(Sings.)

“Spin, Wheel, Reel Out Thy Golden Thread”

[Illustration:  Spin, Wheel, Reel Out Thy Golden Thread]

   Spin, wheel, reel out thy golden thread,
   My happy heart sings glad and gay,... 
   Hero shall ’scape the Ogre dread,
   And I my own true love shall wed,
   For love has found a way,
   For love has found a way.

[Curtain.

ACT III.

SCENE. In front of Witch’s Orchard.  Knight comes riding by, blows flute softly under the tower window.  Princess leans out and waves her hand.  Knight dismounts, and little page takes horse, leading it off stage.

Knight

  Lean out of thy window, O Princess fair,
  Rescuers now are at hand. 
  Thou shalt be led down the winding stair
  By the Queen of the Fairy band.

  Listen, as low on the South Wind’s flute
  I call the elves to our tryst. 
  Down rainbow bubbles they softly float,
  Light-winged as stars in a mist.

[He blows a flute, and from every direction the Fairies come floating in, their gauzy wings spangled, and each one carrying a toy balloon, attached to a string.  They trip back and forth, their balloons bobbing up and down like rainbow bubbles, singing.

Fairy Chorus

[Illustration:  Fairy Chorus]

   We come, we come at thy call,
   On rainbow bubbles we float. 
   We fairies, one and all,
   Have answer’d the wind flute’s note.

1.  The south wind’s silver flute,
   From the far-off summer land,
   It bade us hasten here,
   To lend a helping hand. 
   It bade us hasten, hasten here,
   To lend a helping hand.

2.  To the aid of the gallant knight,
   To the help of the princess fair,
   To the rescue of the prince,
   We come to the Ogre’s lair. 
   To the rescue of the prince,
   We come to the Ogre’s lair.

3.  And now, at thy behest,
   We pause in our bright array,
   To end thy weary quest,
   For love has found a way,
   To end thy weary, weary quest,
   For love has found a way.

[Queen Titania coming forward, waves her star-tipped-wand, and looks up toward Princess at the window.

Titania

  Princess Winsome,
  When thy good Godmother
  Bade thee spin Love’s thread,
  It was with this promise,
  These the words she said: 

  All the world helps gladly
  Those who help themselves. 
  The thread thou spinnest bravely,
  Shall be woven by elves.

  And now, O Princess Winsome,
  How much hast thou spun,
  As thy wheel, a-whirling,
  Turned from sun to sun?

Princess

  This, O Queen Titania.

[Holding up mammoth ball.

  To the humming wheel’s refrain,
  I sang, and spun the measure
  Of one great golden skein.