get away, so I ran out without thinking. And I saw him! Oh, I saw him!—and I shall see him always! I shall go mad!
Imperia. What is that? Silence! Do you hear, Leonardo?
Leonardo. Yes, it is the Princess. She is crying.
Imperia. No, no, don't you listen to her! It is nothing.
Donina. Yes, she is crying! His mother is crying! I can hear her cry. Ah! She is coming nearer, nearer—all the time nearer…
Leonardo. She is coming this way. Surely they will not permit…
Imperia. Wait! No… They are passing by. Come! Let us go! Let us leave this place!
Donina. Do you hear her call? "My boy! My boy!"
Imperia. Come away!
Donina. No! I shall hear her always… always! "My boy! My boy!"…
Imperia. I can bear it no longer. They were not phantoms, Leonardo; we cannot destroy the facts, they are too strong for us. They creep back into our lives and overwhelm us in the end. This mother weeping for her boy, this child dying of grief and remorse—they chill my blood, they freeze me to the bone! I can do no more. Let what will come, come.
Leonardo. No, Imperia, your will is strong. Don't throw your life away. Fight on, and triumph!
Imperia. No, no, it is too late! Don't think of me! Save Donina, Leonardo! Save Donina!
Curtain
