Groups of village girls are sitting or standing about on the green.
A dais has been put up at one end of it.
MARION. How slow the time do pa.s.s, this May Day.
ROSE. Let"s while it away with a song or two.
[They all join in singing. At the end of the song the gipsy comes slowly and painfully across the green, casting black looks to right and to left. She is followed by SUSAN, who appears weighed down by sadness.
ROSE. Good afternoon, Princess Royal Rags. Are we to see you cutting capers before his lordship this afternoon?
MARION. Get along and hide your bare feet behind the tree, Royal.
I"d be ashamed to go without shoes if "twas me.
SUSAN. O leave me alone--you be worse nor a nest of waspes--that you be.
GRANDMOTHER. [Turning fiercely round.] Us"ll smoke them out of their holes one day--see if us do not.
[They pa.s.s over to the tree where the GRANDMOTHER sits down and SUSAN crouches by her side. Presently they are joined by JOCKIE. The girls sing a verse or two of another song, and during this LADY MILLICENT, enveloped in a big cloak, goes over to the tree, followed by ALICE, also wearing a long cloak and they sit down by the side of SUSAN.
MARION. [Pointing.] Who are those yonder, Rose?
ROSE. I"m sure I don"t know, Marion--strangers, may be.
MARION. O my heart goes wild this afternoon.
ROSE. Mine too. Look, there they come.
[The Music begins to play and old LADY CULLEN, followed by her lady companions, comes slowly towards the dais, on which she seats herself.
LADY CULLEN. Dear me, what a gathering to be sure.
HER LADY. Indeed it is an unusual sight.
LADY CULLEN. And O what a sad infatuation on the part of my poor boy.
HER LADY. The war has been known to turn many a brain.
LADY CULLEN. And yet my son holds his own with the brightest intelligences of the day.
HER LADY. Only one little spot of his lordship"s brain seems to be affected.
LADY CULLEN. Just so. But here he comes, poor misguided youth.
[LORD CULLEN comes slowly over the green, looking to right and to left. He mounts the dais and sits down by his mother, and the music plays for a country dance. "The Twenty Ninth of May." The girls arrange themselves, and during the dance LORD CULLEN scans each face very eagerly. The dance ends and the girls pa.s.s in single file before the dais.
LORD CULLEN. No, no--that was not the music of it, that was not the dance--not a face among them resembles the image I carry in my heart.
LADY CULLEN. [Aside.] Thank goodness. May that face never be seen again.
[A fresh group come up and another dance is formed and danced.
LORD CULLEN. [At the end of it.] Worse and worse. Could I have dreamed both the music and the dance and the dancer?
LADY CULLEN. [Soothingly.] I am sure this was the case, my dear son.
LORD CULLEN. [Rallying.] I heard her voice singing in the forest before ever she began to dance. It was the sweetest voice and song I ever heard. [Looking around.] Can any of these maid, sing to me, I wonder?
MARION. [Steps forward.] I only know one song, my lord.
[LORD CULLEN signs to her to sing, and she stands before the dais and sings a verse of "Bedlam."
LORD CULLEN. [Impatiently.] No, no--that is not in the least what I remember. [Turning to ROSE.] You try now.
ROSE. I don"t sing, my lord--but--[Indicating another girl in the group] she has a sweet voice, and she knows a powerful lot of songs.
[A girl steps out from the others and sings a verse of "The Lark in the Morn."
LORD CULLEN. Not that. Mine was a song to stir the depths of a man"s heart and bring tears up from the fountains of it.
[He leans back in deep dejection--and at this moment LADY MILLICENT and ALICE come forward.
LORD CULLEN. [Eagerly.] I seem to know that russet skirt--those bare, small feet. [Standing up quickly.] Mother, look at that maid with the red kerchief on her head.
LADY CULLEN. Some sort of a gipsy dress, to all appearance.
LORD CULLEN. [Doubtfully.] The skirt she wore was torn and ragged-- that day in the forest. She had no gold rings to her ears, nor silken scarf upon her head--But this might be her dress for holidays.
[JOCKIE advances and begins to play the tune of "Princess Royal."
LORD CULLEN. [Eagerly.] That is the right music--O is it possible my quest is ended!
[LADY MILLICENT and ALICE, standing opposite one to another begin to dance--slowly and clumsily, and in evident doubt as to their steps.
LORD CULLEN watches them for a moment and then claps his hands angrily as a sign for the music to stop. The dancers pause.
LORD CULLEN. This is a sad mimicry of my beautiful love. But there lies something behind the masquerade which I shall probe.
[He leaves the dais and goes straight towards LADY MILLICENT, who turns from him in confusion.
LORD CULLEN. From whom did you take the manner and the colour of your garments, my maid?
[LADY MILLICENT remains obstinately silent.
LORD CULLEN. [To ALICE.] Perhaps you have a tongue in your head.
From whom did you try to learn those steps?
[ALICE turns sulkily away. JOCKIE comes forward.
JOCKIE. I"ll tell your lordship all about it, and I"ll take your lordship straight to the right wench, that I will, if so be as your lordship will give a shilling to a poor little swine-herd what goes empty and hungered most of the year round.