l lose the money in the bargain."

When any sly intrigue is weaving,
Whether for thieving,
Or for deceiving,
You will do well if you provide,
To have a woman on your side--

they sing--which shows what the smugglers think of their sisters and
their cousins and their aunts.

When they insist upon knowing for whom Carmen is going to wait at the
inn, she finally tells them she is waiting for Jose, and pretends to
some very nice sentiments indeed, on his account; says he got her out
of prison, has been locked up for her sake, and of course she must
treat him nicely.

"Well, all we have to say about it is that you had better have a care.
Very likely he'll not come, and----" El Dancairo is interrupted by a
song in the hills. It is Jose's voice signalling to Carmen.

"Think not?" she asks, nonchalantly.

When Jose enters, she really is glad to see him: he is very handsome
indeed. After her comrades have gone outside the inn, she tells Jose
of her regret that he has suffered for her, and starts to entertain
him.

There, in the dingy inn, she begins a wonderful dance, shaking her
castanets and making herself very beautiful and fascinating once more
to Jose. In the midst of the dance they hear a bugle call. Jose starts
up.

"Carmen, it is my squad going back to camp. It is the retreat that has
sounded. I must go."

"Go?" she stares at him. Then, realizing that he is going to desert
her for duty, she flies into a rage, throws his shako after him and
screams at him to go and not come back. This puts Jose in a bad way,
because he has been able to think of nothing but Carmen ever since she
escaped and he went to prison in her place. Meantime, she raves about
the inn, declaring that he doesn't love her, whereupon he takes the
flower she once threw him, now dead and scentless, from his pocket,
and shows it to her. He has kept it safely through all that has
happened to him.

"That is all very well, Don Jose, but if you truly loved me, you would
leave this soldiering which takes you away, and go live with me and my
companions in the mountains. There, there is no law, no duties,
no----" Don Jose nearly faints at the idea.

"Disgrace my uniform!" he cries.

"Let your uniform go hang," she answers. She never was any too choice
in her language. Poor Jose! poor wretch! he buries his face in his
hands, and cries several times, "My God!" and looks so distracted that
one almost believes he will pull hi