out the curtains and causes the lustres
to jingle on the mantel. Surprised._] No. It's almost dark. There's no
procession ... no shining horses.... [_Turning sadly away from the
window._] I wonder what made me think the--I must have been dreaming.
[_Rubbing his eyes._

FREDERIK. [_Goes to the window, closes it. The child looks at him and, in
retreating from him, unconsciously backs towards_ PETER.] Are you feeling
better?

WILLIAM. Yes, sir, I feel better--and hungry.

FREDERIK. Go back to bed.

WILLIAM. Yes, sir. [FREDERIK _sits._

PETER. Where's your mother, William?

WILLIAM. Do you know where Annamarie is?

PETER. Ah!

FREDERIK. Why do you ask me? What should I know of her?

WILLIAM. Grandmother doesn't know; Miss Catherine doesn't know; nobody
knows.

FREDERIK. I don't know, either. [_Tears up the picture--turning so that_
WILLIAM _does not see what he is doing._ PETER, _who has been smiling at_
WILLIAM, _motions him to come nearer._ WILLIAM, _feeling_ PETER'S
_presence, looks round the room._

WILLIAM. Mr. Frederik, where's _old_ Mr. Grimm?

FREDERIK. Dead.

WILLIAM. Are you sure he's dead? 'Cause--[_Puzzled--unable to explain
himself, he hesitates._

FREDERIK. [_Annoyed._.] You'd better go to bed.

WILLIAM. [_Pointing to a glass of water on a tray._] Can I have a drink of
water, please?

FREDERIK. Go to bed, sir, or you'll be punished. Water's not good for
little boys with fever.

WILLIAM. [_Going towards the stairs._] Wish I could find a cold brook and
lie in it. [_Goes slowly up the stairs._ FREDERIK _would destroy the
pieces of the picture; but_ PETER _faces him as though forbidding him to
touch it, and, for the first time,_ FREDERIK _imagines he sees the
apparition of his uncle._

FREDERIK. [_In a very low voice--almost inaudibly._] My God! I thought I
saw ... [_Receding a step and yet another step as the vision of_ PETER _is
still before him, he passes out of the room, wiping the beads of sweat
from his forehead._ WILLIAM, _hearing the door close, comes down stairs
and, running to the table at back, drinks a glass of water._

WILLIAM. Um! That's good!

PETER. William! [WILLIAM _doesn't see_ PETER _yet, but he feels his
influence._

WILLIAM. Wish it _had_ been the circus music.

PETER. You shall hear it all again. [_Gestures towards the plate of cakes
on the tray._] Come, William, here's something very nice.

WILLIAM. [_Seeing the cakes._] Um! Cakes! [_He steals to the tray, lo