Determined!"

MICHAEL
[Taking out a record.]
Why, look here!
Here is the tune for Christmas Eve.

ARRAM
[While he speaks he looks to outer door, and draws a curtain over the
window.]
Don't do it!
Don't start it playing if you want to keep
This Christmas party to ourselves, my boy.
The men are mad with drink and—other things.
Look here, Michael, what are we going to do
About this youngster, eh?

MICHAEL
Better keep quiet
Till morning. When the men have slept it off
They'll stand a better chance of slipping away.

NANKO
O, what a pity, Subka! I did think
That we should have some music. Well—I know!
Tell us the Christmas piece you learned in school.
That's right! Stand there! No! Stand up on the bench.
Your mother tells me that you won the prize
For learning it so beautifully, Subka.
That's right. These good kind gentlemen shall hear
Your Christmas piece.

SUBKA It's about the first Christmas. [Her hands behind her as if in school, she obeys him.] She laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, "Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is
Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you: ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

[There is silence for a moment, then the sound of a pistol shot, a scream, and a roar of drunken laughter without, followed by a furious pounding on the outer door.]

ARRAM
Here, Michael, what the devil are we to do
About this child?
[He calls through the door.]
Clear out of this! The house
Is full! We want to sleep.
[There is a louder shout outside, and the pounding is resumed.]
Bundle the child
Into that room, woman, at once!

[RADA snatches the revolver from the Christmas tree and hurries SUBKA into the room on the right, just as the outer door bursts open and a troop of drunken soldiers appear on the threshold, shouting and furious with drink.]

FIRST SOLDIER
Come on!
They're in that room. I saw them! The only skirts
Left in the village. Come, it's Christmas Eve,
Comrades. You've had your fun.

ARRAM
Clear out of this,
We want to sleep.

SECOND SOLDIER
Well, hand the women over.

MICHAEL
There are no women here.

FIRST SOLDIER
You bloody wolf,
I saw them!

NANKO
Come! Come! Come! It's Christmas Eve.

SECOND SOLDIER
Well—if there are no women—where's the harm
In letting us poor soldiers take a squint
Thro' yonder door. My God, we'll do it, too.
Come on, my boys!
[They make a rush towards the room.]

NANKO
Be careful! Or you'll smash
The Christmas tree! You'll smash the gramophone!

[A soldier tries the door on the right. Suddenly it is opened from within and RADA appears on the threshold with the revolver in her hand.]

FIRST SOLDIER
Liars! Liars!

RADA
There is one woman here,
One woman and a child——
And war they tell me is a noble thing;
It is the mother of heroic deeds,
The nurse of honour, manhood.

SECOND SOLDIER
Christ, a speech!

RADA
Yes, and your training benefits your health.

NANKO
[Who is crouching over the fire again.]
Certainly, Rada! Military training!
Life is a battle.

RADA
You hear, drunk as you are,
Up to your necks in blood, you hear this fool,
This poor old fool, piping his dreary cry;
And through his lips, and through his softening brain,
You and the men that buy you, statesmen, kings,
Teach the poor sheep of the world that war is good.
Go! Take your manhood out of this. Or else——
[She threatens to shoot.]
I have one bullet for the child, and five
To share between you and myself!

FIRST SOLDIER
O, Christ,
A speech!
[They fall back before the revolver as she raises it.]

RADA
If you have children of your own,
Listen to me … The child is twelve years old.
She has never had one hard word spoken to her
In all her life.

FIRST SOLDIER
Nor shall she now, by God!
Where is she? Bring her out!

SECOND SOLDIER
Twelve years of age!
That's ripe enough for marriage to a soldier.
[They laugh.]

FIRST SOLDIER She can't shoot! Look at the way she's holding it! Duck down and make a rush for it! Come on! [Several of them make a rush, RADA steps back and shuts the door in their faces.]

SECOND SOLDIER
Locked out, by God! We'll have to break it down.

MICHAEL
She'll keep her word. You'll never get 'em alive.

ARRAM
Never. I know that kind. You'd better clear out!

FIRST SOLDIER Come on! We'll burst the door. [They put their shoulders to the door and it begins to give. ARRAM makes a sign to MICHAEL, urging him to interfere. A revolver shot is heard within. The men pause, and there is another shot.]

ARRAM By God, she's done it! [There is a booming of distant artillery.]

MICHAEL
Hear that! The enemy!
Making a night attack!
[There is a loud bugle call without.]

ARRAM There goes the bugle! [They all rush out, except NANKO, who looks out into the night after them, then closes the outer door, takes a crystallized plum from the table, crosses the room and stares at the floor, near the door on the right.]

NANKO
[Calls aloud.]
Rada, these plums are excellent. Don't you see
Life is a battle! Survival of the fittest!
Something red again. Trickling under the door?
Blood, I suppose. Well, I don't think it's right
To spoil a person's pleasure on Christmas Eve.
I wonder how the gramophone does work?
He said the tune that he was putting in
Was just the thing for Christmas Eve. I wonder,
I wonder what it was.

[He picks up the box from which the record was taken and reads the title.]

"A Christmas Carol Sung by the monks of St. Peter's monastery At midnight mass, on Christmas Eve—ADESTE, FIDELES!"

Fancy that! How wonderful! A Christmas carol on the gramophone! So all the future ages will be sure To know exactly what religion was. To think we cannot hear it! Well, no matter, These plums are excellent. Everybody's gone. To think I was the