Collected Works (Vol. I)

THE MOTHER’S TRAGEDY 165 MADELINE. Dear friend, dear friend, seek comfort in my arms ! Look to Our Lady of the Seven Stars! CORA. Tam cut off from God ! bull-emen in’ their corruption Can you not see? Loathsome linked Whisper lewd fancies in my ear. Great fish, Monstrous and flat, with vile malignant eyes, And crawling beetles of gigantic strength, Crushed, mangled, moving,! are about me. Go! Go! do not touch the carcase of myself That is abased, defiled, abominable. MADELINE. O Heart of Jesus! Thou art bleeding still ! This was Thy true disciple. Leave her not, Sweet Jesus, in this madness. Who is this? Enter ULRIC; he carrtes a rasor. ULRICc.? I have a lovely bride at last, my dear ! A phantom with intolerable eyes Came close and whispered: I am Wisdom’s self, Thy spouse from everlasting. Mortal king Of my immortal self, I claim thy love ! So, we are wedded close. Justice demands The punishment of this accurséd one, Originator of the cruel crimes My mother-mistress carried to their close. It was your vile affection, Madeline, And your perverted hankering for me 1 The descriptions of demons are from a little-known Rabbinical MS. on the ‘*Qliphoth,” or shells (larvae) of the dead. ‘They are known also as the ‘‘ cut off from God.” 2 Cf. the speech of the Dweller of the Threshold in Lytton’s ‘* Zanoni.” That caused this thing abominable. Come ! I will not hurt you in the killing you! [Me catches MADELINE geully by the hit, bending back her head. CORA sits thunderstruck, unable to mueve or speak.) MADELINE. Help, Cora, help! he means to murder me ! Jesus, my Saviour, save them from this deed! lielp! [ULRIC cuts her throat, ULRIC. So perish the Queen’s enemies ! Well, littie lover, have I done it well? Cora, my sweetheart, we are happy now To think our troubles should be ended so In perfect love and—I am feeling ill- [CoRA recovers her mental balance. CORA. A blood-grey vapour and a scorpion steam To poison the unrighteous life of God ! [ULRIc looks on tn a completely dased manier, uncouprehend&ing. Cora (takes rasor and puts tt in his hand). Wall yourself. ULRIC (smiling, as tf with some divine and ineffable joy, draws the razor across hts throat, cutting in deeply. He falls bleeding.) My dear! Cora. That is my duty to my motherhood. Let me now think of all this happening. [Ske sinks slowly into a chatr tremb- ling. She puts her hand to her throat as tf choking. She bites her “ip and sits easily back, looking straight before her with uncompre- hending eyes. CURTAIN,