SANDY. I beg your pardon, Mrs Mackay. It’s selfish of me to detain you. WIDOW (_smiling._) I’ll soon be back. (_Aside._) I must hurry after his mother and tell her. The poor lad is eating out his heart because he has quarrelled with her. (_Aloud._) Be amusing yourself till I return, Mr Sandy--I mean Sandy. (_Aside._) I’ll better hurry and get back before Màiri comes. (_Exit._) SANDY (_Alone. Sits before the fire on the low stool. Elbows on knees and face between his hands._) I cannot escape Màiri. Everywhere I go I think of Màiri. (_Takes a sheet of notepaper from his pocket and reads_): Star of my soul, can I forget? I dreamed not that my star would set. Ah! now my heaven is dim and bare, Thou wert so bright, thou wert so fair-- Dwells falsehood in such eyes as thine? Came poison from thy lips divine? My soul is---- Pah! What mockery--jingling mockery! [_Flings his poem in the fire. As the flame leaps up the door opens and Màiri enters. Sandy looks round, utters an exclamation of surprise: stands up, faces Màiri. The lovers gaze at one another, amazed and silent for a few seconds._] SANDY. Màiri.... You? MÀIRI (_with emotion_). Why--why have you--have you followed me here? SANDY. I have been searching for you everywhere, but---- MÀIRI. Oh! leave me alone. Why, why?--Have you seen my mother? Where is she? SANDY. She has just gone out, but will return soon. MÀIRI. I’ll go after her. SANDY (_strides forward and seizes Màiri’s hand_). Oh! do not leave me like that, Màiri. Will you not speak to me, if not for my own sake, at least for the sake of old times? MÀIRI. Why should you want to be speaking to me? Your mother told me what you said. Do you think I can forget so soon? Let me go.... SANDY. Màiri, what do you mean? What did my mother tell you? MÀIRI. Ah! do not be fooling me. You may have fooled me in _your_ mother’s house, but you’ll never fool me in _my_ mother’s house. SANDY. Fooling you? I don’t understand.... Is this your home, Màiri? MÀIRI (_raising herself stiffly_). Well you know whose house you are in. (_Drawing her hand away._) Now, leave it! and never darken our door again. I am not your servant any longer, sir. SANDY. If you ask me to go, I certainly will. But before I do, let me tell you this, Màiri: I have never asked my mother to say anything to you about me. MÀIRI. Perhaps not. But she told me all.... Are you going now?