"Certainly--his name is Papageno."

"The deuce you say? Well, well, I never would have thought it of
myself. Well, what's your name, mam?" but just as the old lady was
about to answer, the thunder boomed and off she rushed.

"Oh, heaven! I'll never speak another word," Papageno cried. He had no
sooner taken that excellent resolution than the three Genii entered
bearing a table loaded with good things to eat. They also brought the
flute and the chime of bells.

"Now, eat, drink, and be merry, and a better time shall follow," they
said, and then they disappeared.

"Well, well, this is something like it," Papageno said, beginning at
once to obey commands, but Tamino began to play upon the flute.

"All right; all right! You be the orchestra and I'll take care of the
_table d'hote_," he said, very well satisfied; but at that instant
Pamina appeared.

She no sooner began to talk to Tamino than he motioned her away. He
was a youth of unheard-of fortitude.

"This is worse than death," she said. She found herself waved away
again. Tamino was thoroughly proof against temptation.

Then Pamina sang for him, and she had a very good voice. Meantime,
Papageno was sufficiently occupied to be quiet, but he had to call
attention to his virtues. When he asked if he had not been amazingly
still, there was a flourish of trumpets. Tamino signed for Papageno to
go.

"No, you go first!" Tamino only repeated his gesture.

"Very well, very well, I'll go first--but what's to be done with us
now?" Tamino only pointed to heaven, which was very depressing to one
of Papageno's temperament.

"You think so!" Papageno asked. "If it is to be anything like that, I
think it more likely to be a roasting. No matter!" Nothing mattered
any longer to Papageno, and so he went out as Tamino desired, and the
scene changed.

_Scene IV_

Sarastro and his priests were in a vault underneath one of the
temples. There they sang of Tamino's wonderful fortitude and then
said:

"Let him appear!" And so he did. "Now, Tamino, you have been a brave
man till now; but there are two perilous trials awaiting you, and if
you go through them well--" They didn't exactly promise that all
should be plain sailing after that, but they led the youth to infer as
much, which encouraged him. "Lead in Pamina," the order then was
given, and she was led in.

"Now, Pamina, this youth is to bid thee a last farewell," Sarastro
said.

Pamina was about to throw herself