DANIEL. Come, come. Where"s the wind blowing from now? Here, Mother, do you listen to this.
ELIZABETH. I shall be deaf before I"ve done, but it appears to me that Annet"s not lost any time in making the most of her chances.
DANIEL. Ah, and she be none the worse for that. "Tis what we all likes to do. Where"d I be in the market if I did let my chances blow by me? Hear that, Andrew?
ANDREW. I"m a rare lucky man this day, farmer.
DANIEL. Ah, and "tis a rare good little wench, Annet--though she bain"t so showy as our"n. A rare good little maid. And now "tis time we was all off to church, seeing as this is to be a case of double harness like.
MAY. O Annet, you can"t be wed in that plain gown.
ANNET. May, I"m so happy that I feel as though I were clothed all over with jewels.
ANDREW. Give me your hand, Annet.
MAY. [Mockingly.] Millie--don"t you want to give a drink of water to yon poor old man?
MILLIE. That I will, May? Here--fetch me something that"s better than water for him.
ELIZABETH. I"ll have no cider drinking out of meal times here.
MILLIE. Then "twill I have to be when we come back from church.
OLD MAN. Bless you, my pretty lady, but I be used to waiting. I"ll just sit me down outside in the sun till you be man and wife.
ELIZABETH. And that"ll not be till this day next year if this sort of thing goes on any longer.
DANIEL. That"s right, Mother. You take and lead the way. "Tis the womenfolk as do keep we back from everything. But I knows how to settle with they--[roaring]--come Mill, come Giles, Andrew, Annet, May. Come Mother, out of th" house with all of you and to church, I say.
[He gets behind them all and drives them before him and out of the room. When they have gone, the OLD MAN sinks on a bench in the door- way.
OLD MAN. I"m done with all the foolishness of life and I can sit me down and sleep till it be time to eat.
[Curtain.]
BUSHES AND BRIARS
CHARACTERS
THOMAS SPRING, a farmer, aged 35.
EMILY, his wife, the same age.
CLARA, his sister, aged 21.
JESSIE AND ROBIN, the children of Thomas and Emily, aged 10 and 8.
JOAN, maid to Clara.
MILES HOOPER, a rich draper.
LUKE JENNER, a farmer.
LORD LOVEL.
GEORGE, aged 28.
ACT I.--Scene 1.
A wood. It is a morning in June.
GEORGE, carrying an empty basket, comes slowly through the wood. On reaching a fallen tree he sits down on it, placing his basket on the ground. With his stick he absently moves the gra.s.s and leaves that lie before him, and is so deeply lost in his own thoughts that he does not hear the approach of MILES and LUKE until they are by his side.
MILES. Here"s the very man to tell us all we want to know.
LUKE. Why, if "tisn"t George from Ox Lease.
[GEORGE half rises.
MILES. No, sit you down again, my lad, and we"ll rest awhile by the side of you.
LUKE. That"s it, Miles. Nothing couldn"t have fallen out better for us, I"m thinking.
MILES. You"re about right, Luke. Now, George, my man, we should very much appreciate a few words with you.
GEORGE. [Taking up his basket.] Morning baint the time for words, masters. I count as words will keep till the set of sun. "Tis otherwise with work.
MILES. Work, why, George, "tis clear you are come out but to gather flowers this morning.
LUKE. "Tis the very first time as ever I caught George an idling away of his time like this.
GEORGE. "Tis over to Brook as I be going, masters, to fetch back a couple of young chicken. Ourn be mostly old fowls, or pullets what do lay.
LUKE. I never heard tell of young chicken being ate up at Ox Lease afore July was in.
GEORGE. Nor me neither, master. Never heared nor seed such a thing.
But mistress, her says, you can"t sit a maid from town at table unless there be poultry afore of she. They be rare nesh in their feeding, maids from town, so mistress do say.
MILES. That just brings us to our little matter, George. When is it that you expect the young lady?
GEORGE. The boxes of they be stacked mountains high in the bedroom since yesterday. And I count as the maids will presently come on their own feet from where the morning coach do set them down.
LUKE. Nay, but there"s only one maid what"s expected.
GEORGE. Miss Clara, what"s master"s sister; and the serving wench of she.