diff --git a/build_tests/subsidiary/Rsconscript b/build_tests/subsidiary/Rsconscript
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2d402d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build_tests/subsidiary/Rsconscript
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+configure do
+  rscons "sub/Rsconscript"
+  rscons "sub/Rsconscript2", "configure"
+  puts "top configure"
+end
+
+build do
+  rscons "sub/Rsconscript2", "build"
+  puts "top build"
+end
diff --git a/build_tests/subsidiary/Rsconscript_fail b/build_tests/subsidiary/Rsconscript_fail
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..26a7dc2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build_tests/subsidiary/Rsconscript_fail
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+configure do
+  rscons "sub/Rsconscript_fail"
+  puts "top configure"
+end
+
+build do
+  rscons "sub/Rsconscript2", "build"
+  puts "top build"
+end
diff --git a/build_tests/subsidiary/sub/Rsconscript b/build_tests/subsidiary/sub/Rsconscript
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..93ee01b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build_tests/subsidiary/sub/Rsconscript
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+configure do
+  puts "sub Rsconscript configure"
+end
+
+build do
+  puts "sub Rsconscript build"
+end
diff --git a/build_tests/subsidiary/sub/Rsconscript2 b/build_tests/subsidiary/sub/Rsconscript2
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d201857
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build_tests/subsidiary/sub/Rsconscript2
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+configure do
+  puts "sub Rsconscript2 configure"
+end
+
+build do
+  puts "sub Rsconscript2 build"
+end
diff --git a/build_tests/subsidiary/sub/Rsconscript_fail b/build_tests/subsidiary/sub/Rsconscript_fail
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..baae3c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build_tests/subsidiary/sub/Rsconscript_fail
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+configure do
+  puts "sub Rsconscript configure"
+  check_program "foobarfailure"
+end
+
+build do
+  puts "sub Rsconscript build"
+end
diff --git a/lib/rscons/application.rb b/lib/rscons/application.rb
index 08973c3..1d18c98 100644
--- a/lib/rscons/application.rb
+++ b/lib/rscons/application.rb
@@ -193,7 +193,10 @@ module Rscons
       co = ConfigureOp.new(options)
       begin
         @script.configure(co)
-      rescue RsconsError
+      rescue RsconsError => e
+        if e.message and e.message != ""
+          $stderr.puts e.message
+        end
         Ansi.write($stderr, :red, "Configuration failed", :reset, "\n")
         rv = 1
       end
diff --git a/lib/rscons/script.rb b/lib/rscons/script.rb
index 1df95bf..7a7448a 100644
--- a/lib/rscons/script.rb
+++ b/lib/rscons/script.rb
@@ -3,8 +3,33 @@ module Rscons
   # The Script class encapsulates the state of a build script.
   class Script
 
-    # DSL available to the Rsconscript.
-    class Dsl
+    # Global DSL methods.
+    class GlobalDsl
+
+      # Invoke rscons in a subprocess for a subsidiary Rsconscript file.
+      #
+      # @param script_path [String]
+      #   Path to subsidiary Rsconscript to execute.
+      # @param args[Array<String>]
+      #   Arguments to pass to rscons subprocess.
+      def rscons(script_path, *args)
+        script_path = File.expand_path(script_path)
+        me = File.expand_path($0)
+        command = [me, "-f", script_path, *args]
+        if ENV["specs"] and not ENV["dist_specs"] # specs
+          command = ["ruby", $LOAD_PATH.map {|p| ["-I", p]}, command].flatten # specs
+        end # specs
+        dir = File.dirname(script_path)
+        result = system(*command, chdir: dir)
+        unless result
+          raise RsconsError.new("Failed command: " + command.join(" "))
+        end
+      end
+
+    end
+
+    # Top-level DSL available to the Rsconscript.
+    class Dsl < GlobalDsl
       # Create a Dsl.
       def initialize(script)
         @script = script
@@ -59,7 +84,7 @@ module Rscons
     end
 
     # DSL available to the 'configure' block.
-    class ConfigureDsl
+    class ConfigureDsl < GlobalDsl
       # Create a ConfigureDsl.
       #
       # @param configure_op [ConfigureOp]
diff --git a/spec/build_tests_spec.rb b/spec/build_tests_spec.rb
index 28a38af..7877575 100644
--- a/spec/build_tests_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/build_tests_spec.rb
@@ -2582,4 +2582,41 @@ EOF
     end
   end
 
+  context "with subsidiary scripts" do
+    it "executes the subsidiary script from configure block" do
+      test_dir "subsidiary"
+
+      result = run_rscons(op: %W[configure])
+      expect(result.stderr).to eq ""
+      verify_lines(lines(result.stdout), [
+        %r{sub Rsconscript configure},
+        %r{sub Rsconscript build},
+        %r{sub Rsconscript2 configure},
+        %r{top configure},
+      ])
+    end
+
+    it "executes the subsidiary script from build block" do
+      test_dir "subsidiary"
+
+      result = run_rscons(op: %W[configure])
+      expect(result.stderr).to eq ""
+      result = run_rscons(op: %W[build])
+      expect(result.stderr).to eq ""
+      verify_lines(lines(result.stdout), [
+        %r{sub Rsconscript2 build},
+        %r{top build},
+      ])
+    end
+
+    it "terminates execution when a subsidiary script fails" do
+      test_dir "subsidiary"
+
+      result = run_rscons(rsconscript: "Rsconscript_fail", op: %W[configure])
+      expect(result.stderr).to_not eq ""
+      expect(result.status).to_not eq 0
+      expect(result.stdout).to_not match /top configure/
+    end
+  end
+
 end