kmesser became so furious he could hardly speak.
Sachs pretended to see nothing, and "marked" away valiantly. Then the
Night Watch could be heard coming. Hans banged louder. Beckmesser put
his fingers in his ears, that he might drown the sound of Hans and the
Warder, and keep on the key. Hans too began to sing as he waxed his
threads and banged upon his shoes. Meantime windows were going up,
the people who had gone to bed having wakened.

"Stop your bawling there," one shouted.

"Leave off howling," another screamed.

"What's the matter? Have you gone crazy down there," others yelled,
but Beckmesser still shrieked, unable to hear anybody but himself and
Hans.

"Listen to that donkey bray," a neighbour called.

"Hear the wild-cat," another bawled; and in the midst of the singing
Magdalene stuck her head out of the window. Beckmesser, thinking it
was Eva, was encouraged to keep on, but David, who had come out at the
rumpus, believed that Beckmesser was serenading Magdalene, and
instantly became jealous. So out he rushed with a cudgel. The
neighbours then began to come from their houses in their night-gowns
and caps; some wearing red flannel about their heads and some in very
short gowns, and all looking very funny. Meanwhile, Hans, who had got
the row started, withdrew into his house and shut the door. Walther
and Eva were still trembling under the lime tree, sure of being
discovered, now that all Nuremberg was aroused and on the spot.

Beckmesser was surrounded by the neighbours, the apprentices came from
every shop to swell the crowd, also the journeymen, while all the
women bawled from the house windows where they were hanging out half
way. David and Beckmesser were wrestling all over the place,
Beckmesser's lute being smashed and his clothes torn off him. At last
the Mastersingers themselves arrived.

Walther, at last deciding that the time had come when he must rescue
Eva, drew his sword and rushed forth. Hans, who had been watching
behind his door, then ran out, pushed his way through the mob and
caught Walther by the arm. At that moment--Poof! Bist! the women in
the windows threw down buckets of water over all the people, and
Beckmesser was half drowned in the streams. This added to the
confusion, so that Hans grasped Walther, and Pogner his daughter;
Sachs and Walther retired into Sachs's house and Eva was dragged
within her own. As Sachs disappeared, he gave David a kick which sent
him flying, to pay him