The Fourth Pig (14 page)

Ann:

Yesternoon when that sun was hot,

I gathered herbs in the garden plot,

By she passed with a baleful look—

Oh I trembled and oh I shook!

Down dropt the basket, down dropt I,

As she looked me full with her glittering eye—

For oh your mother is my stepmother

And there's the reason I pine and sigh!

Kate:

Cheerly Ann! For she will not dare

Hurt or charm you while I am there!

Hush, I hear her foot on the stair!

(Enter the WICKED STEPMOTHER.)

Stepmother:

Well, my girls, so your needles run,

Seams all ready by set of sun!

(To Kate)

Come, my Kate, I have news for you

Of the finest things to see and to do.

We must give him the best of cheer,

To-morrow the King comes hunting here,

He shall be welcomed with glove and ring

And my daughter Kate shall dance with the King!

Kate:

Oh my mother, here's news that's fine!

Ann, did you hear it, sister mine?

The King is coming to-morrow morn,

The King is coming with hound and horn!

The hounds shall bay and the bells shall ring

And you and I shall dance with the King!

Stepmother (angrily):

What are you saying, Kate, my child!

Your mind's in folly, your words are wild!

You, my daughter, my everything,

Only
you
shall dance with the King!

(Kate jumps up, throwing down her sewing.)

Kate:

Ann, my Ann, is as bonny as I,

Her foot is as light and her head as high,

Her hair as yellow, her eyes as blue

I will not dance unless Ann does too!

Stepmother:

How now, Kate! Shalt do as I say!

I shall order and you obey.

Silence, girl, to my yes or no!

(She turns with a stamp to Ann.)

Ugly Ann, to your chamber go!

Ann (sobbing)
:

But oh stepmother, and oh stepmother,

Why must you speak to hurt me so!

(She goes out weeping.)

Kate (angrily)
:

Why must you send my Ann away,

Why be harsh to her, mother, say?

For I love my Ann like a true, true sister,

I love my Ann in work and play!

Stepmother:

Hush now, Kate, from the closet bring

Your finest silks to dance with the King,

Cloth of silver and gold so rare.

Go, my Kate, I will find you there.

(Kate goes out sulkily. The Stepmother speaks with great violence and fists clenched.)

Ungrateful girls, by your folly led,

Folly and spite of heart and tongue,

Ere another day from the earth be fled

You shall both be sorry for what you have said.

For the charm will be chanted, the spell be sung,

And well and truly my plan be sped!

Hen-wife! …

(She walks up and down the room muttering to herself.)

Hen-wife's magic, help me now,

Evil magic on field and plough,

Evil magic on hearth and fire,

Evil magic on beast and byre,

Evil magic on woman or man,

And evil's worst on my stepchild Ann!

(Enter the HEN-WIFE, an old bundle of rags, speaking fast.)

Hen-Wife:

Mistress, I'm coming,

Mistress, I'm here,

Past bolt and lock,

I left the drumming

Of my turkey cock,

My ducks so dear,

My geese a gobbling,

My cocks and hens,

My little chickens,

My old dog hobbling,

My coops and pens—

Stepmother (interrupting)
:

Silence woman, and hearken well,

This is the thing I have to tell:

Do me a magic, lay me a spell,

Make and put, as a Hen-wife can,

An evil charm on my stepchild Ann!

Hen-Wife:

How shall I lay it,

Mistress mine,

What of evil

My spells entwine?

You've but to say it!

Stepmother:

Something ugly upon her lay,

That shall make good people turn away,

Turn and mutter or turn and mock,

And drive out Ann for a laughing stock!

Hen-Wife:

Ann must come knocking

On the Hen-wife's gate,

The clock tick-tocking

At half-past eight

Of a morn of sorrow,

Of a Friday morning

—And that's to-morrow—

The spell will be laid,

Bitter and lasting In sun or shade,

But I give you warning

To send her fasting!

Stepmother:

On Friday morning at half-past eight

Ann shall come knocking at the Hen-wife's gate,

And that's to-morrow!

She shall come fasting, no stop nor stay;

An evil lasting upon her lay

Beyond to-morrow!

Hen-Wife (chuckling)
:

She shall lift the lid

Of the Hen-wife's pot,

A thing shall be hid

In my stew so hot,

In my stew so deep,

Out it shall leap

And long may she rue it!

I will not stay me

But up and do it,

My spell threads twine.

(whining)

Mistress of mine,

How will you pay me?

Stepmother:

In yonder chest is a purse of gold,

That shall be yours when the tale is told.

Hen-Wife:

I will be going,

I will away,

Past door and lock,

Back to the crowing

Of my crested cock,

My ducks a-dabbling,

My hens a-laying,

My geese a-gabbling,

My chicks a-playing,

My turkeys too,

Back to my cottage

And the Hen-wife's brew!

(She goes out.)

Stepmother:

So to-morrow morning I shall work my plan

And there'll be an end of my stepdaughter Ann!

SCENE II

The same room. The next morning. Ann, Kate and the Stepmother
.

Stepmother:

The cooks are busy, the tables gay

For the feast we give for the King to-day,

Candles to burn and herbs to strew.

Stepdaughter Ann, here's work for you:

Take up your cloak and your basket brown,

To the Hen-wife's gate go quickly down,

For my cakes must have—and without delay!—

All the eggs that her hens can lay.

Ann:

Here is my cloak and basket brown;

Fasting I'll go to the Hen-wife down,

And only ask—and be scarce delayed—

A sup of curds from the dairy-maid.

Stepmother (sharply)
:

The maid is busy, the dairy locked,

Go now, Ann, I will not be mocked!

We will eat and drink, and of cream no lack,

Cakes and junkets when Ann comes back!

(She laughs grimly. Ann goes out.)

Kate (sings
. Air:
“Sing a Song of Sixpence.”)
:

Roses, roses, we must strew

Where the King's to come to-day.

(Enter maids with flowers.)

You and you and you and you,

Petals, petals, all the way!

(All of them strew flowers about the room, while Kate sings. This should be made to last a fairly long time.)

Here are pinks and here are fine.

Striped carnations, sweet and hot.

Make your pansies' faces shine!

Here is tasselled bergamot.

Blue of borage, green of box,

Silver gold of dropping lime,

Royal purple spikes of stocks,

Make a carpet, make a rhyme.

Bring me lilies, hot with sun,

Leaf and star of jasmine bring,

Through the castle leap and run,

Make a pathway for the King!

(They go out, still dancing, leaving Kate and Stepmother.)

Stepmother (to herself)
:

Now the clock's at half-past eight,

Ann will be knocking at the Hen-wife's gate.

She will be taken in the Hen-wife's plot,

She will lift the lid of the Hen-wife's pot!

The smoke will stink and the stew will reek,

Ann will find something she did not seek!

(She laughs.)

Kate:

Why are you laughing, mother, mother,

With a grim, grim look in your eyes coming after? You

look so strange to me, mother, mother,

I am afraid when I hear your laughter!

(Re-enter Ann, with a sheep's-head in place of her own head. She stumbles and holds out her hands and bleats. Kate does not for a moment recognize her.)

Stepmother:

Here comes the working of the Hen-wife's plan!

Kate:

What are you? Why are you? Who are you? Ann!

(She runs to her. Ann bleats again.)

What has come to you, dear, my dear?

What the charm, with your Kate not near?

Ann that I love like my true, true sister,

Do not tremble and do not fear!

Stepmother:

Sheep's-head Ann, in the time that's past,

We see in her own true shape at last!

Come away Kate, there's naught to miss,

You shall have better friends than this!

(She claps her hands and shoos Ann away.)

Bleat at me, sheep-nose, all you can,

Off to the byres with sheep's-head Ann!

Kate (taking Ann's hand in hers and holding it tight)
:

Ann, I know you, I love you still,

I shall help you with heart and will!

I shall go with you, never fear,

I'll be your sister, Ann, my dear!

Stepmother (sharply)
:

Kate, from the sheep's-head take your hand!

Off, away from the sheep's-head stand!

Leave her, go from her, off to the wall,

Or the sheep's-head curse on you shall fall!

(Ann bleats.)

Kate:

Now I know why you laughed so queerly,

Now I know why you looked so grim,

Mother that once I loved so dearly,

Mother I hate now, nearly, nearly—

Ah, how the light goes dim, goes dim!

Mother, I see the dark immerse you,

Go your ways from it if you can,

Ere a coffin of evil hearse you—

Mother, I go before I curse you,

Mother, I go with my sister Ann!

(She takes a veil from the chest and wraps it round Ann's head, while her mother stands trembling. Then she and Ann go out together.)

Stepmother:

Oh she is gone, my Kate, my Kate,

Gone with curses and gone with hate,

Gone on the storm like a rose in bloom,

She would not stay, and she would not wait,

I see my deed and I see my doom

And I see myself too late, too late!

(As she stands there, the Hen-wife comes in again.)

Hen-Wife:

The purse of gold,

The purse of gold,

For me to gloat on,

To have and hold,

For me to dote on!

The tale's well told

Of the Hen-wife's magic,

The Hen-wife's curse.

Mistress, the purse!

Mistress, the gold!

(The Stepmother goes to the chest and takes out a purse of gold.)

Stepmother:

I swore to pay you and pay I will.

(She flings the purse in her face. The coins scatter.)

Go in evil and go in ill!

Go in storm, in sleet and in rain,

So I never look on your face again!

ACT II

SCENE I

The gate of a castle. Either the whole gate, or a wicket in it, should be made to open. There is a small window at the side which should open too. Kate and Ann come in, both wearing cloaks. Ann still has the linen web wrapped round her head
.

Kate:
Here's a castle, dearest. We shall get food and lodging for to-night, and to-morrow will come when it must. Are you tired, Ann?

(Ann bleats.)

A little tired? Well, so am I.

(She knocks on the door.)

No answer, no answer to poor folk like Kate and Ann!

Well, I must needs sing for our supper.

(She sings: Air: “Lavender's Blue.”)

Roses are red, dilly, dilly, lavender's blue,

Where I can go, dilly, dilly, Ann shall come too.

If in the hall, dilly, dilly, if on the stair,

If at the feast, dilly, dilly, Ann shall be there!

If I have bread, dilly, dilly, if I have wine,

If I have meat, dilly, dilly, Ann shall have mine!

(The small window opens and the WELL PRINCE looks out of it: feathered cap and tunic, etc. Kate looks up; Ann buries her veiled head in her arms.)

Well Prince:

Who are you, beggar girls, standing there?

You with the cloak and the bold brown eyes,

You with the veil over face and hair

And the trembling look of a bird that flies,

A bird afraid that has seen the snare!

Kate:
Why, we are beggar girls, as you say. We want food and a night's lodging. Are you a Prince?

Well Prince:

I am a Prince, bold beggar maid,

But a sorry prince, and a prince betrayed,

A prince betrayed by a spite of fate

And a sore, sore trouble upon me laid.

Kate:
Why, we have had troubles, too, I and my sister. I know about troubles. What is yours?

Well Prince:

I had a brother, who once was gay,

Merry and brave as a colt in May,

But once he was caught by the Green Hill people

Who turned him dour and fierce and fey.

His touch is fever, his looks are grim

His feet are heavy, his eyes are dim,

And all because of the Green Hill people