the arches of the gallery and its lofty columns the eye falls upon the boats known as gondolas, gliding upon the face of the waters. Nicklausse warns his sensitive, easily swayed friend against falling in love with Giulietta, and Hoffmann assures him that there is not the slightest fear of such a thing occurring.

There among the guests is a strange figure named Dapertutto, who soon proves to be Hoffmann’s evil genius. He has with him a diamond ring which he uses to bribe Giulietta into carrying out his base designs. His strange demand comes down to this: that she obtain Hoffmann’s image reflected in a mirror — saying, “Shine, O diamond; bewitch her and draw her!” It appears she has performed a sim-ilar service for Dapertutto before, by robbing a poor young man named Schlemihl of his shadow!

In the adjoining room they are playing cards. Hoffmann approaches Giulietta to tell her that he is leaving the place, having lost all he owns at gambling. But she turns her enchanting, bewitching beauty upon him and steals away his wits, and within moments he falls madly in love with her and declares that he will never leave her, repeating: “O goddess, what is this fire you are kindling in my heart?” And when she asks him for his image reflected in a mirror, he wonders at this request of hers, but grants it to her.

While Hoffmann and Giulietta are embracing, the poor young Schlemihl enters, and jealousy blinds him. Giulietta soon tells Hoffmann that Schlemihl keeps the key of her private apartments, and hints that if he can get hold of it, he may see her there later, in the evening. She leaves the

place with most of the guests. Hoffmann confronts Schlemihl and demands that he hand over the key. The latter refuses his demand, and both make ready for a duel — and what a strange duel, between a man who has no shadow and another whose form the mirror does not reflect!

Dapertutto offers the unarmed Hoffmann a sword with which he dispatches his adversary after a brief duel...; he wrenches away the key and runs — but too late. There is Giulietta, boarding a gondola with another lover. Evil has triumphed once more, and Hoffmann has reaped despair and hopelessness anew...

Act Three

The scene: Crespel’s house in Munich. Hoffmann’s beloved in this tale is called

Antonia. The curtain rises and we see her seated at a kind of piano, singing “The beautiful