Complete Works of Henrik Ibsen (273 page)

Hedda.
Have you seen him here in town?

Mrs.
Elvsted. No, not yet. I have had the greatest difficulty in finding out his address. But this morning I discovered it at last.

Hedda.
[Looks searchingly at her.]
Do you know, it seems to me a little odd of your husband — h’m —

Mrs.
Elvsted.
[Starting nervously.]
Of my husband! What?

Hedda.
That he should send you to town on such an errand — that he does not come himself and look after his friend.

Mrs.
Elvsted. Oh no, no — my husband has no time. And besides,
i — i
had some shopping to do.

Hedda.
[With a slight smile.]
Ah, that is a different matter.

Mrs.
Elvsted.
[Rising quickly and uneasily.]
And now I beg and implore you, Mr. Tesman — receive Eilert Lovborg kindly if he comes to you! And that he is sure to do. You see you were such great friends in the old days. And then you are interested in the same studies — the same branch of science — so far as I can understand.

Tesman.
We used to be at any rate.

Mrs.
Elvsted. That is why I beg so earnestly that you — you too — will keep a sharp eye upon him. Oh, you will promise me that, Mr. Tesman — won’t you?

Tesman.
With the greatest of pleasure, Mrs. Rysing —

Hedda.
Elvsted.

Tesman.
I assure you I shall do all I possibly can for Eilert. You may rely upon me.

Mrs.
Elvsted. Oh, how very, very kind of you!
[Presses his hands.]
Thanks, thanks, thanks!
[Frightened.]
You see, my husband is so very fond of him!

Hedda.
[Rising.]
You ought to write to him, Tesman. Perhaps he may not care to come to you of his own accord.

Tesman.
Well, perhaps it would be the right thing to do, Hedda? Eh?

Hedda.
And the sooner the better. Why not at once?

Mrs.
Elvsted.
[Imploringly.]
Oh, if you only would!

Tesman.
I’ll write this moment. Have you his address, Mrs. — Mrs. Elvsted.

Mrs.
Elvsted. Yes.
[Takes a slip of paper from her pocket, and hands it to him.]
Here it is.

Tesman.
Good, good. Then I’ll go in —
[Looks about him.]
By-the-bye, — my slippers? Oh, here. [Takes the packet and is about to go.

Hedda.
Be sure you write him a cordial, friendly letter. And a good long one too.

Tesman.
Yes, I will.

Mrs.
Elvsted. But please, please don’t say a word to show that I have suggested it.

Tesman.
No, how could you think I would? Eh?

He goes out to the right, through the inner room.

Hedda.
[Goes up to
Mrs. Elvsted
, smiles, and says in a low voice.]
There! We have killed two birds with one stone.

Mrs.
Elvsted. What do you mean?

Hedda.
Could you not see that I wanted him to go?

Mrs.
Elvsted. Yes, to write the letter —

Hedda.
And that I might speak to you alone.

Mrs.
Elvsted.
[Confused.]
About the same thing?

Hedda.
Precisely.

Mrs.
Elvsted.
[Apprehensively.]
But there is nothing more, Mrs. Tesman! Absolutely nothing!

Hedda.
Oh yes, but there is. There is a great deal more — I can see that. Sit here — and we’ll have a cosy, confidential chat.

She forces
Mrs. Elvsted
to sit in the easy-chair beside the stove, and seats herself on one of the footstools.

Mrs.
Elvsted.
[Anxiously, looking at her watch.]
But, my dear Mrs. Tesman — I was really on the point of going.

Hedda.
Oh, you can’t be in such a hurry. — Well? Now tell me something about your life at home.

Mrs.
Elvsted. Oh, that is just what I care least to speak about.

Hedda.
But to me, dear — ? Why, weren’t we schoolfellows?

Mrs.
Elvsted. Yes, but you were in the class above me. Oh, how dreadfully afraid of you I was then!

Hedda.
Afraid of me?

Mrs.
Elvsted. Yes, dreadfully. For when we met on the stairs you used always to pull my hair.

Hedda.
Did I, really?

Mrs.
Elvsted. Yes, and once you said you would burn it off my head.

Hedda.
Oh that was all nonsense, of course.

Mrs.
Elvsted. Yes, but I was so silly in those days. — And since then, too — we have drifted so far — far apart from each other. Our circles have been so entirely different.

Hedda.
Well then, we must try to drift together again. Now listen. At school we said
du
to each other; and we called each other by our Christian names —

Mrs.
Elvsted. No, I am sure you must be mistaken.

Hedda.
No, not at all! I can remember quite distinctly. So now we are going to renew our old friendship.
[Draws the footstool closer to
Mrs. Elvsted
.]
There now!
[Kisses her cheek.]
You must say
du
to me and call me Hedda.

Mrs.
Elvsted.
[Presses and pats her hands.]
Oh, how good and kind you are! I am not used to such kindness.

Hedda.
There, there, there! And I shall say
du
to you, as in the old days, and call you my dear Thora.

Mrs.
Elvsted. My name is Thea.

Hedda.
Why, of course! I meant Thea.
[Looks at her compassionately.]
So you are not accustomed to goodness and kindness, Thea? Not in your own home?

Mrs.
Elvsted. Oh, if I only had a home! But I haven’t any; I have never had a home.

Hedda.
[Looks at her for a moment.]
I almost suspected as much.

Mrs.
Elvsted.
[Gazing helplessly before her.]
Yes — yes — yes.

Hedda.
I don’t quite remember — was it not as housekeeper that you first went to Mr. Elvsted’s?

Mrs.
Elvsted. I really went as governess. But his wife — his late wife — was an invalid, — and rarely left her room. So I had to look after the housekeeping as well.

Hedda.
And then — at last — you became mistress of the house.

Mrs.
Elvsted.
[Sadly.]
Yes, I did.

Hedda.
Let me see — about how long ago was that?

Mrs.
Elvsted. My marriage?

Hedda.
Yes.

Mrs.
Elvsted. Five years ago.

Hedda.
To be sure; it must be that.

Mrs.
Elvsted. Oh those five years — ! Or at all events the last two or three of them! Oh, if you could only imagine —

Hedda.
[Giving her a little slap on the hand.]
De? Fie, Thea!

Mrs.
Elvsted. Yes, yes, I will try — . Well, if — you could only imagine and understand —

Hedda.
[Lightly.]
Eilert Lovborg has been in your neighbourhood about three years, hasn’t he?

Mrs.
Elvsted.
[Looks at here doubtfully.]
Eilert Lovborg? Yes — he has.

Hedda.
Had you known him before, in town here?

Mrs.
Elvsted. Scarcely at all. I mean — I knew him by name of course.

Hedda.
But you saw a good deal of him in the country?

Mrs.
Elvsted. Yes, he came to us every day. You see, he gave the children lessons; for in the long run I couldn’t manage it all myself.

Hedda.
No, that’s clear. — And your husband — ? I suppose he is often away from home?

Mrs.
Elvsted. Yes. Being sheriff, you know, he has to travel about a good deal in his district.

Hedda.
[Leaning against the arm of the chair.]
Thea — my poor, sweet Thea — now you must tell me everything — exactly as it stands.

Mrs.
Elvsted. Well, then you must question me.

Hedda.
What sort of a man is your husband, Thea? I mean — you know — in everyday life. Is he kind to you?

Mrs.
Elvsted.
[Evasively.]
I am sure he means well in everything.

Hedda.
I should think he must be altogether too old for you. There is at least twenty years’ difference between you, is there not?

Mrs.
Elvsted.
[Irritably.]
Yes, that is true, too. Everything about him is repellent to me! We have not a thought in common. We have no single point of sympathy — he and I.

Hedda.
But is he not fond of you all the same? In his own way?

Mrs.
Elvsted. Oh I really don’t know. I think he regards me simply as a useful property. And then it doesn’t cost much to keep me. I am not expensive.

Hedda.
That is stupid of you.

Mrs.
Elvsted.
[Shakes her head.]
It cannot be otherwise — not with him. I don’t think he really cares for any one but himself — and perhaps a little for the children.

Hedda.
And for Eilert Lovborg, Thea?

Mrs.
Elvsted.
[Looking at her.]
For Eilert Lovborg? What puts that into your head?

Hedda.
Well, my dear — I should say, when he sends you after him all the way to town ——
[Smiling almost imperceptibly.]
And besides, you said so yourself, to Tesman.

Mrs.
Elvsted.
[With a little nervous twitch.]
Did I? Yes, I suppose I did.
[Vehemently, but not loudly.]
No — I may just as well make a clean breast of it at once! For it must all come out in any case.

Hedda.
Why, my dear Thea — ?

Mrs.
Elvsted. Well, to make a long story short: My husband did not know that I was coming.

Hedda.
What! Your husband didn’t know it!

Mrs.
Elvsted. No, of course not. For that matter, he was away from home himself — he was travelling. Oh, I could bear it no longer, Hedda! I couldn’t indeed — so utterly alone as I should have been in future.

Hedda.
Well? And then?

Mrs.
Elvsted. So I put together some of my things — what I needed most — as quietly as possible. And then I left the house.

Hedda.
Without a word?

Mrs.
Elvsted. Yes — and took the train to town.

Hedda.
Why, my dear, good Thea — to think of you daring to do it!