Three Plays: The Fiddler's House, The Land, Thomas Muskerry Part 23

ANOTHER GIRL I think I'll be lonesome for a long time. I'll be thinking on my brothers and sisters. I nursed and minded all the little ones.

FIRST BOY A girl like you, Ellen, is foolish to be staying here.

SECOND BOY She'll be coming in the fall. We'll be glad to see you, Ellen.

ELLEN I have no friends in America.

FIRST GIRL I have no friends there, either. But I'll get on. You could get on better than any of us, Ellen.

SECOND GIRL She's waiting for her school. It will be a little place by the side of a bog.

THIRD GIRL _(going to Ellen)_ There would be little change in that.

And isn't it a life altogether different from this life that we have been longing for? To be doing other work, and to be meeting strange people. And instead of bare roads and market-towns, to be seeing streets, and crowds, and theaters.

ELLEN _(pa.s.sionately)_ O what do you know about streets and theaters?

You have only heard of them. They are finer than anything you could say. They are finer than anything you could think of, after a story, when you'd be A GIRL You'll be going after all, Ellen.

ELLEN I won't be going.

FIRST GIRL Well, maybe you'll be down at Gilroy's. We must go now.

_The girls go to the door. Ellen goes with them_.

ONE OF THE BOYS Phil said that an egg was all he could touch while he was on the sea.

SECOND BOY G.o.d help us, if that was all Phil could take.

THIRD BOY Light your pipes now, and we'll go.

_Ellen has parted with the girls. The boys light their pipes at fire.

They go to door, and shake hands with Ellen. The boys go out_.

ELLEN Theaters! What do they know of theaters? And it's their like will be enjoying them.

_Sally comes back. She is more hurried than before_.

SALLY Ellen! Ellen! I have wonders to tell. Where is Cornelius, at all? He's never here when you have wonders to tell.

ELLEN What have you to tell?

SALLY Oh, I don't know how I'll get it all out! Matt and father had an _odious_ falling out, and it was about you. And Matt's going to America; and he's to bring you with him. And Cornelius was saying that if father found out about yourself and Matt--

ELLEN Sally, Sally, take breath and tell it.

SALLY Matt is going to America, like the others, and he's taking you with him.

ELLEN Sally, Sally, is it the truth you're telling?

SALLY It is the truth. Honest as day, it is the truth.

ELLEN And I thought I'd be content with a new house. Now we can go away together. I can see what I longed to see. I have a chance of knowing what is in me. _(She takes Sally's hands)_ It's great news you've brought me. No one ever brought me such news before. Take this little cross. You won't have a chance of getting fond of me after all. _(She wears a cross at her throat; she breaks the string, and gives it to Sally)_

SALLY I don't know why I was so fervent to tell you. There's the stool before me that myself and Cornelius were sitting on, and he saying--_(She goes to the door)_ Here's Matt! Now we'll hear all about it.

ELLEN So soon; so soon. _(She goes to the mirror. After a pause, turning to Sally)_ Go down the road a bit, when he comes in. Sally, you have a simple mind; you might be saying a prayer that it will be for the best.

SALLY _(going to the door muttering)_ Go down the road a bit! 'Deed and I will not till I know the whole ins and outs of it. Sure I'm as much concerned in it as herself! "No man sees his house afire but watches his rick," he was saying. Ah, there's few of them could think of as fine a thing as that.

_Matt comes in._

MATT Well, Sally, were you home lately?

SALLY I was--leastways as far as the door. Father and oul' Martin were discoursing.

MATT I've given them something to discourse about. Maybe you'll be treated better from this day. Sally.

SALLY O Matt, I'm sorry.

_She goes out._

MATT _(going to Ellen)_ It happened at last, Ellen; the height of the quarrel came.

ELLEN It was bound to come. I knew it would come, Matt.

MATT He was a foolish man to put shame on me after all I did for the land.

ELLEN You had too much thought for the land.

MATT I had in troth. The others went when there was less to be done. They could not stand him. Even the girls stole away.

ELLEN There was the high spirit in the whole of you.

MATT I showed it to him. "Stop," said I; "no more, or I fling lands and house and everything aside."

ELLEN You said that.

MATT Ay. "Your other children went for less," said I; "do you think there's no blood in me at all?"

ELLEN What happened then?

MATT "I'm your last son," I said; "keep your land and your twenty years' purchase. I'm with the others; and it's poor your land will leave you, and you without a son to bring down your name. A bit of land, a house," said I; "do you think these will keep me here?"

ELLEN I knew they could not keep you here, Matt. You have broken from them at last; and now the world is before us. Think of all that is before us--the sea, and the ships, the strange life, and the great cities.

MATT Ay--there before us--if we like.

ELLEN Surely we like.

MATT I was always shy of crowds. I'm simple, after all, Ellen, and have no thought beyond the land.