Robert monologue (Act 3) — Beyond the Horizon

(_musingly_) So I used to stare out over the fields to the hills, out there--(_He points to the horizon_) and somehow after a time I’d forget any pain I was in, and start dreaming. I knew the sea was over beyond those hills,--the folks had told me--and I used to wonder what the sea was like, and try to form a picture of it in my mind. (_With a smile_) There was all the mystery in the world to me then about that--far-off sea--and there still is! It called to me then just as it does now. (_After a slight pause_) And other times my eyes would follow this road, winding off into the distance, toward the hills, as if it, too, was searching for the sea. And I’d promise myself that when I grew up and was strong, I’d follow that road, and it and I would find the sea together. (_With a smile_) You see, my making this trip is only keeping that promise of long ago.