He goes out.  There is the sound of heavy breathing from the bed.  Then silence.  The old pauper with the staff enters.  He is crossing the ward when his attention is taken by the humming of the bees at the window pane.  He listens for a moment.

THE OLD PAUPER A bright day, and the clay on their faces.  That’s what I saw.  And we used to be coming from Mass and going to the coursing match.  The hare flying and the dogs stretching after her up the hill.  Fine dogs and fine men.  I saw them all.

  Christy Clarke comes in.  He goes to table for his bag.  He sees the
  figure on the bed, and goes over.

CHRISTY
I’m going now, Mister Muskerry.  Mister Muskerry! 
Mister Muskerry!  Oh! the Master is dead. (He runs back to the door)
Mrs. Crilly.  Mrs. Crilly. (He goes back to the bed, and throws
himself on his knees) Oh!  I’m sorry you’re gone, Thomas Muskerry.

THE OLD PAUPER And is he gone home, too!  And the bees humming and all!  He was the best of them.  Each of his brothers could lift up their plough and carry it to the other side of the field.  Four of them could clear a fair.  But their fields were small and poor, and so they scattered.

  Mrs. Crilly comes in.

MRS. CRILLY
Christy Clarke, what is it?

CHRISTY
The Master is dead.

MRS. CRILLY
My God, my God!

CHRISTY
Will I go and tell them below?

MRS. CRILLY
No.  Bring no one here yet.  We killed him.  When
everything is known that will be known.

CHRISTY
I’ll never forget him, I think.

MRS. CRILLY
What humming is that?

CHRISTY
The bees at the window pane.  And there’s Myles Gorman’s
pipes on the road.

  The drear call of the pipes is heard.

END OF PLAY

“Thomas Muskerry” was first produced on May 5th, 1910, by the Abbey Theater Company, at the Abbey Theater, Dublin, with the following cast:—­

THOMAS MUSKERRY Arthur Sinclair
MRS. CRILLY Cara Allgood
CROFTON CRILLY J.M.  Kerrigan
ALBERT CRILLY Eric Gorman
ANNA CRILLY Maire O’Neill
MYLES GORMAN Fred O’Donovan
FELIX TOURNOUR Sydney Morgan
JAMES SCOLLARD J.A.  O’Rourke
CHRISTY CLARKE U. Wright
MICKIE GRIPES Fred Rowland
TOM SHANLEY Ambrose Power
AN OLD PAUPER J.M.  Kerrigan.