Beautiful Rienzi; or, The Secret Vendetta — page 38: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

BEAUTIFUL RIENZL : 31 of which Miss Ivanilla had the air, and with her kind per- mission he would sing the duet with her once or twice before rehearsal, ‘71 have been introduced to Miss Ivanilla Rienzi before, under widely different auspices,” said the gentleman-with a smile of keen amusement at my embarrassed looks—‘*‘ has the Italian peasant forgotten that she was presented to her spiritual father at Mrs, Lesmar’s assembly ?” I lifted my eyes and looked at him attentively. «« Are you—were you the Pope?” I asked, with sudden recognition; ‘‘did Miss Cranstown introduce you to me as Pio Nono?” *“T consider myself deeply flattered to be again reeog- nized in such different guise,” replied the gentleman, in a low voice, «Tam afraid you will be shocked,” I said, thrilling with a new and subtle ecstasy, which I feared my very voice would betray; ‘‘l am afraid you will wisa you had to sing duets with some one else, when I confess that I was meditating a revolt against my part of the programme, and in consequence have not practiced a note.” He arched his handsome eyebrows in pathetic horror. “You are not going to persist in this rebellion?’ he ex- claimed. with a ring of disappointment in his tones. «< Are you to be Don Giovanni?” I asked. «“T would have been, were you Zerlina.” | ‘«‘Then I shall be Zerlina. Come; here is the piece; you commence.” We turned to my harp, and began our first duet to- gether. | By the time my new friend had taken his departure, I was almost as enthusiastic about the successs of the Cybelle Society’s concert as Isolina. ) | CHAPTER IV. TOO FOND BY HALF. Demetrius—‘‘ Oh, why rebuke you him that loves you so? Lay breath so bitter to your bitter foe.”’ MipsumMeEr-Nieut’s Dream. The ten days of preparation passed quickly away, and the evening preceding the momentous 29th found us returning GComicboo