University of Virginia Library

ACT II.

Same scene by moonlight.
The Fairies, all but Selene and Darine, are discovered discontentedly watching the entrance to Selene's bower.
Chorus.

Fleta
(dialogue).
Still, still Selene watches Ethais!
For six long hours has she detained the knight
Within the dark recesses of her bower,
Under pretence that his unhappy wound
Demands her unremitting watchfulness!

Locrine.
This, fairies, is our Queen—the sinless soul
To whose immaculate pre-eminence
We, pure and perfect maidens of the air,
Accord our voluntary reverence!
She is unfit to rule us as our Queen!

Zayda.
Her conduct is an outrage on her sex!
Was it for this that we proposed to her
To bring these erring mortals to our land?
Is this the way to teach a sinful man
The moral beauties of a spotless life?
Surely this knight might well have learnt on earth
Such mortal truths as she is teaching him!

Song.—Zayda.
I never profess to make a guess—
That smacks of perspicacity—
Prophetical flight, my dears, is quite
A cut above my capacity;
But such a barefaced display of taste
For military society,
The veriest dunce would deem at once
A horrible impropriety!

Chorus.
A horrible impropriety!

Zayda.

Chorus.
It smacks of impropriety!

Zayda.
Though it seems odd,
And may offend,
To kiss the rod
I don't intend.

Chorus.
It wrong I call
To kiss at all!

Zayda.
A capital rule of life, my friend!

Zayda.
Was it for this to realms of bliss
We summoned such rascality?
Is this the way to teach him, pray,
The truths of pure morality?
With wiles demure his love she'll lure,
Caressing and beseeching him!
No need to journey here to learn
Such truths as she is teaching him!

Chorus.
Such truths as she is teaching him!

Zayda.
Though sure we are
That every youth
Should travel far
To learn the truth,
Ile might, with care,
Have learnt, down there,
Such truths as she is teaching him!

Chorus.
Such truths as she is teaching him!

Zayda.
You do not think
Me too severe?
We should not wink
At faults, it's clear—

Chorus.
We should not wink
At all, I think.

Zayda.
A capital rule of life, my dear!

Enter Selene from bower.
Fleta
(aside).
At last she comes. (To Selene.)
We are relieved to find
That after such a lengthy vigil thou
Canst tear thyself away from Ethais!

Selene.
Yes, he is sleeping now, but all day long
He tossed and raved in wild delirium,
Shouting for arms, and, as it seemed to me,
Fighting his fight with Phyllon o'er again.
I watched him through the long and troubled hours,
Fanning the fever from his throbbing brow
Till he awoke. At first he gazed on me
In silent wonderment; then, suddenly,
Seizing my hand, he pressed it to his lips
And vowed that I had saved him from the grave!
Mark that—the grave! I—I had saved his life!
He told me that he loved me—loved me well—
That I had holy angel-eyes that rained
A gentle pity on his stubborn heart—
That I was fairer in his worldly eyes
Than all the maids on earth or in the clouds!

Zayda
(spitefully).
Could any words more eloquently show
The reckless of his delirium?

Selene
(surprised).
Nay, he was conscious then.

Fleta
(very sweetly).
No doubt he was.
But, sister, in thy triumph recollect
He scarce had seen us.

Zayda.
Thou hast wisely done
To keep us out of sight. Cage thou thy bird
Or he may fly to fairer homes than thine!

Selene
(amazed).
What mean you, sisters? Nay, turn not away!
What have I done?

Locrine
(spitefully).
Indeed we do not know;
But, lest we should affect his love for thee,
We will at once withdraw!

[Exit Locrine curtesying ironically.
Leila
(politely).
Good night to you!

[Exit curtesying.
Neodie.
Good night!

[Exit curtesying.
Zayda.
Good night! Remember, cage thy bird!

[Exeunt all curtesying.
Selene.
How strangely are my sisters changed to me!
Have I done wrong? No, no, I'm sure of that!
The knight was sorely stricken—he had died
But for my willing care! Oh, earthly Love,
Thou mighty monarch, holding in thy grasp
The holiest balm and most enduring woe,
Is it for good or ill that thou art here?

Ethais has entered unperceived from the bower. He is very pale and weak, and his arm is in a sling.
Ethais.
Selene, I am weak; give me thine hand.

[She goes to him.
Selene.
My love, thou shouldst not yet have left thy couch.
Come, thou hast need of rest.

Ethais.
No, let me stay.
The air revives me; I am strong again.
And so thou trustest me?

Selene.
In truth I do.
Although I cannot tell thee whence proceeds
This strange, irrational belief in thee—
Thee, whom I hardly know!

Ethais.
I see no marvel!

Selene.
Nay, my love—reflect:
I am a woman, and thou art a man.
Well, thou art comely—so, in truth, am I.
We meet and love each other—that's to say,
I am prepared to give up all I have,
My home, my very fairyhood for thee—
Thou to surrender riches, honour, life,
To please the fleeting fancies of my will.
And why?
Because I see in thee, or thou in me,
Astounding virtue, brilliant intellect,
Great self-denial, venerable years,
Rare scholarship or shining godliness?
No!
Because, forsooth, we're comely specimens,
Not of our own, but Nature's industry!

Ballad.—Selene.
Thy features are fair and seemly—
A god among mortal men:
I'm beautiful, too, extremely—
Granting all this, what then?
The cause is beyond my ken.
I blindly thus reply:
“Suppose we were fated
To be separated,
Assuredly I should die!”
Oh, thine is the giving
Of dying or living!
I wonder, wonder why?

Selene and Ethais.
The cause is beyond our ken, etc.
A being of radiance rarer
Is the Sun in his golden noon;
Beyond comparison fairer
The sheen of the silver Moon.
Each is a God-sent boon,
Fairer than you or I—
But when they've departed
I'm not broken-hearted,
I neither despair nor die!
The act of their setting
I see without fretting—
I wonder, wonder why!

Selene and Ethais.
The cause is beyond our ken, etc.

Ethais.
I'll satisfy thy wonder in a word:
The face is the true index to the heart—
A ready formula whereby to read
The morals of a mortal at a glance.

Selene.
Then, Ethais, is perfect comeliness
Always identified with moral worth?

Ethais.
The comeliest man is the most virtuo us.
That's an unfailing rule.

Selene.
Then, Ethais,
There is no holier man on earth than thou!
Take thou this ring—it is a pledge of love—
[Giving him a ring.
Wear it until thy love fades from thy soul.

Ethais.
'Twill never fade while thou art true to me.

Selene
(amazed).
Are women ever false to such as thou?

Ethais.
Are women ever true?—well, not to me!

Selene.
But these are earthly maidens, Ethais.
My love is purer than a mortal's love.

Ethais.
Thine is no mortal love if it be pure.

Selene
(horrified).
Then, mortal Ethais, what love is thine?

Ethais.
(taken back).
I spake of women—men are otherwise!

Selene.
Man's love is pure invariably?

Ethais.
Pure?
Pure as thine own!

Selene.
Poor trusting, cheated souls!

Song.—Sir Ethais.

[Exeunt Ethais and Selene together into her bower as Darine, who has been watching them, enters.
Darine.
She leads him willingly into her bower!
Oh, I could curse the eyes that meet his eyes,
The hand that touches his hands, and the lips
That press his lips! And why? I cannot tell!
Some unknown fury rages in my heart—
A mean and miserable hate of all
Who interpose between my love and me!
What devil doth possess me?

Phyllon has entered unobserved during the last few lines.
Phyllon
(coming forward).
Jealousy!

Darine
(recklessly).
Maybe! What matters how the fiend is called!

Phyllon.
But wherefore art thou jealous? Tell me now,
Have I done aught to cause this jealousy?

Darine.
Thou? Dost thou love me?

Phyllon
(airily).
Love thee? Tenderly
I love all pretty girls on principle.

Darine
(impetuously).
But is thy love an all-possessing love?
Mad, reckless, unrestrained, infuriate?
Holding thy heart within its steely grasp,
And pressing passion from its very core?

Phyllon
(surprised).
That sort of thing!

Darine
(pityingly).
Alas, poor stricken knight!
Phyllon, my love is such a love as thine;
But it is not for thee! Oh, steel thyself
To hear disastrous tidings, gentle knight!
(Melodramatically.)
I love thee not!

Phyllon
(coolly).
Indeed?

Darine.
Is it not strange?

Phyllon
(very quietly).
Most unaccountable!

Darine
(disappointed).
But tell me now,
Art thou not sorely grieved?

Phyllon
(very calmly).
Unspeakably.

Darine.
But dost thou understand? I love thee not;
I, whom thou lovest, Phyllon, love thee not!
Nay, more, I love another—Ethais!
Thou hast a rival, and a favoured one—
Dost thou not hear me?

Phyllon
(calmly).
Yes, I am deeply pained.

Darine
(delighted).
Thou art?

Phyllon.
Of course—what wouldst thou have me do?

Darine.
Do? Hurl thyself headlong to yonder earth,
And end at once a life of agony!

Phyllon.
Why should I?

Darine.
Why? Because I love thee not!
Why, if I loved and found my love despised,
The universe should ring with my laments;
And were I mortal, Phyllon, as thou art,
I would destroy myself!

[Phyllon is greatly amused.
Duet.—Darine and Phyllon.
Darine.
But dost thou hear? I love thee not!

Phyllon
(indifferently).
Oh, yes, you put it clearly.

Darine.
A favoured rival thou hast got!

Phyllon.
I envy him sincerely!

Darine.
And canst thou contemplate Darine
With Ethais fondly toying—
In fond caress and rapture keen,
His social charm enjoying?
Unhappy Phyllon, think of this:
These eyes—they burn for Ethais;
These lips—which thou shalt never kiss;
This form—designed to crown his bliss!

Phyllon.
Well, it's annoying!

Darine
(anxiously).
It is annoying?

Phyllon.
Yes, it's annoying!
Ensemble.
These eyes—they burn for Ethais, &c.

Phyllon.
The state of your emotions you
Delineate succinctly:
But, come—what would you have me do?
Tell me the truth distinctly.

Darine.
Do? Hurl thyself to yonder earth,
With sorrow unabated,
And end a life from hour of birth
To bitter anguish fated!

Phyllon.
I see your point, but (pardon me)
Did all heart-broken youths agree
In death to drown their miseree,
The world within a week would be
Depopulated!

Darine.
Depopulated?

Phyllon.
Depopulated!

Ensemble.
Phyllon.
Undoubtedly; but (pardon me)
Did all heart-broken youths agree
In death to drown their miseree,
The world within a week would be
Depopulated!

Darine.
His difficulty I can see;
Did all heart-broken youths agree
In death to drown their miseree,
The world within a week would be
Depopulated!

[Exit Phyllon.
Darine
(looking off).
Here comes the miserable, mincing jade,
With a fair speech upon her lying lips,
To meet the sister whom her evil arts
Have robbed of more than life. Oh, hypocrite!

Enter Selene.
Selene.
Darine!

Darine
(changing her manner).
My sister—my beloved one!
Why, thou art sad; thine eyes are dim with tears.
Say, what has brought thee grief?

Selene
(with joy).
Darine, my own!
Thou dost not shun me, then?

Darine.
Shun thee, my sweet Selene? No, not I!

Selene.
Bless thee for that! I feared to meet thy face,
For all my loved companions turned from me
With scornful jest and bitter mockery;
Thou, thou, Darine, alone art true to me!

Darine.
True to Selene while Selene breathes!
Come, tell me all thy woes.

Selene.
My Ethais—
He whom I love so fondly—he is ill,
And I am powerless to heal his wound!
Darine, my love may die!

Darine
(wildly).
What can be done?
Oh, I would give my fairyhood to save
The man thou lovest, oh, my dearly loved!
But stay—the counterpart of Lutin is
At once his henchman and his cunning leech:
Lutin has gone to earth—cast thou this flower
And summon mortal Lutin to his aid;
He hath a charm to heal thy lover's wound!

Selene.
Kind Heaven reward thee for thy ready wit!
My sister, thou hast saved both him and me—
My darling sister!

[Embracing her.
Darine
(aside).
Oh, thou hypocrite!

Selene.
Fair rose, I name thee Lutin—go to earth
And hither send the mortal counterpart
Of him whose name thou hast, and may kind Heaven
Prosper thy mission! Kiss me, dear Darine,
For thou hast saved my Ethais for me!

[Kisses her and exit.
Darine.
No, not for thee, good sister—for myself!
[Exit Darine.

Hurried music. Enter mortal Lutin over the edge of the cloud, staggering on to the stage as though violently impelled from below.
Lutin
(bewildered).
Help! help! help! Whatever has become of me?
Help! help! help! Wherever am I now?
Help! help! help! Who's made a tee-to-tum of me?
When came I here, why came I here, whence came I here, and how?
Uprising with velocity
This impolite atrocity
Excites my curiosity—
But stay, I'm coming to—
But stay, I'm coming to—
But stay, I'm coming to—
I've gained my senses!
I've died a death deplorable,
For ever unrestorable,
And left my wife adorable
To weep, and pay my fu-
To weep, and pay my fu-
To weep, and pay my fu-
neral expenses!
Ha! Ha! Ha! Whatever has become of me? &c.

During this the Fairies have entered, led by Zayda, Locrine, Neodie, Fleta, and others. They examine him curiously and with much amusement.
Zayda.
A freak of Nature—not of Art!
'Tis Lutin, without wing!

Fleta.
His likeness to his counterpart
Is most astonishing!

Leila.
How beautifully formed is he—
How delicately quaint!

Zara.
I wonder will he prove to be
A sinner or a saint?

Chorus.
We wonder will he prove to be
A sinner or a saint?
We lay no stress
On blamelessness,
But still we wait
To speculate
On this—will he
Turn out to be
A sinner or a saint?

Lutin
(who has been much impressed with the beauty of the Fairies).
Though I'm no Mussulman, it's true,
Yet by some strange device
My soul has found its way into
Mahomet's Paradise!
If this is all I have to pay
For my career perverse,
It might have been, I'm bound to say,
Considerably worse!
Considering,
I've had my fling,
'Tis very well;
For, truth to tell,
From what I glean,
It might have been
Considerably worse!

Chorus.
Considering
He's had his fling,
'Tis very well;
For, truth to tell,
From what we glean,
It might have been
Considerably worse!

[Exit Zayda.
Locrine
(entering).
Why, this is Lutin's mortal counterpart!
How quaint! How picturesquely rugged!

Leila
Yes!
Such character and such expression!

All
(admiring him).
Yes!

Lutin
(with conviction).
It's Paradise! Mahomet's Paradise!
I'm comfortably dead, and all is well!

Neodie.
Alas!
This is not Paradise, nor art thou dead,
Thou art in Fairyland! These are the clouds,
And there's the earth from which we summoned thee.

Lutin.
Of course! I recollect it all! A mist
Enveloped me and whirled me safely here
Just as my fair but able-bodied wife
Began to lay my staff about my ears.
That's all I know. I'm much obliged to it!

Neodie.
Oh, tell me, are there many men on earth
As fair and pleasant to the eye as thou?

Lutin.
Not many—though I have met one or two
Who run me pretty close!

Locrine.
Tell us their names.

Lutin.
Well, let me see—Sir Phyllon has been thought
A personable man; then Ethais—
He's fairly well.

Neodie.
But these are handsome men.
We love thee for thy rugged, homely face;
Oh, we are sated with mere comeliness,
We have so much of that up here! I love
A homely face!

Lutin.
I quite agree with you!
What do a dozen handsome men imply?
A dozen faces, cast in the same mould.
A dozen mouths, all lip for lip the same,
A dozen noses, all of equal length.
But take twelve plain men, and the element
Of picturesque variety steps in.
You get at once unlooked for hill and dale,
Odd curves and unexpected points of light,
Pleasant surprises, quaintly broken lines—
All very charming, whether seen upon
The face of Nature or the face of Man.
Song.—Lutin.

Enter Zayda unobserved.
Locrine.
But stay! Thou shouldst be faint for lack of food—

Neodie.
Nay, let me minister unto his needs—

Zayda
(coming forward).
Then go, beloved sisters. Gather fruits
And bring them here to him. Such frugal fare
Will have a daintier flavour than its own
When served by such fair hands!

[Exeunt Locrine, Neodie, and the others.
Zayda
(changing her manner).
We are alone!
One word of caution—shun my sisters all!

Lutin.
Are all these lovely girls your sisters?

Zayda.
All!
Rejoice that they are not thine own.

Lutin.
I do.
I very much prefer them as they are!
You're a fine family.

Zayda.
Fair to the eye,
But take good heed—they are not what they seem!
Locrine, the fair—the beautiful Locrine—
Is the embodiment of avarice;
Darine is vain beyond comparison;
Neodie is much older than she looks;
Camilla hath defective intellect;
Maia's a bitter shrew, Colombe's a thief;
And, last and worst of all, I blush to own,
Our Queen Selene hath a tongue that stabs—
A traitor tongue that serves no better end
Than wag a woman's character away!

Lutin.
I've stumbled into pretty company!
It seems you fairies have your faults.

Zayda.
Alas!
All but myself. My soul is in my face;
I, only I, am what I seem to be;
I, only I, am worthy of esteem.
If thou wilt love me, I will dower thee
With wealth untold, long years and happy life,
Thou gallant churl, thou highly favoured boor,
Thou pleasant knave, thou strange epitome
Of all that's rugged, quaint, and picturesque!

[Kissing him on the tip of his nose.
Lutin.
You don't take long in coming to the point!

Zayda.
Forgive my clumsy and ill-chosen words;
We gentle, simple fairies never loved
Until to-day.

Lutin.
And when you do begin,
You fairies make up for the time you've lost!

[Twelve Fairies enter with fruit and wine. He sits and they group round him as he eats and drinks.
Neodie.
Hast thou a wife?

Lutin.
Well, yes—that is down there!
Up here, I am a bachelor—as yet.

Cora.
And does she love thee?

Lutin.
Well—we do fall out.
We did to-day.

Neodie.
And how came that about?

Lutin.
Why thus, to tell the truth, between ourselves—
(Whispering.)
There was a lady in the case!

Zayda
(much shocked).
Hush, hush!
Such stories are unfit for maiden's ears.
Confine thyself to matters that relate
To thine own sex. Thy master Ethais,
He fought with Phyllon. What was that about?

Lutin.
Oh, it's the old, old story!

Locrine.
Tell it!

Lutin.
Well,
There was a lady in the case!

Zayda
(shocked).
Then stop—
Go on to something else. Where wast thou born?

Lutin.
Why in Bulgaria—some years ago!
(Whispering.)
There was a lady in that case!

Zayda
(severely).
It seems
There is a lady, sir, in every case!

Lutin.
In all those cases they do interfere!

[Exit Zayda, offended.
Song.—Lutin.
In yonder world, which devils strew
With worry, grief, and pain in plenty,
This maxim is accounted true
With nemine dissentiente:
A woman doth the mischief brew
In nineteen cases out of twenty!

Chorus.
A woman doth the mischief brew,
In nineteen cases out of twenty!

[Lutin]
In all the woes
That joy displace,
In all the blows
That bring disgrace
On much enduring human race,
There is a lady in the case!
Yes, that's the fix
We have to face—
Her whims and tricks
Throughout you trace.
In all the woes that curse our race
There is a lady in the case.

Chorus.
Yes, that's the fix
They have to face, etc.

[Lutin]
If woman from great Nature's scheme
Were utterly eliminated,
Unruffled peace would reign supreme,
No quarrels would be propagated.
But that is a Utopian dream
Of mortals unsophisticated.

Chorus.
But that is a Utopian dream
Of mortals unsophisticated!

[Lutin]
It's true that foes
Might then embrace,
And earthly woes
Dissolve apace.
But where would be the human race
With never a lady in the case?
Yes, that's the rub
We have to face—
It gives a snub
That kills the case.
What would become of all our race
With never a lady in the case?

Chorus.
Yes, that's the rub
That kills their case, etc.

Enter Darine, unobserved.
Locrine.
And, Lutin, is thy wife as fair as thou?

Lutin.
I thought her pretty till I looked on thee.

Zayda.
Her hair—

Lutin.
Is bright, but not as bright as thine.

Locrine.
Her figure?

Lutin.
Neat and graceful of its kind,
But lacks thy pleasant plumpness. Then besides
She has a long, loud tongue, and uses it;
A stout and heavy hand, and uses that;
And large expressive eyes, and uses them!

Zayda.
And doth she know that thou art here with us?

Lutin.
No, that's the joke!

Zayda.
The joke?

Lutin.
Of course it is!

Zayda.
What joke?

Lutin.
What joke? Why this: my lovely wife
Is just as full of devil-born jealousy
As woman's soul can hold! A pretty girl
Who comes within a hundred yards of me
Runs a fair chance to lose both eyes and hair!
If I address a well-proportioned maid,
My bones will ache for it a month at least!
Only the crooked, the palsied, and the blear
Are held to be fit company for me,
And even they must mind their p's and q's.
This comes of being quaintly picturesque!

Neodie
(sighing).
I understand—I'm not at all surprised.
I should be just the same were I thy wife!

Locrine.
And how's the lady called?

Lutin.
Her name's Darine.

Locrine
(astonished).
Darine?

Lutin.
Darine.

All.
How marvellous! Darine!

Lutin.
Why, what's the matter with the name?

All.
Darine!

Darine, who has entered, comes forward.
Darine.
At last I've found thee, Lutin! Everywhere
I've sought thee, high and low!

Lutin
(who stares at her in blank astonishment).
Merciful powers!
Are all my senses muddled, or is this
A drink-engendered dream?

Darine.
A dream? Oh, no!

Lutin
(staring incredulously).
Art thou indeed Darine?

Darine.
Darine indeed!
Come hither, I would have a word with thee.

Lutin
(to Fairies).
You'd better go! There's going to be a scene.
[Fairies retire up.
(In great terror.)
Darine, have mercy! Pray let me explain,
These bold young girls, they are no friends of mine!
Nay, hear me patiently—I know them not;
They thrust themselves upon me 'gainst my will!
(Crying.)
Be merciful and hear before you strike!

Darine.
I have no time to list to explanations.
Attend to me, for this is life or death!
Thy master Ethais—he fought with Phyllon
And he was sorely wounded in the fight—

Lutin.
My master Ethais? Is he in the clouds?

Darine.
He is; his wound is grave and he may die!
Thou hast a charm of wondrous efficacy
(So Ethais says) to heal e'en mortal wounds—
I bid thee give it me without delay!

Lutin.
But tell me first—what means this strange disguise?
How camest thou up here? And, above all,
Why dost thou want to heal his wound thyself?

Darine.
Why? Dost thou love thy master Ethais?

Lutin.
Of course I do. What then?

Darine
(passionately).
Why, so do I!
[Lutin horrified.
Fiercely, unreasonably, recklessly!
With all the madcap torrent of a soul
That love has never kindled till to-day!

Lutin
(aghast).
Thou lovest Ethais? Great heaven and earth!
Is the girl mad?

Darine.
She is! Mad as the moon!
Hast thou no pity for a heart-wrung girl
Who pines for love that thou canst help her win?

Lutin.
She must be mad! Oh, my beloved Darine!
[Throwing himself at her feet.
Don't break my heart—don't make my life a curse!
I've been a faithful husband—more or less!
And when I've earned a hearty cudgelling
As I have, now and then,
I've borne it meekly! Oh, Darine, my love,
Do not forsake me. Treat me as thou wilt,
I will bear all. Be thou but true to me,
My masterful but well-beloved wife!

[Weeping.
Darine
(astonished).
I am thy wife? Thy well-beloved wife?

Lutin.
Of course!

Darine.
Oh monstrous! (Suddenly.)
Stay! There has been mistake;
Some dreadful error! See, I've found the clue!
Her name's Darine. Here, set thy mind at rest—
No doubt I am her fairy prototype!

Lutin
(sobbing).
Her prototype? And what's a prototype?

Darine.
Why, all the mortals on that wicked world
Have prototypes up here, and I am hers—
In face resembling her, and that is all.

Lutin.
Then you are not my wife?

Darine.
Not I indeed!

Lutin.
You're sure of that?

Darine.
Quite sure!

Lutin
(embracing her rapturously).
My darling girl!
And I'm permitted to disport myself
With these fair maids?

Darine.
Undoubtedly you are!

Lutin.
Kiss me again!
[Embracing her and giving her the phial.
Here—take the phial. Two spoonsful to the dose!
I never was so happy in my life!

[Exit Darine triumphantly.
Song.—Lutin.
When husband supposes
His wife is a jade,
No bed of red roses
For husband is made;
But when he discovers,
His fears about lovers
So grimly abhorrent
Are quite without warrant,
With utter contrition
He sends to perdition
All silly suspicion—
His fears are allayed;
He,
(Dancing.)
Free from anxiety,
Free from timidity,
Ladies' society
Seeks with avidity—
Pleasant variety,
Perfect sobriety,
No impropriety
Or insipidity!

Fairies
(dancing).
Free from anxiety,
Free from timidity, etc.

Lutin.
With keen satisfaction
And sense of relief
He feels a reaction
From trouble and grief.
His fears heavy-hearted
Have quickly departed.
He seeks in enjoyment
Congenial employment,
Surrenders politely
To maidens so sprightly,
They're all very sightly,
But this is the chief!
(Indicating Locrine.)
Oh!
(Dancing.)
Pure informality
Marks their civility—
Lovely locality,
Gems of gentility—
Happy fatality!
That it's finality
Seems, in reality,
Improbability!

Fairies
(dancing).
Pure informality
Marks our civility, etc.

[The fairies dance off with Lutin. As they go off, Darine enters.
Song.—Darine.
Triumphant I! Here is the charm!
Now to devise a plan to gain my end:
If I restore his strong sword arm,
He will become my friend.
But will it gain the love
That I prize all above?
That all-enthralling love which I would fain
Yield up my very fairyhood to gain!
And how shall I attain that dream?
Oh, god of impudence, lend me thine art!
I have bethought me of a scheme
That should enchain his heart!
No matter sin or shame
So, I fulfil my aim—
The dictates of the heart must be obeyed.
So, god of impudence, lend me thine aid!

Enter Ethais from bower. He is very weak and ill.
Darine
(tenderly).
How fares Sir Ethais?

Ethais.
Why grievously!
I am no leech and cannot dress my wound.
I'm sick and faint from pain and loss of blood!

Darine
(aside).
Now for my plan!
(aloud)
Sir Ethais, if Phyllon's words be true,
Thy wound is but a scratch!

Ethais
(indignantly).
A scratch, forsooth!
The devil's claws could scarcely scratch as deep!

Darine.
He says—I don't believe him—but he says
That thou hast magnified its character
Because thou fearest to renew the fight!
He says thou art a coward!

Ethais
(furiously).
By my blood
He shall atone for this! Oh, Phyllon, coward!
Why, a dozen times
We two have fought our battles side by side,
And I'm to quail and blanch, forsooth, because
We two at last are fighting face to face!
Black curses on this wound! Were Lutin here,
My sword arm soon would be in gear again!

Darine.
Lutin is here!

Ethais
(amazed).
Here? Lutin?

Darine.
Yes, behold!
[Shows phial.
I have obtained this precious charm from him.
Now, knight, to show thy mettle!

Ethais
(furiously).
Give it me!
Give me the flask!

Darine.
One moment, Ethais!
This flask is precious, and it hath a price!

Ethais.
Name thou thy price, and I will give it thee—
Take money, jewels, armour, all I have
So that thou leavest me one trusty sword!

Darine.
Nay, Ethais, I do not want thy wealth;
I want thy love—yes, Ethais, thy love!
That priceless love that thou hast lavished on
My worthless sister!

Ethais.
On Selene?

Darine.
Aye,
Thou lovest her, and dost thou think that I
Will save thy life for her?

Ethais.
Selene? Bah!
True, she is fair. Well, thou art also fair.
What does it matter, her fair face or thine?
What matters either face, or hers or thine,
When weighed against this outrage on my honour?

Darine.
Give me that ring, and thou shalt have the charm!

Ethais.
'Tis thine.
[Gives ring and receives phial.
And now, Sir Phyllon, take good heed!

[Swallows contents of phial and is at once restored to health and vigour.
Enter Sir Phyllon.
Phyllon.
Why, Ethais—

Ethais
(furiously).
So I'm a cur, Sir Liar, and my wound
Is but a scratch that I have magnified
That I might shun the terrors of thy sword!

Phyllon.
Hands off, thou drunken madman! Set me free!
I never said these things!

Ethais.
Thou craven cur!
Dost thou then fear to reap before my face
The crop that thou hast sown behind my back?

Phyllon
(contemptuously).
I am not wont
To weigh the words I speak to such as thou!
No need to taint thine honour with a lie;
Why, Ethais, the truth is black enough!
I know thee for a brawling tavern-bully,
A hollow friend, a cruel unsparing foe,
A reckless perjurer, a reprobate,
The curse of women and the scourge of men—
Is not the truth enough, that I should grudge
The one brute-virtue of thy satyr-soul—
The instinct courage of a hungry dog?

[Ethais is about to fly at Phyllon, but checks himself and turns to Darine.
Ethais.
Didst thou not tell me he had said these things?

Darine.
'Twas but an artifice to gain thy love!
[Turns to Phyllon.
Forgive me, Phyllon!

Phyllon.
Bah! release my hand—
Thou shameless woman, I have done with thee!

[Exit Phyllon. Darine turns to Ethais imploringly.
Enter Selene.
Selene.
Darine! Thou here alone with Ethais?
No, no—I will not doubt!

Darine.
Doubt whom thou wilt,
Thou hypocrite! Thou shameless hypocrite!
Thou craven victim of thine own designs!

Enter all the Fairies.
Selene.
Darine, what dost thou mean?

Darine.
Doubt all of us,
For we are false to thee, as thou to us.
I am as thou hast made me, hypocrite!

Selene.
Thou art to me as thou hast ever been,
Most dearly loved of all these dearly loved!

Darine.
Away! Thou art the source of all our ill.

Zayda.
Oh, miserable woman, get thee hence!
Thou art no Queen of ours!

Darine.
Away with her!
Down with the traitress Queen!

Scena.
Darine.
Thou art the source of all the ill
That blights our Fairyland!

Zayda.
Thine is the impious hand
That worked our misery, until
The very air we breathe
Was made to reek and seethe
With the accursed offence
Of plague and pestilence!

Darine.
Bow thee unto the storm that lowers!
Away! thou art no Queen of ours!

All.
Away, thou art no Queen of ours!
Give place to our Darine!
Bow thee unto the storm that lowers!
Down with the traitress Queen!

Zayda.
'Tis true we counselled thee to call
These mortals here from earth.
'Twas but to test thy worth!
We knew too well that thou wouldst fall,
As thou indeed hast done.
Thy subjects every one
Thine infamy has seen,
Thou sorry, sorry Queen!

Darine, Zayda, Locrine, and Neodie.
Thou hast abused thy royal powers!
Away! thou art no Queen of ours!

All.
Away! thou art no Queen of ours!
Give place to our Darine!
Bow thee before the storm that lowers!
Down with the traitress Queen!

Selene.
So let it be, for I have proved unfit!
I had a trust—I have forsaken it!

All.
Down with the traitress Queen!

Selene.
Though my default was born of good intent,
Mine was the sin, be mine the punishment!

All.
Hail to our loved Darine!

Selene.
Bows in remorse the head that ye contemn.
[Taking off her crown and placing it on Darine.
Well loved Darine, wear thou this diadem!

All.
Down with the traitress Queen!

Selene.
See, my beloved sister-maidens, how
Imperially it rests upon her brow!

All.
Hail to our loved Darine!
Thou art our Queen,
Beloved Darine!
In loyalty
We bow to thee—
We bow to thee
In loyalty,
Beloved Darine,
Henceforth our Queen!

[The Fairies march round Darine and make obeisance to her.
Darine.
So may I fall if I forsake my trust!
Thy punishment is just. Thou wast a Queen!
What art thou now?

Selene.
I have a kingdom yet!
I have a kingdom here in Ethais' heart.
A kingdom? Nay, a world—my world—my world!
A world where all is pure and good and brave—
A world of noble thought and noble deed—
A world of brave and gentle chivalry—
A very goodly and right gallant world!
This is my kingdom, for I am its Queen!

[Turning to Ethais, who comes down.
Darine.
Thou art no Queen of his, for he is mine;
Aye, by the token that thou gavest him,
Thou fond and foolish maiden!

[Showing ring.
Selene
(looking at it).
No, no, no!
It is a counterfeit! No, no, Darine!
The punishments of Heaven are merciful!
[Takes Ethais' hand to kiss it; she sees that the ring is not there.
Oh, Ethais!
Is that the ring with which I plighted thee?

Ethais
(sullenly).
Aye, that's the bauble. I have naught to say!

Selene
(to Darine).
It fell from him! Where didst thou find it? Speak!

Ethais.
I sold it for a charm, that I might have
An arm to flog a lying cur withal;
A traitor devil, whose false breath had blurred
My knightly honour—dearer to my heart
Than any love of woman, hers or thine!
I had no choice, my honour was at stake!

Selene.
Thine honour! Thou dost well to speak of that!
Can devils take the face and form of gods?
Are truth and treachery so near akin
That one can wear the other's countenance?
Are all such men as thou? Or art thou not
Of thine accursed race the most accursed?
Why, honourable sir, thou art a knight
Who wars with womankind! Thy panoply
A goodly form, smooth tongue, and fair, false face;
Thy shield a lie, thy weapon an embrace.
The emblem of thy skill a broken heart!
Thine is a gallant calling, Ethais!
Thou manly knight—this soul of chivalry—
Thou most discreet and prudent warrior!
[He approaches her.
Away, and touch me not! My nature's gone!
May Heaven rain down her fury on thy soul!
May every fibre in that perjured heart
Quiver with love for one who loves thee not!
May thine untrammeled soul at last be caught
And fixed and chained and riveted to one
Who, with the love of Heaven upon her lips,
Carries the hate of Hell within her heart!

Ethais.
Stay! Hear me out.
'Tis true I trifled with thy love, but then
Thy love is not as mortal woman's love.
I did not know that it would move thee thus!

Selene.
Thou didst not know!
Art thou so dull that thou canst understand
No pain that is not wreaked upon thy frame?
Hast thou no knowledge of the form of woe
That comes of cheated hopes and trampled hearts?

Ethais.
Nay, hear me. I have wronged thee bitterly;
I will atone for all

Selene.
Thou shalt atone.
Song.—Selene.

[She throws herself on a bank exhausted.
Enter Locrine.
Locrine.
Selene, see!
Through the far distant air with rapid flight
Our absent brothers wing their way to us!
These mortals must return to our own earth!

Zayda and Lutin and other Fairies have entered.
Lutin
(shaking them off).
Now, by my head, but this is welcome news!

Zayda
(horrified).
Return to earth? No, Lutin, no—not yet!
Life without Lutin, what can that be worth?

Lutin.
I cannot tell you, for I never tried.
Nay, seek not to detain me, I've reformed!
And had I not,
I don't think I could much enjoy myself
In the distracting company of one
Who, if she's not in point of fact my wife,
[Alluding to Darine.
Is so uncomfortably like my wife
That she may be my wife for aught I know!

Enter Phyllon.
Phyllon.
Come, Ethais, Lutin, come, to earth again!

[Phyllon descends with Lutin. Ethais is about to follow them, but is detained by Selene.
Selene.
No, no! Thou shalt not go—thou shalt not go!
My hope—my shattered hope, but still my hope!
My love—my blighted love, but still my love!
My life—my ruined life, but still my life!
I'll work and toil for thee—I'll be thy slave—
Thine humble, silent, and submissive slave!
(Furiously.)
Nay, but I'll hold thee back! I have the strength
Of fifty women! See, thou canst not go!
(With passionate triumph.)
Nay, but I'll wrest thy love away from thee
And fetter it in bondage to my heart!
I will be one with thee; I'll cling to thee
And thou shalt take me to that world of thine!

Ethais.
Take thee to earth? I love the world too well
To curse it with another termagant!
We have enough of them. Release me, fool—
Away from me! I go to that good world
Where women are not devils till they die!

[Throws off Selene, who falls senseless. He leaps through the cloud and descends. As Ethais disappears the Fairies, who have grouped themselves about the stage in attitudes of despair, appear gradually to wake as from a dream. The moon has disappeared, heavy thunderclouds that have gradually gathered during the preceding scene suddenly disperse, the stage grows light, and the music becomes soft and hymn-like.
Selena.
Where am I? Zayda! Neodie! Darine!
Oh, sisters, I am waking from a dream—
A fearful dream—a dream of evil thoughts,
Of mortal passion and of mortal hate!
I thought that Ethais and Phyllon too
Had gone to mid-earth—

Zayda.
Nay, it was no dream—
A sad and sorrowful reality!
Yes, we have suffered much, but, Heaven be praised,
These mortal men have gone to their own earth
And taken with them the bad influence
That spread like an infection through our ranks.
See, we are as we were!

[Embracing her.
Selene.
Darine! Darine!
My well-beloved sister, speak to me!

Darine
(shamefacedly).
I dare not speak to thee—I have no words—
I am ashamed!

Selene.
Oh, sister, let that shame
Hang heavily on all, for all have sinned!
Oh, let us lay this lesson to our hearts!
Let us achieve our work with humbled souls,
Free from the folly of self-righteousness.
Behold, is there so wide a gulf between
The humbled wretch who, being tempted, falls,
And that good man who rears an honoured head
Because temptation has not come to him?
Shall we, from our enforced security
Deal mercilessly with poor mortal man,
Who struggles, single-handed, to defend
The demon-leaguered fortress of his soul?
Shall we not rather, seeing how we fell,
Give double honour to the champion who
Throughout his mortal peril holds his own,
E'en though
His walls be somewhat battered in the fight?
Oh, let us lay this lesson to our hearts!

Enter Lutin followed by Ethais and Phyllon as Fairies.
Lutin.
Your brothers have returned!

Selene.
My Ethais!

Ethais.
Selene—sisters all—rejoice with us!
We bear the promise of a priceless gift,
A source of new and endless happiness!
Take every radiant blessing that adorns
Our happy land, and all will pale before
The lustre of this precious privilege.
It is—that we may love as mortals love!

Selene.
No, no—not that! No, Ethais, not that!
It is a deadly snare—beware of it!
Such love is for mankind and not for us.
No, Ethais, we will not have this love!

Chorus.
Pure as the air, sweet as the morning dew,
Reigneth our Queen!
Bright in our eyes as Heaven's ethereal blue,
Reigneth our Queen!
Spirit of love! as thou hast ever been,
Be to us evermore, oh, sister-Queen!
Unsullied source
Of tranquil joy,
Pursue thy course
Of pure employ—
Be thou as thou hast ever been,
Our all-beloved sister-Queen!

[Darine removes the crown from her head and places it on Selene. The Fairies all kneel in adoration at Selene's feet.
Curtain.