PRINCE HENRY. Then the Celestial Bridegroom Will come for thee also. Upon thy forehead he will place, But a crown of roses. In thy bridal chamber, Thou shalt hear sweet music, Go now and place these flowers A ROOM IN THE FARM-HOUSE. Twilight. URSULA spinning. GOTTLIEB asleep in his chair. URSULA. DARKER and darker! Hardly a glimmer GOTTLIEB, starting. The stopping of thy wheel Has wakened me out of a pleasant dream. URSULA. I was calling her: I want a light. I cannot see to spin my flax. Bring the lamp, Elsie. Dost thou hear? In a moment! ELSIE, within. GOTTLIEB. Where are Bertha and Max? URSULA. They are sitting with Elsie at the door. And where is the Prince? GOTTLIEB. URSULA. In his room overhead; I heard him walking across the floor, As he always does, with a heavy tread. ELSIE comes in with a lamp. MAX and BERTHA follow her; and they all sing the Evening Song on the lighting of the lamps. EVENING SONG. O gladsome light Of the Father Immortal, Now to the sunset Again hast thou brought us; Father omnipotent! Of worship and wonder! Amen! PRINCE HENRY, at the door. URSULA. Who was it said Amen? ELSIE. It was the Prince: he stood at the door, Poor Prince! URSULA. GOTTLIEB. I thought the house was haunted! Poor Prince, alas! and yet as mild MAX. I love him because he is so good, And makes me such fine bows and arrows, And the red squirrels in the wood! BERTHA. I love him, too! GOTTLIEB. Ah, yes! we all Love him, from the bottom of our hearts; He gave us the horses and the carts, And the great oxen in the stall, The vineyard, and the forest range! We have nothing to give him but our love! BERTHA. Did he give us the beautiful stork above grange, On the chimney-top, with its large, round nest? GOTTLIEB. No, not the stork; by God in heaven, As a blessing, the dear, white stork was given; But the Prince has given us all the rest. ELSIE. Would I could do something for his sake, GOTTLIEB. That no one can; neither thou nor I, Nor any one else. ELSIE. And must he die? URSULA. Yes; if the dear God does not take Pity upon him, in his distress, And work a miracle! GOTTLIEB. Or unless Some maiden, of her own accord, ELSIE. I will! URSULA. Prithee, thou foolish child, be still! Thou shouldst not say what thou dost not mean! I mean it truly! ELSIE. MAX. O father! this morning, Down by the mill, in the ravine, Hans killed a wolf, the very same That in the night to the sheepfold came, GOTTLIEB. I am glad he is dead. It will be a warning MAX. And I am going to have his hide! BERTHA. I wonder if this is the wolf that ate Little Red Ridinghood! URSULA. O, no! That wolf was killed a long while ago. Ah, how I wish I were a man, MAX. As stout as Hans is, and as strong! I would do nothing else, the whole day long, But just kill wolves. GOTTLIEB. Then go to bed, And grow as fast as a little boy can. She will hardly be able to creep up stairs. URSULA. Good night, my children. Here's the light. Before you sleep. GOTTLIEB. Good night! She is a strange and That Elsie of ours. MAX and BERTHA. They go out with ELSIE. URSULA, spinning. |