Augusta Stevenson

“ FOURTH DANE. Would you let a woman threaten you with a stick, my lord?
CHIEF (proudly) . Never! Besides, King Alfred would be dressed as are his princes and his soldiers. I have thought that from the first. Release the beggar!
[Danes release King Alfred.]
CHIEF. Now listen, Danes! A hundred silver pieces will I give the man who makes King Alfred prisoner! Hear—all of you!—One hundred silver pieces!
DANES. Aye! Aye!
CHIEF (to Goodwife and Alfred) . And when this Alfred's taken, to me you'll bend your English knees! To me, you English beggar! Now come, my men! To hunt King Alfred! ”

“ Quack! Quack!
MADAM DUCK. There now—are they not charming?
GRAY GANDER (looking down row) . Why, yes, they all seem graceful enough—here—wait a moment! Does that last one there belong to you?
[All the fowls look at the last Duckling.]
MADAM DUCK. Oh yes! He is larger than the others and perhaps not so pretty, but—
TURKEY (interrupting) . Make no excuses for him, madam. We can see for ourselves what he is.
GRAY GANDER. In all my life I never saw anything so ugly!
WHITE GOOSE. He is neither duck nor goose!
PLYMOUTH ROCK HEN. Nor duck nor chick! ”

“ JESTER. The Abbot is the real king! Now who is John, ladies? Who is John, lords? Truly, who are you, John?
[All laugh. Enter the KNIGHT and ABBOT.]
KING. Abbot, I hear strange things about you.
ABBOT. Your Majesty! How can that be?
KING. 'Tis said that every day you have one hundred men to dine with you.
ABBOT. Oh, your Majesty, they are only friends.
KING. No matter who they are!
JESTER. 'Tis not their names! 'Tis what they eat!
LORDS. Ha, ha!
LADIES. Ha, ha!
KING. 'Tis said that fifty knights in velvet coats do wait on you! ”

“ CAUZEE. Merchant, what have you to say to this charge?
MERCHANT. I confess that I had the jar in my house, but Ali Cogia found it exactly as he had left it. Did he ever tell me there was gold in the jar? No. He now demands that I pay him one thousand pieces of gold. I wonder that he does not ask me for diamonds and pearls instead of gold. I will take my oath that what I say is the truth.
CAUZEE. Not so fast! Before you come to your oath, I should be glad to see the jar of olives. ”

“ POCAHONTAS. You shall not kill him!
POWHATAN. My daughter! Come away!
POCAHONTAS. You shall not kill him! You shall not kill him!
A WOMAN. Pocahontas!
A GIRL. Pocahontas! They will kill you!
SECOND GIRL. Pocahontas! Come away! Come away!
POCAHONTAS. I will not move!
MEDICINE MAN. Drag her away, braves! Drag her away, I say!
POWHATAN. Do not dare to touch her! Do you hear? Do not dare to touch her! The Great Spirit lives in the child! The Great Spirit has breathed His courage into her! Captain Smith, you shall live and go in peace. I, Powhatan, do say these words! ”

“ POWHATAN. Go, take the peace flag to them, and ask for Pocahontas.
[The MEDICINE MAN raises a white flag and goes to the fort. Captain Smith and many men come out.]
SMITH. Do you come to offer peace?
MEDICINE MAN. We offer peace, great chief, if you will give up Pocahontas.
SMITH. And what if we will not give her up?
MEDICINE MAN. We will make war upon you.
SMITH. We will not give her up.
MEDICINE MAN. Then not a man of you shall live! Nor a woman! Nor a child!
SMITH. Pocahontas is our friend. We will not give her up to you.
MEDICINE MAN. Shoot them, braves! ”

“ OLD SPARROW. The stranger is a sparrow, but still not a sparrow.
VERY OLD SPARROW. And yet she is only different by a tuft of white feathers.
YOUNG SPARROW. And such a tuft! For all the world like a loaf of bread!
VERY YOUNG SPARROW. I'd think it shame to carry such on my head!
OLD SPARROW. I fear 't will shame us all to have this stranger about.
VERY OLD SPARROW. And yet we are not ashamed to eat the crumbs this stranger brings.
OLD SPARROW. Well, 't is true she has been most kind.
VERY OLD SPARROW. 'T is a hard winter! Shall we drive away the one who finds food where we find none? ”

“ POWHATAN. Your white braves take our corn from us. They will not let us fish in our own rivers.
SMITH. I did not know such wrongs were done you. My braves shall pay for everything in full.
POWHATAN. Then there shall be peace between us. Bring the peace pipe, braves. We will smoke in friendship with our brothers.
SMITH. And Pocahontas will be pardoned? You will take her back as your own daughter?
POWHATAN. Pocahontas will be pardoned, white chief. She shall come and go, as she may please, between our wigwams and yours, my brother. ”

“ The swans will kill me if I dare to approach them.
[A noise is heard in the distance.]
MOLE. They are coming! Go, while there is yet time.
DUCKLING. There is no place to go to. All winter long I was driven from moor to moor. I could not make a friend—I no longer wish to live.
[The SWANS are seen swimming down the brook.]
MOLE. They are here! Do not go to them, I pray you!
DUCKLING (shaking head) . Farewell!
[He flies to the water and swims toward the Swans. They see him and rush to meet him with outstretched wings.]
DUCKLING. Kill me! Kill me! ”

“ GOODWIFE (aside) . What!—King Alfred!—
KING. Rise, my Prince! Rise, my soldiers! Ah, I'm glad they did not find you!
[He grasps their hands.]
GOODWIFE (aside; showing fear) . It is—it is—the king!
KING. We'll fight again, my men! At daybreak we'll surprise them.
SOLDIERS. Aye! Aye!
KING. Goodwife, your king now thanks you.
GOODWIFE (kneeling) . Oh, your Majesty, forgive me! forgive me!
KING (gently) . Arise, goodwife.
GOODWIFE (rising) . Alas the day I made you fry the cakes! Alas the day I would have beaten you! ”

“ FAIRY QUEEN. Whenever a child repents of a sin, lo, I am there to save.
KAREN. Will you remove this spell from me?
FAIRY QUEEN. Will you give up your red shoes?
KAREN. Gladly! Gladly! I wish I might never see them again!
FAIRY QUEEN. Then dance to me that I may touch you with my wand.
[Fairy Queen touches Karen's shoes with her wand. The shoes fall off.]
KAREN. Dear Fairy Queen! Dear Fairy Queen! I thank you! I thank you!
FAIRY QUEEN. Look, Karen, your shoes are dancing away! Soon they will be lost to you forever. Shall I not bring them back?
KAREN. No, no! Let them go! Now I am free! ”

“ Take him to the mountains where the stinging nettles grow.
WICKED UNCLE. Mercy! Mercy!
KING. You had no mercy on brave little Eliza! Now you shall gather nettles for the rest of your life. Away with him, Guardsmen!
(The Guards take the Wicked Uncle away. The King turns to his servants.)
Let the music sound! Bring forth the queen's golden crown!
(To Eliza.)
My whole kingdom shall do you honor! This land has never seen a more beautiful thing than your love for your brothers. ”

“ A BRAVE. She has betrayed her own people!
SECOND BRAVE. We should never take her back to us!
THIRD BRAVE. We should not let her live!
MEDICINE MAN. Aye, braves, aye! We should not let her live! We will demand her from the white men!
BRAVES. Yes, yes!
MEDICINE MAN. Shall we offer them peace in return for Pocahontas?
BRAVES. Yes, yes, yes!
MEDICINE MAN. Do you hear that, Chief Powhatan? ”

“ ALL SAILORS. What shall we do? What shall we do?
[As their anger turns to despair, Columbus is touched.]
COLUMBUS. Listen, men,—I make you this promise: if we do not see land within three days, we will return to Spain.
CAPTAIN. There, now,—that's a fair promise! Go now to your duties!
COLUMBUS. And let every man watch for land as he has never watched before!
SAILORS (pleased) . Aye, aye, sir!
[Sailors cross to a distant part of deck.]
COLUMBUS (sadly) . Alas for my plans and my hopes, if these three days bring not land! ”

“ WICKED UNCLE. In a cave? Alone?
KING (nodding) . Alone; spinning coats out of flax.
WICKED UNCLE. This is very strange.
(To Eliza.)
Why were you all alone in a cave, and why were you spinning coats?
(Eliza shakes her head.)
KING. She is dumb, Uncle. Not a word has she uttered since we found her.
WICKED UNCLE. Why did you bring her with you?
KING. I will make her my queen.
WICKED UNCLE (angrily) . Your queen?
KING. See how beautiful she is.
WICKED UNCLE (whispering to King) . She is a witch!
KING. Nonsense! She is as good as she is beautiful. ”

“ DUCKLING. Yes, but I am. Only, I am uglier than any duck in the world.
MOLE. You have not the voice of a duck. You do not speak with the quack of which they are so proud. And then, if you are truly a duck, why are you not with your family?
DUCKLING. They drove me out last summer because I was ugly and could not quack.
MOLE. Then why have you come back?
DUCKLING. To let the swans kill me.
MOLE. What! To let them kill you?
DUCKLING. I would rather be killed by those beautiful birds than pecked by the hens, beaten by the geese, or starved with hunger in the winter. ”

“ FIRST SOLDIER. The king!
[Enter KING ALFRED. He is disguised as a beggar. He is young, manly, and courageous.]
PRINCE (bowing) . You can rest safely here, King Alfred.
KING. Do you think the Danes are still in pursuit?
PRINCE. No, your Majesty, I am sure we have escaped them this time.
SECOND SOLDIER. Besides, they would not know your Majesty dressed so.
KING (anxiously) . Gentlemen, disguise yourselves as you have me.
PRINCE. That will not do, Sire. The Danes must not see you dressed as we are. 'Twill make you safer. ”

“ JESTER. With people a-standing on their heads—so!
[He stands on his head; all laugh.]
KING. Silence! Columbus, I've a mind to listen, and give you ships and money. Have you maps and charts to prove your plans?
COLUMBUS (taking maps from cloak) . Yes, sire.
KING. Wait, then, till I have spoken with my Courtiers.
[Columbus bows, retires, and unrolls maps. CAPTAIN RIVERRA crosses to Columbus; talks with him aside.]
KING (speaking softly to Courtiers) . You know, my Courtiers, that should there be new lands, great glory will be given the discoverer of them. ”

“ KING (to a soldier.) Then go and get our horses. We will ride into this Gotham town. (The soldier salutes and goes.)
Where do you roll these stones, old men?
AN OLD MAN. Uphill to help the sun rise.
KING. What! To help the sun rise?
OLD MAN. Yes, your Majesty.
KING. Don't you know that the sun will rise without help?
OLD MAN. Will it? Well, well! Who would have thought of that!
KING. You foolish fellows! Well, go on and roll your stones. Now tell me why you grunt, young men?
A YOUNG MAN. Oh, we do the grunting while our fathers do the work. ”

“ GRANDMOTHER. Red shoes?
KAREN (nodding) . Of beautiful red morocco. The queen let the princess stand at a window so every one could see her new shoes.
SHOEMAKER. It is all true, madam.
GRANDMOTHER. No matter; Karen is to have black shoes.
(Taking up a pair of shoes.)
Here, this pair suits me exactly.
SHOEMAKER (surprised) . But, madam, those shoes are—
KAREN (interrupting; whispering) . Hush, Shoemaker! Do not tell her. She can't see very well.
GRANDMOTHER (giving shoes to Karen) . Are they of polished leather? They shine as if they were.
KAREN. Yes; they do shine. ”

“ HEDGEHOG. The hare will run in the other furrow. When he comes to your end, put up your head and say, "I am already here."
WIFE. Ha, ha! He will think that I am you.
HEDGEHOG. Exactly.
WIFE. Ha, ha, ha! I go, Mr. Hedgehog! I go! You may be short on legs, my dear, but you are long on brains.
[She runs to other end of furrow. Mr. Hedgehog goes to his end.]
[The HARE enters.]
HARE. Well, are you ready?
HEDGEHOG. I am ready.
HARE. One, two, three, go!
[The Hare runs swiftly. The Hedgehog sits. The Hare reaches the other end of his furrow. The Wife puts up her head.] ”

“ MERCHANT. What is this? Gold pieces! As I live! Gold! gold!
[He shakes the jar again; a shower of gold pieces fall.]
MERCHANT (dropping the jar in astonishment) . A thousand pieces at least! The top of the jar only was laid with olives!
(He puts the gold into his pockets.)
To-night, when my wife is asleep, I will fill the jar entirely with fresh olives, for these show they have been disturbed. And I will make up the jar so that no one, except Ali Cogia himself, will know they have been touched. ”