_High-Priest._ Whither art thou going, young man?—Cannot thy friend, thy sincere friend, obtain some little influence over thee?—Live according to thy own pleasure!—Withdraw thyself if thou wilt from mankind, only fly this desert, where fatal images inevitably disturb thy soul, as the wild thorns thy senses. Come to my house!—that quarter of it which runs down to the sea shore is well known to thee;—there may’st thou live sequestered and in solitude, even in the midst of thousands; and there no importunate intruder shall deprive thee of the visions which thy heart so fondly loves to cherish. Thy doors may be closed against me—mine shall always be open to thee. _Rolla._ Uncle, accept my thanks. I feel these proposals to be meant in kindness—I know your habitation; I know that it abounds with charms for those who love retirement; but Rolla is resolved to live and die in this cave. There, where the cupola of the temple towers above the trees—there Cora lives—here I can at least behold her dwelling.—Rolla, then, must live and die in this cave!—Good night. _High-Priest._ Obstinate young man!—Yet, surely you will not forget what your duty requires during the solemnities of to-morrow. Your presence in the king’s palace, and in the temple, is indispensible at the grand festival of the Sun. _Rolla._ Excuse me!—Say what you please to the king—tell him I am dead—I come no more among men. Yet to-morrow I will sacrifice to the gods—whether in a temple, or in a cave, is alike acceptable to them.—Good night. [_Exit into his cave._ SCENE II.—_The HIGH-PRIEST alone._ Young man!—young man!—thou dost not suspect how deeply this heart is interested in thy repose!—But the evening sun already glitters upon the golden cupola of the temple, and here below amid these trees, the night is fast approaching. I fear I shall find some difficulty in tracing out the meandering path through this wilderness. (_As he is going, he almost runs against Diego._) SCENE III.—_DIEGO gropes his Way through the Bushes, and starts violently at meeting the HIGH-PRIEST._ _High-Priest._ Whence come you?—and whither would you go? _Diego._ Whithersoever chance may conduct a pedestrian. _High-Priest._ Do you walk for pleasure in such unbeaten ways? _Diego._ (_Pertly_) Yes. _High-Priest._ You may probably have mistaken your path? _Diego._ So it should seem, since I find myself in your way. _High-Priest._ Are you not Don Alonzo’s attendant? _Diego._ You are not very wide of the truth. _High-Priest._ If you be not well acquainted with this wood, you are in great danger of losing yourself. Accompany me, and I will conduct you in a short time into the right path.