vain as to what he wishes to
know.

{45}

At last, being aware of Peter's love for Mary, he gives him some hope
of gaining her hand, and obtains in exchange a promise from the young
man, to confess his secret in presence of the foreign nobleman.--The
cunning French ambassador, the Marquis de Chateauneuf, has easily found
out the Czar and gained his purpose, while the phlegmatic English Lord,
falsely directed by the burgomaster, is still in transaction with
Ivanow. All this takes place during a rural festivity, where the
Marquis notwithstanding the claims upon his attention finds time to
court yet pretty Mary, exciting Ivanow's hate and jealousy. Ivanow
with difficulty plays the role of Czar, which personage he is supposed
to be as well by Lord Syndham as by Van Bett. He well knows that he
deserves punishment, if he is found out on either side. The
burgomaster, getting more and more confused, and fearing himself
surrounded by spies and cheats, examines one of the strangers after the
other, and is of course confounded to hear their high-flown names; at
last he seizes the two Peters, but is deterred from his purpose by the
two ambassadors. They are now joined by a third, the Russian General
Lefort, who comes to call back his Sovereign to his own country. In
the third act Van Bett has prepared a solemn demonstration of fealty
for the supposed Czar, whom he still mistakes for the real one, while
the real Czar has found means to go on board of his ship with the
Marquis and Lefort.--Before taking farewell, he promises a pass-port to
Ivanow, who is very dubious as to what will become of {46} him.
Meanwhile Van Bett approaches him with his procession to do homage, but
during his long and confused speech cannon-shots are heard and an usher
announces, that Peter Michaelow is about to sail away with a large
crew. The back-ground opens and shows the port with the Czar's ship.
Everybody bursts into shouts "Long live the Czar!" and Ivanow, opening
the paper, which his high-born friend left to him, reads that the Czar
grants him pardon for his desertion and bestows upon him a considerable
sum of money.

LA DAME BLANCHE.

Comic Opera in three acts by BOIELDIEU.

Text by SCRIBE.

Boieldieu is for the French almost what Mozart was for the German.
This opera especially may be called classic, so deliberate and careful
is its execution.

The "Lady in white" is the chef-d'oeuvre of all comic operas in French,
as Moz