"Thompson's Luck" by Michael Scherperel (piano-vocal score)

A one-act chamber opera in four scenes by

Michael Scherperel

www.michaelscherperel.com V0058PV-002-F2014

Thompson's Luck A one-act chamber opera in four scenes by

Michael Scherperel Piano-Vocal Score Adapted by the composer from the play by Harry Greenwood Grover Music and libretto Š copyright 2013 Michael Scherperel all rights reserved.

The original Grover play is in the public domain.

Cover illustration permission basil101658/shutterstock.com V0058PV-002-F2014 www.michaelscherperel.com

Characters (in order of appearance): Lydia Thompson................................soprano Stephen Thompson, her husband.....bass Waterman Holmes, a neighbor.........baritone Hiram Pratt, a neighbor.....................tenor This one-act chamber opera is scored for string quintet (two violins, viola, cello, bass). The action takes place in four contiguous scenes on a split stage. The main set is the shabby farmhouse kitchen of the Thompsons with a rough kitchen table and two chairs, a sink, and a small crude cradle. A wall-mounted telephone is visible in a hallway leading back from the kitchen. A smaller side set is the plain office where Mr. Thompson conducts his money-lending business containing only a beaten desk and a dilapidated chair. No supers or other personnel are required.

Mrs. Thompson is seen carrying her swaddled infant but the child is never visible.

Notes on notation: Noteheads "x" are used in some areas to suggest rhythms for spoken lines.

Sprechstimme is never intended. Rests in parentheses are used in some areas to suggest timing for spoken lines. There is no intended difference between these two ways of notating spoken lines. The first is usually used when there is more rhythmic accompaniment.

Recitative sections often contain strings of beamed notes that are not strictly rhythmically correct. These are free sections; such notes are not to be interpreted as, e.g. quintuplets.

Dialect considerations: The setting is New England and many of the typical "down east" linguistic mannerisms of that area should be part of the performance. Dropped g's are indicated in the libretto (comin' rather than coming, for example). Lydia Thompson, however, does not drop her g's. Though no better educated than the others, she carries a certain air of native refinement. All the characters use silent r's at the ends of words (non-rhoticization) which is difficult to indicate in spelling as it leads to a forest of apostrophes so it is a speech pattern that the singers must simply remember to employ (fa' for far for instance). Many words replace a final rhoticized r with ee-uh, for example, here which becomes hee-uh. Similarly the broad a of words like can't and half is not indicated in the spelling of the text but should be followed in performance. Stage directors are of course free to implement more or less of these down east speech patterns as seems appropriate.

Synopsis: Steve Thompson, a curmudgeonly New Englander, has taken his misshapen housekeeper as his wife, thereby gaining free housekeeping, and they have an infant son. In scene 1, Lydia Thompson bemoans her foolishness in marrying Steve and promises to protect her ailing child from him. She has asked Thompson to get medicine for the child but he has stubbornly refused to do so claiming that he bought medicine before and that the child will be all right. In spite of an encroaching blizzard, Thompson sets off to town with reluctant neighbor Waterman Holmes. Scene 2 finds another neighbor, Hiram Pratt, who is also a customer, or victim, of Thompson's money-lending practices, outside the door of Thompson's office in town. Pratt's large and poor family has been stricken with numerous woes and Pratt hopes for a reprieve from Thompson. Entering the office, he finds Thompson and Holmes who seem to be enjoying themselves as Thompson brags on his money-lending skills. Pratt puts his request forward but is rudely denied. While attempting to make a partial payment, he drops a dollar unseen and Thompson quickly hides it. Pratt then sets off to buy medicine for Lydia's child as she had begged him to do. In scene 3, Lydia agitatedly awaits the

arrival of Pratt but when he returns, he confesses that he lost her dollar and could not buy the precious medicine. Scene 4 finds Thompson and Holmes returning the following morning having been trapped in town by the blizzard. They find a curiously quiet Lydia. In the ensuing conversation, it becomes clear to all that the baby has died and that the dollar Thompson snatched from Pratt had been intended for the child's medicine.

Scene 1..........Thompson home....................................................p. 1 Scene 2..........Mr. Thompson's office and exterior hallway.........p. 52 Scene 3..........Thompson home, same afternoon.........................p. 84 Scene 4..........Thompson home, next morning.............................p. 104

Duration approximately 65 minutes. The scenes are played seamlessly.

Thompson's Luck

Piano-Vocal Score*

Michael Scherperel

Quietly ()

Lydia Thompson

 









Hiram Pratt

 









Waterman Holmes

 









Stephen Thompson

 









Quietly ()

  

Piano

5

  

 

                

         

Pno.

9

Pno.

 







 

     

          

   

 

 





    

   



   

                                sim.  

          

                        

                     

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

                                





Lights up slow in Thompson home

         

                          

*Original accompaniment is for string quintet (2 violins, viola, cello, bass).

Music and Libretto ©2013 Michael Scherperel. All rights reserved.

2



14

LT





14

Pno.

         

LT



Pno.

24

LT



 



Pno.







 

LT

 















27

Pno.

  

  

  

    



all





the pret - ty lit - tle hors

    

 







 

   





all the pret - ty lit - tle hors - es;





es;



   

 



 





        

-

       

  

       

       

to sleep my lit - tle ba - by;

     



   

    

       go





  





Lydia enters from back hall carrying her swaddled baby

          



Blacks and bays, dap- ples and grays,





you shall have

  27





When you wake

24

  

Hush - a - bye, don't you cry,

      

20

       

   

   







                      

     20



  



     

   



 



  



 

       

         

     



LT

     



31

Hush -a - bye, don't you cry,



31

       

      

 

Pno.

Thompson hangs up phone in disgust, disappears into a back room again

 

35

LT





39



LT





poco rit.

 





   



Thompson appears in hall, picks up phone...no connection go

           



lit - tle

Lydia places baby in cradle.





                                        

39



Pno.

3

LT

3

Pno.





a tempo



  







ba



A

-

by.



 



my

 



               

Thompson appears in hall again, makes brief phone call, gestures rudely to phone

A

                                                                   



                                                               

to sleep

 

3

             

35                              subito                            

lit - tle

Pno.



   



 



His

boy...

 

 



        

4 5

LT 5



7

LT

7

9

LT

9

   

 



     

boy...

  

 





        

   

 

 



 

pen - ny



 

and

 

   

he



 

 

 

for

  

  



 

med - i - cine.

   

 



How

11

    subito   

 

 



     did I ev - er



end



spend

         

 

  a



     

up





won't



Mi - ser - ly old bas - tard.

  



      







                                



                     

11

Pno.

   



His

                           

Pno.

LT

 



                                       

Pno.

Pno.

 

with







that





   





old

man.







13

LT





         

 

13

Pno.

   

   



 

crook - ed,

    

LT

 

am.





  



     24

LT

  

      



   

 

 

      





 

       







      

3

bro - ken stick that I

a tempo

 



   

a tempo

riten.







  

turn my head.

   



  

        



 



 

5

no one else would have me,



rit.







       



24

Pno.



  

 

           

3





Yes,

Should - n't have let his at - ten - tions

20

Pno.

 

    

     20

 

plain,

17

Pno.



 

  

  17

LT



    



poco mosso (=72)

    

  

poco mosso 

           

   



 





you

my

   

But



 





     

  



 

6

    

28

LT

sweet

lit - tle





boy,

my

                       

33

LT

Pno.



  

        

 

mount

    

  

   

  

  

he

 

 





 



boy,

     

         

 

   

spend a

  

you,

 

 

you

are

   



          









His

boy.

      

can dish out.



  



  

     

And he won't



 





                     

  

pen - ny

  



for med - i - cine.



   

  

                                                          

 

40



 

 40             Pno.

   

of mis - er - y



His boy.



    



37

LT



 

-



         

 

   

His boy.

Pno.

a

 

lit - tle





    

37

LT

an - y

 



3

worth

33

sweet

         

    

28

Pno.

  

And he won't





spend a

 



   

             pen - ny,

a



pen - ny.

     







His boy.

               cresc.                                                      

 

43

LT





His boy.

                    

43

Pno.

B



LT

LT



ST



subito



  



   

No. You are my

     

boy...

 

and I will pro - tect

 

   

  

Hmm.



   





7



you.





    

     

 





Hmm.

(Gruffly, not looking at her)

        

 



Hey!

          subito          3

You deaf?

 

Want anythin' to the store?

                10 slowly to sink  Flinches...crosses            10

Pno.

 



Lydia gazes into cradle

   

 



 





Steve clumps into room, sits in chair and removes shoes.

 



                                              Places baby back in crib; does not appear to hear Thompson 6             

6

LT

 

No.

tempo primo (=52)





ST

Pno.



She picks up the baby again

B

Pno.

    

tempo primo (=52)

 



 



     I said,

              

  

   







 hesitantly     

                                

I thought...

Want anythin' to the store?

        

 





  



 



8

     

14

LT

ST

meb- be...





 

  



LT

ST



LT

ST

 

Pno.



   

The go - in'?



 

    



 

Allegro 



            

Ha!

I guess so.

Allegro 



          



      

     

          

   

Yes... I know...

but... yes, I know.



Pulls on heavy snow boots

What's a lit-tle snow?



When did the go- in'

      

                                          



C





e-verstop me?

C







    

and the



    18

Pno.





18





         

go - ing...







       

I thought that the



14

Pno.

    

 

   



  



           

















                  leggiero                 

                                     

  

  

  

  

ADDITIONAL PAGES REDACTED

52 Lights up in hallway outside Thompson's office.

Pratt is dimly visible; Thompson and Holmes are not yet seen inside the office.

SCENE 2

                                                                            

11

Piano

 

14

Pno.

 









18

HP

  





      

18

Pno.

        

22

HP

fin -gers.

22

Pno.



     

     



 

 

rit.

 

Cold,



so

       



cold out -side.



     



But





          

moderato ()

      

 

it's so

       

I can scarce - ly

    

           





                                



 



 

 

  

warm in here.

     

       

  



   

   

Too warm... too

    

feel my



warm.



                  

53

 



28

HP

WH

ST

WH

ST

Pno.

An' them





stairs...

    

I feel kind -a'

   

faint

af - ter



























   

34

HP

   



28

Pno.





    colla voce

  

  



3

 







    

 

 



 



an'



all.



     



 

   

That's how I get

 

 

  

      





suddenly vigorous (=112)

That's



   

how he gets



my mon - ey,

             subito        

 



  



34       



 

suddenly vigorous (=112)

climb - in' them stairs



    



 

his



           



  

54

HP

WH







 





 

  



mon - ey,

ST

Pno.



WH

  

how he gets



my mon - ey,

   

 

    

 



He

ST

that's



 puts



it

out,

 out



 

put - tin'



  









my mon - ey.

 





   

Put

 

and

 

   

it

  





he

gets



-



tin'

  it

                            



                 



Pratt shyly, tentatively enters the office

41

Pno.

 

  

  





his mon - ey.

                    

41

HP

    



  

that's how I get

37





Lights up slow in the office where Thompson and Holmes are already in conversation.

37



    it

  

 

back,



   

   he gets it



 

                                     out

and

tak - in'

care

to

55 45

HP

WH

ST

Pno.



  

 Yes,

    

get

it back,

  



he gets it

back.



Get

     

Quietly (=72)

  

WH

 

ST

 

A - yuh,



it







back



      





Quietly (=72)

       



 

He gets it back.



Ha....ha ha!

          

                         Holmes.





I reck - o' - nized your



     

   



 



Mis - ter Thomp - son.







      





good day to ye,

          L

Pno.

 



               45                                                   L

HP

back.



rit.

     



56 4

HP

   









 

  











voice, an' all...

WH

ST

4

Pno.

Good day.

        

8

HP

WH



Pno.

Did ya', then?

   

 

  

 



 

 

 







      













   

 

  

 



 

   

y - y - yes

sir,

a'-course.

   

N - now I

 

  

(*Pratt stutters nervously in Thompson's presence)

Er..



 

What! Can't yuh see me and Holmes here plain as



day?

8

  [cahnt-chuh)       

   

[did-juh]



 

ST





can...

 

 

     

bit dark in the

 

    

    

    

    



     







*Additional stuttering at discretion of singer and director.

Pratt only stutters in the presence of Thompson.

57



      

12

HP

WH

ST



hall out there.



Pno.







WH

ST

 











  

A - yuh.



15

Pno.

3



  





    i - 'n' - it.

 

3

3

3

3

3

                             











  



me



  



You won't catch

    

 

it's warm in here...

                                  

15

HP

My...



       

12



(aside)

At



least not

  

be - in' cold.



   



 

  

 

 





here.



Not



me.

           



58



18

HP

WH

  

Keeps

ST

 



  

  

his

miss-us and

lit - tle one



21

HP

ST

 

     



tough









  

win - ter,



all



      





This has been a





   



Not









the

me.

 colla voce

   

child - ren





  

a tempo





 

sick with colds



21

Pno.

  3

won'tbe cold.

         

   

ten.



18

Pno.



cold e - nough though.

  

I



a tempo

colla voce



    





  

    



   

and

59

  

 

24

HP

ST



one thing





  

HP

 

ST

 

A - yuh.



sick.

Pno.

      33

HP

ST





Pno.

       







I reck -on I

owe

yuh

       

  



 



I

      



  

   

Pulls out his wallet.

colla voce

        colla voce        

33



                   



my boy.





       





 

him

    

 

 

rit.



                 

       more



       





 



won't have

  

Good on him, then, Mister Thompson, sir.



29





   

 

Not

     

  

  



  

 

 

 

  

29



and an - oth - er.

24

Pno.

 

     

than



   

this,

       

sir,



    



60 37



HP

 

but



ST

 

it's



              

37

Pno.

40



HP





40

Pno.

2

HP

ST

2

Pno.

         

 







 

    (c)      

 

    

  

 

 

A - yuh, you're

right,

    

   

      

 



sir.

 M



    

(c) ... (dotted rhythm continues in the strings)

     





   

 

I've



     

 

           (sudden new tempo)                       M



    had a

     

Pratt.

intensely (=108)

bit 'a

     



intensely (=108)





bad

 







  





   

 



Tough for us all,



 







 



been a tough win - ter.

  





ST

  3     

 

luck.

 

     

 

 

     

 

61 5

HP

5

Pno.

9

HP

9







       

ST

 12

Pno.

 

all



 

     

   



them

  

    



 

           

           



 



 

uns,

 

         



     

     

lit - tle



         

          

my

 

         



  



  

 

     

   rit.

 

 

    





with

 

 

    





 

An'

 

rit.

  



 



sick

 

    

  



that

 

subito



child - ren



and a calf





  

           



                   



    



            



died.



died...





12

HP

and a calf that

                                 



ST

Pno.

Poor crops



ST

     

   

 



 

ADDITIONAL PAGES REDACTED

84

SCENE 3

 

45

Piano

  5

Pno.

              S                                                        

   

  

   

 



 



10

LT

        rit.                   

Oh!

What?

       3                        

14

LT

 

mustadozed ' off.

14

Pno.

 

        3  



  

     3               

Near-ly five al - read-y.

 

3         

Where's Hir-am in all this?

       



        





Pratt knocks softly at the door.

Quietly 

Lydia startled awake.            

10

Pno.

Lights up slow in Thompson home with Lydia asleep in a chair at the table.



            

 



  

   I

    

        3      

    



   

          

85

         

17

LT

 

Hope he brings my boy's med-i-cine soon.

17

Pno.





 

LT

Wheredid he and poorHolmes get to.

      



 

 

20

Pno.

LT

HP

rit.

 

Who is it?



Pno.

 



(d) ... (tremolo in the strings)



 

 





Yes.

 

Com-ing.

 



 

                           3

Opens the door



me, Mis-sus Thomp-son.

    

           



3

             It's

 

Lydia gets up and moves to the door.

(offstage)

                  

24

       

poco mosso 

            

24

   





  



           



Another knock at the door.

3



And that hus-band of mine.

            3  

            

20

 3      



3



    





Hir-amPratt.

       

(d)







     

86 Hiram enters bundled up and covered with snow.

 3          

29

LT

Land's sake!Look at ya'!

HP

      

HP



Yes,



Ba - by worse?

     



Pno.

 38

LT

HP





    

    



but I'll

      

  



save him



      

     

 

with the

      

I did - n't fetch it, Lyd - i - a.

     





          



I'm as sor - ry as can be.

  



  

med - i - cine.

     

  

 



  

                    

  38         

anx -ious.



   

  

I've been right





I...

Pno.



glad you've come.

    

    34

 

     

   







    





34

LT

Well, I'm



 29

Pno.

   

 

       

     

87 T

 

intensely 

LT





          

HP



I'm as sor - ry as can be!



 I

put

                                      T intensely 

Pno.

5



LT



HP

    med -i - cine,

5

Pno.

9

 



HP

 

Pno.

put

  

it with

   



my

  

to buy

                                

oth -er

 

 





    



   

 

mon -ey

and

  

I don't see

   

 





   



    tied

it

up real

        



   

   

how it could have got-ten lost.

                                      

   

that dol - lar you give me

  



 

good.

9

I





  



                                                         

      

LT









 Could

 

it?

                     

 



88

LT

HP

 

 



13





How

could



 

No,

 



Hir - am.

I



it?

 



know you

    3

take good care of what -





                                                

13

Pno.

    

17

LT





3     





      

ev - er mon -ey you have.

HP













    





 

 

                                                                      21       A - yuh.

I

thought I'd take care of my

in - terest busi - ness

17

Pno.

LT

HP

Pno.

 

      

     first, ya' know, a - fore I went to the 21                                









  



      3

and get the med -i-cine                                      

store



to trade









89



25

LT

HP



       

   

for your boy.

I got a mortgagewith -

                      

 

29

LT

HP

 

HP

a tempo



                  

  

A - yuh.

a tempo



33

LT



             

29

Pno.







I

Pno.

   

 

   

Thomp-son, ya' know.



                    



went right to his of - fice



first

 

 

          



 

(e) ... (tremolo in the strings)









You

thing.











know.







 



 

  



My,



No,

 



it

 

   I

  

 

  

 





     

    

             

 

colla voce

   

 



  (e)                

    



warm in there.



No, I did-n't know.

                              

    33



 

         

25

Pno.

       



colla voce

 

was

 

 

don't know.

  

  



90

         



39

LT

HP



  





HP

 

  

   

45

LT

go to town



 39

Pno.

I nev-er

 

I







 

as I ev - er

Pno.

 

47

LT

    3

HP

        



No.



took you some - times.

47

Pno.

    

    3







  



 





  

3

 

see'd you in

 





of - fice.

 

    

45

 3       



 



don't know







 



much less to Steve's

  



  

   

Quietly 



town.

      3

He nev - er has room...



 

         

 

     

Come to think of it,





Quietly 



  

                 3

  

  

But I though meb-beSteve

 





  

   

or

         3

(aside)





time...



or

  

            3

91 50

LT

 



in - terest.

HP





   



   

50

Pno.



HP

 



 3 

he had

Yes.



   3

  



Wa - ter - man went.



 

         3 3    3    3            



Wat - er - man Holmes

         

 









53

Pno.

  

                          

53

LT

I seen



  

with him.

      

       

        





But Hi - ram, what hap- pened?

    











U

LT

HP







intensely 

 

  

  

Well, U intensely 

Pno.

 

    (f)     

 

I

paid

       

 

 

    

(f) ... (dotted eight-sixteenths in the strings)

 

 







your hus - band what I

 

   

 

   

 

   



   





could, though it was short.

 

    

 

   

 

   

 



   

 

92



HP

4





      

Pno.



Asked



     

  

     

 

7

Pno.

HP

      

HP

bit

more

           

come



out





 



3

  

but when I

got



   3

though he give me

      

 

   



    

o- ver to the store

I



a

            

 

3

                                               

An - y - how,



too.

               



  



prieve,

      

an - y,

                         subito                

    

-

                        

time.

  



re

  

off





 



a



got up

   

and

    

  

    



for the med -i -cine...

                                                                  

13

Pno.



        

10

Pno.



 

      

but he would - n't let me

 

him for



  

       

HP

  





93

HP





Pno.

HP

rit.



   

HP

        











 

come for,

to

      

24

Pno.

HP



  





29

Pno.

colla voce

    

  

 

I searched all my



your dol - lar was

 

         

21

Pno.

 





17



 3     



 

gone.



 

stand there

     

 

 



and clean out







      



my

 





 

  



 



       

searched, till they asked me





moderato ()



  





moderato ()

                            

      





pock - ets, searched and moderato ()

     



I'm right

 





pock - ets?

     



  



sor - ry,





  

Ly - di - a.



what I'd

    

   

   



94



33

LT









                       3

HP

I'll pay ya' back soon as I can;

33

Pno.

 

 

   

39

LT

HP



  





   3

(aside)



    3

    

 

 3 3        

Meb - be my Har - ri -et can come

      

colla voce







  

I'm right

  







         



        

      





     3

sor -ry, Ly-di-a,

more -'nI can say.

 

   

   





 



 

 



  

 

   

              3

o- ver in the morn - in'

43

Pno.

 





 colla voce

HP





           

43

LT

         

Oh, dear, what will be - come of my boy?

39

Pno.

meb-be a month or so.



 

and give you some help.

 



  

95

LT

HP

  

 

Steve

HP



LT

 

will bring

   

 

 



 

HP

   

Now,





the

Pno.

 





3



  

 



  

 







  





  

   

    3

May - be he will.





   3

Ly - di - a

  

  

thing!

And here's poor

will bring the med - i - cine af - ter

 





3         

   

May - be

    





 

3







how could you do such a dumb





 



med - i - cine af - ter all.

think - in' that hus- band of hers

      

Hir - am,

      3

  3   

50

 





50



(to himself...watching Lydia)



48

Pno.



Quietly 

48

LT



Oh, what will be - come of my boy?

       

46

Pno.

Quietly 

3 3 (aside)            

46

  

 

  



 



all.



  

  

  

 



  



 



96

  

53

LT

Steve

HP

    3

 

won't let an-y-thing hap - pen.

           

Pno.

      

HP

   

57

Pno.

LT

HP

Pno.

 



 V



Oh...

 

 

     

  

V

       

home to- night.

 



57

LT



He'll not let



   

harm

come to the boy.

On - ly I know he ain't.

  

 

  



Steve won't be out

(g) colla voce



 

 

 

                3

(g) (chord sustained in strings through measure 5)



to-night, I'm a - fraid,

  

Ly - di - a.



he





will.



       





       yes...



    

  

confidently



 

  



(to Lydia)



3

           

Thinks he might be com - in'

53

    



He

3

   









would have

ADDITIONAL PAGES REDACTED

104 Lights fade out in Thompson home. The cradle is removed during blackout.

 



 

 

44

Piano



            



   

   

49

    

          

    

  



SCENE 4







Quietly (=52)

 

                                                 

Pno.

     

54

Pno.

 



rit.

                                 

                               

        

 

58

 

 

   

 

 

 

  

  

             

X

                                                 

Pno.

2

Pno.





 

 

 

 

 

                                                                      

105 Lights up slow in Thompson home. The cradle is gone.

Lydia is seated at the table, her head in her hands.

7

Pno.





Thompson and Holmes () are heard off stage.



 

                                                     

WH

 





ST

 





12

          

 (off stage)       

15

WH

That was rough in - deed.

ST

 



  



 



15

Pno.







 

A - yuh. Some storm.

  

 

  



(off stage)

Here we are,

then.

(=80)









   



 



Thompson enters, covered with snow, stomping his boots.

     

  

 



Ya' may as well come on in, Holmes.

     



  

           

     

  



    

  

                

(=80)

              

12

Pno.

         



   



   

 

  



 

106

 



17

LT

ST

   

17

Pno.

 

LT





     





   

Well.





Ly -di-a will get us some-thing hot to drink.                         colla voce                                     

    

22



  

suddenly slower (=60)

a tempo (=80)



(raising her head without looking at Thompson)

at last.









Thompson sits to remove boots, does not look at Lydia.

ST



   

22

Pno.



 

28

ST

28

Pno.

   





                 This is - n't late.

We're ear - ly.

It's still morn - in'.                              a tempo (=80)                                   



  

      

       

Get us some- thin' hot to drink,

   

   







 colla voce

      energico ( = 96 ) colla voce         

will ya!



energico ( = 96 )

It turned

107

               

32

ST

out to be a big

Pno.









 





36

ST

storm af - ter all.



32

energico ( = 96 )







                                        Yes

in - deed.

A big

storm

                                                                                     39               36

Pno.

ST

af - ter

all.

I

did - n't see

an - y good

                                                 

39

Pno.

              

42

ST

spend -in' mon - ey

to

  

  

   

tel - e - phone.





  

I seen the

                                 

42

Pno.

   

  

      



wires were

 all

   



down



                                             

108

   

ST

an - y - how.

                  

45

Pno.

                 

48

WH

ST

   



45

I

  



You ain't









a - fraid 'a

no

                       



52

WH

ST

     

52

Pno.

  



  



storm.

    

all

right.

Nev - er seen such

moderato ()



 

 





 



 

          

    

  

be









        

moderato ()

                  rit.

  



48

Pno.

 

knew you'd

  



 



                                               

Holmes enters, removes boots and coat

 



drifts.

        

        

          

 

Have





        

   

you, Wa - ter - man?

        

    

109

     

 

56

WH

ST

No sir.





       

56

Pno.

     

60

WH

ST



cresc. ed accel.

   

  

ST

     

64

Pno.

  

  

That



        

    





 

  





 





  

Such weath -er!

 

      

cresc. ed accel.

64

WH

 

 





No sir.

Such weath -er!



60

Pno.

  

    



 

  



 

      

 

 

  

   

 

was a bad 'un.



        

  





             

 

Such weath -er!

  

    

 

  

        3                That was a bad 'un, all right!

Could - n - 'a got throughlast night, no more than

That was a bad 'un, all right!

Could - n - 'a got through last night, no more than

     

energico (=104)







          

 3           







 

        

energico (=104)

           

   

 

Such weath -er!

      



         

      

110

  

66

WH

fly.

ST

      

fly.

    



66

Pno.

      

WH

 

ST

 

 69   

 

Nev - er

Pno.

WH



No more than

fly.

       





 

 

    

seen such drifts.

 





deep.





 

    

No





 

      





71



     



       

 

  





Such drifts.



drifts!                                 fly. Such











 

             

one could have



got

 

 

   



No one could have



                     

What a storm!

  

            



What a storm!



fly.

No more than

             Pratt enters quietly and shyly. Lydia looks at him but he gestures to her not to acknowledge him.

71             

no one could have got through.

Pno.

    

   

    

 

No more than

They were pret - ty

No one could have got through.

ST

fly.

 

 

69



No more than

    

    

No one could have



through,





got through.





        got through.

  

111

LT

WH

ST





















75

Pno.



 

WH

ST

 

 rit.           

through.











        

 









  





 

   

How could an - y - one





 



What's that you say?

moderato ()

 

  

 



got



      







3



   

  

 

get through such snow.



80

Pno.



One

Holmes and Thompson do not see Pratt.

  





 

   



One did, though.



80

LT

    

moderato ()



75





  



 

  

112



83



LT

 

ST

     3

How could an - y - one.

     

 

 



83

Pno.

Y ST

4

ST

4

Pno.

  

   



Ha!





                          



 

No







   

place to stay

 

                    

  



          

3

   

           



He couldn't do

                         

    

and no mon -ey,

            

 

 





Hi - ram Pratt!              

        subito    

Hi - ram Pratt.

 

 

Him!

anything but go through.

Who was it, then?

  

               3    subito               

Pno.

      



Allegro 

 

       



     



no mon - ey

 

 

to put

            

 

             

113

7

ST



up

7

Pno.

 

  

at the ho - tel.

     

 

   

    

 

    

 

dropped



 

       

 

  

  

  

      

        

  

ST





                      

14

Pno.

May - be

it

Meb- be

  

       

   

      

was his ho - tel



was.

mon -ey!

 

     

Still

an' all

           

          

   

    

   

  

  

  

       

  

  

 



      



  

       

       

ya' should - a'

  

 

that dol - lar he

    



                

14

WH

  

 

at my tab - le

10

Pno.

 

       

Ha ha...ha ha!

                               

10

ST



let me give

  

   

    

          

          

it

114

 

18

WH

ST



back

  

to him.







     

                    

18

Pno.

    

ST

Pno.

He was in my of - fice moderato ()

   

      

ST

      

Pno.

 

pay

up his in - terest;

   

 

24



Lis- ten to this, Ly - di - a!

 

   

  



     

  

  

     



 

to

 



 

 

dol -lar on the tab - le

  

  





      

3

pay up his in - terest ,

   

  

  

             

dropped a



           



yes - ter -day af - ter - noon





   

        

     

24

 3        3

           

     

                

21

Ah, pshaw!

moderato ()

  

21



 



 



 

to

   

                          a whole

dol - lar

115

           

28

ST

while he was count - in' out his chick - en feed

   

 

28

Pno.

   31

LT

HP

WH

ST







      

     

              

 





               subito                      



















 

   d - d -dol-lar

     

 

 an'



 fffff...



to make up his...



    for -ty cent.

                           subito                     

31

Pno.



 

(falsetto, mimicking Pratt's stutter)

l - l - l - l - lev - en

   sotto voce(aside)   Allegro 

  

How

cruel he

sotto voce (aside) 

sotto voce(aside)     

How

cruel he

How

cruel he

Ha....ha ha.

                          Allegro 

ADDITIONAL PAGES REDACTED