one whom she
obviously loves, and rushes at the masked figure with his sword.
At this the green mask flings the girl away from him, tears off
his mask, throws open his coat and stands revealed before the
slave owner, but with his back to the audience. The man is about
to let fall his sword when he looks upon what he is about to
kill. Gradually his jaw drops with amazement and he lets out a
terrible yell of laughter. The slave girl who has stood watching
him, now creeps round to see what is causing him so much mirth,
and gazing up suddenly into the face of her partner utters a
shriek of horror and runs from the stage. The slave owner follows
her, his sides shaking with laughter. The figure stands rigidly
transfixed, his back still to the audience._]

JOSEPHINE [_leaning forward eagerly_]

What can he be like! I wish he would turn round.

PRINCE

You seem interested, Josephine. Do these wretched mummers really ...

[_But JOSEPHINE is leaning forward intently for the music has
begun again. This time the figure is doing a strange dance of
loneliness and search for his departed partner, his mask lies
upon the ground, but he shields himself with his cloak.
Occasionally in the wildness of his dance it slips a little,
permitting glimpses of parts of his face._]

QUEEN [_suddenly in a tone of fright_]

What is it the man has upon his face? Is it a great scar?

JOSEPHINE

No! No! It is his mouth that is like that.

[_Her excitement is obviously gathering to an almost unbearable
point as the dance proceeds. In a low voice:_]

Oh, he is deformed, he is terribly deformed, his shoulders are not
abreast of one another. Or is it some devil's head squatting upon his
body of an angel.

A VOICE

No, it is his legs; they are bent in opposite directions.

A VOICE

No wonder the lady will not come back to him!

[_GWYMPLANE'S dance seems to be reaching a climax; he has nosed
about the floor like a dog; he has tried to leap over the roof
in order to discover his lost sweetheart, and now he turns facing
the audience, his arms outstretched in pitiful dejection. There
is an instant's deep silence, and then a great laugh rings out
from the audience. The QUEEN herself rocks to and fro, backward
and forward behind her fan. JOSEPHINE starts forward, in her face
a mixture of amusement, giving