The BURLACOMBES' high and nearly empty barn. A lantern is hung
by a rope that lifts the bales of straw, to a long ladder
leaning against a rafter. This gives all the light there is,
save for a slender track of moonlight, slanting in from the end,
where the two great doors are not quite closed. On a rude bench
in front of a few remaining, stacked, square-cut bundles of last
year's hay, sits TIBBY JARLAND, a bit of apple in her mouth,
sleepily beating on a tambourine. With stockinged feet GLADYS,
IVY, CONNIE, and MERCY, TIM CLYST, and BOBBIE JARLAND, a boy of
fifteen, are dancing a truncated "Figure of Eight"; and their
shadow are dancing alongside on the walls. Shoes and some
apples have been thrown down close to the side door through
which they have come in. Now and then IVY, the smallest and
best of the dancers, ejaculates words of direction, and one of
the youths grunts or breathes loudly out of the confusion of his
mind. Save for this and the dumb beat and jingle of the sleepy
tambourine, there is no sound. The dance comes to its end, but
the drowsy TIBBY goes on beating.
MERCY
That'll du, Tibby; we're finished. Ate yore apple. [The
stolid TIBBY eats her apple.]
CLYST [In his teasing, excitable voice] Yu maids don't dance
'elf's well as us du. Bobbie 'e's a great dancer. 'E dance vine.
I'm a gude dancer, meself.
CLYST
Yu go up ladder; I'll catch 'ee then. Naw, yu maids, don't
yu give her succour. That's not vair [Catching hold of MERCY, who
gives a little squeal.]
CONNIE
Mercy, don't! MRS Burlacombe'll hear. Ivy, go an' peek.
CLYST [Abandoning the chase and picking up an apple--they all have
the joyous irresponsibility that attends forbidden doings] Ya-as,
this is a gude apple. Luke at Tibby!
[TIBBY, overcome by drowsiness, has fallen back into the hay,
asleep. GLADYS, leaning against the hay breaks into humming:]
"There cam' three dukes a-ridin', a-ridin', a-ridin',
There cam' three dukes a ridin'
With a ransy-tansy tay!"
CLYST
Us 'as got on vine; us'll get prize for our dancin'.
CONNIE
There won't be no prize if Mr. Strangway goes away. 'Tes
funny 'twas MRS Strangway start us.
CLYST
I knu a gude man--'e sold pigs--very gude man: 'e 'ad a
budiful bright vase like the mane. [Touching his stomach] I was sad,
meself, once. 'Twas a funny scrabblin'--like feelin'.
GLADYS
If 'e go away, whu's goin' to finish us for confirmation?
IVY
There's beasts, and flowers, and waters, and 'e told us.
CLYST
Naw! There's no dumb things in 'Eaven. Jim Bere 'e says
there is! 'E thinks 'is old cat's there.
IVY
Yes. [Dreamily] There's stars, an' owls, an' a man playin' on
the flute. Where 'tes gude, there must be music.
CLYST
Old brass band, shuldn' wonder, like th' Salvation Army.
IVY [Putting up her hands to an imaginary pipe] No; 'tis a boy
that goes so; an' all the dumb things an' all the people goo after
'im--like this.
[She marches slowly, playing her imaginary pipe, and one by one
they all fall in behind her, padding round the barn in their
stockinged feet. Passing the big doors, IVY throws them open.]
IVY [Taking the tambourine] See, Tibby; like this. She hums and
beats gently, then restores the tambourine to the sleepy TIBBY, who,
waking, has placed a piece of apple in her mouth.
[TIBBY begins her drowsy beating, IVY hums the tune; they dance,
and their shadows dance again upon the walls. When she has
beaten but a few moments on the tambourine, TIBBY is overcome
once more by sleep and falls back again into her nest of hay,
with her little shoed feet just visible over the edge of the
bench. Ivy catches up the tambourine, and to her beating and
humming the dancers dance on.]
[Suddenly GLADYS stops like a wild animal surprised, and cranes
her neck towards the aide door.]
GLADYS [Whispering] I hear--some one comin' across the yard.
[She leads a noiseless scamper towards the shoes. BOBBIE
JARLAND shins up the ladder and seizes the lantern. Ivy drops
the tambourine. They all fly to the big doors, and vanish into
the moonlight, pulling the door nearly to again after them.]
[There is the sound of scrabbling at the hitch of the side door,
and STRANGWAY comes into the nearly dark barn. Out in the night
the owl is still hooting. He closes the door, and that sound is
lost. Like a man walking in his sleep, he goes up to the
ladder, takes the rope in his hand, and makes a noose. He can
be heard breathing, and in the darkness the motions of his hands
are dimly seen, freeing his throat and putting the noose round
his neck. He stands swaying to and fro at the foot of the
ladder; then, with a sigh, sets his foot on it to mount. One of
the big doors creaks and opens in the wind, letting in a broad
path of moonlight.]
[STRANGWAY stops; freeing his neck from the noose, he walks
quickly up the track of moonlight, whitened from head to foot,
to close the doors.]
[The sound of his boots on the bare floor has awakened TIBBY
JARLAND. Struggling out of her hay nest she stands staring at
his whitened figure, and bursts suddenly into a wail.]
TIBBY
O-oh! Mercy! Where are yu? I'm frightened! I'm
frightened! O-oooo!
STRANGWAY [Turning--startled] Who's that? Who is it?
[From the barn roof a little white dove's feather comes floating
down in the wind. TIBBY follows it with her hand, catches it,
and holds it up to him.]
TIBBY [Chuckling] Luke. The mune's sent a bit o' love!
STRANGWAY [Taking the feather] Thank you, Tibby! I want that bit
o' love. [Very faint, comes the sound of music] Listen!
STRANGWAY [Pointing] See! Everything coming out to listen! See
them, Tibby! All the little things with pointed ears, children, and
birds, and flowers, and bunnies; and the bright rocks, and--men!
Hear their hearts beating! And the wind listening!
[TIBBY starts off, turns back and lifts her face. He bends to
kiss her, and flinging her arms round his neck, she gives him a
good hug. Then, knuckling the sleep out of her eyes, she runs.]
[STRANGWAY stands, uncertain. There is a sound of heavy
footsteps; a man clears his throat, close by.]
[With his heavy tread CREMER passes on. And STRANGWAY leans
against the lintel of the door, looking at the moon, that, quite
full and golden, hangs not far above the straight horizon, where
the trees stand small, in a row.]
STRANGWAY [Lifting his hand in the gesture of prayer] God, of the
moon and the sun; of joy and beauty, of loneliness and sorrow--give
me strength to go on, till I love every living thing!
[He moves away, following JACK CREMER. The full moon shines;
the owl hoots; and some one is shaking TIBBY'S tambourine.]
