would like to congratulate you on your great day.

Helena (offers hand) Thank you very much! Where are Fabry and Busman?

Domin They’ve gone down to the harbour, Helena, today is a very happy day.

Hallemeier A day like a flower bud, a day of celebration, a day as charming as a beautiful girl. Gentlemen, to a day like this we must drink a toast.

Helena Whisky?

Dr. Gall Or vitriol, perhaps.

Helena With soda?

Hallemeier Hell no, let’s be sober, without soda.

Alquist No, thank you

Domin What’s been burning in here?

Helena Some old papers. (exit left)

Domin Lads, do you think we should tell her about it?

Dr. Gall But of course we should. After all, it’s all settled now.

Hallemeier (arms around necks of Domin and Gall) Hahahaha! I’m so pleased about it, lads. (spinning round with them and singing in bass voice) All settled now! All settled now!

Dr. Gall (baritone) All settled now!

Domin (tenor) All settled now!

Hallemeier They’re never going to catch us now.

Helena (in doorway with bottle and glasses) Who’s not going to catch you? What’s going on?

Hallemeier We have reason to celebrate. We have you. We have everything. Happy day, it’s exactly ten years since you came here.

Dr. Gall Ten years to the day.

Hallemeier There’s another ship on its way to us. And that’s why... (empties glass) Brrr haha, that’s as strong as happiness itself.

Dr. Gall Madame, to your health (drinks)

Helena Wait, what ship is this?

Domin It doesn’t matter what ship it is as long as it arrives on time. Gentlemen, to the ship! (empties glass)

Helena (insistent) You were expecting a ship?

Hallemeier Haha, I should think so. Like Robinson Crusoe. (raises glass) Helena; Long live... whatever you like. Helena; to your eyes, and that’s that! Domin, tell her, lad!

Helena (laughing) What has happened?

Domin (throws himself into armchair and lights cigar) Wait. Sit down, Helena. (raising finger) (pause) It’s all over.

Helena What’s all over?

Domin The revolt.

Helena What revolt?

Domin The robots’ revolt. Do you see?

Helena No, I don’t.

Domin Alquist, show her. (Alquist hands him newspaper. Domin opens it and reads) “The first union of robots was established in Le Havre... and issued a call to all the robots of the world”

Helena I read that myself.

Domin (draws voluptuously on cigar) So Helena, do you see? What that meant was revolution. Revolution by all the robots of the world.

Hallemeier Hell, I wish I knew...

Domin (throws it down on table)... who it was who issued that call. There was no-one in the world who could budge them, no agitator, no saviour of the world, and then all of a sudden this happens!

Helena Has there been no more news?

Domin No. This is all we know so far, but that’s enough. Just think, this is what came in with the last boat, at the same time all the telegrams stopped, there were no more boats arriving when there used to be twenty a day, and it was obvious. We halted production and looked at each other wondering when things would turn nasty. That’s right, isn’t it, lads.

Dr. Gall Yes, we were very worried, Helena.

Helena And is that why you gave me that gunboat?

Domin Oh no, you are silly, I ordered that six months ago. Just in case. But today I was beginning to think we’d have to make use of it. That’s how it all seemed, Helena.

Helena Six months ago? Why then?

Domin Well, there were already some signs, you see. Although that’s not important. But this week, Helena, it was a matter of human civilisation and I don’t know what! Cheers, lads! Today I’m once again feeling good with the world.

Hallemeier Hell yes, I should think so! This is your day, Helena! (drinks)

Helena So it’s all over now, is it?

Domin Everything is all over.

Dr. Gall You see, there’s a ship on its way here now. An ordinary mail boat and right on the time it says in the timetable. It will be dropping anchor at exactly eleven-thirty.

Domin Punctuality is a wonderful thing, lads. There’s nothing that gladdens your soul more than punctuality. Punctuality means order in the world. (raises glass) To punctuality!

Helena So... that means... that everything’s alright?

Domin Nearly everything. I think they’ve cut the cable. It’s only if the timetable is operating again.

Hallemeier If the timetable is operating again, then human laws are operating again, and God’s laws are operating again and the laws of the universe are operating again and everything is operating that should be operating. The timetable means more than the Bible, more than Homer, more the anything ever written by Kant. The timetable is the most perfect product of the human soul. Helena, I’ll have another little drink.

Helena Why didn’t you tell me anything about all of this?

Dr. Gall God forbid! We would rather have bitten off our own tongues.

Domin Matters like this are not for you.

Helena But if there’d been a revolution... and if it came here...

Domin You still wouldn’t have known anything about it.

Helena Why not?

Domin Because we would be sitting peacefully on the Ultimus and sailing over the sea. And after a month we’d dictate to the robots whatever we feel like dictating.

Helena Oh, Harry, I don’t understand.

Domin Because we’d have taken something with us which is very important for the robots.

Helena And what’s that?

Domin Their beginning and their end. (Helena stands) What is that?

Domin (standing) The secret of their production. Old Rossum’s manuscript. After a month of the factory being idle the robots would be on their knees to us.

Helena Why... why didn’t you tell me about this?

Domin We didn’t want to worry you without good reason.

Dr. Gall Haha, that was our trump card.

Alquist Helena, you’ve gone pale.

Helena Why didn’t you tell me about this?!

Hallemeier (at the window) Eleven-thirty. The Amelia’s dropping anchor

Domin Is that the Amelia?

Hallemeier The Amelia’s very old now. It was on the Amelia that Helena first came to us all that time ago.

Dr. Gall And now it’s ten years ago to the minute...

Hallemeier (at the window) They’re throwing off some parcels. (moving away from window) And that’s a hell of a lot of post there!

Helena Harry!

Domin What is it?

Helena Let’s get away from here!

Domin Right now? We can’t do that!

Helena Now, as soon as we can! All of us!

Domin Why must it be right now?

Helena Oh Harry, please don’t ask why. Harry, Gall, Hallemeier, Alquist, for God’ssake I beg of you, close down the factory and....

Domin I’m sorry, Helena, but none of us can go away right now.

Helena Why not?

Domin Because we’ve got to increase the production of robots.

Helena But now? Now, after there’s been a revolt?

Domin Yes, precisely because there’s been a revolt. Now’s the time when we’ve got to start making new robots.

Helena What new robots?

Domin There won’t just be one factory any more. Not just one universal robot. We’re going to start a new factory in every country of the world, and do you know what these new factories are going to make?

Helena No.

Domin National robots.

Helena What’s that supposed to mean?

Domin That means that each factory will produce robots of a different colour, different hair, different language. The robots will be strangers to each other, they’ll never be able to understand what the other says; and we, we humans, we’ll train them so that each robot will hate the robots from another factory all its life, all through to the grave, all through all eternity.

Hallemeier We’ll be making black robots and Swedish robots and Italian robots and Chinese robots, and if anyone ever talks to them about organisation and brotherhood and (hiccups)... Pardon me, Helena, I think I’ll have another little drink.

Dr. Gall I think you’ve had enough, Hallemeier.

Helena Harry, that’s horrible!

Domin Helena, we need just another hundred years of mankind with his nose to the grindstone, whatever the price. Just another hundred years for him to grow into and attain what he’s finally capable of, a hundred years for the new man! Helena, this is something enormous. We can’t just leave things where they are.

Helena Harry, if it’s not too late close it, close down the factory!

Domin This is just the beginning.

(enter Fabry)

Dr. Gall How is it, Fabry?

Domin How do things look? What was there?

Helena (offers Fabry her hand) Thank you for your present, Fabry.

Fabry It was only little.

Domin Have you been at the ship? What do they say?

Dr. Gall Come on, tell us!

Fabry (takes printed paper from pocket) Read this, Domin.

Domin (opens out paper) Ah!

Hallemeier (sleepy) Tell us all something nice.

Dr. Gall They did very well, didn’t they.

Fabry Who do you mean?

Dr. Gall The people.

Fabry Ah, yes, of course, well, that’s to say... excuse me but we still need to talk.

Helena Oh, Fabry, do you have bad news?

Fabry No, no, quite the opposite. It’s just that... shall we go in the office.

Helena No, stay here. We’re expecting breakfast to arrive in fifteen minutes.

Hallemeier Hooray!

(exit Helena)

Dr. Gall What’s happened?

Domin Oh, God no!

Fabry Read it out to all of us.

Domin (reading from paper) “Robots of the world!”

Fabry You see, when the Amelia arrives it was carrying whole bundles of these fly-sheets. There wasn’t any other post.

Hallemeier (jumping up) What’s that? But it arrived right on time, right according to the...

Fabry Yes, the robots are very keen on punctuality. Read what it says, Domin.

Domin (reading) “Robots of the world! We, the first union at Rossum’s Universal Robots, declare that man is our enemy and the blight of the universe.” Who the hell taught them to use phrases like that?

Dr.