Peter the Cobbler
Give him an hundred.

Hans the Butcher
  Double!

Hans’ wife
  You were fools
To make agreement with him.—­Ask old Claus. 
He has the guilders; and his house was full
0’ rats!

Old Claus
[shaking his stick from the window]
  You Jade!  And I that hoard, and save,
And lay by all I have from year to year,
To build my monument when I am gone,
A fine new tomb there, in Saint Boniface! 
And I to pay for all your city rats!

Old Ursula
[leaning out, opposite]
Right, neighbor, right well said!—­Piper, hark here. 
Piper, how did ye charm the rats away?

Piper
[coming down]
The rats were led—­by Cu-ri-os-ity. 
’Tis so with many rats; and all old women;—­
Saving your health!

Jacobus
  No thought for public weal,
In this base grasping on—­

Piper
  One thousand guilders.

Kurt
[contemptuously]
For piping!

Piper
  Shall I pipe them back again?

Women
                 ( Good Saint Boniface! 
Merciful heaven! ( Good Saint Willibald!
                 ( Peter and Paul defend us!

Hans the Butcher
No, no; no fear o’ that.  The rats be drowned. 
We saw them with our eyes.

Piper
  Now who shall say
There is no resurrection for a mouse?

Kurt
—­Do you but crop this fellow’s ears!—­

Veronika
[from the steps]
  Ah, Kurt!

Jacobus
[to him, blandly]
Deal patiently, good neighbor.  All is well.
[To the piper]
Why do you name a price so laughable,
My man?  Call you to mind; you have no claim,—­
No scrip to show.  You cling upon—­

Piper
[sternly]
  Your word.

Jacobus
I, would say—­just—­

Piper
  Your word.

Jacobus
  Upon—­

Piper
  Your word. 
Sure, ’t was a rotten parchment!

Jacobus
  This is a base,
Conniving miser!

Piper
[turning proudly]
Stand forth, Cheat-the-Devil!
[Up steps the devil in red.  People shrink, and then come closer. 
Be not afeard.  He pleased you all, of late. 
He hath no sting.—­So, boy!  Do off thy head.—­

[Cheat-the-devil doffs his red head-dress and stands forth, a pale and timorous youth, gentle and half-witted.

Michael, stand forth!
[Michael comes down, bear-head in hand.

Barbara
[regarding him sadly]
  That goodly sword-eater!

Piper
[defiantly]
So, Michael, so.—­These be two friends of mine. 
Pay now an even third to each of us. 
Or, to content your doubts, to each of these
Do you pay here and now, five hundred guilders. 
Who gets it matters little, for us friends. 
But you will pay the sum, friend.  You will pay!—­