Francesco, Oh, watch o'er his footsteps;
Turn on his sorrow thine eyes sweet and tender.
At thy dear feet anguished I fall
To pray for him--
For oh! somewhere he's wandering,
Sorrow enduring.
Pray for him Mother, oh watch o'er his footsteps.
Lost, lost to me, yet so dear to me--
Pray for him, oh Mother dear.
Ave Maria! Hope of the hopeless!
To thy sweet mercy in anguish I cry--
Pray for Francesco, my own, my beloved--
Pray for him Mother, oh pray for Francesco.
Lost, lost to me--oh! loved and lost!
Oh Mother dear pray for him.

Again the bell rings and the monks pass before the altar with genuflections
and sink in their stalls in prayer, while a male chorus chants the Office
of the Benediction. During the singing of the anthem, Francesco enters with
cowl thrown back and a lighted taper in his hand. He is recognized by Maria
and at her exclamations starts to her but is restrained by the Father
Confessor now disclosed to him for the first time as his discarded wife.
After a trio of great dramatic force, Francesco seizes a dagger drawn by
Lucretia to kill him, and stabbing himself, expires in Maria's arms, while
Lucretia, still disguised as the Father Confessor, takes back her place
unnoticed among the monks who hold their crosses in horror against the
suicide!

Waller wrote the entire service in imitation of the sombre Gregorian Mass,
and then over the face of this dark background sketched in modern
passionate music the lyrical and dramatic lightning of the action. This
wonderful conception, both in idea, words and music, was "passed by
censors" of the church--that is, Archbishop Corrigan and the Archbishop of
Paris both said that while they did not approve of representations of the
Church on the stage, it had been done before, and would no doubt be done
again. Otherwise there was nothing objectionable in it.

Yet when it was produced in Berlin at the Royal Opera, under the wing of
Emperor William, even though horribly mutilated by the Public Censor, the
Catholic party, (aided and abetted by the musical cabal that has always
existed in Berlin), made it the cause of protests against the German
Government and Jinx No. 2 came to life in riotous uprisings against it
during its three performances. Whereupon it was withdrawn. These simple
facts are gleaned from Mr. Waller's descriptive letters. Jean de Reszke
thought so well of "Brother Francesco" that he proposed--nay promised--to
have it p