Oh, come little children,Oh, come one and all,Come here to the mangerIn Bethlehem’s stall.Behold all the gladnessThis wonderful night,Our Father in HeavenHas wrought in his might.
Oh, come little children,Oh, come one and all,Come here to the mangerIn Bethlehem’s stall.Behold all the gladnessThis wonderful night,Our Father in HeavenHas wrought in his might.
Oh, come little children,Oh, come one and all,Come here to the mangerIn Bethlehem’s stall.Behold all the gladnessThis wonderful night,Our Father in HeavenHas wrought in his might.
Oh, come little children,
Oh, come one and all,
Come here to the manger
In Bethlehem’s stall.
Behold all the gladness
This wonderful night,
Our Father in Heaven
Has wrought in his might.
[Dr Scholz, noticing Robert’s behaviour, has grown steadily gloomier. At the beginning of the song he looks nervously round like someone who dreads being attacked and seeks as far as possible without being noticed to establish a certain distance between himself and the others.
Mrs Scholz(at the beginning of the song).
Ah! how beautiful!
[She listens for a moment with devotion, then breaks into sobs. Robert moves slowly about; as the song continues makes a grimace, as if to say, “Well, this is the last straw”; walks further on, smiles ironically and several times shakes his head. Passing Augusta, he says something to her half audibly. Augusta, partly touched by the song, now breaks out. William has been standing by the table, nervously drumming with his fingers, a prey to conflicting emotions; now his face reddens with resentment. Robert towardsthe end of the song appears to suffer physically. The impossibility of escaping from the impression of Ida’s tones appears to torture and embitter him more and more. Just at the end of the verse, a word escapes him involuntarily like the fragment of a soliloquy.
Robert.
Child’s play! (in a biting contemptuous tone).
[All, including the Doctor, have heard him, and turn to him with a shocked expression.
Mrs ScholzandAugusta.
Robert!
[Dr Scholz suppresses an explosion of violent anger. William, white with rage, steps up to Robert.
Mrs Scholz(rushing towards him, embraces him).
William—for my sake!
William.
All right, mother!
[He goes up and down controlling himself with difficulty. At this moment the second verse begins; scarcely are the first tones heard when with sudden resolution he goes to the door of the adjoining room.
Ida.
There lies he, oh children,On hay and on straw,And Joseph and MaryLook on him with awe.The honest souled shepherdsKneel praying for love;The choir of the angelsSweeps singing above.
There lies he, oh children,On hay and on straw,And Joseph and MaryLook on him with awe.The honest souled shepherdsKneel praying for love;The choir of the angelsSweeps singing above.
There lies he, oh children,On hay and on straw,And Joseph and MaryLook on him with awe.The honest souled shepherdsKneel praying for love;The choir of the angelsSweeps singing above.
There lies he, oh children,
On hay and on straw,
And Joseph and Mary
Look on him with awe.
The honest souled shepherds
Kneel praying for love;
The choir of the angels
Sweeps singing above.
Mrs Scholz(standing in his way).
William, what are you going to do?
William(breaking out).
She sha’n’t sing any more.
Augusta.
You must be out of your mind!
William.
Let me alone. I say she shall stop.
Mrs Scholz.
Ah, but do—you really are—Well then, you won’t see me any more this evening.
Robert.
Stop, mother, let him see to it. It’s his affair.
William.
Robert, don’t you go too far. Take my advice; you’ve already made one touching scene; it only leaves you more unbearable.
Robert.
Quite true; made a touching scene! That’s just what I should call it.
[William goes again towards the side room.
Mrs Scholz(again restraining him).
Oh God-oh-God-oh-God! My boy, why must you stop her?
[The second verse comes to an end.
William.
Because you’re none of you worthy of it, not one of you!
Robert(stepping close to William with an insolently expressive look in his eyes).
You are, I suppose?
Mrs Scholz.
Oh Lord! you’re beginning again!
[The third verse begins.
The children are bringingWith joy and good cheer,Milk, butter and honeyTo Bethlehem here;A basket of applesAll yellow and red,A snowy white lambkinWith flower-crowned head.
The children are bringingWith joy and good cheer,Milk, butter and honeyTo Bethlehem here;A basket of applesAll yellow and red,A snowy white lambkinWith flower-crowned head.
The children are bringingWith joy and good cheer,Milk, butter and honeyTo Bethlehem here;A basket of applesAll yellow and red,A snowy white lambkinWith flower-crowned head.
The children are bringing
With joy and good cheer,
Milk, butter and honey
To Bethlehem here;
A basket of apples
All yellow and red,
A snowy white lambkin
With flower-crowned head.
William.
Sheshallstop!
Mrs Scholz(once more restraining him).
My boy!!!
William.
Simply beneath contempt! It is blasphemy! It is a crime against these people if we—I—yes, on my honour, I’m ashamed of you all.
Augusta(piqued).
No, after all we are not so very specially bad and contemptible.
William.
Aug—it makes me sick.
Augusta.
Well, let it!—Yes, yes, of courseI’mto be shoved into the background; you must always find fault with your sister. Whatevershedoes is wrong. It’s not a bit fair. But your Miss Ida—
William(beside himself, interrupting).
Don’t dare to speak her name!!
Augusta.
The idea! I shall talk about Ida if—
William.
Leave her name out of it, I tell you.
Augusta.
You’ve gone mad, I think. Ishall—after all she’s not an angel from heaven.
William(screaming at her).
Silence, I say!
Augusta(turning her back).
Pah! you’re just in love!
William(seizing her roughly by the shoulder).
You creature! I—
Robert(seizing William’s arm, speaks slowly, emphasising each word).
Perhaps, William, you intend again—?
William.
Devil!
Augusta.
Yousay that—you, who lifted your hand against your own father!
Dr Scholz(his voice trembling with rage, in a tone of absolute command).
Augusta!—leave the room—this instant!!!
Augusta.
Well!—I should like to know—
Dr Scholz.
Leave the room this minute.
Mrs Scholz.
Oh, dear God, why can’t I die? Augusta, do you hear? (crying) Obey your father!
Robert.
H’m—mother I should blame her if she did. She’s not a little child any longer. Times have changed a bit, God knows.
Dr Scholz.
But I—Ihave not changed. I am the master in this house—I’ll prove it to you.
Robert.
Ridiculous!
Dr Scholz(screaming).
Scoundrels!—Wretches!—I disinherit you—I’ll throw you on the streets.
Robert.
That’s downright funny.
Dr Scholz(masters a frightful outburst of rage and speaks with ominous quietness and firmness).
You or I—one of us leaves this house this moment.
Robert.
I, of course, with the greatest of pleasure.
Mrs Scholz(half commanding, half entreating).
Robert—stay!
Dr Scholz.
He shall go.
Mrs Scholz.
Fritz, listen to me. He is the only one—all these long lonely years, who didn’t forget us. He—
Dr Scholz.
He or I!—
Mrs Scholz.
Ah, give way, Fritz—for my sake!
Dr Scholz.
Leave me alone—He or I!
Mrs Scholz.
Ah, I won’t ask you to meet each other—it can be arranged quite easily—but—
Dr Scholz.
Very well, I give way—I give way to you and your brood. You and your brood—from to-day you have won the victory!
William.
Stay, dear father—or if you go, let me go with you this time.
Dr Scholz(involuntarily stepping back between anger and terror).
Leave me alone! Good-for-nothing! (fumbling among his things) Scoundrels and loafers!—Good-for-nothings!
William(boiling over).
Father, you call us that—when it’s your doing that—Ah, Father dear, no, no, I will say nothing. Let me go with you. I will stay with you. Let me atone for all that I—(Laying his hand on his father’s arm.)
Dr Scholz(as though paralysed with fright and horror, draws back).
Let go! I tell you—The army of the oppressors shall insuredly—shall assuredly be brought to shame! Are they these people—these mighty ones and these mighty ones—are they men? A man like me, who has his faults, but still for all that is through and through—and up and down—and short and sweet.
William.
Father! father! dear father, come to yourself. Be your own self.
Dr Scholz(swaying with the rhythm of the words, half aloud).
And short and sweet—and through and through—
William(embracing him, instinctively seeking to control his gestures).
Control yourself, pull yourself together!
Dr Scholz(defending himself; imploring like a little child).
Ah! don’t beat me! Don’t punish me!
William.
But for God’s sake—
Dr Scholz.
Don’t beat me!—don’t beat me—again!
[He makes cramped efforts to free himself from William’s arms.
William.
May my hand perish!—Father dear, don’t think such a thing—dear father, don’t dream it—
[Dr Scholz frees himself, flies from William calling for help.
William.
Father, you strikeme, you beatme!
Dr Scholz.
Please! please, please help me.
[Ida appears at the door of the room, deathly white.
William(rushes to his father, puts his arms round him again).
Strikeme!
Dr Scholz(sinking on a chair with William’s arms still round him).
I—ah—ah—a—ah! I think—it’s—all over—with me.
William.
Father!
[Mrs Scholz and Augusta seize one another in terror. Robert, deathly white, has not moved. His face has an expression of unshakable determination.