Act II. An encampment of gypsies. There is a ruined house at the foot

of a mountain in Biscay; the interior partly exposed to view; within a great fire is lighted. Day begins to dawn.

_Azucena_ is seated near the fire. _Manrico_, enveloped in his mantle, is lying upon a mattress; his helmet is at his feet; in his hand he holds a sword, which he regards fixedly. A band of gypsies are sitting in scattered groups around them.

Since an almost unbroken sequence of melodies is a characteristic of "Il Trovatore," it is not surprising to find at the opening of this