_] Let us express ourselves with simple and
direct malevolence: the Cock is a robber!
ALL
A robber! He robs us!
THE BLACKBIRD
Now, what the--Robs you of what?
THE GRAND-DUKE
Of health! Gladness!
THE BLACKBIRD
How is that?
THE SCREECH-OWL
By his crowing!
THE GRAND-DUKE
His crowing brings on enlargement of the spleen and pericarditis! For it
heralds--
THE BLACKBIRD
[_Hopping about._] Oh, I see--The light!
[_All make a violent motion in his direction; the_ BLACKBIRD
_frightened, hides among the fagots._]
THE GRAND-DUKE
[_Emphatically._] Never speak that word! When that word is spoken, Night
at the horizon feels a crawling discomfort, a titillation underneath
her wing.
THE BLACKBIRD
[_Cautiously correcting himself._] The brightness of--[_General start
of dismay repeated; the_ BLACKBIRD _again dodges behind the fagots._]
AN OWL
[_Hurriedly._] Never utter that horrible grating word, which so
hatefully suggests the scratching of a match!
THE SCREECH-OWL
You should express yourself: The Cock heralds the folding back of the
pall--
THE BLACKBIRD
But the day--[_Start and threatening gesture from all._]
ALL
[_In voices of unspeakable anguish._] Not that word!
THE GRAND-DUKE
You must refer to it as "that which will be!"
THE BLACKBIRD
What difference does it make whether or not he heralds the--
ALL
[_Stopping him._] Ha!
THE BLACKBIRD
--the folding back of the pall, since that which will be--will be!
THE GRAND-DUKE
[_In tones of despair.
Pages:
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67