Chapter I: Front Matter

MAGIC A FANTASTIC COMEDY

MAGIC A FANTASTIC COMEDY

BY G.K. CHESTERTON

G.P. PUTNAM'S SONS NEW YORK AND LONDON The Knickerbocker Press 1913

COPYRIGHT, 1913 BY G.K. CHESTERTON

The Knickerbocker Press, New York

THE CHARACTERS

THE DUKE DOCTOR GRIMTHORPE THE REV. CYRIL SMITH MORRIS CARLEON HASTINGS, _the Duke's Secretary_ THE STRANGER PATRICIA CARLEON

_The action takes place in the Duke's Drawing-room._

NOTE

THIS play was presented under the management of Kenelm Foss at The Little Theatre, London, on November 7, 1913, with the following cast:

THE STRANGER FRANKLIN DYALL PATRICIA CARLEON MISS GRACE CROFT THE REV. CYRIL SMITH O.P. HEGGIE DR. GRIMTHORPE WILLIAM FARREN THE DUKE FRED LEWIS HASTINGS FRANK RANDELL MORRIS CARLEON LYONEL WATTS

THE PRELUDE

SCENE: _A plantation of thin young trees, in a misty and rainy
twilight; some woodland blossom showing the patches on the earth
between the stems._

THE STRANGER _is discovered, a cloaked figure with a pointed hood.
His costume might belong to modern or any other time, and the
conical hood is so drawn over the head that little can be seen of
the face._

_A distant voice, a woman's, is heard, half-singing, half-chanting,
unintelligible words. The cloaked figure raises its head and
listens with interest. The song draws nearer and_ PATRICIA CARLEON
_enters. She is dark and slight, and has a dreamy expression.
Though she is artistically dressed, her hair is a little wild. She
has a broken branch of some flowering tree in her hand. She does
not notice the stranger, and though he has watched her with
interest, makes no sign. Suddenly she perceives him and starts
back._

PATRICIA. Oh! Who are you?

STRANGER. Ah! Who am I? [_Commences to mutter to himself, and maps out the ground with his staff._]

I have a hat, but not to wear;
I wear a sword, but not to slay,
And ever in my bag I bear
A pack of cards, but not to play.

PATRICIA. What are you? What are you saying?

STRANGER. It is the language of the fairies, O daughter of Eve.

PATRICIA. But I never thought fairies were like you. Why, you are taller than I am.

STRANGER. We are of such stature as we will. But the elves grow small, not large, when they would mix with mortals.

PATRICIA. You mean they are beings greater than we are.

STRANGER. Daughter of men, if you would see a fairy as he truly is, look for his head above all the stars and his feet amid the floors of the sea. Old women have taught you that the fairies are too small to be seen. But I tell you the fairies are too mighty to be seen. For they are the elder gods before whom the giants were like pigmies. They are the Elemental Spirits, and any one of them is larger than the world. And you look for them in acorns and on toadstools and wonder that you never see them.

PATRICIA. But you come in the shape and size of a man?

STRANGER. Because I would speak with a woman.

PATRICIA. [_Drawing back in awe._] I think you are growing taller as you speak.

[_The scene appears to fade away, and give place to the milieu of_