of his
prison, it is too late Fernan and his assas-
sins are at hand, the stairs are surrounded,
and escape is cut of. Again, in these last
when the locked door still holds
between them and the death awaiting them,
her mood IL one Of agonized terror, not for
herself, but for him; while he, exalted far
above all fear, supports and calms her.
Macias Think no moro Of tho world
which has destroyed usl Wo owe It nothing
-nothingl Come, the bonds which linked
US to 1t are forever broken. Death is at tho
door; we are already deadi Come, and mako
death beautiful; tell mo you love, love, love
me to tho endl
Then, putting her from him, he goes out to
meet his enemies. There Is clamor outside.
and he returns wounded to death, pursued by
Fernan and his men. He falls, and Elyira
defends him from her husband with a look
and gesture SO terrible that he and the MUIR
dcrers fall back before her as though she
was some ghastly avenging spirit. Then,
bending over him, she snatches tho dagger
from tho grasp Of tho dying man, saying to
him with voice into which Isabel Bretbertou
threw wealth of pitiful tenderness: "Tbero
IS but ono way left, beloved. Your wifc that
should have been, that is, saves herself and
you-soI"
And in tho dead silence that followed. her
last murmur rose upon the air as tho armed
men, carrying torches, crowded round her.
See, Macias, the torches-how they shinel
Bring more-bring more-and light-our
festivall'
"Eustacei Eustacei There, now they have
let her goi Poor child, poor childi how ia
she to stand this night after night Eustacc,
10 you heart Let us go In to her now
quick, before she Is quite surrounded. I
lont want to stay, but must just sec her,
and SO must Paul. All, Mr.. Wallace has
gone already. but he described TO me how TO
ind her. This wayI'
And Nine do Chateauvieux, brushing tho
tears from her eyes with one hand, took Ken
tals arm with the other, aud hurried him
'long the narrow passages leading to the door
IN to the stage, N. do Chateauvieux follow
ng them, his keen. French faco OIistapfpo,