Excerpt from Les Diamants De La Couronne: Opera in Three Acts The young Princess maria francesca, on her accession to the throne of Portugal, finding the treasury almost exhausted, orders the jewels of the Crown to be sold, in order to defray the expenses of her coronation, intending to replace them by counterfeits. For this purpose she goes disguised to the retreat of a band of coiners, and pretending she is lady in waiting to the Queen, and bearing the royal instructions, engages them to manufacture a set of false diamonds, which may be worn in state without detection. Don enrico DE sandoval, a young nobleman of rank, returning home from his travels, is lost among the mountains and seized by the coiners. Catarina - the name the Queen assumes - rescues him. Struck with her beauty and manners, Enrico falls in love with her, although he is pledged to his cousin diana, and was on his way to be married when he was stopped so unceremoniously. Catarina is not insensible to the admiration of the young cavalier, with whose entire history, to his surprise, she is acquainted. The jewels completed, Catarina is desirous to convey them to Lisbon, and secure the escape of the coiners. The latter is not easy to accomplish, as the mountains are surrounded by soldiers, despatched by the Minister of Police, uncle to Enrico. Ultimately, the forgers, arrayed as monks, elude the vigilance of the guards, and effect their escape. Enrico reaches his uncle's house, and preparations are being made for his marriage with his cousin. The contract is about to be signed - equally to the regret of Diana as Enrico, since she and don sebastian, a young officer, had long been pledged to each other - when Catarina is ushered in, the carriage, conveying her to Lisbon, having broken down in front of the Minister's door. She is received most graciously by all except Enrico, who, recognising her, is terrified lest she should be discovered. Fortunately the Minister has not seen her, being summoned away, by information that the Crown Diamonds have' been stolen, or he must have detected the royal personage. Enrico, to ensure Catarina's safe retreat, discloses the secret of the incognita to Diana, and the cousins, now come to an understanding about their mutual love affairs, contrive Catarina's escape. The lady, however, does not depart without leaving behind her the intelligence that she is the famous Queen of the Bandits. The time of Her Majesty's coronation draws nigh. According to the wish of the late King, a Council of Regency had been appointed to choose a husband for the young Queen but, as the members cannot agree, Her Majesty resolves to make choice for herself; and so she selects him who loved her for herself alone, and whose virtues, she knows, will cast a lustre on her throne, brighter than jewels, or gold, or kingly rank. Don Enrico's feelings can only be imagined, when he recognises in the Queen of Portugal, Catarina, the chief of the coiners, and hears the royal voice pronounce the word that gives him new life, and realises his highest earthly dreams and aspirations. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.