I mean, won’t there no Man come with a spade and clear away the snow? Last year one come. JOAN.-- That was your father,--he Haven’t been near us since, and where he be God alone knows. Here! Don’t fill your ’ead With silly fancies! You get on to bed. (_She goes out into the woodshed_) MATTHEW.-- Say! Say! She’s gone! come along, Mary Ann And have another look at our snowman. (_They run across to the window_) Snowman! Snowman! MARY. It’s no good, he don’t hear, he’s gone to sleep. (_Re-enter_ JOAN.) JOAN. Ah, what are you up to there? Back you go, quick. Or else you’ll get the rod! (_They skip back to the fireplace_) Now you kneel down and say your prayers. “Pray God”---- (_The two children kneel at bench with their backs to the fire._) CHILDREN. “Pray God”---- JOAN. (_As she moves about folding up clothes, etc._) “Pray God make Baba good”---- CHILDREN. Pray God make Baba good. JOAN. “Give Baba bread.” CHILDREN. Give Baba bread. JOAN. “Give all the hungry food”---- CHILDREN. Give all the hungry food. JOAN. “Peace to the dead.” (_Crosses herself_) CHILDREN. Peace to the dead. (JOAN _stands lost in reverie and speaks unconsciously by rote_.) JOAN. “God bless”--(_She turns and looks out_) CHILDREN. God bless--(_They wait to be prompted_) MATTHEW. Say, muvver, shall we pray for the snowman too? Shall us? Shall us? JOAN. (_Still musing_) Nay, nay! You leave the snowman out! He knows his way--he knows his way. CHILDREN.-- { sister } Bless mother, { brother } kind friends all about, Bring Dada home, and leave the snowman out. Amen. (JOAN _stands lost in her own thoughts. The children creep behind her toward the window._) MARY. Good-night, snowman! MATTHEW. Good-night! (_They approach_ JOAN.) MARY. Good-night, mother! JOAN. Good-night, darling! MATTHEW. Night, mother. JOAN. Night-night, my dear,--night-night! (MARY ANN _goes and opens cubby-bed and begins to climb in_. MATTHEW _stops outside_.) MATTHEW.-- Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, Guard the bed that I lie on; Four corners to my bed, Four angels at my head, One to watch, and one to pray, And two to---- JOAN. There, you get in! you’ve prayed enough to-night. (_She goes to close doors_) MARY. Don’t shut it up yet, mother, leave a light. JOAN.-- Just you be quiet. Be thankful you lie warm, There’s some as won’t to-night. I can hear storm A-coming on. (_She leaves door of cubby-bed half open._) MATTHEW. Sing, mother, will ye sing? JOAN. (_Putting away the bread and the milk-mugs and folding up the strewn garments; starts to sing in a dull toneless voice with little tune_) There come a man to a maid, and said, All in a year and a day---- “So thou be mine now let us be wed Out of the world and away.”