Volume I Part 9 (1/2)

A new scene introduces Renzo and Barbarina They have returned to the city, and are standing in front of the palace Renzo begs his sister to throw the ic stone Barbarina reminds him that if they become rich, all will be over with their philosophy At last he persuades her to throw it, and she does so, bidding herself be nificence In aRenzo's and Barbarina's rags are exchanged for splendid raiates with torches, and welcome their princely masters

No sooner have the twins taken up their abode in this in to act like _parvenus_ and _nouveaux riches_ Every folly, vanity, and false desire enters their heads Their philosophy is forgotten Brighella, in his character of seer, divines, er to the person of Tartagliona He therefore endeavours to persuade the Queen to make her will in his favour She very sensibly refuses, and bids hi the life of one whoes a plan whereby the twins shall be destroyed The fairy Serpentina, he reolden water which plays and dances The adventure of stealing these reatest peril Certainly Barbarina will be ruined if she longs to have thely, when she appears at theof her palace, Tartagliona from the opposite balcony is to repeat these rhymes:[87]--

”Voi siete bella assai; ma piu bella sareste, S'un de'polia voi siete bella; ma piu bella sareste, S'acqua, che suona e balla, nell'altra es to the interior of the palace of the twins

Barbarina is contelass, when Smeraldina suddenly enters, full of affection She has heard of the good fortune of her foundlings, and forgetting their recent ill-treatratulate theainst her rudeness, calls the servants, throws a purse of gold at her foster-mother, and bids her depart Srateful girl, changes tone, and humbly asks to be allowed to stay and serve her Barbarina, much to her own surprise, feels touched by this display of feeling, and ood woman to remain as a menial Smeraldina's soliloquy at the end of the scene reveals her sound sense no less than her warm heart:[88]

”Questa e quella filosofa, che andava Ieri per legna al bosco, ed oggi!basta

Seco volea restar, perche l'adoro, E seco resto alfin; del tacer poi Ci proveremo; ma non sara nulla

Non la conosco piu Quanta superbia!

Che diavol l'ha arrichita in questa forma?

Io non vorrei, che questa frasconcella

Forse qualche milordma sapr tutto”

{_Entra_

Next we have Renzo He has fallen desperately in love with a beautiful statue which he found in the garden of the palace Truffaldino enters, frankly confesses that he has come to live at ease with his quondae, and expounds the cynical philosophy of interestedat the knave's candour, but is not yet disposed to bear his insolence

Truffaldino sees that he ins to whine and flatter Renzo is softened, and consents to keep him as a buffoon His cynicism and his hyperbolical adulation will serve to lia and Pantalone appear upon the royal balcony Barbarina enters on the other side, and Tartaglia falls head over ears in love with her at first sight The scene is carried out with hella join the group below Tartagliona utters the ic verses, and Barbarina beco and the water which plays and dances Renzo, touched by his sister's despair, agrees to atteer So long as this is bright, he will be alive If it drops blood, that is a sign that her brother has died in the atte tos her food, is here interpolated, in order to prepare the audience for what ensues

Renzo and Truffaldino arrive at Serpentina's garden, and fail in their adventure Then Renzo calls on Calmon, who appears, and suure on the fountain at Treviso and the Moors of the Campo de'Mori at Venice[89]--to his aid By their assistance a singing apple is procured, and so water is bottled in a phial But Calmon and his band of statues rerateful Calmon lacks his nose; the fountain of Treviso's breasts are injured; the Moors have, each of them, some broken limb Renzo o ith hiets the shattered statues Lost in ade of beautiful Poth Pompea finds her voice, and confides to hireat Italian prince, the prince of a corrupt but h her self-idolatry

At this juncture enters Truffaldino with exciting news Tartaglia has h Pantalone to Barbarina She wavers between the splendid prospects of a royal match and the affection which she feels for the Green Bird, her lover and consoler in their days of poverty Meanwhile Tartagliona breaks negotiations off by declaring that Barbarinathe Green Bird as dower; else she can never be Tartaglia's bride At this announce Pantalone downstairs, and screa but the Green Bird will satisfy her Truffaldino, partly out of compassion for Barbarina's state, partly from a sense of modesty, leaves her presence

He arrives to rouse his master to a sense of the situation This is no time to make platonic love to statues, &c

Renzo replies that he is quite ready to attempt the adventure of the Green Bird He knows fro the proble Po personal interest in the capture of the bird; and his sister's troubles are an additional reason why he should no longer delay With Truffaldino for his squire, he will ride forth into the forest of the Goblin, who holds the bird in meshes of diabolical enchanter which he gave her will assure her of his good or evil fortune in the perilous essay

While Renzo is on his journey, Barbarina keeps continually gazing on the dagger It does not cease to shi+ne But S statue of Po the perils her brother is undergoing, to which her own vanity has exposed him Moved at last by simple human sympathy, she finds the situation intolerable, and resolves to follow Renzo to the place of danger It is this return to nature which saves her, and brings about a happy catastrophe Barbarina renounces her wish to wed Tartaglia, and thinks only of arresting Renzo in his dangerous course She sets off with S, all its splendour gone

Renzo and Truffaldino have now reached the Goblin's hill, where the Green Bird is seen upon a perch, chained by the leg Trying to capture hi of similar statues in the place--men who essayed the same adventure, and failed

Barbarina and _Ser drops blood Barbarina's mask of false philosophy and selfish vanity drops off She becouish for her brother who is dead She flings herself upon the bosom of poor Smeraldina, whom she had so villainously treated At this juncture, when all seems lost, Calmon appears, and reads her a sound moral lecture Then he points to a scroll before her feet, and instructs her what she has to do She must walk up to within a hair's-breadth--no ood heed that he does not utter a sound before she has read aloud the words inscribed upon the scroll

If she succeeds in this feat, allwhich Barbarina executes what Calins to talk Let her take a feather from his tail That will restore the statues to life