Stretched on the rack, day after day, Hearts sick and bodies aching, Our heavy sighs their witness bear To spirit slowly breaking. [_Most of the weavers sing the following stanza, out on the street, only a few young fellows, who are paying, being still in the bar. At the conclusion of the stanza no one is left in the room except WELZEL and his wife and daughter, HORNIG, and OLD BAUMERT._ You villains all, you brood of hell, You fiends in fashion human, A curse will fall on all like you Who prey on man and woman. WELZEL [_Phlegmatically collecting the glasses._] Their backs are up to-day, an' no mistake. HORNIG [_To OLD BAUMERT, who is preparing to go._] What in the name of Heaven are they up to, Baumert? BAUMERT They're goin' to Dreissiger's to make him add something on to the pay. WELZEL And are you joining in these foolish goings on? OLD BAUMERT I've no choice, Welzel. The young men may an' the old men must. [_Goes out rather shamefacedly._ HORNIG It'll not surprise me if this ends badly. WELZEL To think that even old fellows like him are goin' right off their heads! HORNIG We all set our hearts on something! END OF THE THIRD ACT THE FOURTH ACT _Peterswaldau.--Private room of DREISSIGER, _the fustian manufacturer--luxuriously furnished in the chilly taste of the first half of this century. Ceiling, doors, and stove are white, and the wall paper, with its small, straight-lined floral pattern, is dull and cold in tone. The furniture is mahogany, richly-carved, and upholstered in red. On the right, between two windows with crimson damask curtains, stands the writing-table, a high bureau with falling flap. Directly opposite to this is the sofa, with the strong-box; beside it; in front of the sofa a table, with chairs and easy-chairs arranged about it. Against the back wall is a gun-rack. All three walls are decorated with bad pictures in gilt frames. Above the sofa is a mirror with a heavily gilt rococo frame. On the left an ordinary door leads into the hall. An open folding door at the back shows the drawing-room, over-furnished in the same style of comfortless ostentation. Two ladies, MRS. DREISSIGER and MRS. KITTELHAUS, the Pastor's wife, are seen in the drawing-room, looking at pictures. PASTOR KITTELHAUS is there too, engaged in conversation with WEINHOLD, the tutor, a theological graduate._ KITTELHAUS