KATHERINE. We don"t know, dear.
OLIVE. I suppose Auntie Helen"ll stay with us till he does.
KATHERINE. Yes.
OLIVE. That"s something, isn"t it?
KATHERINE. [Picking her up] Now then!
OLIVE. [Deliciously limp] Had I better put in the duty to your neighbour if there isn"t a victory soon? [As they pa.s.s through the door] You"re tickling under my knee! [Little gurgles of pleasure follow. Then silence. Then a drowsy voice] I must keep awake for Daddy.
KATHERINE comes back. She is about to leave the door a little open, when she hears a knock on the other door. It is opened a few inches, and NURSE"S voice says: "Can I come in, Ma"am?" The NURSE comes in.
KATHERINE. [Shutting OLIVE"s door, and going up to her] What is it, Nurse?
NURSE. [Speaking in a low voice] I"ve been meaning to--I"ll never do it in the daytime. I"m giving you notice.
KATHERINE. Nurse! You too!
She looks towards OLIVE"S room with dismay. The NURSE smudges a slow tear away from her cheek.
NURSE. I want to go right away at once.
KATHERINE. Leave Olive! That is the sins of the fathers with a vengeance.
NURSE. I"ve had another letter from my son. No, Miss Katherine, while the master goes on upholdin" these murderin" outlandish creatures, I can"t live in this house, not now he"s coming back.
KATHERINE. But, Nurse----!
NURSE. It"s not like them [With an ineffable gesture] downstairs, because I"m frightened of the mob, or of the window"s bein" broke again, or mind what the boys in the street say. I should think not-- no! It"s my heart. I"m sore night and day thinkin" of my son, and him lying out there at night without a rag of dry clothing, and water that the bullocks won"t drink, and maggots in the meat; and every day one of his friends laid out stark and cold, and one day--"imself perhaps. If anything were to "appen to him. I"d never forgive meself--here. Ah! Miss Katherine, I wonder how you bear it--bad news comin" every day--And Sir John"s face so sad--And all the time the master speaking against us, as it might be Jonah "imself.
KATHERINE. But, Nurse, how can you leave us, you?
NURSE. [Smudging at her cheeks] There"s that tells me it"s encouragin" something to happen, if I stay here; and Mr. More coming back to-night. You can"t serve G.o.d and Mammon, the Bible says.
KATHERINE. Don"t you know what it"s costing him?
NURSE. Ah! Cost him his seat, and his reputation; and more than that it"ll cost him, to go against the country.
KATHERINE. He"s following his conscience.
NURSE. And others must follow theirs, too. No, Miss Katherine, for you to let him--you, with your three brothers out there, and your father fair wasting away with grief. Sufferin" too as you"ve been these three months past. What"ll you feel if anything happens to my three young gentlemen out there, to my dear Mr. Hubert that I nursed myself, when your precious mother couldn"t? What would she have said --with you in the camp of his enemies?
KATHERINE. Nurse, Nurse!
NURSE. In my paper they say he"s encouraging these heathens and makin" the foreigners talk about us; and every day longer the war lasts, there"s our blood on this house.
KATHERINE. [Turning away] Nurse, I can"t--I won"t listen.
NURSE. [Looking at her intently] Ah! You"ll move him to leave off!
I see your heart, my dear. But if you don"t, then go I must!
She nods her head gravely, goes to the door of OLIVE"S room, opens it gently, stands looking for a-moment, then with the words "My Lamb!" she goes in noiselessly and closes the door.
KATHERINE turns back to her gla.s.s, puts back her hair, and smooths her lips and eyes. The door from the corridor is opened, and HELEN"s voice says: "Kit! You"re not in bed?"
KATHERINE. No.
HELEN too is in a wrapper, with a piece of lace thrown over her head. Her face is scared and miserable, and she runs into KATHERINE"s arms.
KATHERINE. My dear, what is it?
HELEN. I"ve seen--a vision!
KATHERINE. Hssh! You"ll wake Olive!
HELEN. [Staring before her] I"d just fallen asleep, and I saw a plain that seemed to run into the sky--like--that fog. And on it there were--dark things. One grew into a body without a head, and a gun by its side. And one was a man sitting huddled up, nursing a wounded leg. He had the face of Hubert"s servant, Wreford. And then I saw--Hubert. His face was all dark and thin; and he had--a wound, an awful wound here [She touches her breast]. The blood was running from it, and he kept trying to stop it--oh! Kit--by kissing it [She pauses, stifled by emotion]. Then I heard Wreford laugh, and say vultures didn"t touch live bodies. And there came a voice, from somewhere, calling out: "Oh! G.o.d! I"m dying!" And Wreford began to swear at it, and I heard Hubert say: "Don"t, Wreford; let the poor fellow be!" But the voice went on and on, moaning and crying out: "I"ll lie here all night dying--and then I"ll die!" And Wreford dragged himself along the ground; his face all devilish, like a man who"s going to kill.
KATHERINE. My dear! HOW ghastly!
HELEN. Still that voice went on, and I saw Wreford take up the dead man"s gun. Then Hubert got upon his feet, and went tottering along, so feebly, so dreadfully--but before he could reach and stop him, Wreford fired at the man who was crying. And Hubert called out: "You brute!" and fell right down. And when Wreford saw him lying there, he began to moan and sob, but Hubert never stirred. Then it all got black again--and I could see a dark woman--thing creeping, first to the man without a head; then to Wreford; then to Hubert, and it touched him, and sprang away. And it cried out: "A-ai-ah!" [Pointing out at the mist] Look! Out there! The dark things!
KATHERINE. [Putting her arms round her] Yes, dear, yes! You must have been looking at the mist.
HELEN. [Strangely calm] He"s dead!
KATHERINE. It was only a dream.
HELEN. You didn"t hear that cry. [She listens] That"s Stephen.
Forgive me, Kit; I oughtn"t to have upset you, but I couldn"t help coming.
She goes out, KATHERINE, into whom her emotion seems to have pa.s.sed, turns feverishly to the window, throws it open and leans out. MORE comes in.
MORE. Kit!
Catching sight of her figure in the window, he goes quickly to her.
KATHERINE. Ah! [She has mastered her emotion.]
MORE. Let me look at you!
He draws her from the window to the candle-light, and looks long at her.
MORE. What have you done to your hair?
KATHERINE. Nothing.
MORE. It"s wonderful to-night.