The Dramatic Works of Gerhart Hauptmann Volume I Part 142

[_Putting his arms around MRS. FIELITZ._] Come now, young woman, don't be so cross! Young people wants to have their fling--that's all. An' they'll have it, if it's only with Constable Schulze.

[_Exit._

MRS. FIELITZ

Now what's the meanin' o' that?

RAUCHHAUPT

Wait there a minute an' I'll join you.

[_He gets up and motions to GUSTAV, who lifts the iron cross again._

MRS. FIELITZ

Why d'you go an' run off all of a sudden?

RAUCHHAUPT

I gotta go an' get rid o' some work.

[_Exit with GUSTAV.

MRS. FIELITZ

What's the trouble with you an' Langheinrich again? You act like a fool--that's what you do!

LEONTINE

There ain't no trouble. I want him to leave me alone.

MRS. FIELITZ

He'll be willin' to do that all right! If you're goin' to turn up your nose an' wriggle around that way, you won't have to take much trouble to get rid o' him. He don't need nothin' like that!

LEONTINE

But he's a married man.

MRS. FIELITZ

So he is. Let him be. You got no sense 'cause you was born a fool. You got a baby and no husband; Adelaide's got a husband an' no baby.

[_LEONTINE goes slowly out._

MRS. FIELITZ

If she'd only go an' take advantage o' her chances. There ain't no tellin' how soon Langheinrich'll be a widower.

FIELITZ

I don't know's I like to see the way Constable Schulze runs after that girl.

MRS. FIELITZ

[_Sententiously._] You can't run your head through no stone walls. [_She sits down, takes out a little notebook and turns its leaves._] You got a office. All right. Why shouldn't you have? Things is _as_ they is. But havin' a office you got to look out all around. You just let Constable Schulze alone! Did you read the letter from Schmarowski?

FIELITZ

Aw, yes, sure. I got enough o' him all right. I wish somebody'd given me the money--half the money--that feller's had the use of. But no: n.o.body never paid no attention to me. n.o.body sent me to no school o'

architecture.

MRS. FIELITZ

I'd like to know what you got against Schmarowski! You're pickin' at him all the time.

FIELITZ

Hold on! Not me! He ain't no concern o' mine. But every time you open your mouth I gets ready to bet ten pairs o' boots that you're goin' to talk about Schmarowski.

MRS. FIELITZ

Did he do you any harm, eh? Well?

FIELITZ

No, I can't say as he has. Not that I know. An' I wouldn't advise him to try neither. Only when I sees him I gets kind o' sick at my stomick. You oughta have married him yourself.

MRS. FIELITZ

If I had been thirty years younger--sure enough.

FIELITZ

Well, why don't you go an' move over to your daughter then! Go right on!

Hurry all you can an' go to Adelaide's. Then they got hold of you good and tight an' you c'n get rid o' your savin's.

MRS. FIELITZ

That's an ambitious man. He don't have to wait, for me; that's sure!--there ain't no gettin' ahead with your kind. Instead o' you fellows helpin' each other, you're always. .h.i.ttin' out at each other. Now Schmarowski--he's a wide-awake kind o' man. No money ain't been wasted on him. You needn't be scared: he'll make his way all right.--But if you knew just a speck o' somethin' about life, you'd know what you'd be doin'

too.

FIELITZ

Me? How's that? Why me exactly?

MRS. FIELITZ

What was it that there bricklayer boss told me? I saw him one day when he was full; they was just raisin' that church. He says: Schmarowski, says he, that's a sly dog. An' he knew why he was sayin' that. Them plans o'