University of Virginia Library

Scene Second.

—A Forest—Thunder, lightning—A crash heard without—Attendants fly in terror across the stage.
Enter Queen and Princess.
Queen.
Ah, me! misfortunes never come alone!
Forced from my husband, fighting for his throne,
Caught in a dreadful storm we fly for shelter
Into this fatal forest helter-skelter;
Scared by the lightning, off the horses bolted,
Upset our coach, and out we both were jolted!
And now deserted here are left to die,
Or be some horrid monsters eaten by.

Prin.
To meet that fate I should not be so loth,
If the same monster would but eat us both.

Queen.
Affecting proof of my sweet child's affection,
And which removes a part of my objection.

Air—Princess—“Are you angry, Mother.”
Are they hungry, Mother, oh, oh, oh, oh.
Is't the hour they peckish grow? Oh, oh, oh.
When I see their teeth so white—
When I think how they can bite—
I into my shoes shall shrink,
And the heart within me sink!
Horrid monsters, why can't they
Just on one another prey
When they're hungry, as we find
Creatures do of human kind!

Prin.
But are there really wild beasts in this wood?

Queen.
So I have generally understood.
Lions and tigers, panthers, bears and boars,
And all sorts of fierce creatures on all fours—
Fiercer than any great Van Amburgh knew,
Or Gordon Cumming ever said he slew.
But whether serious such report, or jocular,
Our demonstration's likely to be ocular.

(Roar—The head and fore-paws of a Lioness are seen through an opening among the trees)
Prin.
Ocular! Oh, look yonder, mother, see!
Two fiery eyes that glare on you and me!

Queen.
A lioness! She will come out next spring.
We'll die together!

(clasping Princess in her arms)
Music—The Lioness disappears, and in its place is seen Leona, the Enchantress, attired in a wild but splendid dress, with

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the skin of a lion on her shoulders, and armed with a bow and quiver of arrows.
Leo.
You'll do no such thing
At present.

Queen.
Wonder takes away my breath!

Leo.
You are condemned to something worse than death.
I am the Fairy Lioness—my name
Leona. Nightly through this wood for game,
I hunt, and when I catch such birds as you,
I bear them thus my brazen caverns to.

(music—Scene changes to