SCENE III

The mountains by moonlight. ALHADRA alone in a Moorish dress.

Alhadra. Yon hanging woods, that touch'd by autumn seem As they were blossoming hues of fire and gold; { The hanging Act V, l. 41. { The flower-like woods, most lovely in decay, The many clouds, the sea, the rock, the sands, Lie in the silent moonshine: and the owl, (Strange! very strange!) the scritch-owl only wakes! Sole voice, sole eye of all this world of beauty! Unless, perhaps, she sing her screeching song To a herd of wolves, that skulk athirst for blood. Why such a thing am I?--Where are these men? I need the sympathy of human faces, To beat away this deep contempt for all things, Which quenches my revenge. O! would to Alla, The raven, or the sea-mew, were appointed To bring me food! or rather that my soul Could drink in life from the universal air! It were a lot divine in some small skiff Along some Ocean's boundless solitude, To float for ever with a careless course, And think myself the only being alive.

[Vide post Osorio, Act V, ll. 39-56.]

My children!--Isidore's children!--Son of Valdez, This hath new strung mine arm. Thou coward tyrant! To stupify a woman's heart with anguish, Till she forgot--even that she was a mother!

[She fixes her eye on the earth. Then drop in one after another, from different parts of the stage, a considerable number of Morescoes, all in Moorish garments and Moorish armour. They form a circle at a distance round ALHADRA, and remain silent till NAOMI enters.

Remorse.

the] these Remorse.

spell-blasted] spell-blasted Remorse.

Stage-direction om. Remorse.

All] All Morescoes. Remorse.

One to Another] One Morescoe (to another). Remorse.

Murder? Not murder'd? Remorse.

[After 353] [Stage-direction] Alhadra (to Naomi, who advances from the circle). Remorse.

house] sons MS. III. Wet with the life-blood of the son of Valdez Remorse.

[After 359] Enter Warville. MS. III.

[A pause.

Ordonio was your chieftain's murderer

Remorse.

[360-70] Erased MS. III.

[360-75] om. Remorse.

[373-80] Erased MS. III.

Stage-direction All (kneeling). Remorse.

[After 375] Alhadra. This night your chieftain armed himself Remorse.

[Affixed to 375] (not in S. T. C.'s handwriting) and erased:

Naomi. Proceed, proceed, Alhadra.

Alhadra. Yestermorning He stood before our house, startful and gloomy, And stirr'd up fierce dispute with Ferdinand, I saw him when the vehement Gripe of Conscience Had wrenched his features to a visible agony. When he was gone Ferdinand sighed out 'Villain' And spake no other word.

Warville (mournfully). The brother of Albert.

MS. III erased.

[Note.--Warville was a character introduced into the deleted passage 360-70, the name being always altered by S. T. C. to 'Maurice'.]

[376-84] om. Remorse.

its] their Corr. in MS. III.

there] there Remorse.

a pause] a while Remorse.

Stage-direction om. Remorse.

A brief while] A little while Corr. in MS. III erased.

God] Heaven Remorse.

light] light Remorse.

hideous] hideous Remorse.

while] whilst Remorse.

Erased MS. III. Naomi. Comfort her, Alla! Remorse.

go] onward Remorse.

his] the MS. III.

[After 425

All. Away! away! [She rushes off, all following her.

Remorse.