Class PS ?)53\ Book ,F\?>T ^ CoipghtN»_:?^^3 CDRO^SGHT DEPOSm (Mrs. Lionel Marks) THE PIPER. lamo, $i.io«^2f. Postage extra. THE BOOK OF THE LITTLE PAST. Illus- trated in color. 8vo, $1.50. THE SINGING LEAVES. i8mo, $1.00, net. Postpaid, $1.05. MARLOWE: A DRAMA. i2mo, $1.10, net. Postpaid, $1.19. FORTUNE AND MEN'S EYES. i2mo,fi.2S. OLD GREEK FOLK STORIES. In Riv- erside Literature Series. Paper, 15 cents, net; linen, 25 cents, net. Postpaid. HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY Boston and New York 19 f^ THE PIPER By Josephine Preston Peabody m BOSTON and NEfF TORK Houghton Mifflin Company 1909 COPYRIGHT, 1909, BY JOSEPHINE PEABODY MARKS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Published November jqoq ©C1.D 7 735:j TO LIONEL S. MARKS atltttO 1284 aim 2Da0e 2FoI)anm^ et 5^auli ?^ar tier 26 ^Funii 2Dorcf) einen ^ipcr mit allerlep fatbe fieftletict oBetoe^en €f f f Minhtt berletiet 25mnen i^amelen geBoren €o Calbarie 6i tien Jioppen betlotm [THE HAMELIN INSCRIPTION] CHARACTERS The Piper Michael-the-Sword-Eater Cheat-the-Devil Jacobus the Burgomeister Kurt the Syndic Peter the Cobbler Hans the Butcher Axel the Smith Martin the Watch Peter the Sacristan Anselm, a young priest Old Claus, a miser Town Crier Jan Hansel Ilse Trude RUDI Strolling Players Men of Hamelin Children Characters Veronika, the wife of Kurt Barbara, daughter of Jacobus Wife of Hans the Butcher Wife of Axel the Smith Wife of Martin the Watch Old Ursula Burghers^ nuns^ priests^ and children Scene : Hamelin on the Weser, 1284 ^' ^' SCENES ACT I. The market-place in Hamelin Scene I. Inside the '-Hollow-Hiir "■{ ACT „ . _ Scene II. The Cross-ways ACT III. The Cross-ways ACT IV. The market-place in Hamelin One week is supposed to elapse between Acts I and 11. Acts II and III occupy one day. Act IF concerns the following morning. Act I The Piper Act I Scene : ne market-place of Hamelin, Rights the Minster, with an open shrine (right centre^ containing a large sculptured figure of the Christ. Right, farther front, the house of Kurt ; and other narrow house-fronts. Left, the Rathaus, and {down) the home of Jacobus. Front, to left and right, are cor- ner-houses with projecting stories and case- ment windows. At the centre rear, a narrow street leads away between houses whose gables all but meet overhead. It is late summer afternoon, with a holiday crowd. In the open casements, front {right and left, opposite each other), sit Old Ursula and Old Claus, looking on at men and things. — In the centre of the place now stands a 4 ThePiper rude wooden Ark with a tented top : and out of the openings {right and left) appear the artificial heads of animals^ worn by the players inside. One is a Bear {inhabited by Michael -THE- Sword -Eater); one is a large Reynard-t he-Fox, later apparent as the Piper. Close by is the mediaeval piece of stage-property known as ^ Hell-Mouth, i. e, a red painted cave with a jaw-like openings into which a mountebank dressed in scarlet (Cheat-the-Devil) is poking ^ Lost Souls' with a pitchfork, Barbara loiters by the tent, Veronika, the sad young wife of KvKT J watches from the house steps, left, keeping her little lame boy, Jan, close beside her. Shouts of delight greet the end of the show, — a Noah's Ark miracle-play of the rudest; and the Children continue to scream with joy whenever an Animal looks out of the Ark. Men and women pay scant attention either to Jacobus, when he speaks {himself none too sober) — from his doorstep, prompted by the frowning Kurt, — or yet to Anselm, the priest, who stands forth with lifted hands, at the close of the miracle-play. ThePiper 5 Anselm ND you, who heed the colors of this show, Look to your laughter ! — It doth body forth A Judgment that may take you unaware, — Sun-struck with mirth, like unto chattering leaves Some wind of wrath shall scourge to nothing- ness. Hans, Axel, and Others Hurrah, Hurrah ! Jacobus And now, good townsmen all, Seeing we stand delivered and secure As once yon chosen creatures of the Ark, For a similitude, — our famine gone. Our plague of rats and mice, — Crowd Hurrah — hurrah ! 6 ThePiper Jacobus 'T is meet we render thanks more soberly — Hans the Butcher Soberly, soberly, ay ! — Jacobus For our deliverance. And now, ye wit, it will be full three days Since we beheld — our late departed pest. — Old Ursula \^utting out an ear-trumpet'\ What does he say ? Reynard \_from the Ark'] — Oh, how felicitous ! Hans' Wife He 's only saying there be no more rats. ThePiper 7 Jacobus [witb oratorical endeavor'] Three days it is; and not one mouse, — one mouse. One mouse, I say! — No-o-o ! Quiet ... as a mouse. [_Resuming] And now . . . Crowd Long live Jacobus ! Jacobus You have seen Noah and the Ark, most aptly happening by With these same play-folk. You have marked the Judgment. You all have seen the lost souls sent to — Hell — And, nothing more to do. — [Kurt prompts him] Yes, yes. — And now . . . [Hans the Butcher steps out of his group,] 8 ThePiper Hans the Butcher Hath no man seen the Piper? — Please your worships. Others Ay, ay, so ! — Ay, where is he? — Ho, the Piper! Jacobus Piper, my good man? Hans the Butcher — He that charmed the rats ! Others Yes, yes, — that charmed the rats! Jacobus \^piously\ Why, no man knows. — Which proves him such a random instrument As Heaven doth sometimes send us, to our use ; Or, as I do conceive, no man at all, — A man of air; or, I would say — delusion. He *11 come no more. ThePiper 9 Reynard \_from the Ark~\ Eh? — Oh, indeed, Meaow ! Jacobus 'TIs clearest providence. The rats are gone. The man is gone. And there is nought to pay, Save peaceful worship. \_Pointing to the Minster,'] Reynard [sarcastically] Oh, indeed, — Meaow ! [Sudden chorus of derisive animal noises from the Arky delighting People and Chil- dren. Kurt Silence, — you strollers there ! Or I will have you Gaoled, one and all. People No, Kurt the Syndic, no! lo The Piper Barbara [_lo Jacobus\ No, no! Ah, father, bid them stay awhile And play it all again. — Or, if not all. Do let us see that same good youth again, Who swallowed swords — between the Ark Preserved And the Last Judgment ! Reynard Michael-the-Sword-Eater, Laurels for thee ! \T^he Bear disappears: Michael /»«/j out his own head^ and gazes fixedly at Bar- bara. Children Oh, can't we see the animals in the Ark? Again ? Oh, can't we see it all again ? Ilse Oh, leave out Noah ! And let 's have only Bears And Dromedaries, and the other ones ! — \General confusion^ The Piper ii Kurt Silence ! Jacobus Good people — you have had your shows; And it is meet, that having held due feast. Both with our market and this Miracle, We bring our holiday to close with prayer And public thanks unto Saint Willibald, — Upon whose day the rats departed thence. Reynard \Joudly~\ Saint Willibald ! Bear — Saint Willibald ! Other Animals [looking ouf\ r Saint Willibald! 1 Saint! Oh! Crowd Saint Willibald ! — And what had he to do With ridding us o' rats ? 12 The Piper Hans the Butcher 'T was the Piping Man Who came and stood here in the market- place. And swore to do it for one thousand guilders ! Peter the Cobbler Ay, and he did it, too ! — Saint Willibald ! \_Renewed uproar round the tent,'] Kurt \_to Jacobus] Drive out those mountebanks ! 'T is ever so. Admit them to the town and you must pay Their single show with riotings a week. — Look yonder at your daughter. [Barbara lingers by the Ark-Tent ^ gazing with girlish interest at Michael, who gazes at her, his bear-head in his hand for the moment^ Jacobus Barbara ! \_She turns back, with an angry glance at Kurt.] The Piper 13 Axel the Smith \_doggedly to them\ By your leave. Masters ! I would like to know. How did Saint Willibald prevail with the rats ? — That would I like to know. I, who ha* made Of strong wrought traps, two hundred, thirty- nine. Two hundred, thirty-nine. Reynard \caUing\ And so would I! Hans the Butcher So please your worships, may it please the Crier, Now we be here, — to cry the Piping Man — Peter the Cobbler A stranger-man, gay-clad, — in divers colors ! Because he, with said piping — 14 ThePiper Hans the Butcher — Drave away The horde of rats ! Peter the Cobbler [sagely'] To our great benefit ; And we be all just men. Others Ay, ay ! — Amen ! Women Amen, Our Lady and the blessed Saints! Jacobus Why, faith, good souls, if ye will have him cried. So be it. — But the ways of Heaven are strange ! Mark how our angel of deliverance came, — Or it may be. Saint Willibald himself, — Most piedly clothed, even as the vilest player ! — And straight ascended from us, to the clouds ! The Piper 15 But cry him, if you will. — Peace to your lungs ! — He will not come. [Kurt wrathfully consults with Jacobus, then signals to Crier, Crier Oyez ! Oyez ! Oyez ! Whereas, now three days gone, our Plague of Rats Was wholly driven hence, our City cleansed, Our peace restored after sore threat of famine. By a Strange Man who came not back again. Now, therefore, if this Man have ears to hear. Let him stand forth. — Oyez ! Oyez ! Oyez ! \jtrumpet. — People gaze up and down the little streets. — Reynard steps out of the Ark and comes down slowly^ with a modest air, — YsJ^'^t points him out, threat- eningly, and the Crowd bursts into deri- sive laughter. — He doffs his animal-head at leisure, showing a sparkling dark-eyed face. All The Man ! the Man ! i6 The Piper Kurt and Jacobus The Devil ! — 'T is — All — The Piper ! \jrbe Piper regards them all with debonair satisfaction; then reverses his head-piece and holds it out upside-down^ with a con- fident smile. Piper Three days of rest, your worships, you have had. I see no signs of famine hereabout. The rats are gone, even to the nethermost tail : And I 've fulfilled my bargain. Is it granted ? [Murmurs, then cheers of " y/j, Ay, Piper ! ''from the crowd. Thank 'ee. — My thousand guilders, an you please. Jacobus One thou — Come, come ! This was no sober bargain. — No man in reason could — Piper One thousand guilders. The Piper 17 Kurt One thousand rogueries ! Jacobus [/^ Piper] You jest too far. Axel Lucky, if he get aught ! — Two hundred traps, And nine, and thirty ! By Saint WilHbald, When was I paid ? Axel's Wife Say, now! Piper . . . One thousand guilders. Peter the Cobbler Give him an hundred. Hans the Butcher Double ! i8 The Piper Hans' Wife You were fools To make agreement with him. — Ask old Claus. He has the guilders ; and his house was full O' rats ! Old Claus \jbaking his stick from the windozv] You jade ! And I that hoard, and save, And lay by all I have from year to year, To build my monument when I am gone, A fine new tomb there, in Saint Boniface ! And I to pay for all your city rats ! Old Ursula [gleaning outy opposite] Right, neighbor, right well said ! — Piper, hark here. Piper, how did ye charm the rats away? Piper \_coming down] The rats were led — by Cu-ri-os-ity. 'T is so with many rats ; and all old women; — Saving your health ! ThePiper 19 Jacobus No thought for public weal. In this base grasping on — Piper One thousand guilders. For piping Merciful heaven ! Kurt [contemptuously] Piper Shall I pipe them back again ? Women Good Saint Boniface ! Good Saint Willibald ! Peter and Paul defend us ! Hans tie Butcher No, no ; no fear o' that. The rats be drowned. We saw them with our eyes. Piper Now who shall say- There is no resurrection for a mouse ? 20 ThePiper Kurt — Do you but crop this fellow's ears ! — Veronika \_from the steps'] Ah, Kurt ! Jacobus \to him, blandly] Deal patiently, good neighbor. All is well. [_To the Piper] Why do you name a price so laughable. My man? Call you to mind; you have no claim, — No scrip to show. You cling upon — Piper [sternly] Jacobus I would say — just — Piper Your word. Your word, The Piper 21 Jacobus Upon — Piper Your word. Sure, 't was a rotten parchment ! Jacobus This is a base. Conniving miser ! Piper [turning proudly] Stand forth, Cheat-the-Devil ! \Up steps the Devil in red. People shrink^ and then come closer. Be not afeard. He pleased you all, of late. He hath no sting. — So, boy ! Do ofFthy head. — [Cheat-the-Devil doffs his red head- dress and stands forth y a pale and timo- rous youth y gentle and half-witted, Michael, stand forth ! [Michael comes down, bear-head in hand, Barbara [regarding him sadly] That goodly sword-eater ! 22 ThePiPER Piper [defiantly] So, Michael, so. — These be two friends of mine. Pay now an even third to each of us. Or, to content your doubts, to each of these Do you pay here and now, five hundred guilders. Who gets it matters little, for us friends. But you will pay the sum, friend. You will pay ! — Hans, Axel, and Crowd Come, there's an honest fellow. Ay, now, pay ! — There *s a good friend. — And would I had the same. — One thousand guilders ? — No, too much. — No, no. Kurt Pay jugglers? — With a rope apiece ! Jacobus Why — so — Piper They are my friends ; and they shall share with me. The Piper 23 'T is time that Hamelin reckoned us for men; — Hath ever dealt with us as we were vermin. Now have I rid you of the other sort — Right you that score! — Kurt These outcasts ! Piper [hotly] Say you so ? Michael, my man ! Which of you here will try With glass or fire, with him? Michael \_suUenly\ No, no more glass, to-day ! Piper Then fire and sword ! [_They back away.] So! — And there's not one man In Hamelin, here, so honest of his word. Stroller ! A pretty choice you leave us. — Quit This strolling life, or stroll into a cage I 24 ThePiper What do you offer him ? A man eats fire — Swords, glass, young April frogs — Children Do it again ! Do it again ! Piper You say to such a man, — * Come be a monk ! A weaver ! ' Pretty choice. Here 's Cheat-the-Devil, now. Peter the Cobbler But what 's his name ? Piper He does n't know. What would you ? Nor do I. But for the something he has seen of life, Making men merry, he *d know something more ! The gentlest devil ever spiked Lost Souls Into Hell-mouth, — for nothing-by-the-day ! Old Ursula \with her ear-irumpet] Piper, why do you call him Cheat-the-Devil ? ThePiper 25 Piper Because his deviltry is all a cheat: — He is no devil, — but a gentle heart ! — Friend Michael here hath played the Devil, betimes. Because he can so bravely breathe out fire. He plied the pitchfork so we yelped for mercy, — He reckoned not the stoutness of his arm ! — But Cheat-the-Devil here, — he would not hurt Why — Kurt the Syndic — thrusting him in hell. [Laughter, Cheat-the-Devil \unbappily~\ No, no — I will not hurt him! Piper [soothingly to him] Merry, boy ! [To the townsfolk~\ And, — if ye will have reasons, good, — ye see, — [ want — one thousand guilders. Jacobus In all surety, Payment you'll have, my man. But — 26 ThePiper Hans the Butcher As to 's friends, — An that yon Devil be as feat wi' his hands As he be slow o' tongue, why, I will take him For prentice. Wife, — now that would smack o' pride! Peter the Cobbler I '11 take this fellow that can swallow fire. He *s somewhat old for me. But he can learn My trade. — A pretty fellow ! Piper And your trade ? Peter the Cobbler Peter the cobbler. — Michael I ? What, I ? Make shoes ? \_Proudly\ I swallow fire. Piper Enough. ThePiper 27 Barbara [asUe, bitterly] I '11 not believe it. Piper [to Hans] Your trade ? Hans the Butcher I 'm Hans the Butcher. Michael Butcher ? Cheat-the-Devil [unhappily] Butcher ! Oh, no ! I could n't hurt them. [Loud laughter. Butcher's Wife 'T is a fool ! [^he Piper motions to Michael ^«^Cheat- the-DeviLj who during the following join the other player-folk, strike their tent, pack their bundles, and wheel off the bar- 28 ThePiper rows that have served them for an Ark, leaving the space clear before the Shrine. Exeunt Strollers, all but Michael, who hangs about, still gazing at Barbara. Jacobus Good people, we have wasted time enow. You see this fellow, that he has no writ — Piper Why not, then? 'T was a bargain. If your word Hold only when 't is writ — Kurt We cannot spend Clerkship on them that neither write nor read. What good would parchment do thee ? Jacobus My good man — Piper Who says I cannot read ? — Who says I cannot ? Old Claus Piper, don't tell me you can read in books ! ThePiper 29 Piper [^/ bay] Books ! Where 's a book ? Shew me a book, I say ! Old Ursula The Holy Book ! Bring that — or he *11 bewitch you. Piper Oh, never fear. I charm but fools and chil- dren ; Now that the rats are gone. — Bring me a Book : A big one ! — [Murmurs. 'The Piper defiant, I'he crowd moves towards the Minster, Enter An- sel m the priest y with a little acolyte, — the two bearing a large illuminated Gospel^ book, Anselm, eyeing the Piper gravely y opens the book, which the boy supports on his head and shoulders. Piper Ho, 't is too heavy! Come, you cherub-head. Here 's too much laid upon one guardian angel ! 30 ThePiper \_Beckons another small boy^ and sets the book on their two backs. Well? — well? What now? \He looks in frank bewilderment at the eager crowd. Crowd Read, read ! Kurt He cannot read. Piper \to Anselm] Turn — turn — there 's nothing there. [Anselm turns pages. Piper looks on blankly] . . . Ahj turn again ! The red one ! — \_He takes his pipe from his belt] No, the green ! The green one. So. [Starts to pipe, looking on the book,] Crowd Sure 't is a mad-man ! But hear him piping ! _ What is he doing? The Piper 31 Piper [^puzzled at their mirth'\ What the green one says. — \A burst of laughter from the crowd. Jan, the little lame boy on the steps, reaches his arms out suddenly and gives a cry of delight, Jan Oh, I love the Man ! \He goes, with his crutch, to the Piper, who turns and gathers him close. Jacobus \to the People'] Leave off this argument. Kurt Go in to Mass. Jacobus Saint Willibald! Piper \in a rage] That Saint ! — 32 ThePiper Kurt Hence, wandering dog ! Piper Oho ! — Well, every Saint may have his day. But there are dog-days coming. — Eh, your worship ? [^0 Anselm, suddenly] You, there! You= — Brother — Father — Un- cle — You ! Speak ! Will you let them in, to say their prayers And mock me through their fingers? — Tell these men To settle it, among their mouldy pockets. Whether they keep their oath. Then will I go. Kurt [savagely] Away with you ! — Anselm The Piper should be heard ; Ye know it well. Render to Caesar, therefore. That which is Caesar's. ThePiper 33 Piper — Give the Devil his due ! Jacobus [warilyl We must take counsel over such a sum. [Beckoning others, he and Kurt go into the RathauSy followed by all the men. Exit Anselm with the Holy Book into the Min- ster. — 'The children play Mouse, to and fro, round about the Piper. — T^he women, some of them, spin on the doorsteps, with little hand distaffs, or stand about, gossip- ing. \jrhe Piper wipes his forehead and goes up slowly {centre^ to drink from the fountain at the foot of the Shrine. — Michael, like one in a dream, comes down towards Bar- bara, who gazes back at him, fascinated, through her laughter, Barbara Is it for pay you loiter, Master Player? Were you not paid enough? 34 ThePiper Michael No. — One more look. Barbara Here, then. — Still not enough? Michael No ! One more smile. Barbara [agitated ] Why would you have me smile ? Michael [passionately^ Oh, when you smiled, It was — it was like sunlight coming through Some window there, [Pointing to the Minster] — some vision of Our Lady. [She drops her flowers. — He picks them up and gives them back slowly, Barbara Who are you? You are some one in disguise. ThePiper 35 Michael A man — that passes for a mountebank. Barbara \_eagerly^ I knew ! Michael What then ? Barbara Thou art of noble birth. 'T is some disguise, this playing with the fire ! Michael Yes. — For to-day, I lord it with the fire. But it hath burned me, here. [Toucbing bis breast. ~\ [Overcome for tbe moment ^sbe draws away , — ^he Piper, coming down, speaks stealth- ily to Michael, who is still gazing. Piper For all our sakes ! There is bad weather breeding. — Take to thy heels. 36 ThePiper [Barbara turns back to see Michael withdrawing reluctantly, and throws a rose to him with sudden gayety, Barbara Farewell to you, Sword-Swallower ! — farewell ! Michael [looking back'] Farewell to you, my Lady, in-the-Moon. \_Exit. [Jan clings once more to the Piper, while the other children hang about, Veronika calls to her boy, from the steps. Veronika Darling. — Piper [drawing nearer] Is this your Boy ? Veronika Ay, he is mine ; My only one. He loved thy piping so. ThePiper 37 Piper And I loved his. Hans' Wife \j trident ly'\ Poor little boy ! He 's lame ! Piper 'T is all of us are lame ! But he, he flies. Veronika Jan, stay here if you will, and hear the pipe. At Church-time. Piper [jo bim~\ Wilt thou ? Jan [.softly} Mother lets me stay Here with the Lonely Man. Piper The Lonely Man ? 38 ThePiper [Jan points to the Christ in the Shrine, Ve- RONiKA crosses herself, 'The Piper looks long at the little boy, Veronika He always calls Him so. Piper And so would I. Veronika It grieves him that the Head is always bowed, And stricken. But he loves more to be here Than yonder in the church. Piper And so do I. Veronika What would you, darling, with the Lonely Man? What do you wait to see ? Jan \shyly\ To see Him smile. ThePiper 39 \jrbe women murmur, ^he Piper comes down further to speak to Veronika. Piper You are some foreign woman. Are you not ? Never from Hamelin ! Veronika No. Axel's Wife [to her child~\ Then run along. And ask the Piper if he *11 play again The tune that charmed the rats. Another They might come back 1 Old Ursula [calling from her window'] Piper ! I want the tune that charmed the rats ! If they come back, I '11 have my grandson play it. 40 T H E P I P E R Piper I pipe but for the children. Ilse \_dropping her doll and picking it up'\ Oh, do pipe Something for Fridolin ! Hansel Oh, pipe at me ! Nowl 'ma mouse! I '11 eat you up ! Rr — rr ! — Children Oh, pipe ! Oh, play ! Oh, play and make us dance ! Oh, play, and make us run away from school ! Piper Why, what are these ? Children [scampering round hinf] We 're mice, we 're mice, we 're mice ! . . . We 're mice, we 're mice ! We '11 eat up every- thing ! ThePiper 41 Martin's Wife [calling] *T is church-time. La, what will the neighbors say? Ilse \JVaving her doll~\ Oh, please do play something for Fridolin ! Axel's Wife Do hear the child. She *s quite the little mother ! Piper A little mother? Ugh! How horrible. That fairy thing, that princess, — no, that Child ! A little mother ? [To her] Drop the ugly thing! Martin's Wife Now, on my word 1 and what 's amiss with mothers ? Are mothers horrible ? [The Piper is struck with painful memories.] 42 ThePiper Piper No, no. But — care And want and pain and age . . . \l^urns back to them with a bitter change ofvoice\ And penny-wealth, — And penny - counting. — Penny prides and fears — Of what the neighbors say the neighbors say ! — Martin's Wife And were you born without a mother, then ? All Yes, you there ! Ah, I told you ! He *s no man. He 's of the devil. Martin's Wife Who was your mother, then ? Piper \_jiercely\ Mine ! — Nay, I do not know. For when I saw her. She was a thing so trodden, lost and sad. ThePiper 43 I cannot think that she was ever young, Save in the cherishing voice. — She was a stroller ; My father was a stroller. — So, you have it ! And since she clave to him, and hunger too, The Church's ban was on her. — Either live. Mewed up forever, — she ! to be a nun ; Or keep her life-long wandering with the wind; The very name of wife stript from her troth. That was my mother. — And she starved and sang; And like the wind, she roved and lurked and shuddered Outside your lighted windows, and fled by, Storm-hunted, trying to outstrip the snow. South, south, and homeless as a broken bird, — Limping and hiding! — And she fled, and laughed. And kept me warm ; and died ! To you, a Nothing ; Nothing, forever, oh, you well-housed mothers! As always, always for the lighted windows Of all the world, the Dark outside is nothing ; And all that limps and hides there in the dark ; Famishing, — broken, — lost ! 44 ThePiper And I have sworn For her sake and for all, that I will have Some justice, all so late, for wretched men. Out of these same smug towns that drive us forth After the show ! — Or scheme to cage us up Out of the sunlight ; like a squirrel's heart Torn out and drying in the market-place. My mother ! Do you know what mothers are? — Your children ! Do you know them ? Ah, not you! There 's not one here but it would follow me, For all your bleating ! Axel's Wife Kuno, come away! \_ne children cling to him. He smiles down triumphantly. Piper Oho, Oho ! Look you ? — You preach — I pipe I \_Reenter the men, with Kurt <^;/^ Jacobus, from the Rathaus, murmuring dubiously. \_^he Piper sets down Jan and stands forth^ smiling. ThePiper 45 Jacobus [smootbly~\ H'm ! My good man, we have faithfully de- bated Whether your vision of so great a sum Might be fulfilled, — as by some miracle. But no. The moneys we administer Will not allow it; nor the common weal. Therefore, for your late service, here you have Full fifteen guilders, \_Holding forth a purse] and a pretty sum Indeed, for piping ! Kurt \_ominously~\ Take them ! Jacobus Either that. Or, ro speak, truly, nothing ! \^he Piper is motionless] Come, come. Nay, count them, if you will. Kurt Time goes ! 46 ThePiper Piper Ay. And your oath ? Kurt No more; Enough. \_^bere is a sound of organ music from the Minster^ Veronika \beseechingly ] Ah, Kurt ! Kurt \_savagely to the crowd"] What do ye, mewling of this fellow's rights? He hath none! — Wit ye well, he is a stroller, A wastrel, and the shadow of a man ! Ye waste the day and dally with the law. Such have no rights ; not in their life nor body ! We are in no wise bound. Nothing is his. He may not carry arms ; nor have redress For any harm that men should put on him. Saving to strike a shadow on the wall ! He is a Nothing, by the statute-book ; . And, by the book, so let him live or die. Like to a masterless dog ! ThePiper 47 \_^he Piper stands motionless with head up- raised^ not looking at Kurt. T^he people^ half-cowed^ half- doubting^ murmur and draw back. Lights appear in the Minster; the music continues, Kurt and Jacobus lead in the people. Jacobus picks up the money-purse and takes it with him. Voices [laughing, drunkenly~\ One thousand guilders to a ' masterless dog ' ! \Others laugh too, pass by, with pity and derision for the Piper, and echoes of ' Masterless Dog ! ' Exeunt Women and Men to the Minster. Only the children are left, dancing round the motionless figure of the Piper. Children Oh, pipe again ! Oh, pipe and make us dance! Oh, pipe and make us run away from school ! Oh, pipe and make believe we are the mice! \_He looks down at them. He looks up at the houses. T^hen he signs to them, with his finger on his lips; and begins, very 48 ThePiper softly^ to pipe the Kinder-spell, 'The old Claus and Ursula in the windows seem to doze. The children stop firsts and look at him, fas- cinated ; then they laugh, drowsily, and creep closer, — Jan always near. They crowd around him. He pipes louder, mov- ing backwards, slowly, with magical gestures, towards the little by-streets and the closed doors. The doors open, every- where. Out come the children : little ones in night- gowns ; bigger ones, with playthings, toy animals, dolls. He pipes, gayer and louder. They pour in, right and left. Motion and music fill the air. The Piper lifts Jan to his shoulder {dropping the little crutch) and marches off, up the street at the rear, piping, in the midst of them all. Last, out of the Minster come tumbling two little acolytes in red, and after them, Peter the Sacristan. He trips over them in his amazement and terror; and they are gone after the vanishing children before the church-people come out. The old folks lean from their windows. ThePiper 49 Old Ursula The bell, the bell ! the church bell ! They 're bewitched ! \^Peler rushes to the bell-rope and pulls it, 'The bell sounds heavily. Reenter^ from the church, the citizens by twos and threes and scores. Old Ursula I told ye all, — I told ye ! — Devils* bargains ! [The belir\ [Kurt, Jacobus, and the others appear, ~\ Kurt Peter the Sacristan ! Give by the bell. What means this clangor ? Peter the Sacristan They *re bewitched ! bewitched ! [Still pulling and shouting."] Ursula They 're gone ! Kurt Thy wits ! 50 ThePiper Old Claus They 're gone — they 're gone — they *re gone ! Peter the Sacristan The children ! Ursula — With the Piper ! They 're bewitched ! I told ye so. Old Claus — I saw it with these eyes ! He piped away the children. \Horror in the crowd. They bring out lan- terns and candles. Veronika holds up the forgotten crutch. Veronika Jan — my Jan! Kurt \to her'] Thy boy ! But mine, my three, all fair and straight. — The Piper 51 Axel's Wife \_furiously to him~\ 'T was thy false bargain, thine ; who would not pay The Piper. — But we pay ! Peter the Sacristan Bewitched, bewitched ! The boys ran out — and I ran after them. And something red did trip me — 't was the Devil, , The Devil ! Old Ursula Ah, ring on, and crack the bell : Ye '11 never have them back. — I told ye so ! [T^be bell clangs incessantly,^ Curtain Act II Act II Scene I : Inside ' the Hollow Hill' A great y dim-lighted, cavernous place, which shows signs of masonry. It is part cavern and part cellarage of a ruined, burned-down and for- gotten old monastery in the hills. — l^he only entrance (at the centre rear), a ramshackle wooden door, closes against a flight of rocky steps, — Light comes from an opening in the roof, and from the right, where a faggot-fire glows under an iron pot, — The scene reaches {right and left) into dim corners, where sleep- ing children lie curled up together like kittens. By the fire sits the Piper, on a tree-stump seat, stitching at a bit of red leather. At his feet is a row of bright-colored small shoes, set two and two. He looks up now and then, to recount the children, and goes back to work, with quizzical despair. Left, sits a group of three forlorn Strollers, One nurses a lame knee ; one, evidently dumb, 56 ThePiper talks in signs to the others ; one is munch- ing bread and cheese out of a wallet. All have the look of hunted and hungry men, 'They speak only in whispers to each other throughout the scene ; but their hoarse laugh- ter breaks out now and then over the bird- like ignorance of the children, A shaft of sunlight steals through the hole in the roof, Jan, who lies nearest the Piper, wakes up, Jan OH, \T^he Piper turns'\ Oh, I thought ... I had a dream ! Piper \_softly-\ Ahe? Jan I thought ... I dreamed . . . somebody wanted me. Piper Soho ! The Piper 57 Jan [earnestly] I thought . . . Somebody Wanted me. Piper How then? \With watchful tenderness.'] Jan I thought I heard Somebody crying. Piper Pfui ! — What a dream. — Don't make me cry again. Jan Oh, was it youP — Oh, yes ! Piper \_apart^ tensely] No Michael yet ! [Jan begins to laugh softly ^ in a bewildered way ; then grows quite happy and forget- ful. While the other children waken^ he 58 The Piper reaches for the pipe and tries to blow upon ity to the Piper's amusement, Ilse and Hansel, the Butcher s children^ wake, Ilse Oh! Hansel — Oh! Piper Ahe? Ilse I thought I had a dream. Piper Again ? Ilse ... It was some lady, calling me. Hansel Yes, and a fat man called us to come quick; A fat man, he was crying — about me ! That same fat man I dreamt of, yesterday. ThePiper 59 Piper Come, did you ever see a fat man cry, About a little Boy? \jrbe Strollers are convulsed with hoarse mirth. Hansel No, — Never. Ilse Never ! Oh, what a funny dream! \l^hey giggle together."] \jrhe Piper silences the Strollers ^with a ges- ture of warning towards the rocky door. Piper \to himself] 'T is Hans the Butcher. \fro the Children] Well, what did he say ? Hansel ' Come home J come home^ come home I ' But I did n't go. I don't know where . . . Oh, what a funny dream! 6o ThePiper Ilse Mine was a bad dream! — Mine was a lovely lady And she was by the river, staring in. Piper You were the little gold-fish, none could catch. Oh, what a funny dream ! . . . \_Apart^ anxiously] No Michael yet. \_Aloud'] Come, bread and broth ! Here — not all, three at a time ; *T is simpler. Here, you kittens. Eat awhile; Then — f^RuDi wakes,"] RUDI Oh ! I had a dream, — an awful dream ! \_The Piper takes Jan on his knee and feeds him J after ladling out a big bowl of broth from the kettle for the Children^ and giv- ing them bread. The Piper 6i Piper Oh ! oh ! I had a dream ! Children Oh, tell It to us ! Piper I dreamed ... a Stork . . . had nested in my hat. Children Oh! Piper And when I woke — Children You had — Piper One hundred children ! Children Oh, it came true ! Oh, oh ; it all came true ! 62 ThePiper The Strollers Ah, ho, hoj ho ! \jrhe dumb one rises ^ stretches^ and steals toward the entrance^ stopping to slip a blind-patch over one eye. The Piper goes to him with one stride^ seizing him by the shoulder. Piper \to himy and the others^ apart~\ Look you. — No Michael yet I — And he is gone Full three days now, — three days. If he be caught. Why then, — the little ravens shall be fed! \_Groans from the three~\ Enough that Cheat-the-Devil leaked out too ; — No foot but mine shall quit this fox-hole now ! And you, — think praise for once, you have no tongue. And keep these magpies quiet. [fTurns away. \_To himself~\ Ah, that girl. The Burgomeister's Barbara ! But for her. ThePiper 63 And moon-struck Michael with his 'one more look ' ! Where is he now ? — And where are we? \jrurning back to the Children] So, so. [ ^be Strollers huddle together, with looks of renewed anxiety and wretchedness. — ^heir laughter at the Children breaks out forlornly now and then, — 'The Piper shepherds the Children, but with watchful eyes and ears toward the entrance always, — His action grows more and more tense, RUDI \_over his broth~\ Oh, I remember now ! — Before I woke . . . Oh, what an awful dream ! Ilse Oh, tell us, Rudi, — Oh, scare us, — Rudi, scare us ! — Rudi [bursting into tears] , , , Lump was dead! Lump, Lump ! — [_The Children wail. 64 ThePiper Piper \_dis traded^ Who's Lump ? — RUDI Our Dog ! Piper \jbocked and pained~\ The Dog! — No, no. Heaven save us — I forgot about the dogs ! RuDi He Wanted me; — and I always wasn't there! And people tied him up, — and other people Pretended that he bit. — He never bites ! He Wanted me, until it broke his heart. And he was dead ! Piper [struggling with his emotion'] And then he went to heaven, To chase the happy cats up all the trees ; — Little white cats ! ... He wears a golden collar . . . ThePiper 65 And sometimes — [_^side] — I 'd forgot about the dogs ! Well, dogs must suffer, so that men grow wise. 'T was ever so. \_He turns to give Jan ^ piping less on. "^ Children Oh, what a funny dream ! \jSuddenly he lifts his hand, 'They listen, and hear a dim sound of distant chanting, going by on some neighboring road. The Piper is puzzled ; the Strollers are plainly de- pressed, Jan What is it ? Piper People ; passing down below. In the dark valley. \He looks at the Children fixe dly'\ Do you want to see them ? Children Don't let them find us ! What an ugly noise. — No, no — don't let them come ! 66 The Piper Piper Hark ye to me. Some day I 'II take you out with me to play; High in the sun, — close to the water-fall. . . . And we will make believe — We 'II make believe We 're hiding I . . . \jrbe Strollers rock with mirth,'\ Children Yes, yes ! Oh, let us make believe ! Strollers Oho, ho, ho ! — A make-believe ! — Ho, ho ! Piper But, if you 're good, — yes, very, very soon I '11 take you, as I promised, — Children — Gypsies, oh ! Piper Yes, with the gypsies. We shall go at night. With just a torch — [Watching them.~\ The Piper 67 Children Oh! Piper Like fire-flies ! Will-o*-the-wisps ! And make believe we *re hiding, all the way. Till we come out into a sunny land, — All vines and sunlight, yes, and men that sing ! Far, far away — forever. [Gives Ilse ^ i^owl to feed the other children^ [Jan pipes a measure of the Kinder-spell, brokenly, 'The Piper turns. So! Thou 'It be My master, some day. Thou shalt pipe for me. Jan [piping] Oh, was n't that one beautiful ? — Now you ! Piper [taking the pipe] The rainbow-bridge by day ; — And borrow a shepherd-crook! At night we take to the Milky Way ; And then we follow the brook I 68 ThePiper We 'II follow the brook^ whatever way 'I'he brook shall sing, or the sun shall say. Or the mothering wood-dove coos ! And what do I care, what else I wear. If I keep my rainbow shoes I \He points to the little row of bright shoes, 1'he Children scream with joy. Ilse and Hansel run back. Children Oh dear ! What lovely shoes ! Oh, which are mine ? Oh ! Oh ! — What lovely shoes ! Oh, which are mine ? Piper Try, till you see. [I'aking up a little red pair'\ But these, — these are for Jan. [Jan is perched on the tree-stump, shy and silent with pleasure. Ilse Oh, those are best of all ! And Jan — The Piper 69 Piper And Jan Is not to trudge, like you. Jan is to wear Beautiful shoes, and shoes made most of all. To look at ! IfTakes up a pair of bird's wings,'] Children \_squealing~\ Oh ! Where did you find the wings ? Bird's wings ! Piper There was some hunter in the woods, Who killed more birds than he could carry home. He did not want these, — though the starling did, - But could not use them more ! And so, — \_Fastening one to each heeT\ And so, — They trim a little boy. \Puts them on Jan. He is radiant. He stretches out his legs and pats the feath- ers. yo ThePiper Children [^trying on theirs and capering] O Jan ! — O Jan ! Oh ! see my shoes ! \_ne Piper looks at Jan.] Piper Hey day, what now? Jan I wish . . . Piper What do you wish ? Wish for it ! — It shall come. [Jan pulls him closer and speaks shyly ^ Jan I wish — that I could show them — to the Man, The Lonely Man. \l^he Piper looks at him and backs away ; sits down helplessly and looks at him again. Oh, can I? — The Piper 71 Piper Thou ! — 'T would make me a proud man. Jan Oh ! it would make Him smile ! [Tbe Children dance and caper, Trude wakes up and joins them, Sound of distant chanting again, Trude — I had a dream ! Piper A dream ! [Pretending to he amazed. Reflects, a moment~\ I know ! — Oh, what a funny dream ! \T!he Children all fall a-laughing when he does, — Noise without, Cheat-the-D evil's voice crying, ' Cuckoo — Cuckoo ! ' Cheat-the-Devil Quick, quick ! — I Ve something here. \_The others roll away a big stone, and enter by the wooden door (rear), Cheat-the- 72 ThePiper Devil. He does not wear his red hood. He has a garland round his neck, and a basket on his arm. Piper [sharply to himself] No Michael yet ! [To Cheat-the-Devil] Michael ! — Where 's Michael ? Cheat-the-Devil Look you, — you must wait. We must be cunning. — There 's a squirrel, mark you, Hopped after me ! He would have found us out. I wanted him ; I loved him. But I ran. For once a squirrel falls a-talking. — Ah ! Look what I have. — Guess, guess ! [Showing his basket to the Children,] Children Cakes ! [He is sad] ThePiper 73 Shoes ! \_He is sadder] Then — honey 1 \_He radiantly undoes his basket^ and displays a honeycomb. 'The Strollers Joo^ rush upon him. Piper Ah, Cheat-the-Devil ! They would crop your ears. Where had you this ? Cheat-the-Devil Why, such a kind old farmer! He*d left his bee-hives; they were all alone; And the bees know me. So I brought this for you; I knew They 'd like it. — Oh, you 're happy now ! Piper But Michael, — have they caught him ? Cheat-the-Devil Oh, not they! I heard no word of Michael ; Michael 's safe ! 74 ThePiper Once on the road I met a countryman, Asked me the way. And not a word I spoke ! 'Tis far the wisest. Twenty riddles he asked me. I smiled and wagged my head. Anon cries he, 'This Fool is deaf and dumb!' — That made me angry, But still I spoke not. — And I would not hurt him ! He was a bad man. But I liked the mule. — Now am I safe ! — Now am I home at last ! Piper *St. — Met you any people on the way. Singing ? Cheat-the-Devil No, growling, — growling dreary psalms All on a sunny day ! Behind the hedges, I saw them go. They go from Hamelin, now ; And I know why ! — \T^he Piper beckons him away from the Children, The mayor's Barbara Must go to Rudersheim, to be a Nun ! The Piper 75 Piper To be a Nun ! Cheat-the-Devil A penance for them all. She weeps; but she must go! All they, you see, Are wroth against him. — He must give bis child — Piper A nun! Cheat-the-Devil [_nodding\ Forever! — She, who smiled at Michael. Look you, she weeps ! They are bad people all; — Nothing like these. [Looking at the Children, These are all beautiful. . Piper To lock her up ! A maiden, shut away Out of the light. To cage her there for life, Cut off her hair ; pretend that she is dead ! — Horrible, horrible ! No, I '11 not endure it. 76 ThePiper I '11 end this murder. — He shall give up his ; But never so ! — Not so ! — While I do live To let things out of cages ! — Tell me, quick ! — When shall it happen? Cheat-the-Devil Why, it falls to-day. I saw two herds of people going by. To be there well aforetime, for the sight. And she is going last of all, at noon; All sparkling, like a Bride. — I heard them tell. Piper No, never, never I — No, it shall not be! Hist! — [Steps heard scrambling down the entrance- way. \Enter Michael in mad haste. T^hey rush upon him with exultation and relief. He shakes them off^ doggedly. Piper So ! — You had like to have hanged us. The Piper 77 Michael — What of that ? Piper All for a lily maiden. Michael Ah, — thy pipe ! How will it save her ? — Save her I — Tune thy pipe To compass that! — You do not know — Piper I know. Tell me no more. — I say it shall not be ! To heel, lad ! No, I follow, — none but I ! Go, — go ! [Michael rushes out again, [Ti5 Cheat-the-Devil, pointing to the Children'] Do you bide here and shepherd these. Children Where are you going ? — Take us too ! — us too ! — Oh, take us with you ? — Take us ! j8 ThePiper Piper [distracted^ No, no, no ! You shall be kittens all. And chase your tails. Till I come back ! — So here ! [Catches Hansel and affixes to bis little jacket a long strip of leather for a tail; then whirls him about. Children Me too! — Me too! Cheat-the-Devil Let me make tails, — let me ! [Seizing shears and leather^ Piper [wildly\ Faith, and you shall. A master tailor! — Come, here 's food for thought. Think all, — [fTo the Strollers'] And hold your tongues, there ! — If a Cat — The Piper 79 If a Cat have — as all men say — Nine Lives, And if Nine Tailors go to make a Man, How long, then, shall it take one Man turned Tailor To keep a Cat in Tails, until she die ? [Cheat-the-Devil looks subdued ; the chil- dren whirl about. But here 's no game for Jan. — Stay ! Some- thing else. — \He runs to a wooden coffer^ rear^ and takes out a long crystal on the end of a strings with a glance at the shaft of sunlight from the roof. 'The Children watch. Be quiet, now. — Chase not your tails too far. Till I come home again. Children Come home — come home ! Piper And you shall see my — Children Something Beautiful 1 Oh, oh, what is it ? — Oh, and will it play ? Will it play music? 8o ThePiper Piper Yes. [He hangs the crystal in the sun, A Rain" how strikes the wall, — The best of all ! Cheat-the-Devil, Jan, Children Oh, oh, how beautiful, — how beautiful ! Piper And hear it pipe and call, and dance, and sing. Heja! — And hark you all. You have to mind — The Rainbow ! [He climbs out, pipe in hand, ne Children whirl about after their tails. — Cheat- the-Devil, and Jan on his tree-stump, open-mouthed with happiness, watch the Rainbow, Curtain The Piper 8i Scene II : ^he Cross-ways : on the Long Road to Ruder sheim. A wooded country : high hills at back. 'The place is wild and overgrown^ like the haunted spot it is reputed to be. In the foreground, right, a ruined stone well appears, in a mass of weeds and vines. Opposite, left, tall trees and dense thickets. Where the roads cross {to left of centre), stands a large, neglected shrine, with a weather-worn figure of Christ, — again the * Lonely Man,' — facing towards Hamelin. — The stage is empty, at rise of the curtain ; but the sound of chanting from burghers just gone by fades slowly, on the road to Ruder sheim. From the hillside at the rear comes the Piper, wrapped in a long green cloak, his pipe in his hand. He looks after the procession, and back to Hamelin. — Enter, springing from the bushes to the right, Michael, who seizes him. Their speech goes breathlessly. Michael UICK! — tellme- PlPER — Patience. 82 ThePiper Michael Patience ? — Death and hell ! Oh, save her — save her! Give the children back. Piper Never. Have you betrayed us ? Michael I ! — betrayed ? Piper So, so, lad. Michael But to save her — Piper There 's a way, — Trust me ! I save her, or we swing together Merrily, in a row. — - How did you see her ? Michael By stealth: two days ago, at evening. Hard by the vine-hid wall of her own garden. ThePiper 83 I made a warbling like a nightingale ; And she came out to hear. Piper A serenade ! Under the halter ! Michael Hush. — A death-black night, Until she came. — Oh, how to tell thee, lad! She came, — she came, not for the nightingale. But even dreaming that it would be I ! Piper She knew you ? — We are trapped, then. Michael No, not so ! She smiled on me. — Dost thou remember how She smiled on me that day? Alas, poor maid. She took me for some noble in disguise ! And all these days, — she told me, — she had dreamed That I would come to save her ! 84 ThePiper Piper Said she this? Michael All this — all this, and more ! . . . What could lies do ? — I lied to her of thee ; I swore I knew not of thy vanishment, Nor the lost children. But I told her true, I was a stroller and an outcast man That hid there, like a famished castaway. For one more word, without a hope, — a hope; Helpless to save her. Piper And she told thee then, She goes to be a nun? Michael Youth to the grave ! And I — vile nothing — cannot go to save her, Only to look my last — Piper Who knows ? ThePiper 85 Michael [bitterly] Ah, thou! — Piper Poor Nightingale ! [Fingers his pipe ^ noiselessly,'] Michael [rapt with grief] Oh, but the scorn of her ! Piper She smiled on thee. Michael Until she heard the truth : — A juggler, — truly, — and no wandering knight ! Oh, and she wept. [Wildly] Let us all hang together. Piper Thanks. Kindly spoken. — Not this afternoon ! 86 ThePiper Michael Thou knowest they are given up for dead ? Piper Truly. Bewitched? Michael Piper So are they. Michael Sold to the Devil? Piper \_Pacing softly up and down, with the rest- less cunning of a squirrel at watch~\ Pfui ! But who else ? Of course. This same old Devil ! This kind old Devil takes on him all we do ! Who else is such a refuge in this world ? Who could have burned the abbey in this place. Where holy men did live ? Why, 't was the Devil ! ThePiper 87 And who did guard us one secluded spot By burying a wizard at this cross-ways ? — So none dare search the haunted, evil place ! The Devil for a landlord! — So say I ! And all we poor, we strollers, for his tenants; We gypsies and we pipers in the world. And a few hermits and sword-swallowers. And all the cast-aways that Holy Church Must put in cages — cages — to the end ! l^T'o Michael^ who is overcome^ Take heart ! I swear, — by all the stars that chime ! I '11 not have things in Cages ! Michael Barbara ! So young, — so young and beautiful ! Piper And fit To marry with friend Michael ! Michael Do not mock. 88 The Piper Piper I mock not. — (Baa — Baa — Barbara !) Michael Ay, she laughed. On that first day. But still she gazed. — I saw Her, all the while ! I swallowed — Piper Prodigies ! • A thousand swallows, and no summer yet ! But now, — 't is late to ask, — why did you not Swallow her father ? — That had saved us all. Michael They will be coming soon. They will cut off All her bright hair, — and wall her in forever. Piper Never. They shall not. Michael Will you give them back. Now F ThePiper 89 Piper I will never give them back. Be sure. Michael And she is made an offering for the town ! I heard it of the gossips. — They have sworn Jacobus shall not keep his one ewe-lamb While all the rest go childless. Piper And I swear That he shall give her up, — to none but thee ! Michael You cannot do it ! Piper Have I lived like Cain, But to make good one hour of Life and Sun ? And have I got this Hamelin in my hands, To make it pay its thousand cruelties With such a fool's one-more ? , . . — You know right well, 'T was not the thousand guilders that I wanted go ThePiper For thee, or me, or any ! — Ten would serve. But there it ached ; there^ in the money-bag That serves the town of Hamehn for an heart ! That stab was mortal ! And I thrust it deep. Life, life, I wanted ; safety, — sun and wind ! — And but to show them how that daily fear They call their faith, is made of blasphemies That would put out the Sun and Moon and Stars, Early, for some last judgment! \He laughs up to the tree-tops\ And the Lord, Where will He get His harpers and singing-men And them that laugh for joy ? — From Hamelin guilds ? — Will you imagine Kurt the Councillor Trying to sing ? \He looks at his pipe again ; then listens in- tently. Michael His lean throat freeze ! — But she — Barbara ! Barbara ! — Piper Patience. She will come, Dressed like a bride. I mock not. The Piper 91 Michael Ah, do not mock me so. Piper Michael She will never look at me. Piper Rather than be a nun, I swear she will Look at thee twice, — and with a long, long look. \Chant approaches in the distance^ coming from Hamelin, Voices Dies iraCy dies ilia Solvet saeclum in favilla^ 'Teste David cum Sibylla, ^uantus tremor est futurus^ ^ando judex est venturus, Cuncta strict e discussurus ! Piper Bah, how they whine ! Why do they drag it so ? 92 ThePiper Michael [^overcome] Oh, can it be the last of all ? O Saints ! — O blessed Francis, Ursula, Catherine ! Hubert — and Crispin — Pantaleone — Paul ! George o' the Dragon ! — Michael the Arch- angel ! Piper Michael Sword-eater, canst not swallow a chant ? The well, the well ! — Take care. Voices [nearer] Inter oves locum praesta^ Et ab hoedis me sequestra^ ■ Statutus in parte dextra, Confutatis maledictis^ Flammis acrihus addictis : Voca me cum henedictis, [Michael climbs down the ancient well, reaching his head up warily, to see, I'he Piper waves to him debonairly, points The Piper 93 to the tree-tops^ left^ and stands a moment showing in his face his disapproval of the music. He fingers his pipe. As the hymn draws near, he scrambles among the bushes^ lefty and disappears. Enter slowly, chanting, the company of burgh- ers from Hamelin, — men together first, headed hy priests ; then the women. — An- SELM and all the townsfolk appear {saving Veronika, the wife (j/'Kurt); Jacobus is meek; Kurt very stern. — As they appear, the piping of the Dance-spell begins softly, high in air. The hymn wavers; when the first burghers reach the centre of the stage, it breaks down. They look up, bewildered ; then, with every sign of consternation, struggle, and vacant fear, they begin to dance, willy-nilly. Their faces work ; they struggle to walk on ; but it is useless. The music whirls them irre- sistibly into a rhythmic pace of \ time, and jogs their words, when they try to speak, into the same dance-measure. One by one, — two and two they go, — round and round like corks at first, with every sign of strug- gle and protest, then off, on the long road 94 The Piper to Ruder sheim. Fat priests waltz together. — Kurt the fierce and Jacobus the sleek hug each other in frantic endeavor to be released. 'Their words jolt insanely. { Kurt, Jacobus No, no. — No, no — No, no. — No, no ! Yes, yes. — I, yes. — Yes, yes. — Yes, yes 1 Some " La — cry mo s — a — Dies — /// — Bewitched — the Devil ! — bewitched — be- witched ! I will not — will not — will — I will ! No, no — but where ! — Help — help ! — To arms ! Others r Suppli — canti — suppli — Oh ! \ To Hamelin — back — to Hamelin — stay! No, no ! — No, no, — Away, — away ! \_They dance out^ convulsively, towards Ru- der sheim. Kurt and Jacobus, still whirl- ing, cry, — The Piper 95 Jacobus, Kurt J Yes, yes ! — yes, yes ! — Let go — let go — No ! ... No ! [_Exeunt left^ dancing. L No, no ! — I will not — No ! ... No ! Others Keep time, keep time! Have mercy! — Time ! Oh, let me — go ! — Let go — let go ! Yes, yes — Yes, yes — No, no — no — no ! [Barbara appears^ pale and beautiful; — richly dressed in white ^ with flowing locks. She is wan and exhausted. — l^he dance- mania^ as it seizes her^ makes her circle slowly and dazedly with a certain pitiful silliness. 'The nuns and monks accompanying her point in horror. But they^ too^ dance off with each other ^ willy-nilly^ — like leaves in a tempest. Barbara is left alone ^ still circling slowly. The piping sounds softer. She staggers against a tree, and keeps on waving her hands and turning her heady vaguely, in time. Michael looks forth from the well ; then climbs out and approaches her. 96 The Piper Michael She is so beautiful, — how dare I tell her ? My heart, how beautiful ! The blessed saint ! . . . Fear nothing, fairest Lady. — You are saved. \_Sbe looks at him unseeingly^ and continues to dance. — He holds out his arms to stop her. Pray you, the danger 's gone. Pray you, take breath ! Poor, shining dove, — I would not hold thee here. Against thy wish. — 'T is Michael, the sword- eater. \1^ he piping ceases. '\ Barbara \murmuring'\ Yes, yes — I must — I must — I must . . [Reenter the Fiper from the thickets."] Michael Look, I will guard you like a princess, here ; Yes, like Our Lady*s rose-vine. The Piper 97 Barbara [gasping] Ah, my heart ! \_Tbe Piper comes towards her. She sees him and holds out her armSy crying : — Oh, he has saved me ! — I am thine — thine — thine ! [Falls into his arms half -fainting, *The Piper stands amazed^alarmed-y chagrined. Piper Mine? Michael \_furiously\ 'Thine ? — So was it ? All a trap ? Cock's blood ! Thine, thine ! — And thou hast piped her wits away. Thine ! Piper [holding her off'\ No, not mine ! 98 T H E Pi P E R Barbara [/o bim~\ Why did you steal me hence ? When did you love me ? — Was it on first sight ? Piper \confounded'\ I5 love thee ? Michael — Knave! thief! liar! Piper — Give me breath. [Holds off Barbara gently. 1 Barbara Where are you taking me ? Piper I ? Taking thee ? Michael [to her\ He shall not steal thee ! The Piper 99 Barbara [in a daze~\ I must follow him. Piper No! 'T is too much. You shall not follow me ! I '11 not be followed. — Damsel, sit you down. Here is too much ! I love you not. Barbara [_wonderingly~\ You do not? Why did you pipe to me ? Michael — And steal her wits, Stealer of all the children ! Barbara \yaguely~\ Are they safe? Piper [to Michael] Oh, your good faith ! — [^0 her] They 're safe. loo The Piper Barbara I knew — I knew It ! Piper And so art thou. But never shall they go To Hamelin more ; and never shalt thou go To be a nun. Barbara To be a nun, — no, no ! Ah me, I *m spent. Sir, take me with you. Michael \still enraged^ to the Piper] Rid her of the spell ! Is this thy pledge? Piper \_distracted'\ I do but rub my wits- — To think — to think. \^o himself^ What shall I do with her, Now that she 's here ! — Suppose her bound to stay ! The Piper ioi [Xo them] Hearken. — You, Michael^on to Rudersheim — Michael And leave her here ? No, no ! Piper Then take the girl. Barbara To Rudersheim? No, never, never! Piper Well . . , Hearken. — There is the hermit, over the hill. [Apart ^ wildly\ But how — suppose she will not marry him? I will not take her where the children are. And yet — \An idea strikes him, T'