The Bell of Atri
PEOPLE IN THE PLAY
AN OLD WOMAN 	A FATHER
HER HUSBAND 	HIS SON
HERALD  	CITIZENS
KING JOHN 	CHILDREN
THE KING'S MESSENGER 
AN OLD KNIGHT 
VALENTINE, HIS SERVANT
SCENE 1
It is early morning in the market square of Atri, a little mountain village in Italy. 
In the centre 
of the square stands a
small wooden turret, in which swings a heavy bell with a long rope hanging from it. An 
OLD WOMAN, 
carrying two
water-pails on a wooden yoke, comes out from a nearby house. She stops in surprise 
when she sees the 
bell, and
walks round it, gazing at it curiously. Then she goes back to the house door.
OLD WOMAN [shouting]. Paul! Paul! Get up, you lazy wretch! Come out and see what a 
great mushroom has 
sprung
up in the night!
HUSBAND [from inside the house]. What is the matter, good wife? What is it?
OLD WOMAN. 'Tis a great bell. Come out, lazybones, and see for yourself.
Several TOWNSPEOPLE-men, women, and children-enter.
The children scamper round the bell, and touch the ropes gently.
FIRST CHILD. See, a new bell!
SECOND CHILD. Pull the rope. Let's see if it will ring.
FIRST CITIZEN. Do not touch it. It is the King's.
SECOND CITIZEN. It is the King's bell. But why does it hang in the market place?
FIRST CITIZEN. Perhaps it is to warn the people if war or fire should come.
Trumpets sound outside. A HERALD enters, and then KING JOHN, followed by 
several soldiers. The KING mounts
the low platform of the turret, and the people all kneel in silence.
HERALD. People of Atri, listen to the words of good King John!
KING JOHN. Citizens! I have hung this bell here in the market-place so that 
all men hearing it may know that I, the
King, will defend the right and punish wrong, while God shall give me 
strength. If any man shall be wronged in Atri, let
him come here to the marketplace and ring my bell. [Raising his right hand] 
I swear before you all that I will hear his
plea, and the wrong shall be made right!
ALL [rising to their feet]. Long live the King!
The KING goes out, followed by his men, and the TOWNSPEOPLE talk excitedly.
OLD WOMAN. A good King!
HUSBAND. A noble one!
FIRST CITIZEN. An honest man will be safe in Atri.
SECOND CITIZEN. Let any who would harm his neighbour beware of the King's anger.
SCENE 2
It is the same scene ten years later. Atri is a happy and peaceful town, 
ruled by the good KING JOHN. The bell still
hangs in the turret, but the rope is very worn and short. A FATHER and his 
SON cross the square.
SON. Father, Father, why is there a great bell hanging in the middle of 
this road?
FATHER. It is the King's bell, my son. If any man is wronged, he rings this 
bell, and the King himself hears his
cause, and the wrong is made right.
SON. But why is the rope so short, Father? Look, I cannot even reach it 
with my finger-tips.
FATHER. So many hands have pulled this rope in ten years, son, that it has 
grown frayed and worn. See, let us pull
some of this vine from the fence and I will plait it in  the strands. It 
will serve until a new rope can be made. [As he
talks he is twisting the vine into the rope.] There - now it will hold. Come, boy, we 
shall go to the palace and tell the King.
SCENE 3
This is a room in the house of the OLD KNIGHT. He is seated at a table with 
bags of money in front of him, and piles
of coins, which he is counting. He stops and calls loudly for his servant.
KNIGHT. Ho, Valentine! Where are you?
VALENTINE [entering]. Here, my lord!
KNIGHT. Have you sold my best suit of armour as I told you ?
VALENTINE. Yes, my lord, for a hundred crowns.
KNIGHT. Numbskull, it was worth another fifty.
VALENTINE. No, my lord, it was old and dented, and not in the present 
fashion. Here is the money. It was a good
price.
KNIGHT [taking the bag of money]. Well, let it pass then. Are all my horses 
gone?
VALENTINE [sadly]. Aye, my lord, they are gone, too. Of all your horses, 
hawks, hounds, and men-at-arms, you
have now only Valentine and your old favourite steed.
KNIGHT. The horse must go, too.
VALENTINE. But, my lord! He has borne you bravely in many a fight. Surely 
you would not turn him out in his old age!
KNIGHT [impatiently]. Aye, turn him out! The lazy old beast! There he is, 
eating his head off, with grazing scarce and
fodder so dear, too. Think of the gold I shall save!
VALENTINE [aside]. He would sell everything but his accursed gold!
KNIGHT. He must look after himself. I am old, and shall never ride again.
VALENTINE. But, my lord - 
KNIGHT. Not another word, or it will be your own turn next. Go, set him 
loose upon the highway.
VALENTINE. Yes, my lord.
He goes out, while the KNIGHT pours the coins from another bag.
SCENE 4
The last scene is a room in the KING'S palace near the market square. The 
KING is writing at a table near an open
window. Suddenly the sound of the bell breaks the silence.
KING. The Bell of Atri! Some one is asking for the King's justice!
A chorus Of CITIZENS, chanting, is heard through the open window, while 
the bell keeps on ringing.
CITIZENS. Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, Ding-dong, ding-dong, 
ding-dong! Some one-hath done-a wrong, Hath
done-a wrong!
KING [calling]. Francis, the bell.
MESSENGER [entering]. You called, Sire?
KING. Listen. Francis. The bell is ringing, and the people are gathered in the market-
place. Go quickly and see who seeks justice. Bring him here, and any others with him 
who know his story.
MESSENGER. Yes, Sire, at once.
He goes out, while the KING continues to write. Outside there is the sound of the bell 
again, and several people laughing and shouting. The MESSENGER returns, laughing, too.
MESSENGER. Sire, it was only an old horse!
KING. A horse! What horse?
MESSENGER. An old, lean scarecrow of a horse, Sire! Some one had mended the 
bell-rope with a green vine, and
the poor old horse began to chew at it, and so rang the bell.
KING [smiling]. If a horse has rung my bell, his cause must be heard. Go, 
find his owner, and bring him here.
The MESSENGER goes out, and the KING stands at the window looking down into 
the market-place. A few minutes
later the MESSENGER returns, followed by the OLD KNIGHT, and several 
TOWNSPEOPLE.
MESSENGER. It is the Knight of Atri's horse, Sire.
FIRST CITIZEN [bowing low]. He calls for justice, Sire.
SECOND CITIZEN [also bowing]. His master, hastening through the 
market-place, would have fled from the sound of the bell.
MESSENGER. We brought him here, at your command, Sire.
KING. Now, Sir Knight, how is it that your horse has rung my bell?
KNIGHT [going on one kneel. He is good for nothing, Sire! He is too old to 
carry me, and I am too old to ride him. I am too poor to keep him in idleness, so I 
have sent him forth to find his keep.
KING. [angrily]. Is this your reward to an old servant who has carried you faithfully 
all these years? Your knightly training should have taught you to cherish a loyal 
servant in his old age. 
Your horse has no voice to tell his wrong, but
unwittingly, he has sought my aid. I have half a mind to serve you as you 
have served him. It would be just to seize
your goods, and banish you from Atri.
KNIGHT. Sire, I am an old man, and a poor one.
The TOWNSPEOPLE mutter among themselves.
FIRST CITIZEN. Skinflint!
SECOND CITIZEN. The miser has gold enough to buy fodder for all the horses 
in Atri.
KING [sternly]. If any man knows more of this case, he will declare it 
openly. [The TOWNSPEOPLE are silent, and
the KING smiles.] No man can hoard gold in Atri and his neighbours not know 
it. Go home, sirrah, take your horse,
and see that he is well tended. Give him fodder and fresh water, as much as 
he needs. Let him have a green field and
a warm stall till the end of his days. It pleases me well that the Bell of Atri should 
bring the King's justice to dumb creatures who cannot plead for themselves. Go now, 
all of you.
The OLD KNIGHT shuffles out, followed by the TOWNSPEOPLE. Through the 
window the chorus Of CITIZENS is
heard again.
CITIZENS. Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong,  King John shall right the 
wrong.  And this shall make in every Christian
clime  The Bell of Atri famous for all time.

Based on Longfellow's poem, "The Bell of Atri",
in Tales of a Wayside Inn  drawings by DEREK BALL

The Two Pine Cones

CHARACTERS
LIPPO, a wizard 	OLGA, a peasant woman 	ANTON, her husband
TIMO, a peasant 	HELKA, his wife 		LOUHI, his daughter
SCENE I. LIPPO, the wizard, is passing along the street of a village where 
he wishes to spend the night. He knocks
on the door of the first house.
LIPPO. Good evening.
OLGA [gruffly]. What do you want?
LIPPO. I want a night's lodging in this village. I've come a long way, and 
I'm very tired.
OLGA. But this is not an inn.
LIPPO. There's no room at the inn-so I thought  -  perhaps - 
OLGA. If you thought, perhaps, that you could sleep here, you've made a 
mistake. I've no room for you either.
Knocking on people's doors at this hour! I've never heard of such a thing. 
Be off with you, or I'll set the dogs on you.
[She slams the door in his face. LIPPO walks on to the second house, and 
knocks on the door. It opens.]
LIPPO. Good evening.
HELKA. Good evening.
LIPPO. I was wondering if you could help me.
HELKA. What is it?
LIPPO. I have nowhere to stay the night, and I've come a long way, and I'm 
very tired. Could you do anything to help me?
HELKA. My house is full tonight, but we have a barn which is warm and safe 
from the weather. Wait a moment, and
I'll ask my husband to take you over there. [Calling] Timo! There's a 
traveller here who wants a lodging for the night!
[Timo comes out.]
LIPPO. Good evening.
TIMO. Good evening.
HELKA. I thought perhaps he could sleep in the barn.
TIMO. Certainly he could. I'm sorry we have no room in the house. Just a 
moment, and I'll fetch the lantern. [He goes
in.]
LIPPO. This is very kind of you. I'd like to repay you in some way.
HELKA. Oh, that's all right. We are pleased to be able to help.
LIPPO [taking of his ring and handing it to her]. Here! Take this ring 
from my finger.
HELKA. I wouldn't dream of it. [She pushes the ring away.] We don't need 
payment.
LIPPO [undoing his rucksack and fumbling in it]. Take this pine cone, 
then. You may think it's a poor present; but,
between ourselves, I'm something of a wizard, and it's worth more than 
you might think.
HELKA [taking it]. Thank you very much. [TIMO comes out with the lantern.]
LIPPO. I shall be leaving very early, so I won't disturb you. I'll be 
gone-probably before you are up; but you will find
that the cone will bring you luck. Tomorrow, the first work that you 
begin will grow and grow until it is worth a lot to
you.
HELKA [holding up her hands and laughing]. Oh, I don't want my work to 
grow!
TIMO. No, she doesn't. She has too much to do already.
LIPPO. Don't worry. It will please you. You may take my word for that. 
Good night!
HELKA [holding up the cone]. Thank you. Good night. [LIPPO and TIMO set 
off, with the lantern, for the barn.]
SCENE II. The next morning, inside the cottage. HELKA is measuring the 
cloth she has woven the day before. (A
pattern can be painted on a long roll of newsprint which can be used for 
the cloth. The big roll should be kept out of
sight.)
HELKA. Louhi, come and see the cloth which I wove yesterday. I'd like to 
have enough to make you a frock today.
[LOUHI comes in and examines the cloth.]
LOUHI. It's lovely, mother. [She holds one end out to her mother.] How 
many yards are there? [HELKA begins to
measure it, from her nose to her finger tips.]
HELKA. One yard! Two yards! Louhi, what on earth is happening? I didn't 
weave more than two yards, but it's still
going on. Three yards!
LOUHI. Look, mother! There's a huge roll of it! It must be miles long.
HELKA. It's the wizard. What did he say? "Tomorrow the first work that you 
begin will grow and grow until it is worth a
lot to you." And so it has. And such beautiful material. Better than I ever 
wove. Five yards! Six! Get your father
quickly, Louhi! Run and tell the neighbours. It's the good luck from the 
pine cone! It's magic, that's what it is. [LOUHI
runs out, while her mother goes on measuring as if she is in a daze.] Seven 
yards! Eight yards! [OLGA and TIMO
come rushing in the door.]
TIMO. What's all this?
HELKA. It's the good luck that the wizard promised us. The cloth that I 
wove has grown and grown until it's miles long.
OLGA. What wizard? What good luck?
TIMO. A man who came last night, and said that he wanted somewhere to 
sleep.
OLGA. A tall thin man?
TIMO. Yes, I think so. Yes!
OLGA. With a rucksack on his back?
HELKA. Yes, he did have a rucksack. He took the cone out of it.
OLGA. Oh, I know the man. He wanted to stay with us, only I didn't have 
time to prepare the best bedroom; but I'll
send my husband over to fetch him. I'll have plenty of time to get it 
ready today.
LOUHI. But he's gone. I looked in the barn this morning, early.
OLGA. Then you must excuse me. I'll send my husband out to look for him. 
I wouldn't like him to think that I was rude to him. [She hurries out.]
SCENE III. Inside OLGA'S house. The table is set for a meal, and OLGA is 
putting a vase of flowers on the table. As
she does so, she hears someone coming to the door, and rushes to open it. 
ANTON and LIPPO are standing
outside.
OLGA [shaking hands with LIPPO]. Oh, there you are! I am so glad my 
husband was able to find you. I didn't want
you to think that you weren't welcome here. It was just that I didn't 
have the room ready when you called; but it's all
ready for you now. The best room. A feather mattress. You won't be asked 
to sleep in the barn here! And you must
have a meal first. It's all ready.
LIPPO. Thank you very much.
ANTON. Let me take your rucksack.
LIPPO [handing it to him]. Thank you.
OLGA. Do sit down and have something to eat.
LIPPO. Thank you. [They sit down at the table.]
OLGA. I've given you a big helping. I hope you don't think it's too much. 
I thought you might be hungry after your long
journey.
LIPPO. Yes, I am hungry. This is delicious.
OLGA. Tea?
LIPPO. Thank you.
OLGA. With plenty of sugar?
LIPPO. Thank you.
OLGA. Now what time would you like your breakfast?
LIPPO. I should like to leave before breakfast, if you don't mind. It's 
just a habit I have. I always get up very early,
before the break of day, and begin my journey.
OLGA. Then Anton will make you a cup of tea before you leave. Won't you, 
Anton?
ANTON. I'll be delighted to.
LIPPO. Please don't bother about it. I'd rather not have anything in the 
morning. And now, if you don't mind, I shall go
to bed. But before I do so, there's something
OLGA. Something from your rucksack, perhaps? Bring it back, Anton.
ANTON. Certainly! [He hurries out and brings it in.]
LIPPO [undoing the rucksack]. You may have heard that I am something of a 
wizard. To show you that I am not
ungrateful to you, I should like to give you this pine cone. It may not 
seem much of a gift to you, but it is better than it
seems. In the morning, whatever you do first will keep on and on - I 
suppose you have heard the story of your
neighbour and the roll of cloth.
ANTON. Indeed, yes! She is likely to make a fortune.
LIPPO. Well, that's the sort of thing I mean. It just keeps on and on, you 
see ?
OLGA. We do! We do!
LIPPO. Then I hope you will accept this cone.
ANTON } Thank you!
OLGA
LIPPO. And good night to you both.
OLGA. Show him to his room, Anton. Good night, sir. I hope you have a very 
good night.
They go out. OLGA rushes to the cupboard and comes back with her purse. 
ANTON comes back into the room.
OLGA. Now, the first thing in the morning, I shall begin to count over my 
money, Anton, and it will go on, and on, and
on -
SCENE IV. The next morning. OLGA comes hurrying into the room and goes 
towards the table where her purse is
lying. But before she reaches it, she gives a loud sneeze.
OLGA. A-tish-oo! Oh dear! A-tish-oo! Where is my purse? A-tish-oo! Oh what 
has-a-tish-oo!-happened to me? A-tish-oo! Anton-a-tish-oo!--quickly-a-tish-oo! Come here-a-tish-oo! It's a trick-a-tish-oo!
She goes on and on sneezing as ANTON comes in the door and holds up his 
hands in horror, and, to the sound of
her loud sneezing, the curtain falls.
by M. M. HEISE illustrated by NAN REID

The Enormous Christmas Cracker

CHARACTERS 
NURSE
The Children: 		The Other Children:
 JENNIFER 		ALAN
 SHIRLEY 		TREVOR
 JOHN 		LINDA
 MICHAEL 		SALLY
 BRIAN 		MARY
SCENE. A hospital ward. Four children are sitting on two beds, dressed in 
pyjamas. They are talking quietly. Enter
NURSE with a boy.
NURSE. Come on, children. It's time you were in bed, Christmas Eve or no 
Christmas Eve.
CHILDREN. Oh no, Nurse.
JENNIFER. Just another quarter of an hour. Please.
NURSE. All right. Quarter of an hour. This is Brian. He's cut his foot 
badly, so he'll have to stay here for a couple of
days. [She leaves.]
JENNIFER. I'm Jennifer- I've had pneumonia.
JOHN. My name's John. I've had my appendix out and I've got five stitches. 
Do you want to see them?
BRIAN. No thanks.
SHIRLEY. He always wants to show people his stitches. I'm Shirley. I got 
bitten by a dog.
BRIAN. Where?
SHIRLEY looks embarrassed.
JENNIFER. Well-she can't sit down. And this is Michael.
He's had his tonsils out and his throat's so sore he can't talk. Can you, 
Michael?
MICHAEL shakes his head vigorously.
JENNIFER. Poor Michael. He's had to eat ice-cream all the time and now he's 
sick of it. Aren't you, Michael?
MICHAEL nods.
JOHN. What are you going to get for Christmas, Brian? I'm getting a cricket 
bat.
BRIAN. I don't know. We were going away tomorrow for our holiday and now we 
can't. It's not fair.
JENNIFER. It's not so bad being in hospital. At least there's someone to 
play with all the time. At home there's no
one.
SHIRLEY. Same here.
JOHN. Haven't you any brothers or sisters either? Nor have I!
BRIAN. And I haven't either!
MICHAEL is jumping up and down and pointing to himself.
JENNIFER. Gosh-all of us without brothers and sisters.
JOHN. What about Michael? Are you the same?
MICHAEL nods.
JENNIFER. Honestly?
SHIRLEY. Really?
BRIAN. Fair go?
Again MICHAEL nods.
JENNIFER. Well, I wish I had a sister.
SHIRLEY. So do I.
BRIAN. I wish I had a brother.
JOHN. Me, too.
MICHAEL nods his agreement. They all look sad for a moment or two.
JENNIFER. I mean, it would be nice to have someone to take the blame, say, when you broke something.
SHIRLEY. Yes-or someone to boss round when Mum and Dad get angry.
JOHN. Gosh. No wonder the dog bit you.
SHIRLEY. Oh be quiet. Anyway, what would you like a brother for?
JOHN. To bowl to me so I could practise my batting. [He swishes an imaginary bat.]
BRIAN. I'd like a brother to help me with my homework.
SHIRLEY. Why would you like a brother, Michael?  Here, write it down. [He does so. She reads it out.] "To fight  bossy girls." 
Oh, you beast! [She runs at him, and he pushes her so
 that she sits down on the bed, and leaps up again promptly with a
 cry. They all begin to scuffle, but JENNIFER has seen something
 out of the window.]
JENNIFER. Look! On the grass. [They crowd to the window.] An enormous Christmas Cracker! BRIAN. It's 
huge. SHIRLEY. It's bigger than the ones in the big shops. JOHN. I bet it's from Mars.
SHIRLEY. Oh don't be silly. JOHN. Well-it might be. JENNIFER. Of course it's not. They don't have 
Christmas on Mars.
BRIAN. Look. Some people are getting out of it. JOHN. They're waving - at us. [They wave back.] BRIAN. They're coming to 
see us. JENNIFER. I wonder who they could be?
A group of five children, three girls and two boys, enter and stand in the doorway. They are dressed 
in normal clothes. The biggest boy steps forward.
ALAN. We heard you wanted some brothers and sisters - so here we are.
SHIRLEY. What do you mean?
ALAN. Well-you each wanted a brother and sister. Now you've all got one.
JOHN. How long for? ALAN. For as long as you want us.
JOHN  
JENNIFER Hooray!
SHIRLEY
BRIAN
ALAN. I'm Alan. I'm John's brother!
TREVOR. And I'm Trevor. Brian's my brother.
LINDA. I'm Shirley's sister, and my name's Linda.
SALLY. I'm Sally, and I'm Jennifer's sister.
JENNIFER. Hallo-and who's this? [She points to the remaining girl.]
ALAN. This is Mary. She's a sister for Michael. [MICHAEL puts his head in 
his hands.] Never mind. We've all got
presents for you.
JENNIFER 
JOHN Good! Hooray! Oooh! Beauty! 
SHIRLEY  
BRIAN 
MARY. Here's yours, Michael. I hope you like ice-cream, because I've bought 
you a huge block. Again MICHAEL
shows his disgust.
ALAN. Here, John, catch.
JOHN. A cricket ball! Gee, thanks.
ALAN. I hope you're good at bowling. I need some batting practice.
JOHN. But so do I.
ALAN. Well-when you get me out you can have a bat. But I warn you, I'm very 
good.
JOHN. I was afraid of that.
JENNIFER. What's mine, what's mine?
SALLY. It's a vase. It's like that one of your Mum's that you broke. Now you'll be able to replace it - as you said you would.
JENNIFER [sadly]. Thanks.
SHIRLEY. And I suppose I've got a stupid dog.
LINDA. Yes, as a matter of fact you have, though he's not stupid. You've got 
to learn to like dogs. You'll find him at home
when you leave here.
BRIAN [unwraps his parcel]. What have you given me a book on arithmetic 
for?
PETER. I'm no good at arithmetic. I thought that if I gave you that you'd 
be able to help me.
BRIAN. Oh, no.
MARY. Now, Michael, you just eat up that ice-cream. It's very good for 
you.
JOHN. Poor Michael. He's got a bossy sister.
SHIRLEY. What about me? Mine's as bad.
BRIAN. My brother's not going to be any good either.
JOHN. Nor mine. I'll never get any batting practice.
JENNIFER [to ALAN]. Really, you know, we don't want you.
JOHN. No.
SHIRLEY. Go away.
BRIAN. Yes-get back into your Christmas Cracker.
ALAN. All right. You've had your chance. We'll go where we're wanted. 
Perhaps you'll stop feeling sorry for yourselves
in future. [They turn to go.]
JENNIFER. By the way. Do tell us where you come from.
ALAN. Who-us? We come from Mars!
CURTAIN
by ROGER HALL illustrated by CONRAD FRIEBOE

The Siege of Ping
The tale told in this play is a Chinese legend concerning the siege of Ping which took 
place In the year 260 B.C.
 CHARACTERS
CHAN-PING, Governor of Ping 		
SUNG- LI, friend of Chan-ping 			
MAO-TUN, General of troops besieging Ping
WONG, puppet showman
A PUPPET
OH, the wife of Mao-tun 	
CITIZENS 			ATTENDANT
SCENE 1: A street in the city of Ping  Enter a crowd of CITIZENS with SUNG-LI
1st CITIZEN. We can stand this no longer.
2ND CITIZEN. Why should our city be made a battle-ground? 
3RD CITIZEN. There are no oats to make porridge. 
 1st CITIZEN. There are no marrows to make soup. 
2ND CITIZEN. Even the leaves are gone from the trees.
3RD CITIZEN. We are dying from cold and hunger.
SUNG-LI. Be patient, my friends. You still live, and still there is hope.
1st CITIZEN. It is nothing to be alive. I wish I could die at this moment.
2ND CITIZEN. We must surrender to Mao-tun, we must, we must!
ALL. Yes, and now, now, now!
Enter CHAN-PING, with soldiers. The CITIZENS scatter, grumbling.
CHAN-PING. What is the matter with them?
SUNG-LI. They are cold and hungry, my lord; and so am I.
CHAN-PING. So are we all, son of a mouse.
SUNG-LI. If I were the son of a mouse, I should have a better chance to live.
CHAN-PING. They waste their time in talk. Those who speak so many words know nothing. 
Those who know 
are
silent.
SUNG-LI. I wish we knew how to end this siege.
CHAN-PING [thinking]. Mao-tun has his wife with him.
SUNG-LI. If the people of the city showed her their misery, she might plead for us.
CHAN-PING. What's the use? We know his terms. I am to speak with him once more - but 
[shrugs] if we have to surrender, we have to.
SUNG-LI. They say he is no warrior, but a lover of home. He is led by his wife, and 
will do whatever she asks.
CHAN-PING. If he is led by his wife, she must be a good soldier. There is no hope for 
us.
Enter WONG with a basket of puppets on his back.
SUNG-LI. There is someone who finds it hard to live. Where is your little stage, Wong?
WONG. I chopped it up for firewood to heat my soup and warm my hands.
SUNG-LI. What was your soup?
WONG. Leaves - withered leaves and dry grass.
SUNG-LI. Your puppets do not dance now.
WONG. No, their dancing-days are over. They will crackle the fire to warm me.
CHAN-PING. We all find life hard now, Wong.
WONG. Hard? And a man wants very little. Let him sit in the sunlight sipping his cup 
of wine, talking 
with his friends
of this and of that, and he is content. Why must we have war and sieges?
SUNG-LI. Do you make your own puppets, Wong?
WONG. Yes, indeed. I carve them of ivory and of wood. I paint them and make their silk 
clothes. But the silkworms are dying, and there will be no more silk to make dresses 
for them.
CHAN-PING. Could you make a puppet as big as a maiden?
WONG. Me? I have made one as tall as a maiden, with skin white as the 
petals of the cherry tree, and black hair
fastened with gold pins. She wears a dress of yellow silk, and she moves 
like a dancing girl; but she is more lovely
than any dancer in the city of Ping.
CHAN-PING. Can she really move?
WONG. She can indeed.
CHAN-PING. Bring, her here, Wong. I would very much like to see her. [WONG goes out.]
SUNG-LI. Can the governor of this unhappy city take pleasure in looking at 
a puppet?
CHAN-PING. Do not mock at me too readily, my friend. I have watched Oh, the wife of 
Mao-tun. I know how proud
she is of her beauty. I know that she fears beauty in others.
SUNG-LI. But what has her beauty to do with a painted puppet?
CHAN-PING. Wait and see.
Enter WONG with his puppet.
SUNG-LI. Why, she is wonderful!
CHAN-PING. Is she really of painted wood?
SUNG-LI. Her hands are like white jade.
CHAN-PING. Her teeth are like little shells.
SUNG-LI. Why, the fairest maiden might weep in envy of her beauty.
WONG. Wait until you have seen her dance.
He winds her up and she dances with a stiff beauty of movement.
CHAN-PING. This is excellent! Come, Wong, with me
to my palace, and I will try to find you a better meal than soup made of 
withered leaves and dry grass. Come! I have
a plan. We may yet save the city of Ping.
SCENE II: Outside the battlements of Ping. The PUPPET is moving along the 
top of the wall. WONG is watching her
proudly.
Enter OH and her ATTENDANT. WONG disappears.
OH. Now walk with me here that I may see this beautiful creature.
ATTENDANT. Is she not indeed beautiful ?
OH. I cannot understand how she can be so beautiful and walk so gaily. They 
say the people of Ping are worn out by
sorrow and hunger. What can her secret be?
ATTENDANT. The secret of life.
OH. I wish I were as lovely! Tell me, am I really beautiful ?
ATTENDANT. The fairest of all women in -
OH. You hesitate. The fairest of all women outside the city of Ping, you would say? 
You are silent.
ATTENDANT. She will be taken prisoner, and perhaps be slain.
OH. Slain! No one will destroy such beauty. Has Mao-tun, my lord, set eyes 
on her ?
ATTENDANT. Few have yet seen her.
OH. And few shall see her. I have made up my mind. [PUPPET goes out.]
ATTENDANT. She has vanished, madam.
OH. My world grows brighter. I feel all right again. Tell me, shall we take 
this city of Ping?
ATTENDANT. You said so yesterday, madam.
OH. It is true, we shall take it, and with it we shall take this dancer, loveliest of 
women, and her beauty will always be greater than 
mine.
ATTENDANT. She will be a prisoner, madam.
OH. Imprisonment will make her loveliness shine more brightly. But I shall 
prevent it. I have made up my mind.
Enter MAO-TUN. ATTENDANT goes out.
OH. My Lord!
MAO-TUN. What is it, loveliest of women?
OH. I am tired of this siege.
MAO-TUN. Tired of this siege? Why, my men say you are the best soldier of 
all.
OH. I am sick of war. We shall fight, and men will die by the city wall. 
The horsemen will fight and be slain, and all
their strength and beauty will be food for crows. Our own fields will be 
empty of corn; there will be no rice in the bins.
MAO-TUN. Our own field -
OH. Think of home, my lord, think of home. Peach-trees and plum-trees grow 
by the road, with flower touching flower,
leaf touching leaf. The river runs clear; there is quietness; there is 
peace. I saw the yellow stork fly east this morning,
and I wished I had its wings and might
fly away from this place from the waiting, waiting, waiting-for what? 
Misery and the death of men.
MAO-TUN. I too saw the yellow stork fly east, and I thought of how pleasant 
it would be to play chess with my
friends, to read books with them, to see the time of flowers, the ripening 
grain, the time of the melon harvest.
OH. There will be no melon harvest, no ripening grain. Dust lies thick in 
our empty room. Only the voices of the birds
sound by the darkened windows. Your friends, too, may go. How short life 
is, my lord! How swiftly the days and
months pass by!
MAO-TUN. At home there is peace and contentment. At home I have a kingdom.
OH. Then go back to your kingdom, my lord, and
 leave this foolishness.
MAO-TUN. You are right, my wise one, and yet people will say that Mao-tun turned aside 
the sword just when  he should have struck with it. I shall never be allowed to forget 
it.
OH. The deeds of Mao-tun have been enough to brighten his name for ever. People will 
say that he saw the suffering of the people, and had pity on them, and in his pity he 
raised the siege.
MAO-TUN. They come from Ping today to speak of terms. Your words live in my heart, 0 
wise and lovely one, and
I shall remember them when the ambassadors speak
 to me.
OH. You will then raise the siege?
MAO-TUN [nods]. And we will follow the yellow storks
 flying east. We will go home. [They go out].
 The PUPPET walks slowly across the battlements and then stops.
 WONG peeps out of hiding and looks at her, with a smile
 of satisfaction on his face.
WONG. She has defeated the wisdom of a living woman - my puppet of painted wood!
CURTAIN 
drawings by VICTOR AMBRUS

