[Sinks into his arms.

THE CHILD (from the door).

White bird, white bird, come with me, little bird!

MAIRE BRUIN.

She calls my soul!

THE CHILD.

Come with me, little bird!

MAIRE BRUIN.

I can hear songs and dancing!

SHAWN BRUIN.

Stay with me!

MAIRE BRUIN.

Dear, I would stay—­and yet and yet—­

THE CHILD.

White bird! 
Come, little bird with crest of gold!

MAIRE BRUIN (very softly).

And yet—­

THE CHILD.

Come, little bird with silver feet!

SHAWN BRUIN.

Dead, dead!

FATHER HART.

Thus do the evil spirits snatch their prey
Almost out of the very hand of God;
And day by day their power is more and more,
And men and women leave old paths, for pride
Comes knocking with thin knuckles on the heart.

A VOICE sings outside—­

The wind blows out of the gates of the day,
  The wind blows over the lonely of heart,
And the lonely of heart is withered away,
  While the faeries dance in a place apart,
Shaking their milk-white feet in a ring,
  Tossing their milk-white arms in the air;
For they hear the wind laugh and murmur and sing
  Of a land where even the old are fair,
And even the wise are merry of tongue;
  But I heard a reed of Coolaney say,
’When the wind has laughed and murmured and sung,
  The lonely of heart must wither away.’

    [The song is taken up by many voices, who sing loudly, as if in
    triumph.  Some of the voices seem to come from within the house.