[_Seating herself and growing suddenly very still as though listening._] Yo’re right. Time’s up, de houah is heah an’ de chile is neah. I feels hit. Run an’ open de do’. Sapphie mus’ be comin’ up de paf. Mek ready. I feel my noo man chile neah me. [_PEARL goes out doorway at left. After a moment she and SAPPHIE enter without the baby. GRANNY stands up._] SAPPHIE [_Going forward hesitatingly to GRANNY._] Granny Maumee. GRANNY Give ’im heah in deze ahms. SAPPHIE I lay him in yutheh room. I want to see you. GRANNY Fetch ’im. SAPPHIE Aint you glad to have me back? GRANNY Fetch de babe, be swif! [_PEARL motions to Sapphie; she goes out to get the baby._] PEARL Her man, he couldn’t come with her. GRANNY No diffunce. I bless de man an’ wish ’im well, he’s su’ved his puhpose, but he ain’ none er ouah blood. De boy babe’s de chief un. [_SAPPHIE enters with the baby._] Give ’im heah, be swif’. [_SAPPHIE hesitatingly lays the child in GRANNY’S outstretched arms. As she does so a strange reaction, like an electrical shock, seems to overtake the old woman. She holds out the child as though she would give it back. After a moment, however, she presses it to her breast, rocking back and forth and crooning to it._] Babe, man babe-um, er noo man, er puore-blood man raise’ up atter all dem gals. Sam kin res’ now. ’Caze w’y— [_She begins to chant._] ’caze er noo man bin raise up an’ he shill lay hol’ er de stahs an’ th’ow um down fer vingince. He shill be er ’stroyin’ fieh er heavum tuh roll ergin de hell fieh w’ut dey lit fer Sam an’ quinch hit out fuheveh. De wrath er Gawd shill be wif ’im an’ de w’ite blood shill puhvail no more ergin ’im. De sun an’ moon shill rise no mo’ on my house an’ fin’ on’y gals, ’caze we got er puore-blood man fer to gyard an’ carry us on. [_From time to time during her words she has paused and bent intently over the baby, striving to see it._] An’ my King’ll not keep de cuss on me now an’ leave me go down to de grave wifouten sight er you, my babe-um. Dese eyes shill yit behole. [_She rises with the child in her arms._] Go on out er heah, Puhl an’ Sapphie, lemme be alone now wif my babe. [_She waves them out imperiously._] PEARL Whuffo’? GRANNY I wan’s ter see dis chile befo’ I dies. PEARL Why, Granny Maumee, your eyes is swiveled up with the fire. You couldn’t see. GRANNY Go. I won’ be long. PEARL [_To SAPPHIE._] Come on, don’t cross her. SAPPHIE [_Whispering._] I’m ’fraid— PEARL You know she couldn’t—— [_They go out doorway at left._]