CLAIRE:  But we will now sing, ‘Nearer, my God, to Thee:  Nearer to—­’

ELIZABETH:  (laughingly breaking in) Well, I don’t care.  Of course you can make fun at me, but something does tell me this is wrong.  To do what—­what—­

DICK:  What God did?

ELIZABETH:  Well—­yes.  Unless you do it to make them better—­to do it just to do it—­that doesn’t seem right to me.

CLAIRE:  (roughly) ‘Right to you!’ And that’s all you know of adventure—­and of anguish.  Do you know it is you—­world of which you’re so true a flower—­makes me have to leave?  You’re there to hold the door shut!  Because you’re young and of a gayer world, you think I can’t see them—­those old men?  Do you know why you’re so sure of yourself?  Because you can’t feel.  Can’t feel—­the limitless—­out there—­a sea just over the hill.  I will not stay with you! (buries her hands in the earth around the Edge Vine.  But suddenly steps back from it as she had from ELIZABETH) And I will not stay with you! (grasps it as we grasp what we would kill, is trying to pull it up.  They all step forward in horror.  ANTHONY is drawn in by this harm to the plant)

ANTHONY:  Miss Claire!  Miss Claire!  The work of years!

CLAIRE:  May only make a prison! (struggling with HARRY, who is trying to stop her) You think I too will die on the edge? (she has thrown him away, is now struggling with the vine) Why did I make you?  To get past you! (as she twists it) Oh yes, I know you have thorns!  The Edge Vine should have thorns, (with a long tremendous pull for deep roots, she has it up.  As she holds the torn roots) Oh, I have loved you so!  You took me where I hadn’t been.

ELIZABETH:  (who has been looking on with a certain practical horror) Well, I’d say it would be better not to go there!

CLAIRE:  Now I know what you are for! (flings her arm back to strike ELIZABETH with the Edge Vine)

HARRY:  (wresting it from her) Claire!  Are you mad?

CLAIRE:  No, I’m not mad.  I’m—­too sane! (pointing to ELIZABETH—­and the words come from mighty roots) To think that object ever moved my belly and sucked my breast! (ELIZABETH hides her face as if struck)

HARRY:  (going to ELIZABETH, turning to CLAIRE) This is atrocious!  You’re cruel.

(He leads ELIZABETH to the door and out.  After an irresolute moment in which he looks from CLAIRE to TOM, DICK follows. ANTHONY cannot bear to go.  He stoops to take the Edge Vine from the floor. CLAIRE’s gesture stops him.  He goes into the inner room.)

CLAIRE:  (kicking the Edge Vine out of her way, drawing deep breaths, smiling) O-h.  How good I feel!  Light! (a movement as if she could fly) Read me something, Tom dear.  Or say something pleasant—­about God.  But be very careful what you say about him!  I have a feeling—­he’s not far off.