Taratahi taho! Tschin! tschin!

Folksingers, crowds of people.

It is the end of the working day. She goes with Father and Mother to the folksingers. She is a very well-behaved girl, raised in a quite old-fashioned way, actually.

The air is filled with beer, sweat, and cigar smoke. They sit down at a table. Waiters yell, women make dumb, cute monkey faces at men, who look back like fauns.

A man is standing at the front of the stage with fake arms and legs that are too long for him. People laugh at that. He sings like no one sings; jumps like no one jumps—people laugh at it.

She looks at all of these faces. Horrible! There is something mean and crude in this joy. They all become ugly. Suddenly it occurs to her how sweet it would be if all human beings were beautiful. And how funny it is that people make every effort to become ugly and mean.

If only they were all beautiful! she thinks. She then remembers little, pale Martha, who always walks blind Peter to church, while the street boys make fun of her. She is so beautiful! No! She has a stubby little nose and small, green eyes. She is ugly, and yet, beautiful. Her soul shines through.

Little Martha, beautiful Martha—taratahi, taho! Tschin-tschin.

Everyone applauds!

Finally, a new performance!

How vulgar these women are! How they offer themselves with their glances. Tears fill her eyes: If only they were all beautiful! At least the women—as beautiful as little Martha.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

A woman steps out onto the stage. She wears a low-cut dress with a short skirt. How beautiful she is! The dress is made of shiny silk and sparkles with diamonds. She is as beautiful as a fairytale princess. She dances and lifts her dress like wings, so that she resembles a wonderfully beautiful, flying butterfly.

She sings something as well, which Jenny cannot completely understand, and at the end of each stanza she suddenly makes an ugly, mean face. She bats her eyes. The men, however, clap their hands, applauding loudly. Jenny does not know why, but she has a vague idea.