SCENE V.
Interior of the Cave, consisting of an upper
Apartment, to which a flight of steps from above
leads, which is parted from the landing place by a
curtain drawn round it on an iron rod; from the
landing place another flight of steps descends to the
lower Apartment—on one side of which is a gloomy
recess, in which two or three Carbines, and a barrel
of Powder are visible—on the other a circular aperture,
which gives light to another recess, Paolo's
Dormitory; to which a passage, from the other recess,
leads—under the aperture, on a rocky fragment,
is a Couch—a Guitar hanging up.
Rinaldo is discovered seated on the couch, his
eyes fixed on Aurelia's miniature, otherwise insensible
to all around him—Florella and Paolo in the
recess, viewing him with murderous intent, and
fixing a bayonet to a carbine, while Rosalia is cautiously
descending the first flight of steps—he heaves
a sigh, rises, and comes forward; at the same moment
Rosalia gains the upper apartment, and is hid
by the curtain—Paolo retires further into the recess,
and Florella officiously takes down the guitar, and
offers it Rinaldo for his amusement—he again seats
himself, and commences playing—she motioning
Paolo round to stab him through the aperture
above, through which she intimates the bayonet's
length is equal—Rosalia perceiving their actions,
as he passes round, timidly descends into the lower
apartment, and just as he is going to strike, screams!
Florella, throwing off her disguise, points a pistol
to her head—the characters groupe—a pause—
shout without, and Rovezzo, at the head of his Troops,
rushes into the Cavern—characters again groupe,
and Rinaldo is commanded to surrender—refuses—
snatches Paolo's carbine; in the struggle it goes off,
pointed towards the recess, and the Cavern blows up!
—Rovezzo, Paolo, and Florella falling the victims
of their own malignity, and Rinaldo sinking wounded
into the arms of Rosalia; on the effects of the
explosion partly evapourating, the Ruins appear
backed by
