[There is the sound of a herd-bell approaching.

PIPER
See,—­how the sunlight soon shall pour red wine
To make your marriage-feast!—­And do you hear
That faery bell?—­No fear!—­’T is some white creature,
Seeking her whiter lamb.—­Go; find our hermit;
And he shall bless you,—­as a hermit can! 
And be your pledge for shelter.  There’s the path.—­
[To MICHAEL]
Follow each other, close!

MICHAEL
  Beyond the Sun!

PIPER
A golden afternoon,—­and all is well!

[He gives MICHAEL his cloak to wrap round BARBARA.  They go, hand in hand, up into the hills, The herd-bell sounds softly.—­The PIPER cocks his head like a squirrel, and listens with delight.  He watches the two till they disappear; then comes down joyously.

PIPER
If you can only catch them while they’re young!

[The herd-bell sounds nearer.  He lets down a water-jar into the well again.  The nearness of the hell startles him.  He becomes watchful as a wild creature.  It sounds nearer and nearer.  A woman’s voice calls like the wind:  ’Jan!  Jan!’—­ The PIPER, tense and cautious, moves softly down into the shrubbery by the well.

VERONIKA’S VOICE
Jan!

PIPER
  Hist!  Who dared?

VERONIKA’S VOICE
. . .  Jan!—­

PIPER
  Who dared, I say? 
A woman.—­’T is a woman!

[Enter VERONIKA, on the road from Hamelin.  She is very pale and worn, and drags herself along, clutching in her hand a herd-bell.  She looks about her, holds up the bell and shakes it once softly, covering it with her fingers again; then she sits wearily down at the foot of the ruined shrine and covers her face, with a sharp breath.

VERONIKA
  . . .  Ah,—­ah,—­ah!
[The PIPER watches with breathless wonder and fascination.  It seems
to horrify him.

PIPER
[under breath]
That woman!

[VERONIKA lifts her head suddenly and sees the motion of the bushes.

VERONIKA
He is coming!—­He is here!
[She darts towards the well.—­The PIPER springs up. 
Oh, God of Mercy! . . .  It is only you! 
Where is he?—­Where?—­Where are you hiding him?

PIPER
[confusedly]
Woman . . . what do you, wandering, with that bell? 
That herd-bell?

VERONIKA
Oh! are you man or cloud? . . .  Where is my Jan? 
Jan,—­Jan,—­the little lame one!  He is mine. 
He lives, I know he lives.  I know—­yes, yes,
You’ve hidden him.  I will be patient.—­Yes.

PIPER
Surely he lives!

VERONIKA
  —­Lives! will you swear it?  Ah,—­
I will believe!  But he . . . is not so strong
As all the others.

PIPER
[apart]
  Aie, how horrible!
[To her]
Sit you down here.  You cannot go away
While you are yet so pale.  Why are you thus?
[She looks at him distractedly.]

VERONIKA
You, who have torn the hearts out of our bodies
And left the city like a place of graves,—­
Why am I spent?—­Ah, ah!—­But he’s alive! 
Yes, yes, he’s living.