turns to her true lover
and begs his pardon.

Johannes leads his sweet-heart into the adjoining garden, where they
wait for the arrival of the parents.

Amrei has a difficult task in winning Johannes' father, whose pride
will not permit him to welcome a daughter in law without a dower, but
the mother, who was always fond of the daughter of her old friend,
secretly offers her a sum of money she has saved for herself; Johannes
does the same. At last her perfect goodness and sweetness soften the
old peasant's heart and all ends in peace and happiness.

{475}

LA BOHEME.

Adapted from HENRY MURGER'S VIE DE BOHEME.

Music by GIACOMO PUCCINI.

This opera was composed in 1896, and the music is of a far higher order
than that of "La Tosca", particularly the love scenes.--

La Boheme grows on one more and more, the oftener one hears it; but
such bits as Musette's waltz, the quartet and the love duet in the last
act cannot fail to appeal to everybody. The composer has given a most
realistic subject a highly poetic setting.

The first act opens in a garret in Paris, in about 1830, and shows us
Rudolph the painter and Marcel the poet, from whose Bohemian mode of
life the opera derives its name, at work. Alas, there is no fire in
the grate and the cold is so intense, that Marcel is about to break up
a chair for firewood.--

Rudolph prevents him and kindles a fire with his manuscript instead,
crying: "My drama shall warm us". The second act of the manuscript
follows the first one, by the blaze of which the artists joyfully warm
their half frozen hands. The paper is quickly burnt to ashes, but
before they {476} have time to lament this fact the door is opened by
two boys bringing food, fuel, wine and even money. Schaunard, a
musician brings up the rear to whom neither Marcel nor Rudolph pay the
least attention.

It seems, that an Englishman engaged Schaunard to sing to his parrot
till it dies, but after three days Schaunard becomes so heartily sick
of his task, that he poisons the bird and runs away.

He suggests that they all go out for supper it being Christmas Eve.
They decide to drink some of the wine first, but they are interrupted
by the landlord, who demands his quarter's rent. He soon imbibes so
much of the wine, that he becomes intoxicated and correspondingly
jovial.--After joking him about his love adventures he finds himself
standing outside the door in pitch darkness. The others meanwhile