Mitteldorf monologue (Act 1) — The Dramatic Works of Gerhart Hauptmann, Volume I

He's writin' pages an' pages! An' them must be important things, I c'n tell you that. [_Confidentially._] An' lemme tell you: there's somethin' in the air.--I ain't sayin' I know exactly what. But there's somethin'--I know that as sure 's ... You just look out, that's all, and you'll live to see it. It's goin' to come down--somethin'--and when it do--look out. That's all I say. No, I don't pretend to understand them things. It's all new doin's to me. That's what they calls modern. An' I don't know nothin' about that. But somethin's got to happen. Things can't go on this way. The whole place is got to be cleaned out. I can't say 's I gets the hang of it. I'm too old. But talk about the justice what died. Why, he wan't nothin' but a dam' fool to this one. I could go an' tell you all kinds o' things, but I ain't got no time. The baron'll be missin' me. [_He goes but, having arrived at the door, he turns back._] The lightenin' is goin' to strike, Mrs. Wolff. Take my word for that!