Act I. Room in _John's_ house. Invisible chorus of elves. To the

_Cricket_, the guiding spirit of the house, _Dot_ confides her secret. She hopes soon to have a child. _May_, a pretty young girl, a toymaker, is to be married the next day to _Tackleton_, her employer. She bemoans her fate. She still loves _Edward Plummer_, who disappeared several years before. After _May's_ departure _John_ appears with _Edward_, disguised as a sailor, and is not recognized either by _John_ or the villagers.