THE SERPENT.  My new word for having to live for ever.

EVE.  The serpent has made a beautiful word for being.  Living.

ADAM.  Make me a beautiful word for doing things tomorrow; for that surely is a great and blessed invention.

THE SERPENT.  Procrastination.

EVE.  That is a sweet word.  I wish I had a serpent’s tongue.

THE SERPENT.  That may come too.  Everything is possible.

ADAM [springing up in sudden terror] Oh!

EVE.  What is the matter now?

ADAM.  My rest!  My escape from life!

THE SERPENT.  Death.  That is the word.

ADAM.  There is a terrible danger in this procrastination.

EVE.  What danger?

ADAM.  If I put off death until tomorrow, I shall never die.  There is no such day as tomorrow, and never can be.

THE SERPENT.  I am very subtle; but Man is deeper in his thought than I am.  The woman knows that there is no such thing as nothing:  the man knows that there is no such day as tomorrow.  I do well to worship them.

ADAM.  If I am to overtake death, I must appoint a real day, not a tomorrow.  When shall I die?

EVE.  You may die when I have made another Adam.  Not before.  But then, as soon as you like. [She rises, and passing behind him, strolls off carelessly to the tree and leans against it, stroking a ring of the snake].

ADAM.  There need be no hurry even then.

EVE.  I see you will put it off until tomorrow.

ADAM.  And you?  Will you die the moment you have made a new Eve?

EVE.  Why should I?  Are you eager to be rid of me?  Only just now you wanted me to sit still and never move lest I should stumble and die like the fawn.  Now you no longer care.

ADAM.  It does not matter so much now.

EVE [angrily to the snake] This death that you have brought into the garden is an evil thing.  He wants me to die.

THE SERPENT [to Adam] Do you want her to die?

ADAM.  No.  It is I who am to die.  Eve must not die before me.  I should be lonely.

EVE.  You could get one of the new Eves.

ADAM.  That is true.  But they might not be quite the same.  They could not:  I feel sure of that.  They would not have the same memories.  They would be—­I want a word for them.

THE SERPENT.  Strangers.

ADAM.  Yes:  that is a good hard word.  Strangers.

EVE.  When there are new Adams and new Eves we shall live in a garden of strangers.  We shall need each other. [She comes quickly behind him and turns up his face to her].  Do not forget that, Adam.  Never forget it.

ADAM.  Why should I forget it?  It is I who have thought of it.

EVE.  I, too, have thought of something.  The fawn stumbled and fell and died.  But you could come softly up behind me and [she suddenly pounces on his shoulders and throws him forward on his face] throw me down so that I should die.  I should not dare to sleep if there were no reason why you should not make me die.