Rosetta. It's a beautiful book. All fairies. Felix. Fairies! who cares for fairies? Rosetta. O, hush! They are my friends. Pearl. What do you mean, Rosetta? Rosetta. I mustn't talk about them. They don't like it. (Goes toward left-hand door.) Good-by, Princess; good-by, Prince. Pearl. Wait a minute, Rosetta. (Rosetta comes back). (A pause. Pearl seated, Rosetta standing to face her, Felix and Alfred standing by Pearl's chair, Pearl next to audience. Felix leaning on Alfred's shoulder.) Rosetta. She wants me sent to prison. Felix. Don't be frightened. apparent, and I won't allow it. Alfred. Don't cry. Have an apple. Pearl (rising). You should not say I want you sent to prison, Rosetta; it's a story. On the contrary, I am very sorry for you, poor unenlightened little thing. Rosetta (stamping). I am not poor, and I am not unenlightened, and I am not little, and I am not a thing. Felix. You must be poor, or you wouldn't sell toys. Alfred. You must be little, for you're not grown up. Pearl. You must be unenlightened, because you believe in fairies. (Fairy appears suddenly at left-hand door.) Fairy. Who says that? (Felix, Alfred and Pearl cling together in alarm. Rosetta runs to Fairy and stands beside her; Fairy next audience.) Pearl. I said it. Felix. I said, Who cares for fairies? Pearl. If you are going to change us into anything, angry Fairy, piease make it birds. Fairy. I am not angry. On the contrary, I am very sorry for you, poor unenlightened little thing. (To Rosetta.) What would my little favorite like me to do? Rosetta. Dance. Dance for them to see. light. Alfred. I have a Chinese lantern. Felix. The sun's as good as the moon, and Neither do I. I call the stars by better, too. Pearl. Then they are wrong. (Fairy advances to middle of stage and recites the following verse, with slow movements of her wand. Felix, Alfred and Pearl grouped together to her left, Rosetta to her right.) Fairy. Though 'tis day, Music sweet (Music begins softly.) (Music louder.) Rain around Mortals' floor Measures meet For fairy feet. (Music and Dance of Fairy). Rosetta (as the dance ends). There! (to the other children triumphantly.) Pearl. I learn dancing, but I can't dance like that. Felix. She's gone. Oh! isn't she lovely? Alfred. Did you ever see her before? Rosetta. I mustn't tell. (To Pearl, who is standing apart with a thoughtful air.) What do you say now, Princess? Pearl. It just strikes me that my professor of psychology would say she was an illusion. Rosetta. What is an illusion? Pearl. Something you see when nothing is there. Alfred. Can illusions talk? Pearl. I believe some of them can, quite nicely. Rosetta. Can illusions give away sweetmeats? Please, Prince, open your book. (Felix opens book and takes sweetmeats from inside the cover.) Felix. Here they are! Three! (To Ros(Offers Rosetta Felix (very politely). We are extremely etta.) Good for your fairy! a sweetmeat.) Rosetta. No, thank you, Prince. I often get them. Pearl. Do you really? Oh! I wish Rosetta (interrupting). Take care, Princess. Pearl. Why, dear me, yes, of course I must take care. (Turning ring round on her finger.) If the fairy was real, my three wishes are real, and I mustn't waste them on trifles. I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll wait till twelve o'clock, when I shall see my King-papa and Queen-mamma and ask them what they advise me to wish for. People's parents have useful ideas sometimes. Felix. If Rosetta does not want a sweetmeat, there's one all round. (Felix gives Pearl and Alfred each a sweetThe three children eat them.) meat. Pearl. Mine tastes of violets. Felix. Mine tastes of roses. Alfred. Mine tastes of buttercups. Pearl. I wish mine did! (Exclaiming.) It does strong! Show in thee. (Turning to Rosetta.) Love and glee Stay with thee. (Fairy goes out at left-hand door, kissing her hand to Rosetta, who returns the salute.) Pearl (crossly). Two isn't three. (Draws chair to right-hand side of stage in corner and sits with her back turned to the others.) Felix. Let us see a picture in your glass, Alfred. Rosetta. You must choose what you'll see. Alfred. Rosetta knows all about it. (To Felix.) You choose first, Prince. (Alfred holds up glass and stands facing Felix and Rosetta.) Now then! Felix. I choose the picture of whoever loves me best. (Looking in glass and exclaiming.) Oh! oh! my Queen-mamma. Alfred (peeping round the glass). Majesty has her best crown on. Her Felix. Pearl, come directly! Come and see! Pearl. Don't speak to me. I mean to sit here and say nothing, till twelve o'clock. Rosetta. What a beautiful mamma you have, Prince! Felix. Of course I have. You may kiss her before she goes. (Rosetta kisses glass.) Rosetta. Vanished! Felix (to Alfred). Now you choose. (Rosetta holds glass up in front of Alfred.) Alfred. I choose a picture of myself killing a tiger. Felix. How silly! Alfred (looking in glass). Oh! this is the best. Felix (looking in glass). What a glorious tiger! Alfred (looks in glass). And I see my father's castle with the hill behind it and the flag flying from the tower. I see home. Children (together). We all see home. Felix. (Music ceasing). What was that? Alfred. I can put the glass away now. We've seen all three pictures. (Lays glass down on table.) Pearl (turning round). What is the time? Alfred. Ten o'clock, Princess. Pearl. So early! (Rises and comes forward.) O, dear! I can't sit still for two hours. Let us play at something; then I shall not be wishing. Rosetta. May I play too? The other children. Of course. Felix. Who is to begin? Rosetta. Whoever laughs first. (The children stand round in a semi-circle, looking in one another's faces with forced gravity. After a pause of a few seconds Alfred laughs.) Felix. I knew it would be Alfred. (Felix, Pearl and Rosetta take chairs and sit to right side of stage; Alfred stands fac Rosetta (looking in glass). What a glori- ing them.) ous boy! Felix (to Alfred). You couldn't really kill a tiger. Alfred. Perhaps I could, if he were about my own age. (Takes glass from Rosetta.) Now, Rosetta, it's your turn to choose. Rosetta. I choose a picture of the pleasantest place in the world. (Looks in glass.) My mother's cottage! There's baby playing on the doorstep, there's my own sandy cat, there's the cherry-tree. (Taking Felix's hand and pointing in glass.) Do you think it looks pleasant, Prince? See the honeysuckle over the doorway; only see! Alfred. There was once a giant who was so large he was too large for anything. He was simply huge and enormous. I just tell you, if he was to lie down on the ground, a cavalry army would have to ride some time before they could get all the way along him. Most fortunately, he was not one of those maneating giants which are so common, but he had rather a good heart. At last he died. That's all. Felix. How old was he when he died? Pearl. It would have been more interesting if his heart had been bad. When a giant Felix (looks in glass). But I see our palace has a good heart nothing comes of it. Had he and bright garden. a wife? (Rosetta takes Alfred's place, Alfred sits in Rosetta's chair.) Rosetta. Once there was a squirrel who used to be happy, till she got discontented. She said she ought to have had her choice in the beginning, whether she would be a squirrel or not, and she became so thin with fretting over this idea that at last you could not see her, unless you looked quite close. Her friends left off visiting her, because they thought she must be ill, and they were afraid of catching it, and altogether her life was dreary, till one day a mole who had known her mother, advised her to get into a better state of mind. and the consequence was that she recovered her former handsome appearance, and again enjoyed pleasures. She felt very grateful to the wise mole, besides making him several expensive presents. That's all. She did so, She sits up on high, we love to see her beauty, do our duty. That's all. Alfred. It's short. Felix. It's long enough. Pearl. Oh! quite. I'm ready, now. (Pearl and Felix change places.) Pearl. Once there was a pretty little girl with golden hair which curled naturally, but she was very stupid at history, especially the histories of the Greeks and Romans. This made her parents experience despair, because they did not see what was to become of her when she got old. They promised her an ivory brush and comb if she would improve, but it did not avail anything, so they sent her to school. It was a large school, and one day, no policeman being near, it caught fire. That's the end of the first chapter. I'll go on in a minute. Please, Alfred, give me my handkerchief. (Alfred fetches handkerchief from table and gives it to Pearl. Pearl smells at handkerchief.) Scented with lavender! I wish it were musk. Rosetta (just too late to stop her). Princess! Princess! (They all rise in excitement.) Pearl. Oh! my wish! my second wish! Stupid, stupid handkerchief! (Throws handkerchief on ground; Alfred picks it up and smells it.) Alfred. It smells of musk like one o'clock. (Rosetta and Felix smell handkerchief.) Felix. Well, I declare. Pearl (very plaintively). Only one wish. left! Rosetta. Take it now, Princess. Felix. This is better. I say, Pearl, what do you think we just saw? (Pearl is absorbed in thought and takes no notice of Felix.) A fawn-colored rabbit! Such a jolly little chap. He came up and let Rosetta stroke him. Only fancy right in our garden - a fawn-colored rabbit! Pearl (pulls at her frock), a fawncolored rabbit! Pearl (very sharply). I wish you were a fawn-colored rabbit, then you wouldn't come teasing me. (Felix darts off through right-hand door. Pearl follows him- stands at door a moment as if rooted to the ground, with hands clasped before her.) Pearl (very loud). Felix! He's changed! he's changed! (Runs off, right-hand door.) (Rosetta and Alfred come in at left-hand door.) Rosetta. I heard the prince call. Rosetta. He was here. Alfred. I know it. Rosetta. Look everywhere. (They hunt Pearl. So I will. (Leans against table about.) and looks down.) Alfred. Wish for a gun that will never miss. Felix. Wish for a horse that will never tire. Pearl. Leave me by myself, all of you! can't think comfortably while there's talking. Felix. Come along come outside and play hide-and-seek! Come, Alfred! Come, Rosetta! (Felix, Alfred and Rosetta run out of doors crying, "Hide-and-seek! hide-and-seek!") Pearl. How difficult it is. I might wish to grow up perfectly beautiful, but my Queenmamma says beauty is a secondary consideration. I might wish to know everything, but I believe I should get tired of not having any lessons. I might wish to be a fairy, but my King-papa wouldn't like that. (Felix comes in at left-hand door and crouches down by table close to Pearl.) I might wish Felix (interrupting). Don't tell where I am. (Pearl starts.) Pearl. O, dear! why couldn't you hide outside? Alfred. He must have run out. Rosetta. Where's the princess? Alfred. Hiding, too, perhaps. Rosetta. I am tired. (Sits.) Alfred. So am I. (Sits.) Rosetta. The sun is very hot. Alfred. Blazing. Rosetta. If we stop here they'll come back. Alfred. Of course. Rosetta. Let us play at something quiet. Alfred. Twenty Questions. Rosetta. Or being grown-up. Yes, Alfred; play we're both grown-up, and you come to pay me a morning visit. I have often seen gentlemen come to visit ladies, while I am showing my toys in their drawing-rooms. I know just what I should do. Go to the door. (Alfred goes to the left-hand door. Rosetta moves her chair a little way and arranges herself primly in it.) Here I am sitting alone. Ah, me! I wonder if any one will call? Now, then, Alfred. (Alfred comes forward and makes a bow.) |