And as I always must tell love-affairs as soon as I hear of them,—­for, as a rule, I live in country towns,—­I may at once state that Ginevra loved Andronic, and latter loved former, and they would not tell each other, and the Doge knew nothing about it.

Yes, decidedly, the necklace is the first character in “Le Juif de Venise.”  You see, Ginevra loved the necklace, and Andronic loved Ginevra; so he is forced to procure that charming necklace for her, coute qui coute, and so he goes to Shylock for it.  And here you will see its value:  Shylock will sell it only for a large sum.  Andronic, seeing his losses, hasn’t the money,—­but will have;—­glorious opening for the clause about the pound of flesh!  Signed, sealed, and delivered.  How superior is Andronic to Antonio, the old ——!  This latter pawns his breast for a friend only:  the great Andronic risks the flesh about his heart for sacred love.  Io Venus!

Yet, nevertheless, notwithstanding, it is the opinion of the Greek Chorus that Andronic is a joli fool,—­which choral remark I hear with pain, as reflecting upon unhesitating love, and especially as the remarker has been eminently touched at the abduction.

ACT IV.

As for the Fourth Act,—­it is very tender and terrible.

I need not say that the tenderness arises through the necklace,—­and indeed, for that matter, so also does the terror.  Touching the first, of course it is the discovery by Ginevra of the return of those maternal diamonds,—­which are handed to her by a femme-de-chambre, who has had them from Andronic’s valet-de-chambre, who is in love with the femme-de-chambre, who reciprocates, etc., etc., etc.

But touching the terrible,—­“that woman” hears of the necklace, and sends Honorius for it to Shylock.  Bad job!—­gone!  Well, then, Honorius falls out with his old friend Andronic because latter will not yield up the necklace.  Honorius demands to know who has it.  Andronic will not name Ginevra’s name before “that woman” and all the lofty lords, and then there’s a grand scene.

In the first place, it seems that in Shylock’s Venetian time, the Venetian lords, when obliging Venice with a riot, called upon Venetians to put out their lights, and this the lords now do, (we are on the piazza,) and out go all the lights as though turned off at one main.

Then there is such a scrimmage!  Honorius lunges at Andronic; this latter disarms former; then latter comes to his senses, flies over to his old friend, and all the Venetian brawlers are put to flight.

Then Honorius says,—­and pray, pray, mark what Honorius says, or you will never comprehend Act V.,—­then Honorius says, taking Andronic’s previous advice about flying, “I will go away, and fight the Adriatic pirates.”  Now, pray, don’t forget that.  I quite distress myself in praying you not to forget that,—­to wit,—­“Honorius goes away to fight the Adriatic pirates.”