The Characters as They Appear 
TEA ROSE, first maid of honor to llelia, the Queen of Summer. 
LADY AUREA, a Sunbeam, betrothed to Prince Purpurius. 
CARDINAL FLOWER. 
PRINCE PURPCRIUS, of the kingdom of Shade. 
DUNDUM, a bluebottle, Prime Minister to the Queen. 
HELIA, Oueen of Summer. 
FUTIL, a~Mortal. 
RAIN, King of All. 
Pipers, in the form of fauns; Elves, green and brown, representing 
grasses, leaves, and earth fays; Wild Roses, attendants; Shad¬ 
ows, attendants; Jack-in-the-Pulpits; Ferns; Dandelion Flow¬ 
ers ; Minstrels, in form of cicades, grasshoppers and crickets 
Iris Flowers ; Lily Flowers ; Daisies; Campanulas ; Sunbeams 
Motes, followers of Dust, the outlaw; Dust, the outlaw chief r, 
the Silver Legions of RAIN ; Thunderbolts. 
SCENE 
The Garden of Summer.—An open glade partly shaded, in the midst of a wood. A large stone is bedded in the 
ground R. C., in the full sunlight, at the point of a slight bank which slopes up R (shrubbery in a mass may take the place 
of such a slope on level ground). On this large stone rests another smaller, the two conceivably forming a rude sun-dial. 
Over the stones and rocks of the bank just back of dial-stones a little rill splashes and flows down into a basin below, 
at R. of these. Woody undergrowth on every side, growing more dense as the greenwood, which extends off on every 
side, deepens. 
T IME AND OCCASION — Midsummer Day revels at the lX/f USIC — Flutes, strings pizzicati, a muffled drum; cymbals. 
Court of Helia, Queen of Summer. IVX f or final RAIN procession and battle. 
[In the distance L. i the notes of a pipe are heard, as of some 
one trying its tone; repeatedly these sound, varying, coming 
nearer. The piper appears in the wood, busy with his instrument, 
moling slowly and negligently forward , stopping altogether, blow¬ 
ing, adjusting it, and so on. He conies out into the glade, ad¬ 
vances across it and up, R. on his way through the wood. When 
almost past the spring, he spies it; runs and kneels beside it and 
drinks greedily; tries his pipe again, lingering a moment to do 
so. Two other pipers appear in the far distance up L. running 
and hurrying through the wood arid out of sight farther up R. 
He races away after them at full speed. As he is almost out of 
sight a green elf thrusts himself up cautiously from a fern group 
and looks after him; a second green elf comes running down the 
bank; others appear from fern and shrub groups in numbers, 
nodding and conferring in eager pantomime, indicating the pipers; 
at last all make off at top speed after them, disappearing in the 
wood. TEA ROSE AND AUREA appear L. 2 with Wild Roses 
in attendance; near the center of the glade they pause, and pro¬ 
ceed with the arraying of AUREA with much gayety. Unseen, 
a Cardinal Flower comes slowly through the wood R. 1, in evident 
distress; advances slowly; sees rill and pool; runs forzvard with 
a gasp to fall on her knees and drink eagerly.] 
CARDINAL FLO WER — Water ! Water ! 
TEA ROSE —Why, see, Aureal Is it not a daughter of the 
lowland dwellers? They who love the boggy dells and banks of 
deep hid rills? (Goes towards her a step or two.) 
AUREA — It is, indeed — none other. 
TEA ROSE — And see how she doth drink — and drink! And 
yet again she drinketh ! What may this signify, Aurea? Her 
coming thus, athirst? 
AUREA (shaking her head) — Alas, dear friend! What — save 
the thing we all are ’ware of, yet powerless to ward off? 
TEA ROSE —Oh, oh! Poor maiden! 
CARDINAL FLOWER (seeing them for the first time, 
and trying vainly to rise) — Your ladyships—I crave a par¬ 
don ! But here came I, so wasted, that my wits hath taken 
in no presence save the water's—the cool, sweet water’s — 
whereunto I did fall with such a greediness as only full 
twenty days’ abstaining can conceive! (They help her to 
rise.) 
AUREA — Full twenty days? Oh, hapless maiden! 
TEA ROSE —So long as that, child ^ Art certain 'tis 
so long? 
CARDINAL FLOWER — Oh, yes, indeed, your lady- Cardinal flower 
ship — I’m certain. ’Tis a full score of days and one beside, since: 
all that bog, whereby my clan hath dwelt so many generations 
none can reckon them, hath yielded its last waters! 
AUREA — ’Tis even worse, then, than we’ve dared to believe!. 
CARDINAL FLOWER — How I have wandered, and the woes 
I've known, and all the travail that mine eyes hath seen, since I 
fared forth from that unhappy spot, ’twould wring your very 
hearts to hear! 
AUREA — Oh! is’t not a pity, dearest Tea Rose? 
TEA ROSE — Ay, 'tis a pity! And a piteous shame! 
CARDINAL FLOWER (they help her to the bank,, 
where she rests)- —It’s past my understanding altogether; 
but ’tis well known abroad that in the royal quarrel there 
lieth the beginning of this wrong. Oh, where is the King? 
Why hath he fled away? It’s he that’s needed to set all 
aright! (All nod emphatically as they group around.) 
AUREA — And yet how blamed he was and how reviled,, 
so brief a space ago! 
CARDINAL FLOWER (scornfully)— Only by 
know-nothings and by silly wights, who’d have a king- 
i dom hang upon a day! 
TEA ROSE — And how the Oueen was welcomed' 
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