Bill. [Stepping forward] I’m ready to make it up to her.

Studdenham.  Keep back, there? [He takes hold of Freda, and looks around him] Well!  She’s not the first this has happened to since the world began, an’ she won’t be the last.  Come away, now, come away!

Taking Freda by the shoulders, he guides her towards the door.

Sir William.  D—–­n ’it, Studdenham!  Give us credit for something!

Studdenham. [Turning his face and eyes lighted up by a sort of smiling snarl] Ah!  I do that, Sir William.  But there’s things that can’t be undone!

He follows Freda Out.  As the door closes, sir William’s Calm gives way.  He staggers past his wife, and sinks heavily, as though exhausted, into a chair by the fire.  Bill, following Freda and Studdenham, has stopped at the shut door.  Lady Cheshire moves swiftly close to him.  The door of the billiard-room is opened, and Dot appears.  With a glance round, she crosses quickly to her mother.

Dot. [In a low voice] Mabel’s just going, mother! [Almost whispering] Where’s Freda?  Is it—­Has she really had the pluck?

Lady Cheshire bending her head for “Yes,” goes out into the billiard-room.  Dot clasps her hands together, and standing there in the middle of the room, looks from her brother to her father, from her father to her brother.  A quaint little pitying smile comes on her lips.  She gives a faint shrug of her shoulders.

The curtain falls.

THE LITTLE DREAM

An Allegory in six scenes

CHARACTERS

Seelchen, a mountain girl
Lamond, a climber
Felsman, a glide

CHARACTERS IN THE DREAM

The great horn |
the cow horn   |          mountains
the wine horn  |

The edelweiss           |
the ALPENROSE           | flowers
the gentian             |
the mountain dandelion  |

VOICES AND FIGURES IN THE DREAM

Cowbells
mountain air
far view of Italy
distant Flume of steam
things in books
moth children
three dancing youths
three dancing girls
the forms of workers
the forms of what is made by work
death by slumber
death by drowning
flower children
goatherd
goat boys
goat god
the forms of sleep