[The shouting of newspaper boys grows louder and their cries, passionately vehement, clash into each other and obscure each word.  His head goes up to listen; her hand tightens within his arm—­she too is listening.  The cries come nearer, hoarser, more shrill and clamorous; the empty moonlight outside seems suddenly crowded with figures, footsteps, voices, and a fierce distant cheering.  “Great victory—­great victory!  Official!  British!  ’Eavy defeat of the ’Uns!  Many thousand prisoners!  ’Eavy defeat!” It speeds by, intoxicating, filling him with a fearful joy; he leans far out, waving his cap and cheering like a madman; the night seems to flutter and vibrate and answer.  He turns to rush down into the street, strikes against something soft, and recoils.  The girl stands with hands clenched, and face convulsed, panting.  All confused with the desire to do something, he stoops to kiss her hand.  She snatches away her fingers, sweeps up the notes he has put down, and holds them out to him.]

Girl.  Take them—­I will not haf your English money—­take them.

Suddenly she tears them across, twice, thrice, lets the bits. flutter to the floor, and turns her back on him.  He stands looking at her leaning against the plush-covered table, her head down, a dark figure in a dark room, with the moonlight sharpening her outline.  Hardly a moment he stays, then makes for the door.  When he is gone, she still stands there, her chin on her breast, with the sound in her ears of cheering, of hurrying feet, and voices crying:  “’Eavy Defeat!” stands, in the centre of a pattern made by the fragments of the torn-up notes, staring out unto the moonlight, seeing not this hated room and the hated Square outside, but a German orchard, and herself, a little girl, plucking apples, a big dog beside her; and a hundred other pictures, such as the drowning see.  Then she sinks down on the floor, lays her forehead on the dusty carpet, and presses her body to it.  Mechanically, she sweeps together the scattered fragments of notes, assembling them with the dust into a little pile, as of fallen leaves, and dabbling in it with her fingers, while the tears run down her cheeks.

Girl.  Defeat!  Der Vaterland!  Defeat!. . . .  One shillin’!

     [Then suddenly, in the moonlight, she sits up, and begins to
     sing with all her might “Die Wacht am Rhein.”  And outside men
     pass, singing:  “Rule, Britannia!”]

Curtain

THE SUN

A SCENE

CHARACTERS

The girl. 
The man. 
The soldier.

THE SUN