MYTYL Can you see the soul of sugar, too?...
THE FAIRY (_suddenly cross_) Of course you can!... I hate unnecessary questions.... The soul of sugar is no more interesting than the soul of pepper.... There, I give you all I have to help you in your search for the Blue Bird. I know that the flying carpet or the ring which makes its wearer invisible would be more useful to you.... But I have lost the key of the cupboard in which I locked them....
Oh, I was almost forgetting!... (_Pointing to the diamond_) When you hold it like this, do you see?... One little turn more and you behold the past.... Another little turn and you behold the future.... It"s curious and practical and it"s quite noiseless....
TYLTYL Daddy will take it from me....
THE FAIRY He won"t see it; no one can see it as long as it"s on your head....
Will you try it?... (_She puts the little green hat on_ TYLTYL"S _head_.) Now, turn the diamond.... One turn and then....
(TYLTYL _has no sooner turned the diamond than a sudden and wonderful change comes over everything. The old_ FAIRY _alters then and there into a princess of marvellous beauty; the flints of which the cottage walls are built light up, turn blue as sapphires, become transparent and gleam and sparkle like the most precious stones. The humble furniture takes life and becomes resplendent; the deal table a.s.sumes as grave and n.o.ble an air as a table made of marble; the face of the clock winks its eye and smiles genially, while the door that contains the pendulum opens and releases the Hours, which, holding one another by the hand and laughing merrily, begin to dance to the sound of delicious music_.)
TYLTYL (_displaying a legitimate bewilderment and pointing to the Hours_) Who are all those pretty ladies?...
THE FAIRY Don"t be afraid; they are the hours of your life and they are glad to be free and visible for a moment....
TYLTYL And why are the walls so bright?... Are they made of sugar or of precious stones?...
THE FAIRY All stones are alike, all stones are precious; but man sees only a few of them....
(_While they are speaking, the scene of enchantment continues and is completed. The souls of the Quartern-loaves, in the form of little men in crust-coloured tights, flurried and all powdered with flour, scramble out of the bread-pan and frisk round the table, where they are caught up by_ FIRE, _who, springing from the hearth in yellow and vermilion tights, writhes with laughter as he chases the loaves_.)
TYLTYL Who are those ugly little men?...
THE FAIRY Oh, they"re nothing; they are merely the souls of the Quartern-loaves, who are taking advantage of the reign of truth to leave the pan in which they were too tightly packed....
TYLTYL And the big red fellow, with the nasty smell?...
THE FAIRY Hush!... Don"t speak too loud; that"s Fire.... He"s dangerous. (_This dialogue does not interrupt the enchantment. The_ DOG _and the_ CAT, _lying rolled up at the foot of the cupboard, utter a loud and simultaneous cry and disappear down a trap; and in their places rise two persons, one of whom has the face of a bull-dog, the other that of a tom-cat. Forthwith, the little man with the bull-dog face, whom we will henceforward call the_ DOG, _rushes upon_ TYLTYL, _kisses him violently and overwhelms him with noisy and impetuous caresses; while the little man with the face of a tom-cat, whom we will simply call the_ CAT, _combs his hair, washes his hands and strokes his whiskers before going up to_ MYTYL.)
THE DOG (_yelling, jumping about, knocking up against everything, unbearable_) My little G.o.d!... Good-morning, good-morning, my dear little G.o.d!... At last, at last we can talk!... I had so much to tell you!... Bark and wag my tail as I might, you never understood!... But now!... Good-morning, good-morning!... I love you!... Shall I do some of my tricks?... Shall I beg?... Would you like to see me walk on my front paws or dance on my hind-legs?...
TYLTYL (_to the_ FAIRY) Who is this gentleman with the dog"s head?....
THE FAIRY Don"t you see? It"s the soul of TYLo whom you have set free....
THE CAT (_going up to_ MYTYL _and putting out his hand to her, with much ceremony and circ.u.mspection_) Good-morning, Miss.... How well you look this morning!...
MYTYL Good-morning, sir.... (_To the_ FAIRY) Who is it?...
THE FAIRY Why, don"t you see? Its the soul of Tylette offering you his hand.... Kiss him....
THE DOG (_hustling the_ CAT) Me, too!... I"ve kissed the little G.o.d!... I"ve kissed the little girl!...
I"ve kissed everybody!... Oh, grand!... What fun we shall have!... I"m going to frighten Tylette I Bow, wow, wow!...
THE CAT Sir, I don"t know you....
THE FAIRY (_threatening the_ DOG _with her stick_) Keep still, will you, or else you"ll go back into silence until the end of time....
(_Meanwhile, the enchantment has pursued its course: the spinning-wheel has begun to turn madly in its corner and to spin brilliant rays of light; the tap, in another corner, begins to sing in a very high voice and, turning into a luminous fountain, floods the sink with sheets of pearls and emeralds, through which darts the soul of_ WATER, _like a young girl, streaming, dishevelled and tearful, who immediately begins to fight with_ FIRE.)
TYLTYL And who is that wet lady?...
THE FAIRY Don"t be afraid. It"s Water just come from the tap....
(_The milk-jug upsets, falls from the table and smashes on the floor; and from the spilt milk there rises a tall, white, bashful figure who seems to be afraid of everything_.)
TYLTYL And the frightened lady in her nightgown?...
THE FAIRY That"s Milk; she has broken her jug....
(_The sugar-loaf, at the foot of the cupboard, grows taller and wider and splits its paper wrapper, whence issues a mawkish and hypocritical being, dressed in a long coat half blue and half white, who goes up to_ MYTYL _with a sanctimonious smile_.)
MYTYL (_greatly alarmed_) What does he want?...
THE FAIRY Why, he is the soul of Sugar!...
MYTYL (_rea.s.sured_) Has he any barley-sugar?...
THE FAIRY His pockets are full of it and each of his fingers is a sugar-stick....
(_The lamp falls from the table and, at the same moment, its flame springs up again and turns into a luminous maid of incomparable beauty. She is dressed in long transparent and dazzling veils and stands motionless in a sort of ecstasy_.)
TYLTYL It"s the Queen!...
MYTYL It"s the Blessed Virgin!...
THE FAIRY No, my children; it"s Light....
(_Meanwhile, the saucepans on the shelves spin round like tops; the linen-press throws open its folding-doors and unrolls a magnificent display of moon-coloured and sun-coloured stuffs, with which mingles a no less splendid array of rags and tatters that come down the ladder from the loft.
But, suddenly, three loud knocks are heard on the door at the right_.)
TYLTYL (_alarmed_) That"s daddy!... He"s heard us!...
THE FAIRY Turn the diamond!... From left to right!...
(TYLTYL _turns the diamond quickly_.) Not so quick!... Heavens! It"s too late!... You turned it too briskly; they will not have time to resume their places and we shall have a lot of annoyance....
(_The FAIRY becomes an old woman again, the walls of the cottage lose their splendour. The Hours go back into the clock, the spinning-wheel stops, etc. But, in the general hurry and confusion, while_ FIRE _runs madly round the room, looking for the chimney, one of the loaves of bread, who has been unable to squeeze into the pan, bursts into sobs and utters roars of fright_.)
THE FAIRY What"s the matter?...
BREAD (_in tears_) There"s no room in the pan!...
THE FAIRY (_stooping over the pan_) Yes, there is; yes, there is.... (_Pushing the other loaves, which have resumed their original places_.) Come, quick, make room there....
(_The knocking at the door is renewed_.)
BREAD (_utterly scared, vainly struggling to enter the pan_) I can"t get in!... He"ll eat me first!...