And thou, bright Hera, favourably look down
And bless for us this hour!
(She kneels at the feet of Alcestis.)
Oh, Mistress mine,
Surely thou knowest my heart was ever thine,
To do thee service for better and not for worse!
Alcestis.—
Yea, yea I know it! And yet thou wast my nurse!
(Stifling a sharp cry, the Nurse rises and moves away. Alcestis, robed and crowned, stands alone. The sound of music and singing draws nearer. A look of frozen horror comes over her.)
Nurse.—