such fury, that he seizes a knife and
wounds her in the arm.

She implores him to kill her, but seeing her blood flow, his love gets
the better of him; he presses her to his heart, and persuades her to
fly with him from the baleful air of the plain to the pure heights of
the mountains.

But the door is barred by a crowd of peasants and by Sebastiano
himself, who enters triumphantly and bids Marta dance for him. Pedro
forbids this and the master strikes him.

Still Pedro's respect holds him in check, till Marta whispers to him,
that Sebastiano is the man, who has brought her to shame.

{512}

On this Pedro flies at the scoundrel. He is however prevented from
attacking him by being forcibly removed by the peasants at Sebastiano's
command.

Marta sinks back in a swoon.

At this moment old Tommaso returns, and tells Sebastiano, that having
denounced his villany to the rich bride's father, the daughter is now
lost to him.

Recklessly Sebastiano turns to Marta, who, having revived, finds
herself alone with her old tyrant.

She struggles against him, calling to Pedro, who suddenly returns
through another door, and bidding the scoundrel defend himself rushes
upon him with his knife. But Sebastiano has no weapon, Pedro therefore
throws down his knife and says they can wrestle then, and so be on
equal terms.

After a short and desperate struggle Pedro succeeds in strangling
Sebastiano, who falls dead to the ground.

Pedro then calls the villain's servants, and taking his wife into his
arms, rushes away from the "Tiefland" to find peace and happiness in
the mountains.

{513}

MADAME BUTTERFLY.

Tragedy of a Japanese woman in three acts after John L. Long and David
Belasco by L. ILLICA and G. GIACOSA.

Music by GIACOMO PUCCINI.

Though Puccini has not reached the musical heights of "Boheme" and
"Tosca" in this opera, it has nevertheless a certain value for its true
local colouring, united to the grace and the broad, flowing cantilene
peculiar to the Italian composer.

These are most prominent in the love duet.

In the second act the little flower scene, which seems redolent with
the delicate perfume of cherry blossoms, and the shimmering atmosphere,
steeped in a peculiar shifting haze, gives score to the best musical
effects of this famous composer.

The scene is laid in Nagasaki in our own time.

The first act takes place on a hill, from which there is a grand view
of the ocean and of the