himself."

"Oh, have mercy!" each shrieked at each other.

"Oh, spare my life," they yelled in unison, and then, at the same
moment each fled from the other, by a different way. At the same
instant, Pamina awoke from her swoon, and began to call pitiably for
her mother. Papageno heard her and ventured back.

"She's a handsome damsel, and I'll take a chance, in order to rescue
her," he determined, feeling half safe because of his chime of bells.

"Why, she is the very image of the Prince's miniature and so it must
be the daughter of the Queen of the Night," he decided, taking another
good look at her.

"Who art thou?" she asked him, plaintively.

"Papageno," he answered.

"I do not know the name. But I am the daughter of the Queen of the
Night."

"Well, I think you are, but to make sure"--He pulled from his pocket
the portrait which had been given to him by the Prince and looked at
it earnestly for a long time.

"According to this you shouldn't have any hands or feet," he announced
gravely.

"But it is I," the Princess declared, looking in turn at the
miniature. "Pray, where did you get this?"

"Your mother gave this to a young stranger, who instantly fell in love
with you, and started to find you."

"In love with me?" she cried, joyfully.

"You'd think so if you saw the way he carries on about you," the
fowler volunteered. "And we are to carry you back to your mother even
quicker than we came."

"Then you must be _very_ quick about it, because Sarastro returns from
the chase at noon exactly, and if he finds you here, you will never
leave alive."

"Good! That will suit the Prince exactly."

"But--if I should find that, after all, you are an evil spirit," she
hesitated.

"On the contrary, you will find in me the best spirits in the world,
so come along."

"You seem to have a good heart."

"So good that I ought to have a Papagena to share it," he answered,
plaintively, whereupon Pamina sang affectingly:

[Music:

The manly heart that claims our duty,
must glow with feelings high and brave.]

It is a very queer and incoherent opera, and not much sense to any of
it, but, oh! it is beautiful music, and this duet between the fowler
and Pamina is not the least of its beauties. At the end of it they
rushed off together--Pamina to meet the Prince and be conducted back
to her mother.

_Scene III_

In the meantime, Tamino, instead of looking for Pamina himself, had
been invoking wisdo