, after all, only shows us a libertine at odds
with his victims, who invoke the vengeance of Heaven; while here earth
and its dominions try to defeat God. Two nations are here face to face.
And Rossini, having every means at his command, has made wonderful use
of them. He has succeeded in expressing the turmoil of a tremendous
storm as a background to the most terrible imprecations, without making
it ridiculous. He has achieved it by the use of chords repeated in
triple time--a monotonous rhythm of gloomy musical emphasis--and so
persistent as to be quite overpowering. The horror of the Egyptians at
the torrent of fire, the cries of vengeance from the Hebrews, needed a
delicate balance of masses; so note how he has made the development of
the orchestral parts follow that of the chorus. The _allegro assai_ in C
minor is terrible in the midst of that deluge of fire.

"Confess now," said Massimilla, at the moment when Moses, lifting his
rod, brings down the rain of fire, and when the composer puts forth all
his powers in the orchestra and on the stage, "that no music ever more
perfectly expressed the idea of distress and confusion."

"They have spread to the pit," remarked the Frenchman.

"What is it now? The pit is certainly in great excitement," said the
Duchess.

In the _finale_, Genovese, his eyes fixed on la Tinti, had launched
into such preposterous flourishes, that the pit, indignant at this
interference with their enjoyment, were at a height of uproar. Nothing
could be more exasperating to Italian ears than this contrast of good
and bad singing. The manager went so far as to appear on the stage, to
say that in reply to his remarks to his leading singer, Signor Genovese
had replied that he knew not how or by what offence he had lost the
countenance of the public, at the very moment when he was endeavoring to
achieve perfection in his art.

"Let him be as bad as he was yesterday--that was good enough for us!"
roared Capraja, in a rage.

This suggestion put the house into a good humor again.

Contrary to Italian custom, the ballet was not much attended to. In
every box the only subject of conversation was Genovese's strange
behavior, and the luckless manager's speech. Those who were admitted
behind the scenes went off at once to inquire into the mystery of this
performance, and it was presently rumored that la Tinti had treated her
colleague Genovese to a dreadful scene, in which she had accused the
tenor of b