ng to carry off
the Countess Ceprano: she has fled here from us. We had the Duke's key
to get into her place." He holds out the key which the dwarf felt in
the darkness and found the Duke's crest upon it.

"Her palace is on the other side----"

"She fled here, we tell thee. We are stealing her for the Duke. Put on
this mask, hurry!" Marullo tied on a mask and put the jester at the
foot of a ladder which they had run up against the terrace.

"Now hold the ladder till one of us gets over and unfastens the door."
Rigoletto, somewhat dazed, did mechanically what he was told, and the
men entered the house.

"Ah, I shall have a fine revenge on that scamp," Ceprano muttered,
looking toward Rigoletto through the dark.

"Sh! Be silent," Borsa whispered. "They will bring the girl out
muffled so he can't hear her scream. Rigoletto will never hear a
sound. No joke of his ever matched the one we are preparing for him."
At that moment, Gilda was brought out, her mouth tied with her scarf;
but as they were bearing her away, she got the scarf loose and uttered
a piercing shriek, and the scarf fell near Rigoletto.

"Father, help, help!" she cried, but the voice seemed to come from
afar off. Rigoletto only just heard. He could not collect his senses.

"Here, what does this mean? Aren't you nearly through?" he cried,
angrily tearing off the mask and also the handkerchief that bound his
ears. "What cry was that? I thought I heard a cry!" He was becoming
mad with fear. All the conditions seemed so strange.

"Hello there!" But no one answered; all the men were gone. Then he
snatched a lantern one of the men had left near, and suddenly he saw
Gilda's scarf. He stared at it, rushed like a madman into the house
and dragged out the nurse, tried to shriek "Gilda," but overcome with
horror he fell senseless.

ACT II

Now if the Duke of Mantua was ever angry in his life, he was angry
when the curtain rose on the second act. There he was, pacing about a
sumptuous apartment, fuming with rage.

"If ever I loved any one in my life, it was that girl!" he cried. "And
heaven knows what can have become of her." As a matter of fact, the
Duke had some misgiving after he had left Gilda in the garden, and,
later, he had returned. But he had found the place deserted and could
get no news of her from that hour.

"Oh, but I would defend thee, if thou art in trouble," he cried; and
in the midst of his excitement Marullo, Borsa, and Ceprano and oth