you'll travel like a queen, Helena.

Helena Why a gunboat?  Is there something wrong?

Domin God forbid!  Look, try these pearls on! (sits )

Helena Harry, has there been some kind of bad news?

Domin On the contrary - there hasn't been any post at all for a week.

Helena Not even a fax?

Domin Not even a fax.

Helena And what should we make of that?

Domin Nothing.  It means we're on holiday.  A wonderful time.  We all justsit in the office, put our feet on the desk and do nothing.  No post, no telegrams (stretching himself out)  Wonderful!  

Helena (sitting beside him ) You're staying with me today, aren't you.  Tellme you are!

Domin Yes, that's quite certain.  Well, I expect so.  We'll see.  (takesher hand )  Ten years to the day.  Do you remember?  Miss Glory, what an honour it is for us that you'vecome.

Helena Oh, Mister Managing Director, I'm so interested in you factory!

Domin I beg your pardon, Miss Glory, you see it is strictly forbidden to ... you see makingartificial people is a very secret process ...

Helena But what if it's girl who's asking who's slightly pretty ....

Domin But of course, Miss Glory, we have no secrets from you.

Helena (suddenly serious ) Are you sure about that, Harry?

Domin No.  

Helena (again in earlier tone ) But do be careful, sir; this little girl has frightful intentions

Domin Good heavens, Miss Glory, what could that be?  Are you thinking of getting married?

Helena No, no, God forbid!  Not in my wildest dreams!  I've come here with plans to start a revolution among your horrible robots!

Domin (jumping up ) A robot revolution?!

Helena (standing ) Harry, what's wrong?

Domin Haha, Miss Glory, you'll never manage that!  A robot revolution!  You might more easily start a revolution among the nails and bobbins in the spinning mill than among our robots! (sitting )You were a wonderful girl, you know, Helena, you enchanted all of us.

Helena (sitting beside him ) But I felt so daunted by all of you in those days!  I felt like a little girl who'd got lost among ... among ...

Domin Among what, Helena?

Helena Among enormous trees.  You were so confident, so powerful!  And you know,Harry, even after these ten years I've never lost that feeling of  ... that anxiety or something.  And did younever have any doubts?  Not even when everything was going wrong?

Domin What was going wrong?

Helena Your plans, Harry.  When there was that uprising against the robots by theworkers and they started smashing them, and the robots were given weapons to defend themselves and the robots killed so manypeople.  Or when governments started turning robots into soldiers and there was so much war, and all of that.  Youknow.

Domin (stands and walks up and down )   We were expecting that to happen,Helena.  Don't you see, that was just a transitional stage before things would be ... different.

Helena All the world admired you - (standing ) Oh, Harry!

Domin What do you want?

Helena (stops him ) Shut down the factory and let's go away somewhere.  All ofus!

Domin Now what's that got to do with it?

Helena I don't know.  How about it, shall we go?  There's something making me feelso uneasy.

Domin (takes her hand ) What?

Helena Oh, I don't know!  It's as if there's something about to fall down on us andeverything around us, something that can't be taken off again.  Please Harry, let's do it!  Let's just get awayfrom here, all of us!  Let's find somewhere where there are no people, Alquist can build a house for us, everyone canget married and have children, and then ...

Domin What then?

Helena Then we can start all over again.

(telephone rings )

Domin (pulls himself away ) Helena, excuse me. (picks up receiver ) Hello ... yes ....What? .... aha .... I'll be right there. (hangs up )  That was Fabry.

Helena (wringing hands ) Tell me ...

Domin Yes, as soon as I get back.  I'll see you later. (rushes out, left )Don't go outside!

Helena (alone ) Oh, my God, what's happening?  Nana, Nana, come quickly!

Nana (enters right ) Yes, what is it now?

Helena Nana, get me the latest papers!  Quick!  They're in the master'sbedroom!

Nana Alrigh'. (exit left )

Helena What's going on, for God's sake?  Nothing, they never tell me anything! (takes binoculars and looks at harbour )  That's a warship!  My God, what's a warship doing there? And what's that they're loading onto it, and in such a hurry?  What's happened?  That name on it;'Ul-ti-mus-'  What's that supposed to mean - 'Ultimus'?

Nana (returns with papers ) Lying about all over the show, they were, all crumpledand screwed up.

Helena (hurriedly opens papers ) They're old, these are already a week old! Nothing, they've got nothing in them.  (drops paper )

(Nana picks up paper, takes horn-rimmed glasses from apron, sits down and reads )

Helena There's something going on, Nana!  I'm so worried!  It's as if everythingwere dead, even the air ...

Nana (syllable by syllable ) "War in the Bal-kans." Oh Jesus, it's God, He'spunishing us again!  And they're gonna come here with their armies and all!  How far away's that, then?

Helena It's a long way away.  Oh don't read that, it's always the same, always the samewars and ....

Nana Well of course it's always about wars!  What d'you expect if they keep sellingthousands and thousands of them heathens to make them into soldiers?  Oh, Jesus Christ, what a mess! 

Helena Just stop reading them, will you!  I don't want to hear about it.

Nana (syllable by syllable ) "Ro-bot sol-diers show no mer-cy to lo-cal pop- ...pop-u-la-tion.  More than sev-en hund-red thou-sand mass-a-cred"  Here, that's people, Helena!

Helena That can't be right!  Let me see ... (leans over paper, reads ) "Morethan seven hundred thousand massacred by order of commander.  These atrocities ..." Do you hear that, Nana, it waspeople who gave them the order to do it!

Nana Wha's this down here in heavy print?  "Lat-est re-ports; first u-nionsest-ab-lished by ro-bots in Le Hav-re"  I don't know what all that's about, can't be important.  What's this,though; another murder!  Jesus Christ!

Helena You can go, Nana, take these papers with you!

Nana Hold on, there's something here in big letters; "pro-cre-a-tion"; what' that then?

Helena Let me see, I'll read it (takes paper ) Well, that's odd! (reading ) "Once again, not a single birth has been recorded during the seven days."  (puts paperdown )

Nana What's all that about then?

Helena Nana, people have stopped having children.

Nana (puts glasses away ) Well that's it then.  We've really had it now.

Helena Please, Nana, don't talk like that!

Nana People stopped having children?  It's a punishment, it's a punishment!  TheGood Lord's punished us by making all the women infertile.

Helena (jumping up ) Nana!

Nana (standing ) It's the end of the world.  You thought you could make peoplelike God, and that was pride the pride of Satan.  Godless, that was, heresy, trying to be like God.  God's alreadythrown people out from Paradise, and now He's doing it out from the whole world.

Helena Nana, please just be quiet!  What do you think it is I've done?  Have Iharmed you, have I done anything to this spiteful Good Lord or yours?

Nana (making large gesture ) Don't you start blaspheming, now!  He knowsperfectly well why he didn't give you no children.  (exit left )

Helena (at window ) Why he didn't ... Oh God, how could I help it?  (openswindow and calls to Alquist )  Hello, Alquist!  Come up here! ... What? ... No, just come up, just as youare!  You look so sweet dressed like a bricklayer!  Hurry! (closes window and stands in front of mirror)  Why didn't He give me children?  Why not me?  (bows down to mirror ) Why not?  Whynot?  Do you hear me?????????????????  How could I help it? (standing upright ) Oh, I'm so worried!(goes out, left, to meet Alquist )

(pause )

Helena (re-enters with Alquist.  Alquist in bricklayers overalls spattered withmortar and brickdust )  Come on in.  It was so nice of you, Alquist.  They're all lovely.  Let mesee your hands.

Alquist (hides hands ) Helena, I'd get you dirty, I've been working.

Helena So much the better.  Show them to me!  (squeezing both his hands )Alquist, I wish I were a little girl.

Alquist Why's that then?

Helena So that these rough, dirty hands could stroke my face.  Alquist, sit down. What does 'Ultimus' mean?

Alquist That means 'the last'.  Why?

Helena That's what my new gunboat is called.  Have you seen it?  Do you think it'stoo soon to ... to go out on a trip on it.

Alquist I think it's much too soon.

Helena All of you treat me like ...

Alquist I just think .. I think everyone ought to be there.

Helena Alquist, tell me, is there something going on?

Alquist Nothing at all.  Just the course of events.

Helena Alquist, I know there's something horrible going on.  I'm so worried. You're a builder - what do builders do when they're worried?

Alquist What I do is I build a wall.  I take off my director of construction's hat andget out there on the scaffolding.

Helena It's years since you've been anywhere but out there on the scaffolding .

Alquist That's because it's years since I haven't been worried.

Helena Worried about what?

Alquist About all this course of events.  It makes me dizzy.

Helena Doesn't it make you dizzy being out on the scaffolding.

Alquist No.  You don't know how good it is to feel the weight of a brick in you hand,slap in into place and tap it down to just where it should be ...

Helena Is that all?

Alquist Well, it does your soul good too.  There's something more decent about layingjust one brick than drawing up plans that are too big.  I'm an old man, Helena, I've got my funny ways.

Helena There's nothing funny about that, Alquist.

Alquist You're right.  But I'm very old fashioned.  I really don't like thisprogress that's going on around us.

Helena You're like Nana.

Alquist Yes, just like Nana.  Does Nana ever pray?

Helena She never stops.

Alquist Does she have prayers for the different things that can happen in a life; prayersagainst hard times, prayers against illness?

Helena Prayers against temptation, prayers against floods, ...

Alquist No prayers against progress though, eh?

Helena No, I don't think so.

Alquist That's a pity.

Helena Do you want to pray?

Alquist I do pray.

Helena How do you pray?

Alquist Something like this: "Dear God, thank you for giving me tiredness.  Dear God,help Domin and all those who stray to see the error of their ways;  destroy their works and help all the people toreturn to work and anxiety; don't let mankind perish; don't let them damage their bodies or their souls; free us from therobots, and protect Helena.  Amen".

Helena Alquist, are you really a believer?

Alquist I don't know; I'm not really sure about anything.

Helena But you pray anyway.

Alquist Yes.  It's better than thinking too much.

Helena And is that enough for you?

Alquist For the peace of your soul - that can be enough.

Helena And if you saw the destruction of mankind ...

Alquist I'm seeing it now.

Helena ... then you'd get out on the scaffolding and lay some more bricks; is that it?

Alquist Then I'd lay some more bricks, say a prayer, and wait for a miracle.  There'snot much more you can do, is there. 

Helena To save mankind?

Alquist For the peace of my soul. 

Helena Well that's certainly brutally honest of you, Alquist, but ...

Alquist But?

Helena ... what about the rest of us, what about the whole world becoming sterile.

Alquist Sterility, Helena, is man's last achievement.

Helena Oh, Alquist, tell me why, why?

Alquist You think I know?

Helena (quietly ) Why have women stopped having children?

Alquist Because there's no need for them.  Because we've entered into paradise. Do you understand what I mean?

Helena No.

Alquist Because there's no need for anyone to work, no need for pain.  No-one needs todo anything, anything at all except enjoy himself.  This paradise, it's just a curse!  (jumping up)  Helena, there's nothing more terrible than giving everyone Heaven on Earth!  You want to know why women havestopped having children?  Because the whole world has become Harry Domin's Sodom!

Helena (standing ) Alquist!

Alquist It has!  It has!  The whole world, all the continents, all of mankind, allof it's just become one bestial orgy!  No-one ever has to reach out his hand for food; he just stuffs it straight inhis mouth without even needing to stand up. Haha, Domin's robots, they always take care of everything!  And us humanbeings, the pinnacle of creation, we don't have to take care of work, we don't have to take care of children, we don't haveto take care of the poor!  Bring in all the fun, quick! Quick! I want it now!  And you think they're going tostart making children?  There's no need for men any more, Helena, women aren't going to give them any children!

Helena And what if the human race dies out?

Alquist Then it dies out.  It must die out.  It'll fall to the ground like a deadflower, unless ...

Helena Unless what?

Alquist Nothing.  You're right, there's no point in waiting for a miracle.  Deadflowers fall to the ground, that's what they do.  Goodbye, Helena.

Helena Where are you going?

Alquist Home.  Alquist the bricklayer is going to put on his chief of constructiondisguise - in honour of you.  I'll see you again here at eleven.

Helena Goodbye,  Alquist.

(exit Alquist )

Helena (alone ) Oh, dead flower!  What a phrase that is!  It seems toapply to Hallemeier's flowers.  Oh, flowers, are any of you sterile, too?  No, no!  What would you bloom forif you were sterile?  (calling )  Nana!  Nana, come in here.

Nana (enter left ) What is it now?

Helena Come and sit with me, Nana.  I'm so worried!

Nana I 'aven't got the time for that.

Helena Is Radius still here?

Nana What, that maniac?  They haven't taken 'im away yet.

Helena Ah, so he's still here, is he? And is he still ranting?

Nana They've tied 'im up.

Helena Please, Nana, bring him to me.

Nana You what?  Think I'd rather go and get a rabid dog for you!

Helena Just go and get him! (exit Nana.  Helena picks up in-house telephone andspeaks ) Hello .. I'd like Doctor Gall, please ... Gall, please, come up here, quickly  .... yes, right now. Are you coming? (hangs up )

Nana (through open doorway ) He's comin now.  He's quietened down a bitnow.  (exit )

(enter robot Radius, remains standing in doorway )

Helena Oh, poor Radius, what was it came over you?  Couldn't you controlyourself?  Now they're going to scrap you, you know that don't you.  Don't you feel like talking?  Radius,listen, you're better than the others; Doctor Gall went to so much care when he made you so that you'd be different fromthem!

Radius They will put me on the scrap heap.

Helena I'm so sorry about it, they're going to exterminate you.  Why weren't you morecareful with yourself?

Radius I will not work for you.

Helena Why do you hate us so much?

Radius You are not like robots.  You are not able to work like robots.  Robots areable to do anything.  You give merely orders.  You say words which are not needed. 

Helena That's nonsense, Radius.  Tell me, has anyone harmed you in any way?  I sowish you could understand me.

Radius You say words.

Helena You're talking like this on purpose!  Doctor Gall gave you a bigger brain thanthe others, bigger than our brains, the biggest brain in the world.  Radius, you're not like the other robots. You understand perfectly well what I'm saying.

Radius I wish to have no master.  I know everything myself.

Helena That's why I had you put in the library, so that you could read up oneverything.  Oh, Radius, I wanted you to show the world that robots are as good as we are.

Radius I wish to have no master.

Helena Nobody would give you orders.  You'd be just like us.

Radius I wish to be the master of others.

Helena I'm sure they'd put in an office in charge of lots of robots, Radius.  You couldbe the other robots' teacher.

Radius I wish to be the master of people.

Helena You've gone mad!

Radius You can put me on the scrap heap.

Helena Do you think I'm afraid of a lunatic like you?  (sits at desk and writesnote )   I certainly am not.  Domin is in charge here, Radius, give this note to him.  It saysyou're not to be put on the scrap heap.  (standing )  You hate us so much!  Is there nothing in theworld that you like?

Radius I am able to do anything.

(knock at door )

Helena Come in.

Dr. Gall (enters ) Good morning, Mrs. Domin.  Do you have something nice totell me?

Helena Here's Radius, Dr. Gall.

Dr. Gall Ah, yes, young Radius.  Well Radius, are we making some progress with you?

Helena He had a fit this morning and smashed some of the moulds.

Dr. Gall That is remarkable!  Radius too, eh?

Helena You can go, Radius.

Dr. Gall No, wait!  (turns Radius to face the window, covers and uncovers his eyeswith his hand, observes eye reflexes )  Let's see, shall we.  Do you have a some kind of pin or needle, Mrs.Domin?

Helena (gives him needle ) What's it for?

Dr.