“My poor Alresca! My poor Alresca!” she kept murmuring.

Pressing on these two were a distinguished group consisting of the King, the Herald, Ortrud, Telramund, and several more. And Ortrud was cautiously feeling Alresca’s limbs with her jewel-laden fingers. I saw instantly that Alresca was unconscious.

“Please put him down, mademoiselle.”

These were the first words that I ever spoke to Rosetta Rosa, and, out of sheer acute nervousness, I uttered them roughly, in a tone of surly command. I was astonished at myself. I was astonished at my own voice. She glanced up at me and hesitated. No doubt she was unaccustomed to such curt orders.

“Please put him down at once,” I repeated, trying to assume a bland, calm, professional, authoritative manner, and not in the least succeeding.