I + 

Nell was back in London. Vernon came up to see her the day after her return. She noticed the change in him at once. He looked haggard, excited. He said abruptly: + 

тАЬNell, IтАЩm going to chuck Birmingham.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhat?тАЭ + 

тАЬListen while I tell youтБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

He talked eagerly, excitedly. His musicтБатАФheтАЩd got to give himself up to it. He told her of the opera. + 

тАЬListen, Nell. This is youтБатАФin your towerтБатАФwith your golden hair hanging down and shiningтБатАФshining in the sun.тАЭ + 

He went to the piano, began to play, explaining as he did soтБатАКтБатАж тАЬViolinsтБатАФyou seeтБатАФand this is all for harpsтБатАКтБатАж and these are the round jewels.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

He played what seemed to Nell to be a series of rather ugly discords. She privately thought it all hideous. Perhaps it would sound different played by an orchestra. + 

But she loved himтБатАФand because she loved him, everything he did must be right. She smiled and said: + 

тАЬItтАЩs lovely, Vernon.тАЭ + 

тАЬDo you really like it, Nell? Oh! sweetheartтБатАФyou are so wonderful. You always understand. YouтАЩre so sweet about everything.тАЭ + 

He came across to her, knelt down and buried his face on her lap. + 

тАЬI love you soтБатАКтБатАж I love you so.тАЭ + 

She stroked his dark head. + 

тАЬTell me the story of it.тАЭ + 

тАЬShall I? Well, you see, thereтАЩs a princess in a tower with golden hair, and kings and knights come from all over the world to try and get her to marry them. But sheтАЩs too haughty to look at any of themтБатАФthe real good old fairy story touch. And at last one comesтБатАФa kind of gypsy fellowтБатАФvery ragged, with a little green hat on his head and a kind of pipe he plays on. And he sings and says that he has the biggest kingdom of anyone because his kingdom is the whole worldтБатАФand that there are no jewels like his jewels, which are dewdrops. And they say heтАЩs mad and throw him out. But that night when the princess is lying in bed, she hears him playing his song in the castle garden and she listens. + 

тАЬThen thereтАЩs an old Jew pedlar man in the town, and he offers the fellow gold and riches with which to win the princess, but the gypsy laughs and says, What could he give in exchange? And the old man says his green hat and the pipe he plays on, but the gypsy says he will never part with those. + 

тАЬHe plays in the palace garden every night. ThereтАЩs an old bard in the palace, and he tells a tale of how a hundred years ago a prince of the Royal house was bewitched by a gypsy maid and wandered forth and was never seen again. And the princess listens to it, and at last one night she gets up and comes to the window. And he tells her to leave all her robes and jewels behind and to come out in a simple white gown. But she thinks in her heart that itтАЩs as well to be on the safe side, so she puts a pearl in the hem of her skirt, and she comes out, and they go off in the moonlight while he singsтБатАКтБатАж But the pearl in her dress weighs her down and she canтАЩt keep up. And he goes on not realizing that sheтАЩs left behind.тБатАКтБатАж + 

тАЬIтАЩve told this very badly, like a story, but thatтАЩs the end of the first actтБатАФhis going off in the moonlight and her left behind weeping. There are three scenes. The castle hall, the marketplace, and the palace garden outside her window.тАЭ + 

тАЬWonтАЩt that be very expensiveтБатАФin the way of scenery, I mean?тАЭ suggested Nell. + 

тАЬI donтАЩt knowтБатАФI hadnтАЩt thoughtтБатАФoh! it can be managed, I expect.тАЭ Vernon was irritated by these prosaic details. + 

тАЬNow the second act is near the marketplace. There is a girl there mending dollsтБатАФwith black hair hanging down round her face. The gypsy comes along, and asks her what sheтАЩs doing, and she says sheтАЩs mending the childrenтАЩs toysтБатАФsheтАЩs got the most wonderful needle and thread in the world. He tells her all about the princess and how heтАЩs lost her again, and he says heтАЩs going to the old Jew pedlar to sell his hat and his pipe, and she warns him not toтБатАФbut he says he must. + 

тАЬI wish I could tell things better. IтАЩm just giving you the story nowтБатАФnot the way IтАЩve divided it up, because IтАЩm not exactly sure myself yet about that. IтАЩve got the musicтБатАФthatтАЩs the great thingтБатАФthe heavy empty palace musicтБатАФand the noisy clattering marketplace musicтБатАФand the princessтБатАФlike that line of poetry, тАШa singing stream in a silent vale,тАЩ and the doll mender, all trees and dark woods like the Forest used to sound at Abbots Puissants; you know, enchanted and mysterious and a little frighteningтБатАКтБатАж I think youтАЩll have to have some instruments specially tuned for it.тБатАКтБатАж Well, I wonтАЩt go into that, it wouldnтАЩt interest youтБатАФitтАЩs too technical. + 

тАЬWhere was I? Oh, yes, he turns up at the palaceтБатАФas a great king this timeтБатАФall clanking swords and horse trappings and blazing jewels, and the princess is overjoyed and theyтАЩre going to be married and everythingтАЩs all right. But he begins to get pale and weary, worse every day, and when anyone asks him what is the matter, he says тАШNothing.тАЩтАКтАЭ + 

тАЬLike you when you were a little boy at Abbots Puissants,тАЭ said Nell, smiling. + 

тАЬDid I say that? I donтАЩt remember. Well, then the night before the wedding he canтАЩt bear it any more, and he steals away from the palace and down to the market and wakes up the old Jew and says he must have back his hat and his pipe. HeтАЩll give back everything he got in exchange. The old Jew laughs, and throws down the hat, torn across, and the pipe, broken, at the princeтАЩs feet. + 

тАЬHeтАЩs brokenheartedтБатАФthe bottom knocked out of his world, and he wanders away with them in his hand, till he comes to where the doll mender is sitting with her feet tucked up under her, and he tells her what has happened and she tells him to lie down and sleep. And when he wakes in the morning there are his green hat and his pipe, mended so beautifully that no one could tell they had been mended. + 

тАЬAnd then he laughs for joy, and she goes to a cupboard and pulls out a similar little green hat and a pipe, and they go out together through the forest, and just as the sun rises on the edge of the forest, he looks at her and remembers. He says, тАШWhy, a hundred years ago I left my palace and my throne for love of you.тАЩ And she says, тАШYes. But because you were afraid you hid a piece of gold in the lining of your doublet, and the gleam of it enchanted your eyes and we lost each other. But now the whole world is ours and we will wander through it together forever and ever.тАЩтАКтАЭ + 

Vernon stopped. He turned an enthusiastic face upon Nell. тАЬIt ought to be lovely, the endтБатАКтБатАж so lovely. If I can get into the music what I see and hearтБатАКтБатАж the two of them in their little green hatsтБатАКтБатАж playing their pipesтБатАКтБатАж and the forest and the sun rising.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 

His face grew dreamy and ecstatic. He seemed to have forgotten Nell. + 

Nell herself felt indescribable sensations sweep over her. She was afraid of this queer, rapt Vernon. He had talked of music before to her, but never with this strange exalted passion. She knew that Sebastian Levinne thought Vernon might do wonderful things some day, but she remembered lives she had read of musical geniuses and suddenly she wished with all her heart that Vernon might not have this marvellous gift. She wanted him as he had been heretofore, her eager boyish lover, the two of them wrapped in their common dream. + 

The wives of musicians were always unhappy: she had read that somewhere. She didnтАЩt want Vernon to be a great musician. She wanted him to make some money quickly and live with her at Abbots Puissants. She wanted a sweet, sane, normal, everyday life. LoveтБатАФand VernonтБатАКтБатАж + 

This thingтБатАФthis kind of possessionтБатАФwas dangerous. She was sure it was dangerous. + 

But she couldnтАЩt damp VernonтАЩs ardour. She loved him far too much for that. She said, trying to make her voice sound sympathetic and interested: + 

тАЬWhat an unusual fairy story! Do you mean to say youтАЩve remembered it from ever since you were a child?тАЭ + 

тАЬMore or less. I thought of it again that morning on the river at CambridgeтБатАФjust before I saw you standing under that tree. Darling, you were so lovelyтБатАФso lovely.тБатАКтБатАж You always will be lovely, wonтАЩt you? I couldnтАЩt bear it if you werenтАЩt. What idiotic things I am saying! And then, after that night at Ranelagh, that wonderful night when I told you that I loved you, all the music came pouring into my mind. Only I couldnтАЩt remember the story clearlyтБатАФonly really the bit about the tower. + 

тАЬBut, IтАЩve had marvellous luck. IтАЩve met a girl who is actually the niece of the hospital nurse who told me the story. And she remembered it perfectly and helped me to get it quite clearly again. IsnтАЩt it extraordinary the way things happen?тАЭ + 

тАЬWho is she, this woman?тАЭ + 

тАЬSheтАЩs really rather a wonderful person, I think. Awfully nice and frightfully clever. SheтАЩs a singerтБатАФJane Harding. She sings Electra and Brunhilde and Isolde with the new English Opera Company; and she may sing at Covent Garden next year. I met her at a party of SebastianтАЩs. I want you to meet her. IтАЩm sure youтАЩd like her awfully.тАЭ + 

тАЬHow old is she? Young?тАЭ + 

тАЬYoungishтБатАФabout thirty, I should think. She has an awfully queer effect on one. In a way you almost dislike her, and yet she makes you feel you can do things. SheтАЩs been very good to me.тАЭ + 

тАЬI dare say.тАЭ + 

Why did she say that? Why should she feel an unreasoning prejudice against this womanтБатАФthis Jane Harding? + 

Vernon was staring at her with rather a puzzled expression. + 

тАЬWhatтАЩs the matter, darling? You said that so queerly.тАЭ + 

тАЬI donтАЩt know.тАЭ She tried to laugh. тАЬA goose walking over my grave, perhaps.тАЭ + 

тАЬFunny,тАЭ said Vernon, frowning. тАЬSomebody else said that just lately.тАЭ + 

тАЬLots of people say it,тАЭ said Nell, laughing. She paused and then said: тАЬIтАЩdтБатАФIтАЩd like to meet this friend of yours very much, Vernon.тАЭ + 

тАЬI know. I want her to meet you. IтАЩve talked a lot about you to her.тАЭ + 

тАЬI wish you wouldnтАЩt. Talk about me, I mean. After all, we promised Mother no one should know.тАЭ + 

тАЬNobody outsideтБатАФbut Sebastian knows and Joe.тАЭ + 

тАЬThatтАЩs different. YouтАЩve known them all your life.тАЭ + 

тАЬYes, of course. IтАЩm sorry. I didnтАЩt think. I didnтАЩt say we were engaged, or tell your name or anything. YouтАЩre not cross, are you, Nell darling?тАЭ + 

тАЬOf course not.тАЭ + 

Even in her own ears her voice sounded hard. Why was life so horribly difficult? She was afraid of this music. Already it had made Vernon chuck up a good job. Was it the music? Or was it Jane Harding? + 

She thought to herself desperately: тАЬI wish IтАЩd never met Vernon. I wish IтАЩd never loved him. I wishтБатАФoh! I wish I didnтАЩt love him so much. IтАЩm afraid. IтАЩm afraid.тБатАКтБатАжтАЭ + 