Page:Poet Lore, volume 31, 1920.djvu/506

486 Gülich (Mockingly).—He is young, too young.

Ančka.—O, much younger than you—in the flower of his youth.

Gülich.—You surely must have trembled.

Ančka.—Yes, with anger.

Ančka.—Now they would pay court to an old woman, because she has a few hundreds saved up. But when I was young and not ugly, not ugly at all, then the young fellows did not want a poor girl and I turned away an old widower. And now I have a young fellow, though he melted away with love and kept saying that he liked me so much that he would breathe his last for me. "Not much," I told him; "What's the use? I can do my own breathing."

Gülich.—That's sensible, but yet you have been mixing medicines for the doctor.

Ančka.—I? But for heaven's sake, here I am talking—

Roubal.—He is in the chapel. (The sound of bells is heard from the chapel.)

Gülich.—Ah, he will be coming now, and not alone; we saw him down there. With his sweetheart.—

Ančka (Shivers with horror, then suddenly).— O, sir, don't make fun of me and of my master the doctor.

Gülich.—Are you afraid of losing your place?

Ančka (Hurriedly).—No indeed, how could I? Who else would look after his drugs and make his pills? And no one else makes dumplings so to his taste. (Suddenly.) Well, who was it. I beg you?

Gülich.—Go to the chapel; you will see.

Ančka.—Can he be there already with her? (Recollects.) Ah, that is why he hurried so today and was out of sorts when I announced the patients.

comes in from the right, greets the company, and withdraws to the rear of the stage. and  also approach from the right.

Ančka (In a stifled voice).—For heaevn'sheaven's [sic] sake! (Turning