ey took her away to see Tamino.

Then two men dressed in armour came in and said:

He who would wander on this path of tears and toiling,
Needs water, fire, and earth for his assoiling,

which means nothing in particular. Although "assoiling" is an
excellent old English word.

Then Tamino and Pamina were heard calling to each other. She entreated
him not to fly from her, and he didn't know what he had better do
about it, but the matter was arranged by somebody opening some gates
and the lovers at once embraced. They were perfectly happy, and there
seemed to be a mutual understanding between them that they could
wander forth together. They did so, and wandered at once into a
mountain of fire, while Tamino played entertainingly upon his flute.
Soon they wandered out of the fire, and embraced at leisure. Then they
wandered into the water, and Tamino began again to play upon his
flute, the water keeping clear of the holes in a wonderful way. After
they got out of the woods--the water, rather,--they embraced as usual,
and the gates of the temple were thrown open and they saw a sort of
Fourth-of-July going on within. Everything was very bright and
high-coloured. This would seem to indicate that their trials were over
and they were to have their reward. Then the scene changed.

_Scene V_

Papageno was playing in a garden, all the while calling to his
Papagena. He was really mourning for his lost love, and so he took the
rope which he used as a girdle and decided to hang himself. Then the
Genii, whose business it seemed to be to drive lovers to suicide and
then rescue them just before life was extinct, rushed in and told him
he need not go to the length--of his rope.

"Just ring your bells," they advised him; and he instantly tried the
same old effect. He had no sooner rung for her than she came--the
lovely Papagena! They sang a joyous chorus of "pa-pa-pa-pa" for eight
pages and then the Queen of the Night and Monostatos, finding that
matters were going too well, appeared. They had come to steal the
temple.

"If I really get away with that temple, Pamina shall be yours," she
promised Monostatos,--which would seem to leave Pamina safe enough, if
the circumstances were ordinary. Nevertheless it thundered again.
Nobody in the opera could seem to stand that. The Queen had her three
ladies with her, but by this time one might almost conclude that they
were no ladies at all. The thunder became very bad indeed, a