Act 5 — SCENE XI

The Awakening

The same scene as in Act I. TYLTYL is sound asleep. The light trickles gaily through all the crannies of the closed shutters. The Blue Bird is singing madly in his cage.

(A knock at the door.)

TYLTYL

(Waking with a start.) Who's there?

MUMMY TYL

(Behind the door.) It's me!... Open the door quickly!... We're expecting a visitor....

TYLTYL

Wait, wait, till I slip on my breeches.... (Rising and seeing with amazement that he is dressed.) Hullo, I've gone to bed with my clothes on! How did I come to do that?...

(He opens the door. Enter MUMMY TYL fussily, carrying a bundle of sticks.)

MUMMY TYL

Quick, quick!... Help me light the fire and tidy the room.... Go and wake up Mytyl.... They'll be here in a minute.

TYLTYL

(Doing his best to help her.) Who's "they"?

MUMMY TYL

Of course, you don't know. Daddy Tyl met them yesterday, but you had gone to bed.... Do open the shutters, I can't see what I'm doing.... (TYLTYL opens the shutters and the daylight floods the room.) And call Mytyl, so that she can help me to get things straight.... What a mess!... And the dust! I can't let them see my house like this. (Enter MYTYL.)

TYLTYL

Hullo, there Mytyl is!... But you haven't told me....

MUMMY TYL

(To MYTYL.) The fire's beginning to burn up.... You make the coffee, while I start cleaning.... What's this? More cabbage leaves under the tap!

MYTYL

It's not my fault. Tyltyl promised me....

MUMMY TYL

Well, I never! A nice thing!... It's a blessing that I came to look for myself!... Take the broom, Tyltyl, while I give a rub to the plates and put them away.

TYLTYL

But look here: who's coming? Is it the Shah of Persia or the Emperor of China?

MUMMY TYL

Much better than that. You'll never guess.... Do you remember our neighbour?

MYTYL

What neighbour?

MUMMY TYL

There aren't so many of 'em.... The one with the pretty little pink house, by the road-side, and a garden full of sunflowers and hollyhocks.

TYLTYL

Of course!... And they had a little girl to whom I gave my dove?

MUMMY TYL

That's right.

TYLTYL

They've been gone a long time.

MUMMY TYL

Five or six years, that's all. They went to the town to live with the girl's uncle. He was a widower, with no children of his own, and has died and left them all his money. They told Daddy Tyl they're coming back here for good, going into their nice little house again. It belonged to little Joy's uncle.

TYLTYL

Little Joy?

MUMMY TYL

Yes, yes, you know: that's the little girl's name. They used to call her Jojo when she was small; but her name is Joy. Daddy Tyl met her last night, says that he could hardly believe his eyes, that she's taller than you and beautiful ... well, there! With hair like gold, real gold! That's worth thinking about.... So I want the house tidy and all of us to look decent and respectable.... You can never tell what may happen. We're of good stock too. Your grandfather's father was a pork-butcher.

TYLTYL

It's curious, I didn't meet him.

MUMMY TYL

Whom?

TYLTYL

My grandfather's father.

MUMMY TYL

That's not to be wondered at: he's been dead these fifty-seven years.

TYLTYL

(Sweeping the floor lustily.) Perhaps I had better put on my Sunday clothes?

MUMMY TYL

No, you needn't; you're all right as you are. We'll just lay the white tablecloth.... Besides, there's no time now; here they come; I can hear them walking up the path.

(A knock at the door. MUMMY TYL opens it. Enter THE NEIGHBOUR and JOY, followed by DADDY TYL, with his axe on his shoulder.)

DADDY TYL

(Calling out from the threshold.) Here they are! Here they are!

THE NEIGHBOUR

Yes, it's Joy and I, Madame Tyl.... Good-morning, a Merry Christmas and good luck to everybody, as my poor husband used to say when he was alive. I'm glad to see you looking so well.... And these are the children? Don't tell me that this great, big, pretty girl is Mytyl? And can that be Tyltyl, that strapping young fellow who looks so smart?

MUMMY TYL

Yes, yes, Madame Berlingot, they're the sort that keep on shooting up till you don't know where you are. Tyltyl hasn't grown as much as his sister; but he's stronger. There's not a sturdier lad in all the country-side.... But it's your young lady who's beautiful!... She looks the very picture of the blessed saints!... (Observing TYLTYL, who stands wide-eyed and entranced.) Now then, Tyltyl, where are your manners? Don't you, know your little playmate? Be civil, say how-do-you-do, shake hands and give her a chair.

DADDY TYL

Before you sit down, would you like to see the cows?

THE NEIGHBOUR

What, do you keep cows now?

DADDY TYL

Why, yes; we've not done so badly either.... Two little cows and a calf.... Little cows are better than big ones; and they only eat half as much.... One of them, the red one, gives us twenty quarts of milk every day.

THE NEIGHBOUR

Then you've put up a cow-house? You hadn't one before.

DADDY TYL

Yes, I ran it up myself, with Tyltyl to help.... (Leading her towards the door on the left.) It's this way: we made a good job of it and it's quite worth seeing.

THE NEIGHBOUR

Dear me, yes; I'd like to see it at once.

(They all go out, except TYLTYL and JOY, who remain standing face to face. As soon as they are gone, TYLTYL goes up to JOY and takes her hand.)

TYLTYL

Is it ... really you?

JOY

Yes, it's I.

TYLTYL

I knew you at once.

JOY

And I you.

TYLTYL

You are even more beautiful than up there.

JOY

You too.

TYLTYL

I say, it's funny that I couldn't remember....

JOY

I hadn't forgotten.

TYLTYL

Oh, how lovely you are!... Let me kiss you.

JOY

You may if you like.

(They kiss each other awkwardly, but affectionately.)

TYLTYL

They haven't a suspicion.

JOY

You think that?

TYLTYL

I'm sure of it. They don't know what we know. But the little ones knew.

JOY

What little ones?

TYLTYL

The little ones up there.... They were very clever. They knew you at once.... Were you so very unhappy?

JOY

Why?

TYLTYL

Because I couldn't remember.

JOY

It wasn't your fault.

TYLTYL

I know, but I hated it.... And you were so pale, so dreadfully pale; and you never spoke.... How long had you loved me?

JOY

Ever since I first saw you, when you gave me the Blue Bird.

TYLTYL

So have I, so have I, but I had forgotten.... Never mind: we're going to be tremendously happy, for they've settled it, you see; they want it.

JOY

Do you think they've done it on purpose?

TYLTYL

I'm quite sure; there isn't a doubt.... Everybody wanted it, but especially the little ones, all six of them.

JOY

Oh!

TYLTYL

Yes!... We're going to have six!... I say, do you believe it?

JOY

Six what?

TYLTYL

Why, six children, of course!

JOY

Oh, Tyltyl!

TYLTYL

I know it's a great many; but we'll manage somehow. There's nothing to be afraid of.... What a dream, eh?

JOY

Yes.

TYLTYL

The loveliest I ever had; and you?

JOY

Yes.

TYLTYL

I saw you as you are now, just like that. But here, all the same, you are more real and more beautiful.... Oh, I must kiss you again!

(They kiss each other lingeringly. At that moment DADDY TYL opens the door, with the others behind him.)

DADDY TYL

(Catching them in the act.) Well, I never!... You're getting on, you two!... You're losing no time!

THE NEIGHBOUR

(Entering with MUMMY TYL and MYTYL.) What's the matter?

DADDY TYL

What did I say, when we were looking at the rabbits? These two are made for each other.... They were kissing away like anything!

THE NEIGHBOUR

Joy! Aren't you ashamed?

JOY

But, mummy....

DADDY TYL

Come, come, there's no great harm in it. We did as much, Mummy Tyl and I, when we were young, didn't we, old lady?

MUMMY TYL

We did indeed!... They make such a pretty pair!...

THE NEIGHBOUR

That they do; but Joy is still very young and I'd like to think it over.

DADDY TYL

That's right enough.... He's very young too; but you won't find a better boy in the whole country-side.... He's a strong, healthy lad, with a civil tongue in his head, and he works like a nigger.... Think it over by all means, only, as this is a holiday, there's no harm in their kissing each other; and let's see them do it: it's good for one!... (Seeing that TYLTYL and JOY do not move, he pushes them close together.) Well?... Look at them: they don't want to now!

TYLTYL

(In a whisper, to JOY, as he kisses her.) It was better when we were by ourselves, wasn't it?

JOY

(Also whispering.) Yes, it was!

TYLTYL

They were right, weren't they?

JOY

Who?

TYLTYL

The others.

JOY

Yes.

TYLTYL

Don't say a word to any one: it is our secret, yours and mine....

CURTAIN