the arms, and the subtle inflections of the voice which are more
expressive than gestures, haunt the memory and float through the mind
afterwards as the figure of Francesca di Rimini, in the exquisite
picture of Ary Scheffer, sweeps, full of woe, which every line
suggests, across the vision of Dante and his guide.

There was, naturally, the greatest curiosity and a good deal of
scepticism about Rachel's power in the modern drama, the melodrama of
Victor Hugo, and the social drama of Scribe. But her appearance in the
"Angelo" of Victor Hugo and in "Adrienne Lecouvreur" of Scribe
satisfied the curiosity and routed the scepticism. It was pleasant
after the vast and imposing forms, the tearless tragedy of Greek
story, to see the mastery of this genius in the conditions of a life
and spirit with which we were more familiar and sympathetic. It was
clear that the same passionate intensity which, united with the most
exquisite perceptions, enabled her so perfectly to restore the Greek
spirit to the Greek form, would as adequately represent the voluptuous
southern life. If in the old drama she was sculpture, so in the modern
she was painting, not only with the flowing outline, but with all the
purple, palpitating hues of passion.

This is best manifested in the "Angelo", of which the scene is laid in
old Padua and is, therefore, full of the mysterious spirit of
mediaeval Italian, and especially Venetian life. Miss Cushman has
played in an English version of this drama, called the "Actress of
Padua". But it is hardly grandiose enough in its proportions to be
very well adapted to the talent of Miss Cushman. It was remarkable how
perfectly the genius which had, the evening before, adequately
represented Phedre, could impersonate the ablest finesse of Italian
subtilty. The old Italian romances were made real in a moment. The dim