A PASSING IN JUNE, 1915.

PROLOGUE.

SCENE. The Parlour of an Auberge. Pillows.. A stout motherly MADAME, a wrinklediatherly MoNsiliun, and a plain but pleasant MA'MSELLE. Some English soldiers drinking. HAROLD is talking in French to MouszEuu, and they are all very friendly.

MADAME. Alors, n'avez pas encore etc aux tranchees?

HAROLD. Maim non, Madame, peut-etre ce soir.

(MONSIEUR and MADAME exchange glances. HAROLD rises to go.) HAROLD. A Jeudi, Monsieur, Madame, Ma'mselle. Moss., Maus., AND MLLE. (in chorus). A Jeudi, Monsieur. MADAME (earnestly). Bon courage, Monsieur!

(Curtain.)

ACT I.

DAWN.

TIA.soLn is discovered lying behind a wall of sandbags. On one side are the sandbags and on the other an idyllic Spring scene, with flowers and orchards seen in the half-light of a Spring morning. The dawn breaks gently, and soon bullets begin to ping through the air, flattening themselves against the sandbags or passing over HAROLD'S head. He wakes and yawns, and then composes him- self with his eyes open. Enter Allegorical Personages—FATHER BUN, MOTHER EARTH, and a chorus of Grasses, Poppies, Cornflowers, Ragged Robins, Daisies, Beetles, Bees. Flies, and insects of all kinds.

FATHER SIIN.

Wake, children, rub your eyes, Up and dance and sing and play, Not a cloud is in the skies, This is going to be my day.

See the tiny dewdrop glisten In my glancing golden ray; See the shadows dancing, listen To the lark so blithe and gay.

Up, children, dance and play, This is my own festal day.

FLOWERS, BEETLES, &C.

Dance and sing In a ring, Naughty clouds are chased away.

Oh what fun, Father Sun Is going to shine the whole long day.

MOTHER EARTH.

That's right, children, This is the day to grow in ; But don't forget to come home to dinner— I've got such a nine dinner for you.

(The children dance away delightedly, while HAROLD watches them fascinated.) MOTHER EARTH. What's this absurd young man doing, sitting behind that ugly wall? Why don't he sit under a tree if he must sit P FATHER SUN. Oh, he's a lunatic ! Must be.

(RANDOM BULLET jumps over the sandbags into the dug-out and ,fibbers impotently at HAROLD, who glances up at him with a look of disgust.) RANDOM BULLET. Ping ! Ping ! It's me he's afraid of. He darer* stir a yard from this wall, or I'd tear his brains out. Ping I Ping I MOTHER EARTH. Who are you, Monster ?

RANDOM BULLET. I'm Random Bullet. I am a monster, I am! Ping MOTHER EARTH. Who sent you, anyway?

RANDOM BULLET. Why, the idiots behind the other wall over there I Sometimes I jump at them, and sometimes I jump over here. I don't care which way it is; but I like tearing their brains out, I do. I don't care which lot it is.

MOTHER EARTH. What madness!

FATHER SUN (indignantly). On my day, tool RANDOM BULLET. Mad! I should think they were! Never mind, they give me some fun I Ping ! So long, I'm off ; going to jump at the other fellows ; back in a second if you like to wait.

(RANDOM BULLET jumps out of sight, and ,MOTHER EARTH and FATHER Sum move disgustedly away.) HAROLD (getting up). Mad! By God, we are mad ! Curse this war I Curse the fools who started it Why did I ever come out here I' What a way to spend a morning in June !

(Curtain.)

ACT II.

MIDDAY.

SCENE!. The same. HAROLD as before, but sweltering in the sun. Enter the SPIRIT OP THIRST, THIRST, Oh for a drink I Water, anything! I could drink a hathful. What a place to spend a June day in! When one thinks of all the drinks one might be -having, it is really infuriating. Gad The very thought of them makes me feel quite poetio C Think of the great barrels of still eider in cool Devonshire cellars! Think of the sour refreshing wine we used to get in Italy 1 And the iced cocktails of Colombo! And Rimin's No. 1 in the City 1 Anywhere. but here it is a pleasure to be a Thirst ; but here! Good Lord, it will send me off my head. How would a bath go now, old chap ? By God, don't you wish you were back yeur canoe,.drawn up among the rushes near Islip, and you just going to plunge into the cool waters of the Cher? Or think of that day you bathed in the deep, still pool at the foot of the- Tamarin Falls, with the water crashing down above you,into the deep, shady chasm. Even a dip in the sea at Mount Lavinia wouldn't be bad now, or, better still, a dive into Como from a. row-boat ; you remember that hot summer we went to Como. I'll tell you another thingthat -wouldn't go down badly either. Do you remember a great bowl of strawberries and cream with a huge ice in it that you had the day before Ton left school, after that hot bike ride to Leamington? Not bad, was it?

this

idiotic (fiercely). Shut up, you beast ! Oh curse EMS idiotic war I Why are we such fools ?

(Curtain.) ACT LATE AFTERNOON.

SCENE. As before. HAROLD is discovered reading a letter from home.

HAROLD (to hinteeV).. Tom dead. Good. Lord! What times we have had together Where are all the good fellows I used to know P Half of them dead, and the rest condemned to diet No more yachting on the Broads! No more convivial evenings at the Tree. No more long nights spinning yarns in Tom's old rooms in the Temple I Curse this blasted war, that robe one of everything worth having, that dulls every sense of decency and kills all feeling for beauty, destroys the joy of life, and mutilates one's dearest friends. Curse it (A sound as of an express train is heard, followed by the roar of an explosion, while a dense cloud of smoke and dust rises immediately in view of the trench.) PORTENTOUS VOICE, " Prepare to face Eternity I" HAROLD (clenching his fists). Beast, loathsome beast! Don't think I am afraid of you.

(The sounds are repeated as a second shell drops, rather nearer. A SHADOW appears round the dug-out, and hesitates.) HAROLD (to the Shadow). Who is that? j that the Shadow of Fear P A THIN QUAVERING VOICE. Yes; shall I come in? HAROLD (furiously). Out of my sight, vile, cringing wretch ! Not even your shadow will I tolerate in my presence.

(A third shell bursts nearer still.)

PORTENTOUS VOICE (thunderously). "Set not your affeo- tions on things below."

(HAROLD pauses in a listening attitude.) HAROLD (more quietly, and with a new look in his eyes). I think I have forgotten something—something rather important.

(Enter the twin Spirits of HONOUR and DUTY, Spirits of a very noble and courtly mien.) HAROLD (simply and humbly). Gentlemen, to my sorrow and loss I had forgotten you. You are doubly welcome.

THE SPIRIT or DUTY, Young Sir, we thank you. After all, it is but right that in this hour of danger and dismay we should be with you.

THE SPIRIT OF HONOUR. I S.M. so old a friend of you and yours, Harold, that you may surely trust me. I was your father's friend. Side by side we stood in every crisis of his varied life.. Together faced the Dervish rush at Abu IClea, and afterwards in India took our part in many a desperate unnamed frontier tussle. I helped him to woo your mother, spoke for him when he put up for Parliament, advised him when he visited the City ; in fact, I was his companion all through life, and I stood beside his bed at death.

THE SPIRIT or DUTY. I too may claim to have been as much your father's friend as was my brother. Indeed, where one is the other is never far away. We do agreemost wonder- fully, and since our birth no quarrel has ever disturbed the harmony of our ways.

HAROLD. Gentlemen, you have recalled me to myself. I had forgotten that I was no more a child. I wanted to dance in the sun with the flowers, and sing with the birds, to swim in the pool with yonder newt, and lie down to dry in the long meadow-grass among the poppies. Because I might not do this and other things as fond and foolish I was petulant and peevish, like a spoilt child. I look to yoir, gentlemen, to help me to be a man; and play a man's part in the world..

HONOUR. We will remain at hand. Call us when you need net We shall not fail you.

(The bombardment increases in intensity. Shrapnel bursts overhead. Shells with increasing rapidity and accuracy explode both short of and over the trench. The hail of bullets is continuous. An N.C.O. rushes by shouting " Stand to " men rush from the dug-outs and seize their rifles, HAROLD, like the others, grasps his rifle and sees that it is fully loaded.)

(Curtain.)

ACT IV. SUNSET.

Sonar. The same ; but the wall of sandbags is broken in many Places. The dead lie half buried beneath them. HAROLD lies badly wounded against a gap in the wall, his rifle by his side. HONOUR and DUTY kneel beside him tenderly. The last rays of the sun light up his painful smile. THIRST stands gloomily over him, and the wildflowers are peeping at him, with sleepy eyes through the gap, while MOTHER EARTH calls to them to ,go to bed. FATHER Sun leans sadly over the broken parapet.

HAROLD (slowly and with difficulty). Honour, Duty, I thank you. You did not fail me.

Horroun. You played the man, Harold, as your father did before you. . DUTY. Your example it era's that 'steadied your comrades, and kept craven fear at a distance. You saved the trench.

HoarouR. This is the beauty of manhood, to die for a good cause. There is no fairer thing in all God's world.

HAROLD. I thank you. Good-night, Sun ; good-night, Mother Earth, Think kindly of me. I don't think I was mad after all, SUN. Good-night, brave lad. (To Mother Earth) I can hardly bear to look on so sad a sight.

HAROLD. Good-night, Ragged Robins ; good-night, Poppies ; you have played your game and I mine. Only they are different because we are different.

Cnonus or FLOWERS. Good-night, dear Harold. We are so sorry that you are hurt.

,(Enter '.rtes MASTER, flowers shyly following Him. Homma and DUTY raise HAROLD gently to a standing position.) Tim MASTER (extending His arms with a losing smile). " Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."

(HAROLD, with a look of wonder and joy, is borne forward.)

(Curtain.) •