e
terrible prophecies of the doves and Norand. But no sooner have the
words been spoken than Gennaro is turned to a marble statue. On this
Millo, in his grief and remorse, determines that he never will leave
the statue's side, and will die at its feet in contrition and sorrow.
At this juncture Norand appears, and says, "In the eternal Book of
Destiny were written the raven's death, the curse on you, and the
carrying away of Armilla. One thing, and one alone, will bring your
brother back to life--but it is a terrible deed. Let Armilla be slain
at the statue's side, by this dagger; and when the cold marble is
besprinkled with her heart's blood, it will warm into life. If you have
courage to kill her, do it. Weep, weep, and lament! even as do I!" He
vanishes. Armilla wrings from the unfortunate Millo the purport of
Norand's terrible disclosure. Millo quits her in despair, and, filled
with horror and grief, careless of living longer, she stabs herself
with the dagger. As soon as her blood besprinkles the statue Gennaro
comes back to life. Millo comes: he sees his brother alive, and his
bride lying slain. In his despair he is going to stab himself with the
dagger; but the gloomy dungeon changes to a great, illuminated hall;
Norand appears: all the mysterious decrees of fate are accomplished,
all the sorrow is past. Norand touches Armilla. She comes back to life,
and everything ends happily.'

"_Ferdinand_. 'Yes; I remember this fine, imaginative tale quite well,
and the impression it made upon me. You are quite right; this is an
instance in which the Marvellous takes the form of an essential
element, and has so much poetical verity that we believe it without
hesitation. Millo's killing of the raven is what knocks at the brazen
gates of the Spirit-Realm; on that they fly open with a clash, and the
spirits come swooping in upon the human life, and immesh the mortals in
the web of strange, mysterious destiny which impends over them.'

"_Ludwig_. 'Exactly; and notice the grand, powerful situations which
the poet has evolved from this contest with the spirit-world. Gennaro's
self-sacrifice; Armilla's deed of heroism; there is a grandeur in them
which our "moral" playwrights, in their rummagings among the
paltrinesses of every-day life (like sweepings of drawing-rooms thrown
out into the dust-bin) haven't the slightest idea of; and then the
comic parts for the masks are must effectively woven in.'

"_Ferdinand_. 'Yes it is only