Thomas. Not pack, sir?—Very good,
sir. (Gives the doctor his stick and goes to open
the house door for them.)
Nordan. Allow me, Mrs. Riis. (Offers her his
arm.)
Alfred (coming forward). Mrs. Riis! May
I speak to her?
Mrs. Riis. Speak to her? No, that is impossible.
Nordan. You heard, my boy, what she has to think
about to-day.
Mrs. Riis. And if she would not speak to you
before, it is not likely she will now.
Alfred. If she should ask to speak to me, will
you tell her I am here? I shall stay here till
she does.
Mrs. Riis. But what is the use of that?
Alfred. Well, that will be our affair. I
know she wants to speak to me, just as much as I do
to her. Only tell her I am here! That is
all I ask. (Goes away into the farther part of the
garden.)
Nordan. He does not know what he is talking about.
Mrs. Riis. Dear Dr. Nordan, let us go! I
am so frightened.
Nordan. Not more than I am, I think.—So
she knows it now, does she! (They go out.)
(SCENE.—The same as in Acts I. and II.
SVAVA comes into the room slowly and looks round;
then goes to the door and looks round outside the
house, then comes in again. As she turns back,
she sees NORDAN standing in the doorway.)
Svava. You!—Oh, Uncle Nordan! (Sobs.)
Nordan. My child! My dear child! Calm
yourself!
Svava. But haven’t you seen mother?
She said she had gone across to see you.
Nordan. Yes, she is coming directly. But
look here—suppose you and I go for a good
long walk together, instead of talking to your mother
or anyone? Along quiet walk? Eh?
Svava. I can’t.
Nordan. Why?
Svava. Because I must make an end of all this.
Nordan. What do you mean?
Svava (without answering his question). Uncle—?
Nordan. Yes?
Svava. Does Alfred know this?—Did
he know it before?
Nordan. Yes.
Svava. Of course every one knew it except me.
Oh, how I wish I could hide myself away from every
one! I will, too. I see the real state of
things now for the first time. I have been like
a child trying to push a mountain away with its two
hands—and they have all been standing round,
laughing at me, of course. But let me speak to
Alfred!
Nordan. To Alfred?
Svava. I behaved so wrongly yesterday. I
ought never to have gone into the room—but
you gave me no choice when you came to me. I
went with you almost unconsciously.
Nordan. I suppose it was thinking of your father—of
what I told you about him—that made you—
Svava. I did not understand all at once.
But, when I was by myself, it all flashed across me—mother’s
strange uneasiness— father’s threats
about leaving the country—all sorts of
expressions, and signs—lots and lots of
things I had never understood and never even thought
twice about! I chased them out of my mind, but
back they came!—back and back again!
It seemed to paralyse me. And when you took me
by the arm and said: “Now you must go in!”—I
hardly had strength to think. Everything seemed
to be going round and round.
