_] If there's grease on her hands, it's not from what she's
eaten.
OLD HILSE
If we've no butter, we can eat dry bread--when we've no bread, we can eat
potatoes--when there's no potatoes left, we can eat bran.
LUISE
[_Saucily._] An' when that's all eaten, we'll do as the Wenglers
did--we'll find out where the skinner's buried some stinking old horse,
an' we'll dig it up an' live for a week or two on rotten carrion--how
nice that'll be!
GOTTLIEB
[_From the other room._] There you are, lettin' that tongue of yours run
away with you again.
OLD HILSE
You should think twice, lass, before you talk that godless way. [_He goes
to his loom, calls._] Can you give me a hand, Gottlieb?--there's a few
threads to pull through.
LUISE
[_From her tub._] Gottlieb, you're wanted to help father.
[_GOTTLIEB comes in, and he and his father set themselves to the
troublesome task of "drawing and slaying," that is, pulling the
strands of the warp through the "heddles" and "reed" of the loom.
They have hardly begun to do this when HORNIG appears in the outer
room._
HORNIG
[_At the door._] Good luck to your work!
HILSE AND HIS SON
Thank you, Hornig.
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