DANIEL. Come Mother, come Andrew, I be sharp set. And ’tis the feel of
victuals and no words as I wants in my mouth.
ELIZABETH. Well, Father, I’m not detaining you. There’s the door, and
the food has been cooling on the table this great while.
DANIEL. Come you, Andrew, come you, Mother. Us’ll make a bit of a
marriage feast this night.
[_He leads the way and the others follow him out_.
[_Curtain_.]
ACT II.—Scene 1.
_A woodland path_. GILES _comes forward with his two servants_, GEORGE
_and_ JOHN, _who are carrying heavy packets_.
GILES. ’Tis powerful warm to-day. We will take a bit of rest before we
go further.
GEORGE. [_Setting down his packet_.] That’s it, master. ’Tis a rare
weight as I’ve been carrying across my back since dawn.
JOHN. [_Also setting down his burden_.] Ah, I be pleased for to lay
aside yon. ’Tis wonderful heavy work, this journeying to and fro with
gold and silver.
GILES. Our travelling is very nigh finished. There lies the road which
goes to Camel Farm.
GEORGE. Oh, I count as that must be a rare sort of a place, master.
JOHN. Seeing as us haven’t stopped scarce an hour since us landed off
the sea.
GEORGE. But have come running all the while same as the fox may run in
th’ early morning towards the poultry yard.
JOHN. Nor broke bread, nor scarce got a drop of drink to wet th’ insides
of we.
GILES. ’Tis very little further that you have got to journey, my good
lads. We are nigh to the end of our wayfaring.
GEORGE. And what sort of a place be we a-coming to, master?
GILES. ’Tis the place out of all the world to me.
JOHN. I count ’tis sommat rare and fine in that case, seeing as we be
come from brave foreign parts, master.
GILES. ’Tis rarer, and finer than all the foreign lands that lie beneath
the sun, my lads.
GEORGE. That’s good hearing, master. And is the victuals like to be as
fine as the place?
GILES. O, you’ll fare well enough yonder.
JOHN. I was never one for foreign victuals, nor for the drink that was
over there neither.
GILES. Well, the both of you shall rest this night beneath the grandest
roof that ever sheltered a man’s head. And you shall sit at a table
spread as you’ve not seen this many a year.
GEORGE. That’ll be sommat to think on, master, when us gets upon our
legs again.
JOHN. I be thinking of it ahead as I lies here, and that’s the truth.
[_The two servants stretch themselves comfortably beneath the trees_.
_GILES walks restlessly backwards and forwards as though impatient at any
delay_. _From time to time he glances at a ring which he wears_,
_sighing heavily as he does so_.
[_An old man comes up_, _leaning on his staff_.
OLD MAN. Good-morning to you, my fine gentlemen.
GILES. Good-morning, master.
OLD MAN. ’Tis a wonderful warm sun to-day.
GILES. You’re right there, master.
OLD MAN. I warrant as you be journeying towards the same place where I
be going, my lord.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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