—They're empty. Only rats run around and fight in them.
—And his wife.
—He hasn't any. Seems she died.
[During this conversation and the following, Old Women in strange headgear enter quietly and replace unnoticeably the Drunkards, who quietly depart. The women mingle in the conversation, but in such a way that no one notices it.
CONVERSATION OF DRUNKARDS AND OLD WOMEN
—He'll soon die, too. He can scarcely drag himself along, he's so weak.
—He has fifteen rooms.
—Listen to the beating of his heart. It's uneven and faint. It'll soon stop beating altogether.
—Hey, Man, give us an invitation to your house. You have fifteen rooms.
—It'll soon stop beating altogether, that old, sick, feeble heart of
Man!