Act 1, Scenes 4, 5, and 6 Summary

Scene 4 - The Assistant returns, and the Mayor asks where the police lieutenant is. The Assistant tells him the lieutenant is drunk. The Mayor panics and gets ready to leave for the inn to greet the Inspector. Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky argue over which of them gets to ride with the Mayor in his carriage and which has to run behind. As they argue, the Mayor comments that his sword-of- state has not been properly cleaned and repaired. He also complains about the shopkeepers, and tells the Assistant he had better behave himself since he knows how frequently the Assistant steals things.

Scene 5 - The Chief of Police appears, reporting that he's done as ordered and started his men cleaning the streets. He and the Mayor argue about how the Lieutenant could have been allowed to get drunk, and then...