He had a fancy to put off the evil moment as long as possible, so that Hedwig might not recognise him till the last act,--a foolish fancy, in truth, for a woman's eyes are not like a man's; and though Hedwig had never thought twice about Nino's personality, she had not sat opposite him three times a week for nearly four months without knowing all his looks and gestures.

It is an absurd idea, too, to attempt to fence with time, when a thing must come in the course of an hour or two.

What is it, after all, the small delay you can produce?
The click of a few more seconds in the clock-work, before the hammer smites its angry warning on the bell, and leaves echoes of pain writhing through the poor bronze, that is Time.

As for Eternity, it is a question of the calculus, and does not enter into a singer's first appearance, nor into the recognition of a lover.

If it did, I would give you an eloquent dissertation upon it, so that you would yawn and take snuff, and wish me carried off by the diavolo to some place where I might lecture on the infinite without fear of being interrupted, or of keeping sinners like you unnecessarily long awake.