Beautiful Rienzi; or, The secret vendetta — page 36: what you’re looking at

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

BEAUTIFUL RILENZLI. 3l 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. ‘¢T 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 eves 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 recog- nized in such different guise,” replied the gentleman, in a low voice, ‘‘ Tam afraid you will beshocked,” I said, thrilling with a new and subtle ecstasy, which I] feared my very voice would betray; ‘‘lam 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. wwe Oe CHAPTER IV. TOO FOND BY HALF. Demetrius—‘‘ Oh, why rebuke you him that loves you so? Lay breath so bitter to your bitter foe.” Mipsummer-NicuT’s Dream. The ten days of preparation passed quickly away, and the evening preceding the momentous 29th found us returning CONN (7) LIAOO (©)