PROLOGUE

It is a curious story. I have it written in

faded ink – a woman’s hand, governess

to two children – long ago.

[…]

VARIATION I

SCENE II – THE WELCOME

(The lights go up on the porch at Bly.

Mrs. Grose, with the children dancing about)

MILES and FLORA

Mrs. Grose! Will she be nice?

Mrs. Grose! Will she be cross?

Why doesn’t she hurry?

Why isn’t she here?

Will she like us? Shall we like her?

[…]

Here she is now.

(Enter Governess)

GOVERNESS

You must be Mrs. Grose?

I’m so happy to see you…

so happy to be here.

MRS. GROSE

(Curtseying)

How do you do, Miss.Welcome to Bly!

GOVERNESS

This must be Flora? And Miles?

(Flora curtseys, Miles bows)

[…]

VARIATION II

SCENE III – THE LETTER

(The lights fade in again on the porch

at Bly, to the side of which more of the

house is now visible, including a low window.

Mrs. Grose enters)

MRS. GROSE

Miss! Miss! A letter for you.

(The Governess comes out of the house)

Here!

(She hands in to the Governess who reads it

quietly)

(Aside)

A good young lady, I’ll be bound,

and a pretty one too.

Now all will be well, we were far too

long alone!

GOVERNESS

Mrs. Grose! He’s dismissed his school.

MRS. GROSE

Who?

GOVERNESS

Little Miles.

[…]

(The children are seen at the window

quietly playing together)

FLORA and MILES

Lavender’s blue, diddle, diddle,

Lavender’s green,

When I am King, diddle, diddle,

You shall be Queen.

Call up your men, diddle, diddle,

Set them to work,

Some to the plough, diddle, diddle,

Some to the cart.

Some to make hay, diddle, diddle,

Some to cut corn,

While you and I, diddle, diddle –

[…]

VARIATION III

SCENE IV – THE TOWER

[…]

(Quint becomes visible on the tower)

GOVERNESS

Ha! ’Tis he!

(He looks steadily at her, then turns and

vanishes)

No! No! Who is it? Who?

Who can it be?

Some servant, no! I know them all.

Who is it, who?

Who can it be?

Some curious stranger?

But how did he get in?

Who is it, who?

Some fearful madman locked away there?

Adventurer? Intruder?

Who is it, who?

Who can it be?

VARIATION IV

SCENE V – THE WINDOW

(The lights fade in on the interior of

the hall at Bly. Flora and Miles

ride in on a hobby horse)

MILES and FLORA

Tom, Tom, the piper’s son,

Stole a pig and away he run,

Pig was eat and Tom was beat,

Tom ran howling down the street.

MILES

Now I’ll steal the pig.

FLORA

Go on then, go on!

MILES and FLORA

Tom, Tom, the piper’s son!

Stole a pig and away he run –

MILES

Now chase me, chase me!

FLORA

I’ll catch you, I’ll catch you!

MILES and FLORA

Pig was eat and Tom was beat,

Tom ran howling down the street.

FLORA

Let’s do it again!

[…]

(The Governess looks about for a moment,

picks up a pair of gloves and is about to go

out when she looks up and sees Quint appear

suddenly in the window.They gaze at each

other. He disappears.The Governess runs out

and looks through the window as Quint had

done. Mrs. Grose enters as the Governess

rushes back into the room)

MRS. GROSE

Ah! My dear! You look so white and

queer.What’s happened?

GOVERNESS

I have been frightened.

MRS. GROSE

What was it?

GOVERNESS

A man looked through the window,

a strange man. But I saw him before,

on the tower.

[…]

MRS. GROSE

What was he like?

GOVERNESS

His hair was red, close-curling,

a long, pale face, small eyes.

His look was sharp, fixed and strange.

He was tall, clean-shaven, yes, even handsome.

But a horror!

MRS. GROSE

Quint! Peter Quint! Dear God! Is there

no end to his dreadful ways?

GOVERNESS

Peter Quint – Who is that?

Tell me, Mrs. Grose! Do you know him

[then?

MRS. GROSE

Dear God!

(She weeps)

GOVERNESS

Mrs. Grose, what has happened here,

in this house?

MRS. GROSE

Quint, Peter Quint, the master’s valet.

Left here in charge.

It was not for me to say, Miss, no

indeed. I had only to see to the house.

But I saw things elsewhere I did not

like.When Quint was free

with everyone – with little Master Miles –

GOVERNESS

Miles!

MRS. GROSE

Hours they spent together.Yes, Miss, he

made free with her too,

with lovely Miss Jessel, governess to those

pets, those angels, those innocent babes,

and she a lady, so far above him.

Dear God! Is there no end! But he had

ways to twist them round his little finger.

He liked them pretty, I can tell you,

Miss, and he had his will,

morning and night.

GOVERNESS

But why did you not tell your master?

Write to him? Send for him to come?

MRS. GROSE

I dursn’t. He never liked worries.

’Twas not my place.

They were not in my charge.

Quint was too clever.

I feared him – feared what he could do.

No, Mr. Quint, I did not like your ways!

And then she went. She couldn’t stay,

not then. She went away to die.

GOVERNESS

To die?

And Quint?

MRS. GROSE

He died too.

GOVERNESS

Died?

MRS. GROSE

Fell on the icy road – struck his

head, lay there till morning, dead!

Dear God, is there no end to his dreadful

ways?

GOVERNESS

I know nothing of these things. Is this

sheltered place the wicked world where

things unspoken of can be?

MRS. GROSE

Dear God!

GOVERNESS

Only this much I know; things have

been done here that are not good, and

have left a taste behind them. That man:

impudent, spoiled, depraved. Mrs. Grose,

I am afraid, not for me, for

Miles. He came to look for Miles, I’m

sure of that, and he will come again.

[…]

VARIATION VII

SCENE VIII – AT NIGHT

(to be continued)

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the musical box - intro-index

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