The Little Dream | Page 5

[Clasping her hands] That is like me but I am always
here.
LAMOND. Ah! yes; there is no one like you in towns.
SEELCHEN. In two places one cannot be. [Suddenly] In the towns
there are theatres, and there is beautiful fine work, and--dancing,
and--churches--and trains--and all the things in books--and--
LAMOND. Misery.
SEELCHEN. But there is life.
LAMOND. And there is death.
SEELCHEN. To-morrow, when you have climbed--will you not come
back?
LAMOND. No.
SEELCHEN. You have all the world; and I have nothing.
LAMOND. Except Felsman, and the mountains.

SEELCHEN. It is not good to eat only bread.
LAMOND. [Looking at her hard] I would like to eat you!
SEELCHEN. But I am not nice; I am full of big wants--like the cheese
with holes.
LAMOND. I shall come again.
SEELCHEN. There will be no more hard mountains left to climb. And
if it is not exciting, you do not care.
LAMOND. O wise little soul!
SEELCHEN. No. I am not wise. In here it is always aching.
LAMOND. For the moon?
SEELCHEN. Yes. [Then suddenly] From the big world you will
remember?
LAMOND. [Taking her hand] There is nothing in the big world so
sweet as this.
SEELCHEN. [Wisely] But there is the big world itself.
LAMOND. May I kiss you, for good-night?
She puts her face forward; and he kisses her cheek, and, suddenly, her
lips. Then as she draws away.
LAMOND. I am sorry, little soul.
SEELCHEN. That's all right!
LAMOND. [Taking the candle] Dream well! Goodnight!
SEELCHEN. [Softly] Good-night!
FELSMAN. [Coming in from the air, and eyeing them] It is cold--it
will be fine.
LAMOND still looking back goes up the stairs; and FELSMAN waits
for him to pass.
SEELCHEN. [From the window seat] It was hard for him here. I
thought.
He goes up to her, stays a moment looking down then bends and kisses
her hungrily.
SEELCHEN. Art thou angry?
He does not answer, but turning out the lamp, goes into an inner room.
SEELCHEN sits gazing through the window at the peaks bathed in full
moonlight. Then, drawing the blankets about her, she snuggles doom
on the window seat.
SEELCHEN. [In a sleepy voice] They kissed me--both. [She sleeps]
The scene falls quite dark

SCENE II
The scene is slowly illumined as by dawn. SEELCHEN is still lying on
the window seat. She sits up, freeing her face and hands from the
blankets, changing the swathings of deep sleep for the filmy coverings
of a dream. The wall of the hut has vanished; there is nothing between
her and the three mountains veiled in mist, save a through of darkness.
There, as the peaks of the mountains brighten, they are seen to have
great faces.
SEELCHEN. Oh! They have faces!
The face of THE WINE HORN is the profile of a beardless youth. The
face of THE COW HORN is that of a mountain shepherd. solemn, and
broom, with fierce black eyes, and a black beard. Between them THE
GREAT HORN, whose hair is of snow, has a high. beardless visage, as
of carved bronze, like a male sphinx, serene, without cruelty. Far down
below the faces of the peaks. above the trough of darkness, are peeping
out the four little heads of the flowers of EDELWEISS, and GENTIAN,
MOUNTAIN DANDELION, and ALPENROSE; on their heads are
crowns made of their several flowers, all powdered with dewdrops; and
when THE FLOWERS lift their child-faces little tinkling bells ring.
All around the peaks there is nothing but blue sky.
EDELWEISS. [In a tiny voice] Would you? Would you? Would you?
Ah! ha!
GENTIAN, M. DANDELION, ALPENROSE [With their bells ranging
enviously] Oo-oo-oo!
From behind the Cow HORN are heard the voices of COWBELLS and
MOUNTAIN AIR:
"Clinkel-clink! Clinkel-clink!" "Mountain air! Mountain air!"
From behind THE WINE HORN rise the rival voices Of VIEW OF
ITALY, FLUME OF STEAM, and THINGS IN BOOKS:
"I am Italy! Italy!"
"See me--steam in the distance!"
"O remember the things in books!"
And all call out together, very softly, with THE FLOWERS ringing
their bells. Then far away like an echo comes a sighing:
"Mountain air! Mountain air!"
And suddenly the Peak of THE COW HORN speaks in a voice as of

one unaccustomed.
THE COW HORN. Amongst kine and my black-brown sheep I Live; I
am silence, and monotony; I am the solemn hills. I am fierceness, and
the mountain wind; clean pasture, and wild rest. Look in my eyes. love
me alone!
SEELCHEN. [Breathless] The Cow Horn! He is speaking for Felsman
and the mountains. It is the half of my heart!
THE FLOWERS laugh happily.
THE COW HORN. I stalk the eternal hills--I drink the mountain snows.
My eyes are the colour of burned wine; in them lives melancholy. The
lowing of the kine, the wind, the