ELSIE comes in with a lamp.  MAX and BERTHA follow her; and they all sing the Evening Song on the lighting of the lamps.

EVENING SONG

O gladsome light
Of the Father Immortal,
And of the celestial
Sacred and blessed
Jesus, our Saviour!

Now to the sunset
Again hast thou brought us;
And seeing the evening
Twilight, we bless thee! 
Praise thee, adore thee!

Father omnipotent! 
Son, the Life-giver! 
Spirit, the Comforter! 
Worthy at all times
Of worship and wonder!

PRINCE HENRY, at the door,
Amen!

URSULA. 
       Who was it said Amen?

ELSIE. 
It was the Prince:  he stood at the door,
And listened a moment, as we chanted
The evening song.  He is gone again. 
I have often seen him there before.

URSULA. 
Poor Prince!

GOTTLIEB. 
     I thought the house was haunted! 
Poor Prince, alas! and yet as mild
And patient as the gentlest child!

MAX. 
I love him because he is so good,
And makes me such fine bows and arrows,
To shoot at the robins and the sparrows,
And the red squirrels in the wood!

BERTHA. 
I love him, too!

GOTTLIEB. 
                 Ah, yes! we all
Love him from the bottom of our hearts;
He gave us the farm, the house, and the grange,
He gave us the horses and the carts,
And the great oxen in the stall,
The vineyard, and the forest range! 
We have nothing to give him but our love!

BERTHA. 
Did he give us the beautiful stork above
On the chimney-top, with its large, round nest?

GOTTLIEB. 
No, not the stork; by God in heaven,
As a blessing, the dear white stork was given,
But the Prince has given us all the rest. 
God bless him, and make him well again.

ELSIE. 
Would I could do something for his sake,
Something to cure his sorrow and pain!

GOTTLIEB. 
That no one can; neither thou nor I,
Nor any one else.

ELSIE. 
                 And must he die?

URSULA. 
Yes; if the dear God does not take
Pity upon him in his distress,
And work a miracle!

GOTTLIEB. 
                     Or unless
Some maiden, of her own accord,
Offers her life for that of her lord,
And is willing to die in his stead.

ELSIE. 
                                  I will!

URSULA. 
Prithee, thou foolish child, be still! 
Thou shouldst not say what thou dost not mean!

ELSIE. 
I mean it truly!

MAX. 
O father! this morning,
Down by the mill, in the ravine,
Hans killed a wolf, the very same
That in the night to the sheepfold came,
And ate up my lamb, that was left outside.

GOTTLIEB. 
I am glad he is dead.  It will be a warning
To the wolves in the forest, far and wide.