Complete Works of Henrik Ibsen (127 page)

SELMA.
Nonsense; let me feel your pulse! You are burning. My dear Doctor, don’t you think the fever will pass over?

FIELDBO.
Everything has its time.

THORA.
Would you rather have me freezing — ?

SELMA.
No, a medium temperature is the best — ask my husband.

THE CHAMBERLAIN
[enters from the garden.]
The whole family gathered in secret conclave? That’s not very polite to the guests.

THORA.
I am just going, father dear —

THE CHAMBERLAIN.
Aha, it is you the ladies are paying court to, Mr. Stensgard! I must look to this.

THORA
[softly to FIELDBO.]
Remain here!
[She goes into the garden.]

ERIK
[offers SELMA his arm.]
Has Madame any objection — ?

SELMA.
Come!
[They go out to the right.]

THE CHAMBERLAIN
[looking after them.]
It’s impossible to get these two separated.

FIELDBO.
It would be sinful to try.

THE CHAMBERLAIN.
Fools that we are! How Providence blesses us in spite of ourselves.
[Calls out.]
Thora, Thora, do look after Selma! Get a shawl for her, and don’t let her run about so: she’ll catch cold! How short-sighted we mortals are, Doctor! Do you know any cure for that disease?

FIELDBO.
The spectacles of experience; through them you will see more clearly a second time.

THE CHAMBERLAIN.
You don’t say so! Thanks for the advice. But since you feel yourself at home here, you must really pay a little attention to your guests.

FIELDBO.
Certainly; come, Stensgard, shall we — ?

THE CHAMBERLAIN.
Oh, no, no — there’s my old friend Heire out there —

FIELDBO.
He thinks himself at home here, too.

THE CHAMBERLAIN.
Ha, ha, ha! So he does.

FIELDBO.
Well, we two will join forces, and do our best.
[Goes into the garden.]

STENSGARD.
You were speaking of Daniel Heire, Chamberlain. I must say I was rather surprised to see him here.

THE CHAMBERLAIN.
Were you? Mr. Heire and I are old school and college friends. Besides, we have had a good deal to do with each other in many ways since —

STENSGARD.
Yes, Mr. Heire was good enough to give his own account of some of these transactions, yesterday evening.

THE CHAMBERLAIN.
H’m!

STENSGARD.
Had it not been for him, I certainly should not have let myself boil over as I did. But he has a way of speaking of people and things, that — in short, he has a vile tongue in his head.

THE CHAMBERLAIN.
My dear young friend — Mr. Heire is my guest; you must not forget that. My house is liberty hall, with only one reservation: my guests must not be discussed to their disadvantage.

STENSGARD.
I beg your pardon, I’m sure — !

THE CHAMBERLAIN.
Oh, never mind; you belong to the younger generation, that’s not so punctilious. As for Mr. Heire, I don’t think you really know him. I, at any rate, owe Mr. Heire a great deal.

STENSGARD.
Yes, he gave one to understand; but I didn’t think —

THE CHAMBERLAIN.
I owe him the best part of our domestic happiness, Mr. Stensgard! I owe him my daughter-in- law. Yes, that is really so. Daniel Heire was kind to her in her childhood. She was a youthful prodigy; she gave concerts when she was only ten years old. I daresay you have heard her spoken of — Selma Sjoblom.

STENSGARD.
Sjoblom? Yes, of course; her father was Swedish?

THE CHAMBERLAIN.
Yes, a music-teacher. He came here many years ago. Musicians, you know, are seldom millionaires; and their habits are not always calculated to — ; in short, Mr. Heire has always had an eye for talent; he was struck with the child, and had her sent to Berlin; and then, when her father was dead and Heire’s fortunes were on the wane, she returned to Christiania, where she was, of course, taken up by the best people. That was how my son happened to fall in with her.

STENSGARD.
Then in that way old Daniel Heire has indeed been an instrument for good —

THE CHAMBERLAIN.
That is how one thing leads to another in this life, you see. We are all instruments, Mr. Stensgard; you, like the rest of us; an instrument of wrath, I suppose —

STENSGARD.
Oh, don’t speak of it, Chamberlain. I am utterly ashamed —

THE CHAMBERLAIN.
Ashamed?

STENSGARD.
It was most unbecoming —

THE CHAMBERLAIN.
The form was perhaps open to criticism, but the intention was excellent. And now I want to ask you, in future, when you are contemplating any move of the sort, just to come to me and tell me of it openly, and without reserve. You know we all want to act for the best; and it is my duty —

STENSGARD.
You will permit me to speak frankly to you?

THE CHAMBERLAIN.
Of course I will. Do you think I haven’t long realised that matters here have in some ways taken a most undesirable turn? But what was I to do? In the late King’s time I lived for the most part in Stockholm. I am old now; and besides, it is not in my nature to take the lead in reforms, or to throw myself personally into the turmoil of public affairs. You, on the other hand, Mr. Stensgard, have every qualification for them; so let us hold together.

STENSGARD.
Thanks, Chamberlain; many, many thanks! RINGDAL and DANIEL HEIRE enter from the garden.

RINGDAL
And I tell you it must be a misunderstanding.

HEIRE.
Indeed? I like that! How should I misunderstand my own ears?

THE CHAMBERLAIN.
Anything new, Heire?

HEIRE.
Only that Anders Lundestad is going over to the Stonelee party.

THE CHAMBERLAIN.
Oh, you’re joking!

HEIRE.
I beg your pardon, my dear sir; I have it from his own lips. Mr. Lundestad intends, on account of failing health, to retire from political life; you can draw your own conclusions from that.

STENSGARD.
He told you so himself?

HEIRE.
Of course he did. He made the momentous announcement to an awe-struck circle down in the garden; hee-hee!

THE CHAMBERLAIN.
Why, my dear Ringdal, what can be the meaning of this?

HEIRE.
Oh, it’s not difficult to guess.

THE CHAMBERLAIN.
Indeed it is, though. This is a most important affair for the district. Come along, Ringdal; we must find the man himself.
[He and RINGDAL go down the garden.]

FIELDBO
[entering by the furthest back garden-door.]
Has the Chamberlain gone out?

HEIRE.
Sh! The sages are deliberating! Great news Doctor! Lundestad is going to resign.

FIELDBO.
Oh, impossible!

STENSGARD.
Can you understand it?

HEIRE.
Ah, now we may look out for real sport. It’s the League of Youth that’s beginning to work, Mr. Stensgard. Do you know what you should call your League? I’ll tell you some other time.

STENSGARD.
Do you think it’s really our League — ?

HEIRE.
Not the least doubt about it. So we’re to have the pleasure of sending our respected friend Mr. Mons Monsen to Parliament! I wish he were off already; — I’d give him a lift with pleasure — I say no more; hee-hee!
[Goes into the garden.]

STENSGARD.
Tell me, Fieldbo — how do you explain all this?

FIELDBO.
There are other things still more difficult to explain. How come you to be here?

STENSGARD.
I? Like the rest, of course — by invitation.

FIELDBO.
I hear you were invited yesterday evening — after your speech —

STENSGARD.
What then?

FIELDBO.
How could you accept the invitation?

STENSGARD.
What the deuce was I to do? I couldn’t insult these good people.

FIELDBO.
Indeed! You couldn’t? What about your speech then?

STENSGARD.
Nonsense! It was principles I attacked in my speech, not persons.

FIELDBO.
And how do you account for the Chamberlain’s invitation?

STENSGARD.
Why, my dear friend, there can only be one way of accounting for it.

FIELDBO.
Namely, that the Chamberlain is afraid of you?

STENSGARD.
By heaven, he shall have no reason to be! He is a gentleman.

FIELDBO.
That he is.

STENSGARD.
Isn’t it touching the way the old man has taken this affair? And how lovely Miss Bratsberg looked when she brought me the letter!

FIELDBO.
But look here — they haven’t mentioned the scene of yesterday, have they?

STENSGARD.
Not a word; they have far too much tact for that. But I am filled with remorse; I must find an opportunity of apologising —

FIELDBO.
I strongly advise you not to! You don’t know the Chamberlain —

STENSGARD.
Very well; then my acts shall speak for me.

FIELDBO.
You won’t break with the Stonelee party?

STENSGARD.
I shall bring about a reconciliation. I have my League; it’s a power already, you see.

FIELDBO.
By-the-bye, while I remember — we were speaking of Miss Monsen — I advised you to go in and win —

STENSGARD.
Oh, there’s no hurry —

FIELDBO.
But listen; I have been thinking it over: you had better put all that out of your head.

STENSGARD.
I believe you are right. If you marry into an underbred family, you marry the whole tribe of them.

FIELDBO.
Yes, and there are other reasons —

STENSGARD.
Monsen is an underbred fellow; I see that now.

FIELDBO.
Well, polish is not his strong point.

STENSGARD.
No, indeed it’s not! He goes and speaks ill of his guests; that’s ungentlemanly. His rooms all reek of stale tobacco —

FIELDBO.
My dear fellow, how is it you haven’t noticed the stale tobacco before?

STENSGARD.
It’s the contrast that does it. I made a false start when I settled here. I fell into the clutches of a clique, and they bewildered me with their clamour. But there shall be an end to that! I won’t go and wear my life out as a tool in the hands of self-interest or coarse stupidity.

FIELDBO.
But what will you do with your League?

STENSGARD.
The League shall remain as it is; it’s founded on a pretty broad basis. Its purpose is to counteract noxious influences; and I am just beginning to realise what side the noxious influences come from.

FIELDBO.
But do you think the “Youth” will see it in the same light?

STENSGARD.
They shall! I have surely a right to expect fellows like that to bow before my superior insight.

FIELDBO.
But if they won’t?

STENSGARD.
Then they can go their own way. I have done with them. You don’t suppose I am going to let my life slip into a wrong groove, and never reach the goal, for the sake of mere blind, pig-headed consistency!

FIELDBO.
What do you call the goal?

STENSGARD.
A career that gives scope for my talents, and fulfills my aspirations.

FIELDBO.
No vague phrases! What do you mean by your goal?

STENSGARD.
Well, to you I can make a clean breast of it. My goal is this: in the course of time to get into Parliament, perhaps into the Ministry, and to marry happily into a family of means and position.

FIELDBO.
Oh, indeed! And by help of the Chamberlain’s social connections you intend to — ?

STENSGARD.
I intend to reach the goal by my own exertions! I must and will reach it; and without help from any one. It will take time, I daresay; but never mind! Meanwhile I shall enjoy life here, drinking in beauty and sunshine —