Betrothal — Act 5
SCENE X
_Before the Curtain representing the Edge of a Forest_ (_Enter_ TYLTYL _and_ LIGHT.
) LIGHT
Here we are at last.
TYLTYL
Where?
LIGHT
Why, near your home!...
Don't you recognize your forest?
TYLTYL
My forest, my forest?...
(_Looking around him_.
) Why, so it is!...
I've seen those beeches before, somewhere.
LIGHT
That's more than likely, as they're close to the house in which you were born.
TYLTYL
Well, it's about time I did get home.
I am tired out.
LIGHT
It has been a fatiguing journey, but not without results.
TYLTYL
Results?...
Where?...
When we started I was in love with six girls; now we've returned, I love only one; and she's just the one who hasn't come back with me....
But where are those six others and what are they doing?
And Destiny too?
He was looking very ill....
LIGHT
Here they are.
(_Enter_ THE SIX GIRLS.
_The last_, JALLINE, _carries_ DESTINY, _who still wears his cloak and sombrero, but who has shrunk to the dimensions of quite a small child and appears very tired_.
) JALLINE
(_Passing_ DESTINY _to_ MILETTE.
) Will you take him for a moment?
He's not very big, but dreadfully heavy.
MILETTE
(_Taking him from_ JALLINE'S _arms_.
) Come to me, my little Tiny, come;
there, don't cry....
DESTINY
(_In a whining baby voice_.
) Me?
I never cwy!...
I'm alwayth the thame!...
I'm unthakable, immovable, indefatigable, implacable and inegthowable!...
MILETTE
Yes, yes, Tiny, we know, you're a very good little boy....
(DESTINY
_falls asleep in her arms_.
) He's gone to sleep!
JALLINE
(_Wrapping him in his cape, with a motherly gesture_.
) He's a dear, sweet, obedient little thing, but seems very tired.
LIGHT
Poor little Destiny!...
He has no luck!...
But we will see to him later....
What we have to do now, my children, is to bid one another good-bye ...
and for the last time....
TYLTYL
For the last time!...
LIGHT
Why, yes; we can't spend our whole life travelling!
Besides, you are near your homes, since you all of you dwell round the forest.
We have learned what we sought and we know what we wanted to know, that man is granted only one love, while the others are merely unfortunate errors that bring sorrow to innumerable lives....
You were all of you about to choose wrongly; and you may rejoice, therefore, even now, when we have to part, that the mistake was discovered before it was too late....
And, more than this, the Fairy has charged me with glad tidings for you all: the one love you have each of you sought is waiting for you by your own fire-side, in your own home, or at least will be there very soon....
So do not linger, but hasten to meet it....
The hour grows late; soon the cocks will be crowing; the birds are beginning to wake.
Let us bid one another good-bye, quickly, without regret, without sad thoughts or tears....
MILETTE
(_Handing_ DESTINY _to_ AIMETTE.
) Just take him for a minute, while I kiss TYLTYL....
(_Kissing_ TYLTYL.
) Good-bye, Tyltyl dear.
I must go first.
Dad gets up early and there would be awful trouble if he didn't find me in the house.
Good-bye.
Let me kiss you again....
Be nice to me when we meet: we're neighbours and shall have to spend all our lives in this forest.
TYLTYL
(_Kissing her affectionately_.
) Be nice to you, Milette?
Of course I will!
It's not your fault or mine: we both know that.
MILETTE
Good-bye, good-bye!...
I must fly!...
(_She runs out_.
) AIMETTE
(_Handing_ DESTINY _to_ JALLINE.
) Take hold of the little man for a second, will you?
(_Kissing_ TYLTYL.
) Good-bye, Tyltyl....
Don't let us forget each other....
I shall perhaps love somebody else; but I shall never love him as I loved you.
LIGHT
Come, come, you are wasting time....
We shall never have done if we go on like this....
If the cock crows before you return, your parents will know everything; and then they'll be angry....
Just give him a sisterly kiss: that's all that's necessary....
You're not going far; and you'll meet again many a time, in real life, and will like each other the better because of your truer knowledge....
(ROSARELLE _and_ BELLINE _kiss_ TYLTYL _without speaking and go out_.
ROSELLE _blows her nose vigorously, dabs at her eyes and stammers_, "My dear Tyltyl!
my dear Tyltyl!...
He was so nice!...
I
shall see you again, sha'n't I, I shall see you again?...
You shall have the best of everything at the inn!"
_Then she rushes out_.
JALLINE _alone lingers behind, holding_ DESTINY _in her arms_.
) LIGHT
Well, Jalline, what are you doing here?
JALLINE
I can't go away at once, just like the others!...
LIGHT
But you must, dear Jalline.
Not because it is fate, as men say, but because it is the will of those who know everything and who never die....
Good-bye, my little Jalline.
You have been very sweet, very loving, very exquisite; and I thought that you would be chosen....
Don't cry, dear.
Hand over poor little Destiny to me, I will take care of him;
and give Tyltyl a long, long kiss....
JALLINE
(_Hands_ DESTINY _to_ LIGHT _and gives_ TYLTYL _a long kiss_.
) Good-bye, Tyltyl.
TYLTYL
Good-bye, Jalline!
(JALLINE _moves away with slow reluctant steps_.
) LIGHT
And, now that we are alone, let me kiss you too....
We shall meet once again to take another and a longer journey....
TYLTYL
Another journey?
And a longer one?
LIGHT
The last, the happiest and the most beautiful.
But I am not allowed to speak of it yet....
Good-bye, Tyltyl.
Remember, dear, that you are not alone in this world and that all that you see in it has neither beginning nor end.
With this thought in your heart, letting it grow with your growth, you will always know, whatever may happen, the right thing to say, the right thing to hope for....
And you, Tiny, don't cry like that!
Some day we shall begin to understand each other.
DESTINY
(_Half-asleep, tearfully, lisping_.
) Me?
I never cwy!...
I order a thtop!...
Forward!
Forward!
Forward!
(LIGHT _goes out on the left, carrying_ DESTINY _in her arms_.
TYLTYL _follows her a little way, waving his hand in farewell; and the Curtain opens on the last scene_.
) SCENE XI
_The Awakening_ _The same scene as in Act I_.
TYLTYL _is sound asleep.
The light trickles gaily through all the crannies of the closed shutters.
The Blue Bird is singing madly in his cage_.
(_A knock at the door_.
) TYLTYL
(_Waking with a start_.
) Who's there?
MUMMY TYL
(_Behind the door_.
) It's me!...
Open the door quickly!...
We're expecting a visitor....
TYLTYL
Wait, wait, till I slip on my breeches....
(_Rising and seeing with amazement that he is dressed_.
) Hullo, I've gone to bed with my clothes on!
How did I come to do that?...
(_He opens the door.
Enter_ MUMMY TYL _fussily, carrying a bundle of sticks_.
) MUMMY TYL
Quick, quick!...
Help me light the fire and tidy the room....
Go and wake up Mytyl....
They'll be here in a minute.
TYLTYL
(_Doing his best to help her_.
) Who's "they"?
MUMMY TYL
Of course, you don't know.
Daddy Tyl met them yesterday, but you had gone to bed....
Do open the shutters, I can't see what I'm doing....
(TYLTYL _opens the shutters and the daylight floods the room_.
) And call Mytyl, so that she can help me to get things straight....
What a mess!...
And the dust!
I can't let them see my house like this.
(_Enter_ MYTYL.
) TYLTYL
Hullo, there Mytyl is!...
But you haven't told me....
MUMMY TYL
(_To_ MYTYL.
) The fire's beginning to burn up....
You make the coffee, while I start cleaning....
What's this?
More cabbage leaves under the tap!
MYTYL
It's not my fault.
Tyltyl promised me....
MUMMY TYL
Well, I never!
A nice thing!...
It's a blessing that I came to look for myself!...
Take the broom, Tyltyl, while I give a rub to the plates and put them away.
TYLTYL
But look here: who's coming?
Is it the Shah of Persia or the Emperor of China?
MUMMY TYL
Much better than that.
You'll never guess....
Do you remember our neighbour?
MYTYL
What neighbour?
MUMMY TYL
There aren't so many of 'em....
The one with the pretty little pink house, by the road-side, and a garden full of sunflowers and hollyhocks.
TYLTYL
Of course!...
And they had a little girl to whom I gave my dove?
MUMMY TYL
That's right.
TYLTYL
They've been gone a long time.
MUMMY TYL
Five or six years, that's all.
They went to the town to live with the girl's uncle.
He was a widower, with no children of his own, and has died and left them all his money.
They told Daddy Tyl they're coming back here for good, going into their nice little house again.
It belonged to little Joy's uncle.
TYLTYL
Little Joy?
MUMMY TYL
Yes, yes, you know: that's the little girl's name.
They used to call her Jojo when she was small; but her name is Joy.
Daddy Tyl met her last night, says that he could hardly believe his eyes, that she's taller than you and beautiful ...
well, there!
With hair like gold, real gold!
That's worth thinking about....
So I want the house tidy and all of us to look decent and respectable....
You can never tell what may happen.
We're of good stock too.
Your grandfather's father was a pork-butcher.
TYLTYL
It's curious, I didn't meet him.
MUMMY TYL
Whom?
TYLTYL
My grandfather's father.
MUMMY TYL
That's not to be wondered at: he's been dead these fifty-seven years.
TYLTYL
(_Sweeping the floor lustily_.
) Perhaps I had better put on my Sunday clothes?
MUMMY TYL
No, you needn't; you're all right as you are.
We'll just lay the white tablecloth....
Besides, there's no time now; here they come; I can hear them walking up the path.
(_A knock at the door_.
MUMMY TYL _opens it.
Enter_ THE NEIGHBOUR _and_ JOY, _followed by_ DADDY TYL, _with his axe on his shoulder_.
) DADDY TYL
(_Calling out from the threshold_.
) Here they are!
Here they are!
THE NEIGHBOUR
Yes, it's Joy and I, Madame Tyl....
Good-morning, a Merry Christmas and good luck to everybody, as my poor husband used to say when he was alive.
I'm glad to see you looking so well....
And these are the children?
Don't tell me that this great, big, pretty girl is Mytyl?
And can that be Tyltyl, that strapping young fellow who looks so smart?
MUMMY TYL
Yes, yes, Madame Berlingot, they're the sort that keep on shooting up till you don't know where you are.
Tyltyl hasn't grown as much as his sister; but he's stronger.
There's not a sturdier lad in all the country-side....
But it's your young lady who's beautiful!...
She looks the very picture of the blessed saints!...
(_Observing_ TYLTYL, _who stands wide-eyed and entranced_.
) Now then, Tyltyl, where are your manners?
Don't you, know your little playmate?
Be civil, say how-do-you-do, shake hands and give her a chair.
DADDY TYL
Before you sit down, would you like to see the cows?
THE NEIGHBOUR
What, do you keep cows now?
DADDY TYL
Why, yes; we've not done so badly either....
Two little cows and a calf....
Little cows are better than big ones; and they only eat half as much....
One of them, the red one, gives us twenty quarts of milk every day.
THE NEIGHBOUR
Then you've put up a cow-house?
You hadn't one before.
DADDY TYL
