PEHR. [Looks at his hand.] Ah! See, there it is! Well, then, I want
to be a great man--a reformer; but you, Lisa, must follow me.
LISA. Not yet. But I will follow thee at a distance, and when thou
dost meet with sorrow and need and the sun of happiness is for thee
o'erclouded, then I will be near thee with my weak support. Go thou
out into life, see what wrongs are done there; but when 'midst
filth and mire thou hast seen how even the flower of beauty
thrives, then think on this: Life is made up of both good and bad.
CURTAIN
ACT THREE
SCENE: A public square. To right, Courthouse arcade, above which
there is a speakers' cage with places for Burgomaster and
Councilmen; to left shoemaker's house, with shop window and sign;
outside a bench and table, close to them a hen-coop and water-tub.
In the centre of the square stands a pillory, with two neck-irons
on chains, above it a bronze figure with a switch in its hand; to
right centre, statue o f Burgomaster Hans Schulze, which leans
toward a marble female statue crowned with a laurel wreath.
Background: view of city.
[Pillory and Statue.]
PILLORY. [Bows low to statue.] Good morning, Statue. Did you sleep
well last night?
STATUE. [Nods.] Good morning, Pillory. Did you sleep well yourself?
PILLORY. To be sure I did--and dreamed also! Can you guess what I
dreamed?
STATUE. [Crustily.] How should that be possible?
PILLORY. Well, I dreamt--can you imagine it?--that a reformer came
to the city.
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