SCENE??A room ed fire, and a door into trees of a rees sed in flat colour upon a gold or diapered sky. t of missal Painting. MARY, a y years or so, is grinding a quern.

    MARY.  can ter so?

    (tEIG, a boy of fourteen, is coming in urf, wh.)

    tEIG. t noruck

    the graves are walking.

    MARY. t the hen hears.

    tEIG. And t is not t; at tubber?vanach

    A  a man ,

    And ts wing.

    MARY.  can  your fathis while?

    tEIG. two nig Carrick?orus churchyard,

    A  a man wh,

    Nor eyes, nor ears; his face a wall of flesh;

    of the moon.

    MARY. Look out, and tell me if your fathers coming.

    (tEIG goes to door.)

    tEIG. Mother!

    MARY.  is it?

    tEIG. In the bush beyond,

    them birds??

    I could not see tly for the leaves.

    But the shape and colour of horned owls

    And Im ain theyve a human face.

    MARY. Mother of God, defend us!

    tEIG. t me.

    is ther says.

    God and ther of God have dropped asleep.

    do the whole land

    Squeal like a rabbit under a ooth?

    MARY. Youll bring misfortune h your blasphemies

    Upon your father, or yourself, or me.

    I o God here he is.

    (ShEMUS comes in.)

    kept you in the wood? You know

    I cannot get all sorts of accidents

    Out of my mind till you are home again.

    So listen to your clatter.

    Altramped the woods for half a day,

    Ive taken nots,

    Badgers, and o ,

    And the parched leaves.

    tEIG. t no dinner.

    Ser t

    I sat among t the cross?roads,

    And hers.

    MARY. , did you beg?

    So beg,

    For w

    t heir alms,

    And ed me aicks and stones.

    tEIG. You said t you would bring us food or money.

    Ss in the house?

    tEIG. A bit of mouldy bread.

    MARY. to make another loaf.

    tEIG. And ws gone?

    MARY. the coop.

    Shem!

    tEIG. And t penny gone.

    She hens gone,

    can  live on sorrel and dock)

    And dandelion, till our mouths are green?

    MARY. God, t to t and sup,

    ill cater for us still.

    Schens bare.

    t I looked this day

    And sa a soul to hem.

    MARY. Maybe hed have us die because he knows,

    opped and wopped,

    t every wicked sighe eye,

    And all fool talk from the ear.

    Shere?

    And mocking us h music?

    (A stringed instrument .)

    tEIG. A young man plays it,

    th him.

    S is trouble of to her?

    Not all or a harsh radishy sauce

    For t.

    MARY. Gods pity on the rich,

    hrough as many doors, and seen

    tanding on the polished wood

    In t, wed be as hard,

    And t the end of all,

    She rich.

    tEIG. theyre coming here.

    S stool, down quick, I say,

    And call up a whey face and a whining voice,

    And let your head be bowed upon your knees,

    MARY.  time to put to rights.

    (CAter.)

    CAtain house,

    An old grey castle chen garden,

    A cider orc for flowers,

    Somewhese woods.

    MARY. e kno, lady.

    A place ts set among impassable walls

    As trouble could not find it out.

    CAt may be t  trouble, for we??

    Althis hour??

    it too, yet I should know my way,

    For I lived all my c house.

    MARY. tess Cathleen?

    CAthis woman,

    Oona, my nurse, s,

    For here.

    OONA. ts now,

    Or else some c.

    CAt s heir border

    but now,

    andering and singing like a he sea??

    Is so errors to come

    t he can give no help.

    MARY. You ill some way,

    But I can put you on trodden path

    Your servants take wing.

    But first sit do yourself awhile,

    For my old fathers, lady,

    Longer tell??and it range

    If you and yours s be welcome here.

    CAt ranger still eful

    For suc I must be gone,

    For ts gathering in.

    S is a long while

    Since Ive set eyes on bread or on .

    CAtarving even in this wood,

    I hing changed.

    But ts a dream, for the world

    Can eat its o  pleases.

    (She gives money.)

    tEIG. Beautiful lady, give me sometoo;

    I fell but no,

    And lay upon threshold like a log.

    CAt was all I had.

    Look, my purse is empty. I have passed

    By starving men and his day,

    And t; but take the purse,

    t may be rifle.

    But if youll come to?morroo my house

    You she sum.

    (ALEEL begins to play.)

    Stering). , music, music!

    CAt blame tring;

    tors bid me fly times

    And find distraction for my ts, or else

    Pine to my grave.

    Shing, lady.

    he like of us complain?

    OONA.  s read of in a book

    eighey had been her own.

    (OONA, MARY, and CAt. ALEEL looks defiantly at

    ShEMUS.)

    ALEEL. (Singing) Impetuous , be still, be still,

    Your sorroold,

    Cover it up une,

    could bend all to his will

    e fold

    itars and the wandering moon.

    (akes a step tourns again.)

    S to t has fallen,

    For w walks, or in w shape

    Some devilisure flies in t now

    two grey?ed above our heads.

    (, ing the money.)

    tEIG. t it may be

    t to fall upon their heads.

    MARY. You never thanked her ladyship.

    Shank her,

    For seven ?

    tEIG. But for ty purse?

    Ss t for thanks,

    Or  t she promised?

    it of food

    Up to a price no man he like of

    And rising every day.

    MARY. e have all she had;

    Sied out the purse before our eyes.

    So MARY, he door)

    Leave t door open.

    MARY.  have read books,

    And seen the world,

    Fear he ground,

    Its time t poverty s the door.

    Ss, for t a thing

    t

    I  rato this house

    than any more of mankind, rich or poor.

    tEIG. So t t us money.

    ShEMUS. I heard say

    t appears like a we bird,

    A pigeon or a seagull or the like,

    But if you  it one or a stick

    It clangs as t had been made of brass;

    And t if you dig doching

    Youll find a crock of gold.

    tEIG. But dream of gold

    For ts running, and theres always gold.

    S be starved before youve dug it out.

    tEIG. But maybe if you called, something would come,

    te.

    MARY. Is it call devils?

    Call devils from them in here?

    Sand up against me, and youd say

    I am to welcome here.

    (s her.)

    t is to ser.

    tEIG. Call them in.

    MARY. God help us all!

    So.

    its little t the sleepy ears above

    Care for your  Ill call w I please.

    tEIG. them.

    S door)

    ever you are t  night,

    So be it t you  shouldered up

    Out of a grave??for Ill hing human??

    And rick of speech,

    I  beside the fire.

    matter if your heads below your arms

    Or youve a ail to whip your flank,

    Featead of s but a straw,

    Come, s bread and meat is in the house,

    And stretche ashes.

    And after t, lets share and share alike

    And curse all men and women. Come in, come in.

    , is there?

    (turning from door)

    And yet they say

    the grass, and ride

    Even upon ts hand.

    (tEIG lifts one arm slos tourns, he

    also sees somethe same. A man dressed as an

    Eastern merc comes in carrying a small carpet.  and sits cross?legged at one end of it.

    Anots at tely.

    ed take money out of embroidered purses at t on the

    carpet.

    tEIG. You speak to them.

    ShEMUS. No, you.

    tEIG. t called them.

    ShEMUS. (coming nearer)

    Id make so bold, if you ,

    to ask if thing youd have of us.

    Alt poor people, if there is,

    here is??

    FIRSt MERC. eve travelled a long road,

    For  must tramp the world,

    And now we look for supper and a fire

    And a safe corner to count money in.

    S you  ts no matter now??

    tween my wife and me

    Because I said I er here,

    And ask in w I pleased or who I pleased

    And so. . . . but t is noto t,

    Because its certain t you are but mercs.

    FIRSt MERC. e travel for ter of all mercs.

    S if you  I  but now

    Id welcome you no less. Be w you please

    And youll  t rate,

    t means t  a penny

    Is noy.

    (MERCS begin putting money on carpet.)

    FIRSt MERC. Our Master bids us pay

    So good a price, t all wh us

    S, drink, and be merry.

    So MARY) Bestir yourself,

    Go kill and draeig and I

    Lay out tes and make a better fire.

    MARY. I  cook for you.

    S cook! not cook!

    Do not be angry. Ss to pay me back

    Because I struck  argument.

    But s sense again. Since th came

    e rattle one on anothough we were

    Knives to a basket to be cleaned.

    MARY. I  cook for you, because I know

    In  now

    Outside this door.

    tEIG. Its this, your honours:

    Because of some her said

    S of t a shadow.

    She wood

    elcome, if to eat and drink;

    But it is certain t you are men like us.

    FIRSt MERC.

    Its strange t s no shadow,

    For the world

    ts more substantial ts are

    t buy and sell you.

    MARY. If you are not demons,

    And seeing   there,

    Give food or money to tarving poor.

    FIRSt MERC. If we knew o find deserving poor

    ed do our share.

    MARY. But seek tiently.

    FIRSt MERC. e knoy.

    MARY. t a common time.

    I  to and fro,

    At times like t overset the scale

    And trampled measure down.

    FIRSt MERC. But if already

    ed t of a more prudent ?

    SECOND MERC. If eac of merchandise,

    ell give  of.

    MARY. arving come at merchandise?

    FIRSt MERC. e  w all men have.

    MARY. ttle, fields and implements

    Are sold and gone.

    FIRSt MERC. t sold all yet.

    For t may be nothing,

    But ts the buyers risk??a second self,

    tal for a storys sake.

    So buy our souls?

    tEIG. Ill barter mine.

    arve for  nothing?

    MARY. teig and Shemus??

    S can it be but nothing?

    of  famine?

    Satan gives money.

    tEIG. Yet no tirs.

    FIRSt MERC. there is a heap for each.

    (So take money.)

    But no, not yet,

    For to set you to.

    Sful as t,

    And all t talk of buying  a vapour

    Is fancy bred. I might have known as much,

    Because ts rick?o?talks.

    FIRSt MERC. ts for ts separate price; But neitill the works

    done.

    tEIG. the same for me.

    MARY. Oill?

    FIRSt MERC. Youve but to cry aloud at every cross?road, At every  we buy mens

    souls,

    And give so good a price t all may live

    In mirt till the famines done,

    Because we are Cian men.

    Ss away.

    tREIGgt; I sill Ive earned the price.

    SECOND MERC. (wowards fire)

    Stop, for er,

    t able men.

    And ertainment on the road.

    (tRIG and Sopped. tEIG takes t.)

    MARY. Destroyers of souls, God roy you quickly.

    You s last dry like dry leaves and hang

    Nailed like dead vermin to the doors of God.

    SECOND MERC.

    Curse to your fill, for saints will heir dreams.

    FIRSt MERCm t vermin t our Master sent to overrun t the end

    S the moon

    And quencars in tral night.

    MARY., God is all powerful.

    SECOND MERC. Pray, you shall need him.

    You s dock and grass, and dandelion,

    till t lohere becomes a wall,

    And when your hands can scarcely drag your body

    e shall be near you.

    (MARY faints.) (t MERC takes up t, spreads it before tands in front of

    it warming his hands.)

    FIRSt MERC. Our faces go unscratched,

    For sed. ring t fowl,

    Scatter the shelves for bread.

    ell turn t and roast it,

    And eat to,

    No t, praise our master,

    And stretche ashes.

    END OF SCENE 1