Charles: Antonio!—boy! boy!
Antonio: My father! (They embrace.)
Re-enter Cardinal.
Cardinal: Princess,
If your decision and desire are still——
If your decision and desire are still——
(Sees Antonio.)
Fulvia: Your eyes look upon flesh, lord Cardinal.
(A cry is heard, then weeping.)
(A cry is heard, then weeping.)
Antonio (startled): Whose pain is this?—strangely it hurts me—strangely!
Enter Cecco hastily, bearing robe and coronet.
Cecco: My lord, the lady Helen's little maid——
(Sees Antonio. Shrinks from him.)
Antonio: What of her? Are you horrified to stone!
Her maid?—There are than risen dead worse things
And worse to dread!—her maid?
Her maid?—There are than risen dead worse things
And worse to dread!—her maid?
Cecco: Sir——
Antonio: Forth with it!
She direness of her mistress brings? some tale
That earth elsewhere abyssless gaped her up?
That butterfly or bud turn asp to bite her?
She direness of her mistress brings? some tale
That earth elsewhere abyssless gaped her up?
That butterfly or bud turn asp to bite her?
Cecco: Sir—she—the maid craves audience with the duke.
Antonio: Fetch her, and quickly.
(Cecco goes.
(Cecco goes.
Fulvia: Reason, Antonio.
She will but whimper, tell what overmuch
Of grief her mistress makes for you: of tears
Your sunny coming will dry in her.
She will but whimper, tell what overmuch
Of grief her mistress makes for you: of tears
Your sunny coming will dry in her.
Antonio (putting her aside): These
Hours come not of any good, but are
Infected with resolved adversity.
This dread!——
Hours come not of any good, but are
Infected with resolved adversity.
This dread!——
Fulvia: They ever dread who have but quit
The shadow of some doom and the dismay.
The shadow of some doom and the dismay.
Re-enter Cecco, with Paula weeping.
Antonio: Girl! girl! Thy mistress?
Paula (shrinking): O!——
Antonio: I am no ghost.
Thy mistress?
Thy mistress?
Paula: Mary, Mother! (Sinks praying.)
Antonio (lifting her up): Look on me. See!
I have not been down in the grave, nor ev'n
A moment beyond earth. Do you not hear!
I have not been down in the grave, nor ev'n
A moment beyond earth. Do you not hear!
Paula (looking at him): Sir!
Antonio: Tell me.
Paula (hysterically): Go to her, O, go to her.
Antonio: But, child——?
Paula: She, O!—go seek her, O, she is——
Antonio: Where, Paula?
Paula: Blind all day she moaned and wept.
Antonio: My Helena!
Paula: And when the sun was gone,
Came quiet, kissed me—O, go seek her, sir!
Came quiet, kissed me—O, go seek her, sir!
Antonio: Kissed you——?
Paula: Then to me gave these jewels. O!
And darkly cloaked stole out into the night.
And darkly cloaked stole out into the night.
Charles: Alone?
Antonio: Whither, quick, whither?
Paula: Ah, I do
Not know: but she——
Not know: but she——
Antonio: Pray, pray, tell out your dread.
Paula: Last night she said, "My heart is in my lord
Antonio's to beat or cease with it."
I learned her words—they seemed so pretty.
Antonio's to beat or cease with it."
I learned her words—they seemed so pretty.
Charles (gasping): Ah!
Antonio: Why do you gasp?—Paula——
Charles: If she—the cliff!
Antonio: The cliff! The—?
(Staggers dizzily, then rushes out.
(Staggers dizzily, then rushes out.
Charles: Let one go with him—bring
Us what hath passed—hath passed.
(A Soldier goes.
Us what hath passed—hath passed.
(A Soldier goes.
Paula (with uncontrollable terror): My lady!
Charles: Child,
I cannot bear thy voice upon my heart!
It hath a tone—a clutch—no more, no more!
I cannot bear it! We must wait. No hap
Has been—no hap, I think—surely no hap.
I cannot bear thy voice upon my heart!
It hath a tone—a clutch—no more, no more!
I cannot bear it! We must wait. No hap
Has been—no hap, I think—surely no hap.
Enter Bardas deprecatingly, followed by Antonio.
Bardas: Antonio! not in the sea? You live?
Antonio: I say, where is she?
Bardas: You are mortal?
Antonio (groaning with impatience): O
This utter superstition! (Pricking his arm.) Is it not blood?
This utter superstition! (Pricking his arm.) Is it not blood?
Bardas: You live! and live? but let her think your death!
You let her! still devising for yourself
Safety and preservation!
You let her! still devising for yourself
Safety and preservation!
Antonio: She's not safe?
Bardas: O, safe—if she had shrift!
Charles (hoarsely): The dead are so!
Bardas: Ay, so.
Antonio: And none above the grave?—no answer?
Bardas: She came unto the cliff amid her tears—
Her being all into one want was fused,
You down the wave to follow.
Her being all into one want was fused,
You down the wave to follow.
Antonio: But you grasped——?
You held her?
You held her?
Bardas: Yes——
Antonio: Then—well?
Bardas: She had a phial.
Antonio: God! God!
Bardas: Out of her breast she drew it swift,
And instant of it drank.
And instant of it drank.
Antonio: Drank? and she fell?
No?—no?—Ah but you dashed it from her lips?
She did but taste?——
No?—no?—Ah but you dashed it from her lips?
She did but taste?——
Bardas: Only: and then——
Antonio: More? more?
Bardas: "Is 't not enough," she pled to me, "Enough
That I must wander the cold way of death
Unto his arms? Go hence! There is no rest.
I will go down and clasp him, drift with him
To some unhabited gray ocean vale
God hath forgot. There will we dwell away
From destiny and weeping, from despair!"
That I must wander the cold way of death
Unto his arms? Go hence! There is no rest.
I will go down and clasp him, drift with him
To some unhabited gray ocean vale
God hath forgot. There will we dwell away
From destiny and weeping, from despair!"
Charles: You left her?
Bardas: As I held her piteous hand
Came revellers who saw us—jested her
Of taking a new love. She broke my grasp——
Came revellers who saw us—jested her
Of taking a new love. She broke my grasp——
Antonio: And leapt?—down the wide air?
Bardas: Swifter than all
Prevention.
Prevention.
Antonio: Helena! O Helena!
That all thy loveliness should fare to this,
Thy glory go in dark calamity!
That all thy loveliness should fare to this,
Thy glory go in dark calamity!
Bardas: I saw her as she leapt and until death
Shall see no more.
Shall see no more.
Antonio (drawing): Blot it from you! Her face,
Her sorrow and her fairness shall not stand
Imprisoned in your eye, tho' 'twere to cry
Relentlessly your crime.—But no—but no!
Her sorrow and her fairness shall not stand
Imprisoned in your eye, tho' 'twere to cry
Relentlessly your crime.—But no—but no!
(Sheathing his sword, he pauses, then staggers suddenly out.)
Paula: Let me go to my lady!
Charles: Still her! She
Forever hath a fluttering, a cry,
Undurably. It presses the lone air
With sensitive and aching agony.
Forever hath a fluttering, a cry,
Undurably. It presses the lone air
With sensitive and aching agony.
Paula (witlessly, in tears): I know thy song, my lady, I know, I know!
'Twas pretty and 'twas strange, but now I know.
'Twas pretty and 'twas strange, but now I know.
(Sings.) Sappho! Sappho!
In maiden woe
(Let alone love, it spurns and burns!)
Wept—wept, and leapt—
O love is so!
(Let alone love, it burns!)
In maiden woe
(Let alone love, it spurns and burns!)
Wept—wept, and leapt—
O love is so!
(Let alone love, it burns!)
My lady! O my lady! my sweet lady!
(She is led out.)
Fulvia: This is most sad—most sad, and pitiful.
Charles: I cannot bear her voice upon my heart
Enter Agabus gazing into the air.
Again this monk? this dog of death?—and now?
Agabus: My trusty Shadow (Laughs madly.) Ha, he has been here!
My king o' the worms and all corruption!—
(Approaching Charles.) Lovers, and lovers! O she leapt as 'twere
To Christ and not sin's Pit! And he is gone
To follow her! The devil's nine wits are
Too many!
My king o' the worms and all corruption!—
(Approaching Charles.) Lovers, and lovers! O she leapt as 'twere
To Christ and not sin's Pit! And he is gone
To follow her! The devil's nine wits are
Too many!
(Wanders about.)
Fulvia: My lord! Your limbs are frozen,
And bloodlessly you stand! Move, rouse, O breathe!
It is not truth but madness that he speaks.
And bloodlessly you stand! Move, rouse, O breathe!
It is not truth but madness that he speaks.
(A cry and clanking of armor are heard in the Hall. A Soldier bursts into the chamber.)
Soldier: O duke! O duke! (Sinks to his knee.)
Charles: (gazes at him, struggling to speak): Rise—go—and, if thou canst—
To pray.
To pray.
Soldier: O sir——!
Charles: You have no tidings.
Soldier: Sir——
Charles (desperately): None, fool! but come to say what silence groans,
What earth numb and in deadness raves to me.
To tell Antonio hath gone out and o'er
A precipice hath stepped for sake of love.
This is not tidings—hath it not on me
Been fixed forever? It is older than
Despair, as old as pain! (To Hæmon, who has entered.) Your sister——
What earth numb and in deadness raves to me.
To tell Antonio hath gone out and o'er
A precipice hath stepped for sake of love.
This is not tidings—hath it not on me
Been fixed forever? It is older than
Despair, as old as pain! (To Hæmon, who has entered.) Your sister——
Bardas: Hæmon——!
Cardinal: Hold him not in this anguish.
Fulvia: She and our
Antonio have left us to our tears.
Antonio have left us to our tears.
(Hæmon stands motionless.)
Charles: Let no one groan. I say let no one groan—
Fury on him that groans! (He blindly rocks to and fro.)
Fury on him that groans! (He blindly rocks to and fro.)
Fulvia: My lord!
Charles (taking her hand): Well—come.
(As in a trance.)
There's much to do. We will think of the dead.
Perchance 'twill keep them near us: speak to them,
And they may answer while we wait, may float
Dim words on moonbeams to us. O for one
That shall sound of forgiveness and of rest!
(More wildly.)
O I have started on the mountain's brow
A tremor that has loosed the avalanche;
And penitence too late—too late—too late—
Was powerless as flowers along its path!
(As in a trance.)
There's much to do. We will think of the dead.
Perchance 'twill keep them near us: speak to them,
And they may answer while we wait, may float
Dim words on moonbeams to us. O for one
That shall sound of forgiveness and of rest!
(More wildly.)
O I have started on the mountain's brow
A tremor that has loosed the avalanche;
And penitence too late—too late—too late—
Was powerless as flowers along its path!
(He sinks back into his chair and stares hopelessly before him.)