rning,
Whom she once had lost her heart with,
And whom, still more marvellously,
She unto this day is loving,
Notwithstanding and in spite of
Want of noble birth and titles,
And her father's stem refusal.
And the cause of this her fainting
Is, again most marvellously,
No one else but Signor Werner,
Chapel-master to your Holiness.
This the Monsignor Venusto
Heard to-day, when on a visit
To the Abbess who related
Confidentially these facts."

Then the Pope said: "This is truly
A most strange and touching meeting.
Were the subject not too modern,
And the actors of the drama
Not such semi-barbarous Germans,
Then some poet might win laurels
In the sweet groves of Arcadia,
Should he sing this wondrous meeting.
But I truly take an interest
In the grave young Signor Werner.
Greatly has improved the singing
Of my choir, since he leads it,
And the taste for solemn music;
While my own Italian singers
Care too much for operatic
Tunes of lighter character.
Quietly he does his duty,
Of his own accord ne'er speaking;
Never begs of me a favour;
Never was his hand extended
To receive the gifts of bribery.
Yet examples of corruption
Are more frequent with us, surely,
Than the fleas in sultry summer.
Monsignor Venusto knows this!
Seems to me that this grave German
Is consumed by secret sorrow.
I should really like to know now,
If he's thinking of his love yet?"

Said the Cardinal Albani:
"I well-nigh may answer for this.
In the books kept on the conduct
Of all high and low officials
In the State and Church departments,
It is mentioned as a wonder
That he strictly shuns all women.
First we nourished a suspicion
That his heart had fallen victim
To the charms of the fair hostess
Of the inn near Vale Egeria.
He was seen each evening strolling
Through the Porta Sebastiano,
And outside there is no dwelling
But the tavern just now mentioned.
Thus such nightly promenading
Of one yet in early manhood
Could not but arouse suspicion.
Therefore we once sent two persons
Carefully to track his footsteps,
But they found him 'mid the ruined