ng off his hat. The stage is dark save for
what light comes thru the cracks of the door. Alva and Schigolch
creep out on all fours._)

ALVA. They're gone.

SCHIGOLCH. (_Behind him._) Wait.

ALVA. One can hear nothing here.

SCHIGOLCH. You've heard that often enough!

ALVA. I will kneel before her door.

SCHIGOLCH. Little mother's sonny! (_Presses past Alva, gropes across
the stage to Hunidei's coat, and searches the pockets. Alva crawls to
Lulu's door._) Gloves, nothing more! (_Turns the coat round, searches
the inside pockets, pulls a book out that he gives to Alva._) Just
see what that is. (_Alva holds the book to the light._)

ALVA. (_Wearily deciphering the title-page._) Warnings to pious
pilgrims and such as wish to be so. Very helpful. Price, 2 s. 6 d.

SCHIGOLCH. It looks to me as if God had left *him* pretty completely.
(_Lays the coat over the chair again and makes for the cubby-hole._)
There's nothing doing with these people. The country's best time's
behind it!

ALVA. Life is never as bad as it's painted. (_He, too, creeps back._)

SCHIGOLCH. Not even a silk muffler he's got and yet in Germany we
creep on our bellies before this rabble.

ALVA. Come, let's vanish again.

SCHIGOLCH. She only thinks of herself, and takes the first man that
runs across her path. Hope the dog remembers her the rest of his
life! (_They disappear, left, shutting the door behind them. Lulu
re-enters, setting the lamp on the table. Hunidei follows._)

LULU. Will you come to see me again? (_Hunidei stops her mouth. She
looks upward in a sort of despair and shakes her head. Hunidei,
putting his coat on, approaches her grinning; she throws her arms
around his neck; he gently frees himself, kisses her hand, and turns
to the door. She starts to accompany him, but he signs to her to stay
behind and noiselessly leaves the room. Schigolch and Alva
re-enter._)

LULU. (_Tonelessly._) How he has stirred me up!

ALVA. How much did he give you?

LULU. (_As before._) Here it is! All! Take it! I'm going down again.

SCHIGOLCH. We can still live like princes up here.

ALVA. He's coming back.

SCHIGOLCH. Then let's just retire again, quick.

ALVA. He's after his prayer-book. Here it is. It must have fallen out
of his coat.

LULU. (_Listening._) No, that isn't he. That's some one else.

ALVA. Some one's coming up. I hear it quite plainly.

LULU. Now there's some one tapping at the door. Who may that be?

SCHIGOLCH. Proba