s her marriage with _Alio_ and her
death. She shall be visited with the sins of her ancestors; the blood
spilled by Charles of Anjou cries for vengeance. The Queen passes
through a moment of gloom. She dispels it, exclaiming: "Be it so, strike
where thou wilt, O fate, I am a queen; I shall fight, if need be, until
death, to uphold my cause and my womanly honor. If my wild planet is
destined to sink in a sea of blood and tears, the glittering trace I
shall leave on the earth will show at least that I was worthy to be thy
great queen, O brilliant Provence!"

She descends into the ship, and the rowers resume their song. Later we
arrive at Nice, where the Queen is received by an exultant throng. She
forgets the awful predictions and is utterly filled with delight. She
will visit all the cities where she is loved, her ambition is to see her
flag greeted all along the Mediterranean with shouts of joy and love.
She feels herself to be a Provencale. "Come, people, here I am; breathe
me in, drink me in! It is sweet to me to be yours, and sweet to please
you; and you may gaze in love and admiration upon me, for I am your
queen!"

The journey is resumed. We pass the Isles of Gold, and the raptures are
renewed. At Marseilles the Queen is received by the Consuls, and swears
solemnly to respect all the rights, customs, and privileges of the land,
and the Consul exacts as the last oath that she swear to see that the
noble speech of Arles shall be maintained and spoken in the land of
Provence. The act closes with the sentiment, "May Provence triumph in
every way!"

The last act brings us to the great hall of the papal palace at Avignon,
where the Pope is to pronounce judgment upon the Queen. Fra Rupert,
disguised as a pilgrim, harangues the throng, and two Hungarian knights
are beaten in duel by Galeas of Mantua. This duel, with its alternate
cries of Dau! Dau! Te! Te! Zou! Zou! is difficult to take seriously and
reminds us of Tartarin. The Queen enters in conversation with Petrarch.
The Hungarian knights utter bitter accusations against the Queen, who
gives them in place of iron chains the golden chains about her neck,
whereupon the knights gallantly declare their hearts are won forever.
The doors open at the back and we see the papal court. Bertrand des
Baux gives a hideous account of the torture and death of those who had
a hand in the death of Andrea. The Queen makes a long speech, expressing
her deep grief at the calumnies and