SCENE FIVE

(ELLEN, MAGGIE, TOTTIE. TOTTIE appears — maybe been hiding nearby for a while)

ELLEN: (softly, taking account of TOTTIE’s presence, but not directly to her) A’body kens that. Don’t they, Tottie?

TOTTIE: (ditto: not directly to ELLEN at this point) ‘I’ll meet you,’ he says. He keeps on saying — ‘Away up the moor — down by the mill — along by Craig Water — I’ll meet you there, soon — I’ll meet you there later.’ But he doesnae.

ELLEN: You don’t want to see Kello, Tottie. He’s a bad man.

TOTTIE: Yes, he is.

ELLEN: Then you must leave him alone.

(TOTTIE still has her hoe, she’s been hoeing down molehills. She attacks the ground, or something, haybale, something, with her hoe)

TOTTIE: Foxton field’s plagued with moudies — moudie hillocks all over the field. Ten, two, a hundred moudies! Hogmanay, Hogmanick Find the moudie and break its neck Find its hillock and ding it doon. Ding! Dang! — Bang! — Seven hillocks, seven moudies!

(Well aware of ELLEN, half an eye on ELLEN)

Moudiewort, moudiewort, run to the TweedFor your hillock’s danged doon, and we all want you dead Ding, dang — damn! (repeats this with quieter pleasurable concentration) Damnation! Damn! Damn!

(But ELLEN is walking away, maybe not right offstage) Hell! Damn! A hundred moudies! Yes, he’s bad. I know where he bides. He bides in the chamber up above the new stables. He’s to fetch me a clock, still. And a bed. (She’s by the cradle now) Hasn’t he, babby? Eh? Wee babby. Bee-baw-babbity.

(MAGGIE bustling in:)

MAGGIE: Now then, Tottie, keep away from wee Joe. You shouldn’t be here — you’ve work to do. Mind what Mistress Ellen told you.

TOTTIE: I’m minding the babby.

MAGGIE: No, no. Not now. Take that hoe out of here. You’re not to mind the babby any more, he’s — he’s too big for you to mind now.

TOTTIE: He’s not. I’m bigger.

MAGGIE: (losing patience; has the baby in her arms now, waiting for TOTTIE to go) Away you go now, Tottie, get that hoe out of here!

(TOTTIE gives the cradle a push, maybe with her hoe, and goes, leaving the cradle rocking. MAGGIE, still holding the baby, follows TOTTIE a little way, but not offstage, to make sure she’s really going)