TYLTYL
They're themselves again, they're themselves again!... How lovely they are, how lovely they are!... Jalline, Milette my darling, Aimette, Belline darling, Rosarelle, Roselle!... They are all as they were before and I love every one of them!... Let us kiss again, again, again!... Oh, let us kiss for ever!...
(At this moment, THE VEILED GIRL,who has played no part in the transfiguration or in the general ecstasy, staggers in her corner and, without uttering a sound, falls suddenly and unresistingly, like a statue, and lies motionless, stretched on the floor. Silence, terror and consternation, followed by cries and bustle; THE GIRLSrush to her assistance and gather eagerly round her.)
(At this moment, THE VEILED GIRL,who has played no part in the transfiguration or in the general ecstasy, staggers in her corner and, without uttering a sound, falls suddenly and unresistingly, like a statue, and lies motionless, stretched on the floor. Silence, terror and consternation, followed by cries and bustle; THE GIRLSrush to her assistance and gather eagerly round her.)
ROSELLE
(Lifting her up.) Help me, somebody!
ROSARELLE
She isn't hurt, is she?
ROSELLE
(Examining her anxiously.) No, no, I can't see anything.
AIMETTE
(Stroking her forehead.) She's breathing, she's sighing.
ROSARELLE
(Kissing her.) She has only fainted.... Tell us what you feel.... You're not in pain, dear, are you?
MILETTE
She doesn't answer.
JALLINE
(Taking one of her hands and stroking it.) Perhaps she's hungry.
MILETTE
(Stroking the other hand.) No, can't you feel? She's cold.
JALLINE
Will you have my cloak?
ROSELLE
No, no, it's not that.... What she wants is a drop of brandy.... I haven't my bottle.... And don't all crowd round her, she's suffocating. She wants air!...
ROSARELLE
(Supporting her head.) Have you some water there?... We ought to send for a doctor....
BELLINE
She's as white as marble.... She might be dead....
ROSARELLE
No, no, she's coming to.... I can hear her heart beating....
THE FAIRY
(Intervening.) Come, come, it's nothing.... I have practised medicine longer than men have and know a little more about it. Do not be uneasy; there is nothing to fear; I will undertake to cure her.... But we are wasting precious time, the night is passing and we shall get nothing done.... (ToTHE GIRLS.) Come, dears, go and dress yourselves; your cloaks are waiting for you and everything is ready. Just follow Light; she will advise you.... We will meet in the great ballroom of the palace.... (THE GIRLSgo out, preceded byLIGHT.ToDESTINY.) You too, Destiny, follow Light; you want another costume. You can't go as you are. One must not be conspicuous, especially at this moment.... (DESTINYobeys, grudgingly.) I don't quite know how to dress the fellow. However, Light will think of something: she has more imagination than I.... Let's see to the little patient. She's better.... (Helping her to rise.) There, there.... Sit down on this bench.... No?... You prefer to stand up?... As you please: in that case, lean against the column, for the walls will soon disappear.... Now that we are alone, Tyltyl, will you tell me at last, between ourselves, who that girl is?...
TYLTYL
But, ma'am, I don't know at all....
THE FAIRY
You must make an effort.... She can't live unless you remember who she is.... It's a great responsibility.
TYLTYL
But it's not my fault.... I've done what I could; I can't make it out.
THE FAIRY
So much the worse for you. I can't understand it either.... Come, get dressed. Here's the little jacket which Light brought you.... And now, with one stroke of the wand, we will enter the ballroom and see what your little friends have made of themselves. (She touches the panels of the closet, which disappear.)
A Ballroom in the Fairy's Palace(All that remains standing is the columns and aisles forming the portico of an immense, luminous room, which might have been hewn and carved out of a mountain of amber. Under the dazzling archesTHE SIX GIRLSmove about, arrayed in resplendent, trailing gowns, with their feet encased in gilt sandals, their hair hanging loose and their hands filled with flowers. They joyously beckon toTYLTYL,who, at first dumbfounded, rushes towards them and joins in their games and dances. THE VEILED GIRLalone stands on one side, leaning against the column.)
A Ballroom in the Fairy's Palace
(All that remains standing is the columns and aisles forming the portico of an immense, luminous room, which might have been hewn and carved out of a mountain of amber. Under the dazzling archesTHE SIX GIRLSmove about, arrayed in resplendent, trailing gowns, with their feet encased in gilt sandals, their hair hanging loose and their hands filled with flowers. They joyously beckon toTYLTYL,who, at first dumbfounded, rushes towards them and joins in their games and dances. THE VEILED GIRLalone stands on one side, leaning against the column.)
THE FAIRY
(ObservingDESTINY,draped in a long black cape, with a broad-brimmed Spanish sombrero on his head.) I say, there's Destiny!... She has dressed him like the villain in a play!... (Clapping her hands.) Come, children, it is time to be starting.... All this doesn't count: the real work is about to begin....
CURTAIN
Before the Curtain representing Rocks(EnterTYLTYLandLIGHT.)
Before the Curtain representing Rocks
(EnterTYLTYLandLIGHT.)
TYLTYL
(Out of breath, dropping on to a boulder.) They live a long way up, the Ancestors!... Aren't you tired?
LIGHT
No, I was born in the mountains.
TYLTYL
(Bending over a crevice.) You're not like Destiny, who has almost given out.... He's still at the bottom of the last precipice, with my little friends.... He stumbles at every step and is limping badly.... They won't be here yet awhile; and I am very glad to have a moment alone with you, before they come, for I have a lot of things to ask you....
LIGHT
Ask me anything you like, dear; I will do my best to answer.
TYLTYL
What do you think of these little friends of mine?... If you had to choose, which would you take?...
LIGHT
I like them all, but it is not for me to choose; no one but yourself can tell which one you love best.
TYLTYL
Ah, that's not so easy!... You see, I love them all!... For instance, I love little Jalline, the beggar's daughter: she is so gentle and sweet, such a darling!...
LIGHT
Yes, she is very attractive: a pretty little creature, with a pure and simple mind....
TYLTYL
But I also love the Mayor's daughter, Rosarelle.... She is really very beautiful, not a bit conceited and much better-educated than the others.... And then think of what she has done: she has left everything to go with me....
LIGHT
Yes, that is the proof of a real love....
TYLTYL
But I also love Roselle, the inn-keeper's daughter, who is a very pretty girl, so healthy and strong and frank and brave and cheerful and amusing: you can't think how kind and affectionate she is....
LIGHT
Yes, she has qualities; and I too find her very sympathetic....
TYLTYL
But I also love the wood-cutter's daughter, Milette.... She has such beautiful eyes and hair!... At first she seems a little awkward, a little shy; but it's quite different when you know her: she is really very playful and full of fun.... And then, have you noticed her mouth and her teeth?
LIGHT
Yes, I've noticed them....
TYLTYL
But I also love Belline, the butcher's daughter.... To begin with, she's my cousin; and one always loves one's cousins. And then there's something about her dark beautiful eyes that frightens me rather. I adore that.... But she's not unkind, not at all.... Have you noticed her smile? One can never tell exactly what it means....
LIGHT
Yes, she has a strange smile....
TYLTYL
But I also love the miller's daughter, Aimette.... To begin with, she's also my cousin.... She keeps her eyes lowered under her long, curling eyelashes; she blushes when you look at her and weeps when you speak to her.... She looks a little silly; well, she's not that at all. She's quite different when you know her a bit.... She's very bright and very jolly and whispers such nice, sweet things to you that you at once want to kiss her....
LIGHT
I can see that the choice will not be easy.
TYLTYL
Which do you think the best?
LIGHT
There are neither better nor worse; each one is as good as the other; and all are good when they suffer or when they love.
TYLTYL
The nuisance is that it seems you mustn't love more than one.... Tell me, though, is that true, or is it only one of the things people say to children just to keep them quiet?
LIGHT
No, it's true. When you love many, that merely shows that you haven't yet found the one whom you were to love.
TYLTYL
But, after all, you, who know everything and see everything, must know better than I and can tell me what I ought to do.
LIGHT
No, dear, that is beyond me, beyond the range of my sight. It is for this very reason that we are going to consult those who do know; and they are near at hand, because it is in you that they live. We seem to be taking a great journey: that is an illusion; we are not going outside yourself and all our adventures are happening within you.... But I hear your little friends. Where is your green hat?
TYLTYL
Here. I took it off because I felt hot.
LIGHT
Put it on again quickly, so that there may be no more misunderstandings, and turn the sapphire.
(He does so. Forthwith, on every side, all sorts of monsters emerge from the ground and from between the rocks: monsters with more or less human or animal shapes and grotesque, brutish or repulsive faces. They hustleTYLTYL,gather together and dance round him.)
(He does so. Forthwith, on every side, all sorts of monsters emerge from the ground and from between the rocks: monsters with more or less human or animal shapes and grotesque, brutish or repulsive faces. They hustleTYLTYL,gather together and dance round him.)
TYLTYL
(Terrified.) Hullo, hullo, what's all this?...
LIGHT
Nothing. You must have turned the sapphire from left to right.
TYLTYL
So I did, I believe; I forgot.... But what do they want with me? They are pushing up against me and snapping at my feet.
LIGHT
They won't hurt you; they are merely your own thoughts, which you sometimes secretly think; now you have set them free and they are showing themselves for an instant as they are.
TYLTYL
What!... Are my thoughts as ugly as that?... I should never have believed it!...
LIGHT
Don't take it so much to heart!... They are not as ugly as some, because you are still innocent and very young.... If you were to see those of other men!... Besides, you have beautiful ones; but they are more reluctant to show themselves.... However, I see the girls coming.... Turn the sapphire from right to left, so that we may get rid of these monsters, whom they must not see....
(He does so; and the creatures go back into the ground. EnterTHE SIX GIRLS,preceded byDESTINYand followed, at a distance, byTHE WHITE PHANTOM,who keeps on one side. They surroundTYLTYL,overwhelming him with caresses and all speaking at the same time.)
(He does so; and the creatures go back into the ground. EnterTHE SIX GIRLS,preceded byDESTINYand followed, at a distance, byTHE WHITE PHANTOM,who keeps on one side. They surroundTYLTYL,overwhelming him with caresses and all speaking at the same time.)
THE GIRLS
Good-evening, Tyltyl!... We've found you again!... We were so anxious about you!... We couldn't keep up with you.... Aren't you tired?... May we kiss you?... Destiny held us back.... I wanted to run.... He stood in the way.... Aren't you too hot?... Mind you don't catch cold.... Kiss me too!... And me too!... And me too!...
TYLTYL
(Distributing kisses all round.) My sweethearts!... What darlings you are, and how happy I feel!... I hope I have not made you walk too fast?... You must forgive me; I am rather in a hurry.... Jalline dear, you haven't hurt your foot, have you?... And you, Rosarelle? You are not used to climbing rocks.... Aimette's hands are cold and Roselle has made herself much too hot....
LIGHT
Come, we will talk about all this later. We must now hasten to the Ancestors, who are waiting for us and would be very much annoyed if we arrived late....
DESTINY
(Who has grown smaller still and is now hardly taller than a man of average height. He seems very tired and sits huddled on a boulder.) Not a step farther!...
TYLTYL
Hullo! You've grown a bit smaller again!...
DESTINY
I? I've not changed. I am always the same, I am....
TYLTYL
I know, I know.... It's Light being so near, perhaps....
DESTINY
Light and I have nothing in common.... In any event, I alone am master and I order a halt....
LIGHT
By all means; there is no need to go any farther. We have arrived; we are here without taking another step, at the abode of the Ancestors....
(The curtain parts and opens upon the next scene.)
(The curtain parts and opens upon the next scene.)
The Abode of the AncestorsA large open space, under an Elysian light, which imparts to all things an aspect of ethereal and lasting felicity and unchanging gladness. The back and the two sides of the square are formed of dwelling-places of different periods, some stately, some lowly, but all radiant and a little unreal. In the foreground, on the right, for instance, is the entrance to the cottage ofTYLTYL'Sgrandparents; next comes the gable of a farm-house of older date; then the front of a little eighteenth-century shop; and thus in succession, running from right to left and across the back, a seventeenth-century town-house, a sixteenth-century prison, tavern and hospital, a fifteenth-century mansion; some thirteenth-century hovels, a twelfth-century church, a Gallo-Roman farm and villa, and so on. Intersecting the background at the middle is a street in endless perspective, bordered with the very oldest houses and leading to the huts and caves of primitive mankind. In the foreground are a few stone benches standing under fine trees, laurels, plane-trees or cypresses.(TYLTYL, LIGHT, DESTINYandTHE SIX GIRLScome forward, followed at a distance byTHE WHITE PHANTOM,who keeps to one side as usual. They have taken but a few steps whenGAFFERandGRANNY TYLcome hurrying out of their cottage and, with exclamations of delight, throw themselves intoTYLTYL'Sarms.)
The Abode of the Ancestors
A large open space, under an Elysian light, which imparts to all things an aspect of ethereal and lasting felicity and unchanging gladness. The back and the two sides of the square are formed of dwelling-places of different periods, some stately, some lowly, but all radiant and a little unreal. In the foreground, on the right, for instance, is the entrance to the cottage ofTYLTYL'Sgrandparents; next comes the gable of a farm-house of older date; then the front of a little eighteenth-century shop; and thus in succession, running from right to left and across the back, a seventeenth-century town-house, a sixteenth-century prison, tavern and hospital, a fifteenth-century mansion; some thirteenth-century hovels, a twelfth-century church, a Gallo-Roman farm and villa, and so on. Intersecting the background at the middle is a street in endless perspective, bordered with the very oldest houses and leading to the huts and caves of primitive mankind. In the foreground are a few stone benches standing under fine trees, laurels, plane-trees or cypresses.
(TYLTYL, LIGHT, DESTINYandTHE SIX GIRLScome forward, followed at a distance byTHE WHITE PHANTOM,who keeps to one side as usual. They have taken but a few steps whenGAFFERandGRANNY TYLcome hurrying out of their cottage and, with exclamations of delight, throw themselves intoTYLTYL'Sarms.)
GRANNY TYL
Tyltyl! Tyltyl!... Gracious, you again!... But this time it's not a surprise. We were expecting you; we were told three days ago.... All the same, though, we're so glad to see you that it's difficult to believe at first.... But how big and strong you've grown, dear! And so good-looking: I should never have known you!... Oh, dear, how nice it is to get a kiss like this now and again!...
GAFFER TYL
Haven't you brought Mytyl this time?...
GRANNY TYL
Of course he hasn't; you know it's not her turn yet.... We know what you're here for, Tyltyl: it's not to see us! You needn't blush!... You young rascal, you scamp!... There, there, you're quite right; and the sooner you set about it the better.... So it's one of these girls they have to choose?
TYLTYL
Yes, Granny, it seems so.
GAFFER TYL
(Eyeing them like an expert.) Ho, ho!... And, my word, a very nice lot too! My compliments! I admire your taste.... (Pointing toROSELLE.) If I were you, I'd choose that one: she's the prettiest and the plumpest.
GRANNY TYL
Hold your tongue; no one's asking your advice: you know you've no say in the matter. We're still too young; we've hardly begun to get cold and haven't had time yet to pick up things.... It takes so long; there's so much to learn!... But the others, especially the oldest, who now are the youngest: it's they who know everything....
TYLTYL
What? The oldest are the youngest in this country?...
GRANNY TYL
Yes, it seems one gets younger as one grows older.... I'm beginning to notice it myself.
TYLTYL
That's odd.... But where on earth are they?... I see nobody....
GAFFER TYL
They'll come very soon.... I wonder they're not here yet.
TYLTYL
Are there many of them?
GRANNY TYL
What do you think! All your ancestors since the world began! There'd be so many that we shouldn't know where to put them!... But we shall only see a few of them. A good many are travelling in other worlds; and, as a fact, some of the oldest are always away. But those who are on the spot choose in the name of all. They always agree; and it seems they very seldom make a mistake.... But here's one coming out of his house. You see the little man shutting up his shop?
(A spruceLITTLE MANis seen leaving the eighteenth-century shop.)
(A spruceLITTLE MANis seen leaving the eighteenth-century shop.)
TYLTYL
Who's he?
GRANNY TYL
It's your grandfather's grandfather; he was a grocer at Versailles in the reign of Louis the Fifteenth.
TYLTYL
What funny clothes!
GRANNY TYL
He has put on the things which he wore in his shop.... Here, as a rule, the weather is so mild, the air so warm and balmy, that we've no need to dress ourselves; but you wouldn't be able to see us if we had no clothes; and so, in your honour, we've put on those we used to wear on earth.... It'll be quite amusing: some of them date back ever so far.... Look, there they come, out of the houses they once lived in....
(Enter from the town-house aCITIZENof the time of Louis XIV; from the sixteenth-century prison aPRISONERstill wearing chains and irons on his feet and hands. His shackles now seem to be light and cause him no inconvenience. He attractsTYLTYL'Sattention.)
(Enter from the town-house aCITIZENof the time of Louis XIV; from the sixteenth-century prison aPRISONERstill wearing chains and irons on his feet and hands. His shackles now seem to be light and cause him no inconvenience. He attractsTYLTYL'Sattention.)
TYLTYL
Who is that one? Was he chained up?
GRANNY TYL
Yes, he is one of your ancestors who spent nearly all his life in prison.
TYLTYL
It's not a thing to boast of; he'd have done better to stay at home.
GRANNY TYL
He did nothing wrong. He used to steal bread or other little things which one could eat, to keep his children from starving. He suffered a great deal; we think a lot of him....
(THE ANCESTORScontinue to leave their houses. An imposing and richly-dressedMANappears on the threshold of the fifteenth-century mansion.)
(THE ANCESTORScontinue to leave their houses. An imposing and richly-dressedMANappears on the threshold of the fifteenth-century mansion.)
TYLTYL
(Pointing to him.) And that one?
GAFFER TYL
That one is the richest.... It appears we were very rich at one time, but that didn't last.... However, it doesn't matter here: the only thing that counts, it seems, is what a man has done or thought.... For instance, you see those beggars over there, coming out of the church?
(Enter from the twelfth-century church some four or fiveBEGGARS,clad in rags that are pitiful to look at, but idealized by the fairy atmosphere.)
(Enter from the twelfth-century church some four or fiveBEGGARS,clad in rags that are pitiful to look at, but idealized by the fairy atmosphere.)
TYLTYL
Yes, any number of them.
GAFFER TYL
Well, it seems that several generations of us were beggars.... We succeeded one another, father and son, at the same church and in the same doorway. It was very good for us, they say. It taught us patience, resignation, endurance, temperance and the habit of never catching cold.... But do you see the oldest, the one who looks poorest of all?
TYLTYL
The one with the beautiful white beard?
GAFFER TYL
Precisely.... Well, he's the Great Mendicant, the one whom we respect most, first because he has an iron constitution and next because he appears to have thought a very great deal in his corner under the porch.... They say it's he who did most to develop our brains.
TYLTYL
But I don't see any women among them. Where are their wives? Weren't they married?
GRANNY TYL
Of course they were; but there's nothing for us women to do to-day. The men choose the women and the women the men.... When Mytyl comes, it will be our turn.
TYLTYL
Look, there are three more.
(A diseasedMANcomes out of the hospital; another, carrying a bottle and looking rather tipsy, out of the tavern; and, lastly, out of the prison, a third figure, hairy and savage of aspect, brandishing a blood-stained knife.)
(A diseasedMANcomes out of the hospital; another, carrying a bottle and looking rather tipsy, out of the tavern; and, lastly, out of the prison, a third figure, hairy and savage of aspect, brandishing a blood-stained knife.)
GAFFER TYL
(Dismayed.) I don't like this.... It's very tiresome that they should have been told....
TYLTYL
Why, who are they?
GAFFER TYL
An ugly lot, those three: the sick man, the drunkard and the murderer.... They've done us a deal of harm.
TYLTYL
Then there was a murderer in the family?
GAFFER TYL
Of course, as in every family. Fortunately, none of the three has much influence over us. As you see, they are small and sickly; they shrink from century to century and are nothing like as healthy as the others.... But it won't do for them to meddle in your choice.... If the Great Peasant, the Great Mendicant and the Great Ancestor are there, all will go well: the others won't dare to breathe a word; if not, they will try to force their choice upon you and that will be a bad thing for you and for the future of the entire family.
(Enter from the old farm-house a tallPEASANT,dressed in the mediaeval style. He closes the door carefully and steps forward whittling a switch.)
(Enter from the old farm-house a tallPEASANT,dressed in the mediaeval style. He closes the door carefully and steps forward whittling a switch.)
GAFFER TYL
Here comes the Great Peasant! That's good, that's good!
TYLTYL
That long, thin fellow?
GAFFER TYL
He certainly isn't fat; but he has great influence. He is one of the mainstays of the family.
(Next enter from the villa one or twoGALLO-ROMANSand then, from the hack of the street, among otherMENof the Stone Age, an exceedingly tall oldMAN,dressed in skins and leaning on a heavy club.)
(Next enter from the villa one or twoGALLO-ROMANSand then, from the hack of the street, among otherMENof the Stone Age, an exceedingly tall oldMAN,dressed in skins and leaning on a heavy club.)
TYLTYL
Why, we've got right back to savages now!
GAFFER TYL
That's the one!
TYLTYL
Who?
GAFFER TYL
The Great Ancestor!
TYLTYL
What? The one like an ape, with the big stick?
GAFFER TYL
Youmustbe quiet!... Don't treat him with disrespect!... It's a great favour that he's showing you; he doesn't often go out.... Of all our race he's the most important, the greatest, the most respected.... Everything's shaping well: it'll probably be he, the Great Peasant and the Great Mendicant who will put their heads together and choose your bride for you.
TYLTYL
(Indignantly.) But I won't have that!... It doesn't concern them!... What do they know about it?... A peasant, a savage and a beggar: what next?
GAFFER TYL
Hold your tongue, I say!... I tell you, they represent all that is best in you and in the whole family. If you obey them, if you submit to their influence, you will be happy and safe.... Mind now! They're coming....
(THE ANCESTORShave been gradually collecting at the back of the stage. They bow, accost one another, shake hands, exchange compliments. All show affectionate respect toTHE GREAT PEASANT, THE GREAT MENDICANTand especiallyTHE GREAT ANCESTOR,gathering around them and listening deferentially to what they say. On the other hand, THE SICK MAN, THE DRUNKARDandTHE MURDERERare left standing apart, forming a pitiful rear-guard. The group now moves towards the benches in the foreground, whereTYLTYLand his companions are gathered.)
(THE ANCESTORShave been gradually collecting at the back of the stage. They bow, accost one another, shake hands, exchange compliments. All show affectionate respect toTHE GREAT PEASANT, THE GREAT MENDICANTand especiallyTHE GREAT ANCESTOR,gathering around them and listening deferentially to what they say. On the other hand, THE SICK MAN, THE DRUNKARDandTHE MURDERERare left standing apart, forming a pitiful rear-guard. The group now moves towards the benches in the foreground, whereTYLTYLand his companions are gathered.)
THE GREAT ANCESTOR
(Coming forward.) Good-evening, Tyltyl!
TYLTYL
Good-evening ... sir!
THE GREAT ANCESTOR
Kiss me first. Don't be afraid. I look rather savage, but it is only a shape which I had to put on in order to make myself visible to you. I had no other handy.... But I am really quite clean and I don't smell bad.
TYLTYL
I never said you did!
THE GREAT ANCESTOR
No, but to judge by the grimace you made you weren't quite sure!... (Sitting down on the middle bench.) I will sit down here; the Great Mendicant will take his seat on my right and the Great Peasant on my left. They don't smell either.... (THE GREAT MENDICANTandTHE GREAT PEASANTtake their seats; the otherANCESTORSstand behind him.) And I will take you on my knees.... I am glad to hold you in my arms for a moment.... We have known each other so long!
TYLTYL
I don't remember ever seeing you before.
THE GREAT ANCESTOR
And yet we have always lived in each other; for you were already living in me when I was on earth; and now I live in you while you are still on that same earth, which we seem to have quitted.... But what do you think of this place of ours?... Let me have the pleasure of showing you over your home.
TYLTYL
My home?
THE GREAT ANCESTOR
Certainly.... You are at home here.... And a very nice home it is.... Everything you see—this square, that prison, the church, those houses, we who live in them—all this is really only inside yourself.... People rarely see it, they don't even suspect it; but it's true.
TYLTYL
I should never have thought there was so much room inside myself and that it was so large....
THE GREAT ANCESTOR
It's much larger really; there's a great deal that you don't see.... But that is not what interests us to-day; let us come straight to the point, to the great question that brings you here.... We are going to choose the woman whom you are to love....
TYLTYL
Since you are so kind, there's one thing I should like to ask you....
THE GREAT ANCESTOR
Ask me any questions you please.
TYLTYL
How is it that I have not, like other men, the right to choose the woman I love?
THE GREAT ANCESTOR
But you have the right to choose and are here for the sole purpose of making that choice.
TYLTYL
No, they tell me that it's you and the others who will make it.
THE GREAT ANCESTOR
But I and the others are all you.... You are we, we are you; and it's all the same thing.
TYLTYL
Not for me.... They keep on telling me to hold my tongue, that it's not my business, that it's no concern of mine.... Everybody's allowed to get a word in, except me.... I've had enough, I'm sick and tired of it!... Where do I come in? That's what I want to know!
THE GREAT ANCESTOR
You're simply acting as all men act when they think they are doing what they want to do.
TYLTYL
But, after all, dash it, what business is it of yours? I can understand, in a way, that the children I may one day have should claim some right to select their mother; but the rest of you, over here, what difference can it make to you?
THE GREAT ANCESTOR
Don't you see that it's all the same? Those who have lived in you live in you just as much as those who are going to. There is no difference, it all connects and it's still the same family.
TYLTYL
As you please, but I can't make it out.... And, if I refuse to obey, if I love just for myself, if I take a different girl from the one they want to force on me, what will they do then? What will happen?
THE GREAT ANCESTOR
Merely this, that the choice you will have made for yourself, without our approval, will not be a real choice; in other words, you will not love the woman whom you thought you loved. You will have made a mistake, you will be unhappy and, at the same time, you will make all of us unhappy, those who came before you as well as those who come after.
TYLTYL
Does that often happen?
THE GREAT ANCESTOR
Very often, far too often: that is why you see so many unhappy people on earth.
TYLTYL
Well, what am I to do?
THE GREAT ANCESTOR
Where are your little friends?... Would you mind coming a little nearer, dear ladies?... (Gazing with attention atTHE SIX GIRLS,who come forward and stand in front of him.) Well, well, you have set us our task, but you have made it very difficult: how is one to select when all are equally beautiful?
THE GREAT MENDICANT
They are really very handsome.
THE GREAT PEASANT
And they appear to be very healthy, very quiet and very hard-working.
THE GREAT ANCESTOR
Do you recognize the one among them for whom we are waiting?
THE GREAT MENDICANT
Not yet.
THE GREAT ANCESTOR
It's strange, neither do I.... (ToTHE GREAT PEASANT.) And you?
THE GREAT PEASANT
I can't say that I don't and I can't say that I do.
THE GREAT ANCESTOR
It's strange, very strange. And yet we know that the one who will make us happy has arrived and is here among us. We generally recognize her at the first glance.
THE GREAT MENDICANT
I can't understand it.
THE RICH ANCESTOR
(Standing behind the bench, pointing toROSARELLE.) Isn't it that one?... What's your name, my dear?
ROSARELLE
Rosarelle.
THE RICH ANCESTOR
Who are you?
ROSARELLE
The daughter of the Mayor.
THE RICH ANCESTOR
Are you rich?
ROSARELLE
My father has money, I believe.
THE RICH ANCESTOR
You see? There is no doubt about it.
THE SICK ANCESTOR
(Pointing toAIMETTE.) I say it's that one.
THE DRUNKEN ANCESTOR
(Taking hold ofROSELLE.) This is the one I want.
THE MURDERER ANCESTOR
(Leaping over the bench and taking hold ofBELLINE.) And I take this one!
THE GREAT ANCESTOR
(Rising, in an authoritative tone.) Be silent ... and withdraw!...(With an imperious gesture.) Begone!... You know that you have lost the right to raise your voice in my presence!...
(The four dissentientANCESTORS,addressed in these terms, move away crestfallen.)
(The four dissentientANCESTORS,addressed in these terms, move away crestfallen.)
THE OTHER ANCESTORS
(Grouped behind the bench, clapping their hands.) Hear! Hear!... Well done!... It's what they deserve!... They have been wrong too often!... They have done too much harm!... They would be the ruin of the family!...
JALLINE
(Going toTHE GREAT MENDICANTand clasping his knees.) Perhaps I'm the one.... I love him so!
MILETTE
(Going toTHE GREAT PEASANTand clasping his knees.) If you want to know how much I love him, look at me and see.
AIMETTE
(Going toTHE GREAT ANCESTORand clasping his knees.) Can't you see that I have loved him longer than the others? I have loved him since I first set eyes on him. I never dared say so; but I feel that I shall die if you choose another.
THE GREAT ANCESTOR
My poor children, it is very sad, but my hands are tied. You will perhaps cry for a few hours; but, if we chose one of you, she would spend her whole life crying, for I do not see among you the one for whom we are waiting.... Tyltyl!
TYLTYL
Yes?
THE GREAT ANCESTOR
Have you brought us no one else, besides those we see here?
TYLTYL
No, no one else.
THE GREAT MENDICANT
I see a tall white figure over there, against a tree; who is it?
TYLTYL
I really don't know. She follows us all the time, squeezes in wherever we go, nobody knows her; and we can't get rid of her.
THE GREAT ANCESTOR
Go and fetch her.
(TYLTYLfetchesTHE WHITE PHANTOMand brings her back, holding her by the hand.)
(TYLTYLfetchesTHE WHITE PHANTOMand brings her back, holding her by the hand.)
THE GREAT ANCESTOR
Who are you?
TYLTYL
It's no use asking her. She never answers; she can't talk.
THE GREAT ANCESTOR
(ToTHE PHANTOM.) Come nearer, child, and let me lift the veil that covers your face.... (He removes the veil. The statue's face appears, absolutely white, featureless and devoid of human expression.) She has no face.... (To the otherANCESTORSstanding around them.) Do you know her?
THE GREAT PEASANT
She has no expression.
THE GREAT MENDICANT
She has no features.... She is like an unfinished statue.
THE GREAT ANCESTOR
What are we to do? It must be she. But who is she? She is not dead, or we should know it.... Come, Tyltyl, make an effort, for everything depends on you. You must remember....
TYLTYL
I have tried my utmost.... Do what I will, I can't remember at all.
THE GREAT ANCESTOR
Listen, it is a serious matter. If we do not succeed in recognizing her, all your life, all your happiness on earth will be nothing more than a phantom like herself.... There is one last resource, one last hope, which is that the children who are to be born of you may discover who she is and that she is to be their mother. They see much farther and deeper than we. But there is no time to lose; for this waiting and this living in suspense are very dangerous for her. We must be quick therefore; we must not waste a moment ... go, my little Tyltyl. You have been very good and patient, very obedient and faithful to your race throughout this ordeal. Take this kiss and farewell.... You too, my dears, let me give you the parting kiss. Do not be too sad; another happiness awaits you. There is more than one kind on that poor misguided earth of yours. You have deserved every happiness that it can give.... Good-bye, my dear daughters; good-bye, good-bye, my son. And we will meet again whenever you wish: you know where to find us and we shall be waiting for you....
(The Scene grows dark and disappears from view; the Curtain of Rocks closes; andTYLTYL, THE GIRLS, LIGHTandDESTINYare once more alone among the boulders.)
(The Scene grows dark and disappears from view; the Curtain of Rocks closes; andTYLTYL, THE GIRLS, LIGHTandDESTINYare once more alone among the boulders.)
DESTINY
(SeizingTYLTYL'Shand.) This way, this way!... Thanks to me, it went off very well!... I said nothing about it; but it was I who foresaw everything and planned everything; and all that has been done was ordained by me....
(They all go out.)
(They all go out.)
CURTAIN
Before the Curtain representing the Milky Way(EnterTYLTYLandLIGHT.)
Before the Curtain representing the Milky Way
(EnterTYLTYLandLIGHT.)
TYLTYL
Where are we?
LIGHT
Near to the stars and yet within yourself. Before you is the great veil of the Milky Way. Beyond it stretches the region in which your unborn children are waiting to show you the mother whom they have chosen.
TYLTYL
It's a little like the Kingdom of the Future in "The Blue Bird."
LIGHT
Perhaps; and yet not quite the same thing. There it was the whole kingdom, with everybody's children; here it is only a province, in which are no children but yours.
TYLTYL
Have I many?
LIGHT
As many children as you have ancestors, as innumerable and no less infinite. But, as with the Ancestors, we shall see only those who are nearest to you, especially the youngest and smallest.
TYLTYL
Why the smallest?
LIGHT
Because they are nearest to their birth. As this approaches, they grow smaller and younger; so that the youngest, who are the first to be born, can hardly walk or stand.
TYLTYL
And the others? Are there any big ones?
LIGHT
There are children of all sizes, but I do not know that we shall see the biggest, that is to say, those who will be born hundreds or thousands of years hence.... There will not have been time to tell them; they do not keep close to the doors, like the very little ones, but wander far away waiting for their time to come.
TYLTYL
They must find it very tiresome to be kept waiting like that!
LIGHT
Nothing is ever tiresome in infinity. Besides they have to learn here all that they will forget on earth.
TYLTYL
It seems hardly worth while then, to take so much trouble!
LIGHT
Oh, but it is! Something always remains and helps to build up the deep happiness of life.
TYLTYL
Well, so much the better for them! As for me, I shall soon know what I am to do. I hope we shall get through to-day, because, you see, I'd like to have things settled.... But where on earth can they be, those girls of mine and Destiny? (Looking below him, on the right.) The poor little dears are up to their knees in the snow. This place is even higher and more difficult to get at than where the Ancestors lived.
LIGHT
(Looking down.) They are not very far away.... But you have taken off your hat again; that's a bad habit of yours. Put it on quickly, before they come, and be careful to make no mistake this time, for, if you do, the result may be very unpleasant.
(TYLTYLputs on his hat and turns the sapphire. Forthwith from the earth and from every side little creatures of different sizes appear, dressed like him and resembling him in nearly every respect. They surround him, rush against him, hustle him and try to drag him, some to the right, others to the left, while he struggles in the midst of them without knowing to which he should give his attention.)
(TYLTYLputs on his hat and turns the sapphire. Forthwith from the earth and from every side little creatures of different sizes appear, dressed like him and resembling him in nearly every respect. They surround him, rush against him, hustle him and try to drag him, some to the right, others to the left, while he struggles in the midst of them without knowing to which he should give his attention.)
TYLTYL
(Distraught.) Hullo, hullo, what's all this? What does it mean? That sapphire really is becoming impossible!
LIGHT
Don't worry: you'll have turned it the wrong way again. What did you do?
TYLTYL
How can I tell?... This is getting too much for me! Too mixed up, really.... I must have pressed it instead of turning it.
LIGHT
That's what I thought. You have simply released some of your other "You's."
TYLTYL
(Dumbfounded.) Some of my other "Me's"?
LIGHT
Yes, what I mean is that you are not alone inside yourself and that....
TYLTYL
(More and more dumbfounded.) I am not alone inside myself?...
LIGHT
Why, no, there are a number of other personalities there, more or less like you and all the time trying to get the upper hand.
TYLTYL
No, but really, what else is there inside me? I must be a sort of menagerie or Noah's ark! There's no end to it!
LIGHT
That's true: there would be no end if we had the time to go into it all.... But press the sapphire down now and all will be well.
(TYLTYLpresses the sapphire and all hisDOUBLESdisappear.)
(TYLTYLpresses the sapphire and all hisDOUBLESdisappear.)
TYLTYL
My word! A good riddance!... Well, as you say, they may be the least bit like me, but some of them are very ugly. Particularly a big dark one, who kept on tripping me up and very nearly made me fall.
LIGHT
Of course, there are some of all kinds, as in every man. One must learn to choose the best and avoid the worst.... But here come your little friends.
(Enter firstTHE WHITE PHANTOM.)
(Enter firstTHE WHITE PHANTOM.)
TYLTYL
(Amazed.) Hullo!... What's the matter with her?... She seems quite in a hurry to-day and moves like an angel.
(Enter nextMILETTE, BELLINE, ROSELLEandROSARELLE,followed byAIMETTEandJalline,who are supportingDESTINYbetween them. He is now a head shorter thanTYLTYL,wears the same tragic costume as before, seems very weary and sinks down on a heap of snow.)
(Enter nextMILETTE, BELLINE, ROSELLEandROSARELLE,followed byAIMETTEandJalline,who are supportingDESTINYbetween them. He is now a head shorter thanTYLTYL,wears the same tragic costume as before, seems very weary and sinks down on a heap of snow.)
TYLTYL
(Going to him, with a certain solicitude.) Are you ill?
DESTINY
I? Not at all: I am always the same, I am unchangeable.... But when you alone are responsible for everything, when you have to manage everything, direct everything and foresee everything and when nobody helps you (casting an aggressive eye onLIGHT), you are entitled to a moment's rest.... I therefore order a halt. It is decided irrevocably: to-day we go no farther.
LIGHT Admirable! And so it shall be, for we have arrived; and with Destiny's permission, we shall find ourselves, without taking another step, among the children who are awaiting us....
(The curtain parts and opens upon the next scene.)
(The curtain parts and opens upon the next scene.)
The Abode of the ChildrenThe immense halls, the lofty vaults, the infinite perspectives of arches and columns of the Kingdom of the Future in "The Blue Bird"; but this time, it being the nuptial hour, everything is of a soft, milky white, gleaming and transparent. The radiant shapes of amber-coloured light bathe in unspeakable gladness all the things that they touch; and everywhere are signs of a deep and unfaltering joy. The boundless horizon stretches towards the veiled white of the Milky Way, the ether quivering with myriads of unknown stars.(When the curtain opens, TYLTYL, LIGHT, DESTINYandTHE SIX GIRLSare in the foreground, on the right, at the foot of one of the alabaster columns supporting the entrance-arch. They take a few steps into the immense deserted hall, whileTHE WHITE PHANTOMhides timidly behind the column.)
The Abode of the Children
The immense halls, the lofty vaults, the infinite perspectives of arches and columns of the Kingdom of the Future in "The Blue Bird"; but this time, it being the nuptial hour, everything is of a soft, milky white, gleaming and transparent. The radiant shapes of amber-coloured light bathe in unspeakable gladness all the things that they touch; and everywhere are signs of a deep and unfaltering joy. The boundless horizon stretches towards the veiled white of the Milky Way, the ether quivering with myriads of unknown stars.
(When the curtain opens, TYLTYL, LIGHT, DESTINYandTHE SIX GIRLSare in the foreground, on the right, at the foot of one of the alabaster columns supporting the entrance-arch. They take a few steps into the immense deserted hall, whileTHE WHITE PHANTOMhides timidly behind the column.)
TYLTYL
(A little disappointed.) There's nobody here!...
LIGHT
I know why it is. There are several doors; as you were all very tired, I chose the one that was nearest. They are probably waiting for us at the principal entrance.
TYLTYL
How shall we let them know?
LIGHT
The atmosphere will do that: here everything is known immediately and every event happens everywhere at the same moment.
TYLTYL
It's a very fine place, this: splendid large rooms and a very high ceiling; lots of light and air....
LIGHT
And it's still always inside yourself.
TYLTYL
What, this is inside me too?
LIGHT
Why, yes; of course it is.
TYLTYL
Very well, then; that's all right. Please step in: you're very welcome. Won't you sit down while you wait?
LIGHT
We shall not have long to wait, for I believe they have seen us.
(A CHILD'Shead appears for an instant between two columns and is then briskly withdrawn, exclaiming, "This way! This way! They're here!"Soon after, seven or eightCHILDRENof about twelve years of age, in short white tunics, with bare arms, legs and feet, run up from the back of the hall and stop in front of the visitors. The largest holds out his hand toTYLTYL.)
(A CHILD'Shead appears for an instant between two columns and is then briskly withdrawn, exclaiming, "This way! This way! They're here!"Soon after, seven or eightCHILDRENof about twelve years of age, in short white tunics, with bare arms, legs and feet, run up from the back of the hall and stop in front of the visitors. The largest holds out his hand toTYLTYL.)
THE CHILD
Good-evening, grandpapa!
TYLTYL
Grandpapa?... Who's that?... Where is he?...
THE CHILD
(Bursting into laughter.) Why, it's you!
TYLTYL
(Dumbfounded.) I? Am I a grandpapa already?
THE CHILD
Of course you are, eighty times over!... We are the first to arrive. The others are on their way.... (To the otherCHILDREN.) He doesn't seem to believe it!
ANOTHER CHILD
You might give us a kiss.
TYLTYL
(Kissing them all.) I will! I will!... But how do I come to be a grandpapa?
THE CHILD
Surely it's quite simple: you will be our grandpapa when we are your grandchildren.
TYLTYL
Obviously, that's clear.... So you exist already?
THE CHILD
Naturally, since you yourself exist.... I say, are those the grandmammas you're bringing us?
TYLTYL
Yes; it seems you're to pick out the best one.
ANOTHER CHILD
(Clapping his hands and dancing for joy.) Oh, how pretty they are!... (Throwing himself intoJALLINE'Sarms.) I take this one, because she is so soft!...
ANOTHER CHILD
(Throwing his arms roundAIMETTE'Sneck.) And I this one, because she is so sad!...
ANOTHER CHILD
(KissingROSELLE.) I choose this one, because's she's always laughing!...
THREE OTHER CHILDREN
(Each taking one ofTHE GIRLS,kissing and fondling her and laughing and skipping with delight.) And I choose this one, because she smells so nice!... I choose this one!... I choose this one!...
THE FIRST CHILD
(Intervening.) One moment, one moment, if you please.... This has nothing to do with us; our turn will come. You know that only the smallest have the right to choose who is to be their mother. All we have to do is to help them with our advice and to stop them if they make mistakes; but that's a thing which has never happened yet. They were quite some distance away, at the principal gate, but they won't be long now.
TYLTYL
Here come some bigger ones!
(Enter a new group ofCHILDREN,apparently about fifteen years of age. The oldest goes toTYLTYLand shakes hands with him.)
(Enter a new group ofCHILDREN,apparently about fifteen years of age. The oldest goes toTYLTYLand shakes hands with him.)
THE OLDEST CHILD
Good-evening, great-grandfather!...
TYLTYL
Who's that? I? I'm a great-grandfather now!...
THE OLDEST CHILD
Of course you are!... I am very glad to see you for a minute, for we shall most nicely not have the pleasure of meeting on earth.... Well, I understand that your visit to the Ancestors was not much of a success.
TYLTYL
Let's rather put it that they hadn't quite made up their minds. But how is it that you already know what happened there?
THE OLDEST CHILD
Why, of course we know everything that happens inside you; we're there ourselves. Besides, there's very little that separates us from the Ancestors: our interests are the same and our paths often meet.
THE FIRST CHILD
Look out! Here are the little ones!... I see five coming.... There's only one missing, the littlest....
(From the back of the halls come fiveLITTLE CHILDRENholding one another's hands.)
(From the back of the halls come fiveLITTLE CHILDRENholding one another's hands.)
TYLTYL
Who are those five little ones? They are very sweet.
THE FIRST CHILD
Why, they are your children: two boys and three girls!
TYLTYL
Mine? Shall I have five children?
THE FIRST CHILD
Six, you will have six, for the last little one isn't here yet.... I promise you, the world can do with them, after what people have been up to, down there!...
TYLTYL
But I shall never be able to feed them all!...
(THE FIVE LITTLE ONES,still holding hands, have stopped in front ofTHE SIX GIRLSand stand looking at them solemnly, without speaking. By degrees, the halls have become filled with a host of otherCHILDRENwho gather roundTHE FIVE LITTLE ONESand watch them. The silence at last becomes irksome andTYLTYLbreaks it.)
(THE FIVE LITTLE ONES,still holding hands, have stopped in front ofTHE SIX GIRLSand stand looking at them solemnly, without speaking. By degrees, the halls have become filled with a host of otherCHILDRENwho gather roundTHE FIVE LITTLE ONESand watch them. The silence at last becomes irksome andTYLTYLbreaks it.)
TYLTYL
Well, children, aren't you going to kiss your papa?
THE YOUNGEST CHILD
(Ordering him with a serious gesture to be silent.) Mamma first.... Where is she?
TYLTYL
Why, she must be here; she's one of those. You have only to choose.
THE YOUNGEST CHILD
(To the one beside him.) Do you see her?
THE OTHER
(Shaking his head sadly.) No.
THE THREE OTHERS
(In succession.) No more do I.... No more do I.... No more do I....
JALLINE
(Rushing forward, catching hold of one of theCHILDRENand kissing him.) But that's impossible!... Here, look at me?... Don't you see how much I'll love you?...
THE CHILD
Yes, but you're not the one.
ROSELLE
(Taking anotherCHILDon her knees.) And me? Won't you have me for your mamma?
THE CHILD
No, no, it's not you.
ROSARELLE
(Catching hold of anotherCHILD.) And me? Don't you love me? You'll see how happy we shall be!... We shall have a lovely house full of toys and I shall give you everything you want....
THE CHILD
(Vainly trying to contain its tears.) No, no!...
BELLINE
(TakingTHE YOUNGEST.) Look here, you seem to know more than the others.... Don't you recognize me?... Are you fond of sweets?...
THE YOUNGEST CHILD
(Struggling until she lets him go and crying without disguise.) Let me go! Let me go!
TYLTYL
Here's a pretty business! He's crying!... And the other one as well!... But what do they want?... They're very hard to please....
(THE YOUNGEST CHILDwipes his eyes and takes the hand of the next, who does the same by his neighbour, until they all hold hands again.)
(THE YOUNGEST CHILDwipes his eyes and takes the hand of the next, who does the same by his neighbour, until they all hold hands again.)
THE YOUNGEST CHILD
Come!...
(THE FIVE LITTLE CHILDRENmove away, with staid dignity, and go out on the left.)
(THE FIVE LITTLE CHILDRENmove away, with staid dignity, and go out on the left.)
TYLTYL
What's the matter with them? Where are they going?
ONE OF THE BIG CHILDREN
They are going to the other door.
ANOTHER
They are going to fetch the smallest of them all.
ANOTHER
The smaller they are, the more they know.
THE FIRST CHILD
But where is he, the smallest one? Haven't you seen him?
ANOTHER
No, no one has seen him since this morning.... It's strange, for he is always with his little sisters.
TYLTYL
(Looking at the throng ofCHILDRENfilling the halls.) How many there are!
ONE OF THE BIG CHILDREN
It's only one part of the family.
A CHILD
(Which has been following the progress ofTHE FIVE CHILDRENwith his eyes.) They are stopping at the third door.
TYLTYL
Who?
THE CHILD
The five little ones.
ANOTHER CHILD
They seem to be looking for something.
THE FIRST CHILD
Let us go and see what they're doing. They know what they know.
OTHER CHILDREN
Yes, yes, let us all go.... They know, they know!
(A great stir in the crowd ofCHILDREN.They all run in the same direction and go out on the left. In a moment the hall is emptied of all exceptTYLTYL, LIGHT, THE SIX GIRLSandDESTINY.)
(A great stir in the crowd ofCHILDREN.They all run in the same direction and go out on the left. In a moment the hall is emptied of all exceptTYLTYL, LIGHT, THE SIX GIRLSandDESTINY.)
TYLTYL
Let us go after them too!
(He goes out, followed by LIGHT andTHE SIX GIRLS,withDESTINYbringing up the rear. The only occupant of the stage isTHE WHITE PHANTOM,whom everybody has overlooked and who has never left the column on the right against which she has been leaning. The stage remains empty for a moment and then, from the back of the halls, comes aCHILDeven smaller than the youngest of theFIVE LITTLE ONES.He walks with resolute step; on reaching the columns in the foreground, he appears to take his bearings, turns his head to right and left and then, suddenly, goes straight toTHE WHITE PHANTOM,in front of whom he stops and takes up his stand, contemplating her at length, gravely and silently, with his finger in his mouth. At last he puts out one hand and takesTHE PHANTOMby the hem of her dress.)
(He goes out, followed by LIGHT andTHE SIX GIRLS,withDESTINYbringing up the rear. The only occupant of the stage isTHE WHITE PHANTOM,whom everybody has overlooked and who has never left the column on the right against which she has been leaning. The stage remains empty for a moment and then, from the back of the halls, comes aCHILDeven smaller than the youngest of theFIVE LITTLE ONES.He walks with resolute step; on reaching the columns in the foreground, he appears to take his bearings, turns his head to right and left and then, suddenly, goes straight toTHE WHITE PHANTOM,in front of whom he stops and takes up his stand, contemplating her at length, gravely and silently, with his finger in his mouth. At last he puts out one hand and takesTHE PHANTOMby the hem of her dress.)
THE SMALLEST OF THEM ALL
Is it ... really you?
THE PHANTOM
(Speaking for the first time and struggling to find her voice, which seems to come from far away and to stick in her throat.) Yes.
THE SMALLEST OF THEM ALL
I knew it. Come....
THE PHANTOM
Where to?
THE SMALLEST OF THEM ALL
Over here.... I'm going to tell the others....
THE PHANTOM
Not yet.... I can't yet....
THE SMALLEST OF THEM ALL
(Still dragging her by her dress towards a marble bench which stands between the columns in the foreground.) Come.... (He makes her sit down, settles her on the bench, caresses her and kisses her.) Come ... it's you.... I knew it.... I'm kissing you.... Don't you know how to kiss yet? (THE PHANTOMshakes her head.) No?... Like this.... I'll teach you.... (He kisses and caresses her slowly and deliberately.) You're no longer cold?
THE PHANTOM
(Smiling at last.) No.
THE SMALLEST OF THEM ALL
(Still kissing her.) You see, that's better already.
(UnderTHE CHILD'Skisses and caresses, THE STATUEhas gradually taken life: the eyes open, the lips flutter, the face begins to colour, the body loses its terrible stiffness, the arms become supple and circle round theTHE CHILD'Sneck.)
(UnderTHE CHILD'Skisses and caresses, THE STATUEhas gradually taken life: the eyes open, the lips flutter, the face begins to colour, the body loses its terrible stiffness, the arms become supple and circle round theTHE CHILD'Sneck.)
THE SMALLEST OF THEM ALL
(Nestling against her.) You're better, aren't you?... Not sleepy any more?... How good it is, being together!... They're still looking for you, you know.... And it's I who found you!... I knew, I knew....
THE PHANTOM
So did I, so did I.... I was waiting....
THE SMALLEST OF THEM ALL
It's splendid, isn't it?... (Nestling more closely.) Oh, such fun!... Do you like it too?
THE PHANTOM
Yes.... Yes, I am happy.
THE SMALLEST OF THEM ALL
Why aren't you laughing?
THE PHANTOM
Because I am too happy.
THE SMALLEST OF THEM ALL
So am I, so am I!... Don't look: I'm going to cry a little, but it doesn't mean anything....
THE PHANTOM
(Beginning to return his kisses and caresses.) I'm going to cry too.
THE SMALLEST OF THEM ALL
(Intoxicated with rapture.) You're kissing me!... Mummy!... Then it's true, then it's true, it is you!... Again, again!... No, not any more: I can't bear it!... Will they understand, will they be able to understand?
THE PHANTOM
Call them, it is time.
THE SMALLEST OF THEM ALL
Don't cover your face: they wouldn't see it and they wouldn't believe me.... (Drawing aside the veils.) Oh, mummy, how lovely you are!... (Her hair spreads all over her shoulders.) Oh, mummy, your hair!... What lots of it!... There, that's much better, I can kiss you better so.... (Listening.) Listen, they're coming back! They're here!
(THE FIVE LITTLE ONEScome rushing headlong into the hall.)
(THE FIVE LITTLE ONEScome rushing headlong into the hall.)
THE FIVE LITTLE ONES
Where is she?... Where is she?... Where is she?...
THE SMALLEST OF THEM ALL
(Standing up on the bench, beside hisMOTHER,showing her to the others and dancing with delight.) Here! Here!... She's here, she's here!... I found her!...
(THE MOTHERtries to rise and take them in her arms, but they do not give her time. They fling themselves upon her, load her with kisses and caresses, make her sit down again and clamber on her knees, swarming and scrambling over her and all speaking together.)
(THE MOTHERtries to rise and take them in her arms, but they do not give her time. They fling themselves upon her, load her with kisses and caresses, make her sit down again and clamber on her knees, swarming and scrambling over her and all speaking together.)
THE FIVE LITTLE ONES
It's she!... It's she!... It's mummy!... Where was she?... Did you know her?... I should think so! I should think so!... You too? Yes, I too, I too!... You're taking up all the room!... You're kissing her all the time!... It's not fair, it's my turn!... She's my mummy too!... We looked for you so hard!... We waited for you so long!... She is lovely, isn't she?... She's the loveliest of them all!... There's no one like her!... Tell us, tell us!... What?... I love you! Do you love me?... Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss!... What sweet things mummies are!... How delicious it is to kiss!... To think one didn't know!... All for us, all for us!... The only happiness!... You're everything in the world to us, we're everything in the world to you!... I dote on you!... I say, do you know me? I shall be the second.... And I the third.... And I the last!... Kiss me first, I shall have the longest to wait!... She's laughing!... She's happy too!... Answer us, speak to us!... Your arm, I want to feel your arm round my neck!... Mine too, mine too!... Don't go away, whatever you do!... We don't know where we are, we're mad with delight!... We can't wait any longer!...
(While they are thus kissing and talking, the other, BIGGER CHILDREN,those of the future generations, gradually return and fill the halls again. The first arrivals stop behind the group formed byTHE MOTHERandTHE SIX LITTLE ONES;and whispers are heard and rise from the growing crowd: "They've found her!... They've found her!.... It's she!... How happy they are!... How beautiful she is!... How kind she looks!... Can we kiss her?... Wait, wait, it's their turn now!... Ours will come!..." TYLTYL,followed byLIGHT, THE SIX GIRLSandDESTINY,now enters the hall. THE CHILDRENfall back to let him pass. THE SMALLEST OF THEM ALLsees him first, goes to him and, taking him by the hand, leads him toTHE MOTHER.)
(While they are thus kissing and talking, the other, BIGGER CHILDREN,those of the future generations, gradually return and fill the halls again. The first arrivals stop behind the group formed byTHE MOTHERandTHE SIX LITTLE ONES;and whispers are heard and rise from the growing crowd: "They've found her!... They've found her!.... It's she!... How happy they are!... How beautiful she is!... How kind she looks!... Can we kiss her?... Wait, wait, it's their turn now!... Ours will come!..." TYLTYL,followed byLIGHT, THE SIX GIRLSandDESTINY,now enters the hall. THE CHILDRENfall back to let him pass. THE SMALLEST OF THEM ALLsees him first, goes to him and, taking him by the hand, leads him toTHE MOTHER.)
THE SMALLEST OF THEM ALL
(Gravely.) It is she.... I found her....
(THE MOTHERrises and stands in front ofTYLTYL.)
(THE MOTHERrises and stands in front ofTYLTYL.)
ANOTHER LITTLE ONE
Do you recognize her?
(TYLTYLhesitates, passes his hand over his forehead, vainly searches his memory.)
(TYLTYLhesitates, passes his hand over his forehead, vainly searches his memory.)