from Act II, Scene 4 of the English opera The Ballad of Baby Doe by Douglas Moore

Libretto: John Latouche

Role: Augusta Tabor, wife of Horace Tabor

Voice Part: mezzo-soprano       Fach: dramatic mezzo

Setting: Augusta's study, 1896

Synopsis: Baby Doe's mother has come to Augusta, asking her to help her ex-husband Horace Tabor, who left her for Baby Doe. Tabor has lost all of his money and can hardly support himself. Augusta sends her away, declining to help the couple. However, after she leaves, Augusta wonders why she doesn't run to help the man that she once loved.