BOLLAND [angrily breaking in]. Man alive, why didn't you play your Ace of Spades? If you had brought out that Ace you'd have a trump--then you'd beat this with a trump ... and then another trum.... BEERMANN. Now, beloved friends and countrymen, no post-mortem speeches. [While dealing cards.] You cut, Bolland. BOLLAND [cutting cards]. Make use of your trumps, Herr Professor. I am trying to play into your hands. DR. WASNER. I thought ... BOLLAND. You didn't. If you had you'd play differently. BEERMANN [speaking to Frau Lund, while dealing]. How far have you gotten with your moralizing? Have we agreed yet--[Laughing.] Yes; yes; these women folks! WASNER [arranging cards in his hand]. They were citing Schiller a moment ago. We must not forget, ladies, that it was Schiller himself who awakened the national spirit of our race. HAUSER. Your national spirit unfortunately found its way into the strangest kinds of containers. DR. WASNER. I decidedly protest against such a poor opinion. If the sincere religious sentiment of the German element ... BOLLAND [interrupting him]. We are waiting for you, Herr Professor. Are you finally going to announce your cards? DR. WASNER [continuing his pathetic tone]. I pass. HAUSER. The steady contact with school children keeps our educators refreshingly naive. That man still believes in the superiority of the Teutonic element. FRAU LUND. And in the stability of our special German moral standard. HAUSER. Until some little scandal crops up again. By the way, we shall soon have one right in our city. FRAU BEERMANN [with interest]. Here? HAUSER. To-morrow you'll read all about it in the newspapers. The police have made a discovery which may prove more than they bargained for. FRAU BEERMANN. Here? [Beerman, head sideways, listens over his cards.] HAUSER. Last night the police arrested a woman who kept a very open house. She colored it by going under a fancy French name, and they say only entertained the best of society. She kept a diary which fell into the hands of the police. BEERMANN [he leaves his seat, comes forward, right]. A diary? BOLLAND [drops his cards and rises]. What sort of a diary? HAUSER. Oh! Just a naughty little inventory of all of her visitors. BEERMANN. What is the name of the lady? HAUSER. Some French name which sounds to me like rouge. BEERMANN. I can't understand how you could forget her name. BOLLAND. I can't either as long as you seem to know all about it. FRAU BEERMANN [to Beermann]. But, Fritz, why should you worry about it? BEERMANN. Well ... am I the President of the Vice Suppression Society or, am I not ...? CURTAIN ACT II