rushes out of the hall in despair, for he has lost his best
chance to win the hand of his lady love by competing for the
prize on the morrow. His departure is a signal for a tumultuous
breaking up of the meeting, the apprentices dancing as before,
as soon as their masters have departed.

The second act represents one of the tortuous alleys and a
long straight street of the quaint old city of Nuremberg. On
one side is Hans Sachs's modest shoemaker's shop, on the other
the entrance to Pogner's stately dwelling. It is evening, and
David, the shoemaker's apprentice, is leisurely putting up the
shutters, when his attention is suddenly attracted by Magdalena,
who appears with a basket of dainties. She however refuses to
give them to him until he tells her the result of the musical
examination. When she hears that Walther has failed and has
been refused admittance to the guild, she pettishly snatches the
basket from his grasp and flounces off in great displeasure. The
other apprentices, who in the mean while have slyly drawn near,
now make unmerciful fun of David, who stands stupidly in the
middle of the street gazing regretfully after her.

This rough play is soon ended by the appearance of Hans
Sachs. He orders all the apprentices to bed, and, by a judicious
application of his strap, drives David into the house. Quiet has
just been restored once more, when Pogner and Eva come sauntering
down the street, returning from their customary evening walk,
and sit down side by side on the bench in front of their door.

Here Pogner tries to sound his daughter's feelings, and to
discover whether she has any preference among the morrow's