(The Child, laughing softly, fondles his mother. The three stand clinging together rapturously.)
Voices (from beyond the rose thicket chant).
“As it was in the beginning, is now,
And ever shall be,
World without end. Amen.”
(Chorus of spirits from the region of the Temple on the Heavenly Hill very softly sing.)
“O Paradise! O Paradise!
The world is growing old.
Who would not see that heavenly land,
Where love is never cold?” ...
(As they sing, the fair country brightens subtly, and all the heavenly scene is radiant. The moving groups of spirits seem to be joining in the song.)
(Dr. Thorne and his Wife, turning, look into one another’s faces. They do not speak.)
(Now, delicately, it shall be seen to darken on the bright land, and a holy half-light touches every outline.)
(The Child leaves his parents. He walks a few steps away, shading his eyes with one hand, as if he saw invisible glory; in the other hand he carries the annunciation lily.)
(Vaguely at first, then more definitely; slowly and solemnly,)