Complete Works of Henrik Ibsen (302 page)

CHARACTER
S

ALFRED ALLMERS, landed proprietor and man of letters formerly a tutor.

MRS. RITA ALLMERS, his wife.

EYOLF, their child, nine years old.

MISS ASTA ALLMERS, Alfred’s younger half-sister.

ENGINEER BORGHEIM.

THE RAT-WIFE.

SCENE: The action takes place on ALLMERS’S property, bordering on the fjord, twelve or fourteen miles from Christiania.

ACT FIRS
T

[A pretty and richly-decorated garden-room, full of furniture, flowers, and plants. At the back, open glass doors, leading out to a verandah. An extensive view over the fiord. In the distance, wooded hillsides. A door in each of the side walls, the one on the right a folding door, placed far back. In front on the right, a sofa, with cushions and rugs. Beside the sofa, a small table, and chairs. In front, on the left, a larger table, with arm-chairs around it. On the table stands an open hand-bag. It is an early summer morning, with warm sunshine.]

[Mrs. RITA ALLMERS stands beside the table, facing towards the left, engaged in unpacking the bag. She is a handsome, rather tall, well-developed blonde, about thirty years of age, dressed in a light-coloured morning-gown.]

[Shortly after, Miss ASTA ALLMERS enters by the door on the right, wearing a light brown summer dress, with hat, jacket, and parasol. Under her arm she carries a locked portfolio of considerable size. She is slim, of middle height, with dark hair, and deep, earnest eyes. Twenty-five years old.]

ASTA.
[As she enters.]
Good-morning, my dear Rita.

RITA.
[Turns her head, and nods to her.]
What! is that you, Asta? Come all the way from town so early?

ASTA.
[Takes of her things, and lays them on a chair beside the door.]
Yes, such a restless feeling came over me. I felt I must come out to-day, and see how little Eyolf was getting on — and you too.
[Lays the portfolio on the table beside the sofa.]
So I took the steamer, and here I am.

RITA.
[Smiling to her.]
And I daresay you met one or other of your friends on board? Quite by chance, of course.

ASTA.
[Quietly.]
No, I did not meet a soul I knew.
[Sees the bag.]
Why, Rita, what have you got there?

RITA.
[Still unpacking.]
Alfred’s travelling-bag. Don’t you recognise it?

ASTA.
[Joyfully, approaching her.]
What! Has Alfred come home?

RITA. Yes, only think — he came quite unexpectedly by the late train last night.

ASTA. Oh, then that was what my feeling meant! It was that that drew me out here! And he hadn’t written a line to let you know? Not even a post-card?

RITA. Not a single word.

ASTA. Did he not even telegraph?

RITA. Yes, an hour before he arrived — quite curtly and coldly.
[Laughs.]
Don’t you think that was like him, Asta?

ASTA. Yes; he goes so quietly about everything.

RITA. But that made it all the more delightful to have him again.

ASTA. Yes, I am sure it would.

RITA. A whole fortnight before I expected him!

ASTA. And is he quite well? Not in low spirits?

RITA.
[Closes the bag with a snap, and smiles at her.]
He looked quite transfigured as he stood in the doorway.

ASTA. And was he not the least bit tired either?

RITA. Oh, yes, he seemed to be tired enough — very tired, in fact. But, poor fellow, he had come on foot the greater part of the way.

ASTA. And then perhaps the high mountain air may have been rather too keen for him.

RITA. Oh, no; I don’t think so at all. I haven’t heard him cough once.

ASTA. Ah, there you see now! It was a good thing, after all, that the doctor talked him into taking this tour.

RITA. Yes, now that it is safely over. — But I can tell you it has been a terrible time for me, Asta. I have never cared to talk about it — and you so seldom came out to see me, too —

ASTA. Yes, I daresay that wasn’t very nice of me — but —

RITA. Well, well, well, of course you had your school to attend to in town.
[Smiling.]
And then our road-maker friend — of course he was away too.

ASTA. Oh, don’t talk like that, Rita.

RITA. Very well, then; we will leave the road-maker out of the question. — You can’t think how I have been longing for Alfred! How empty the place seemed! How desolate! Ugh, it felt as if there had been a funeral in the house!

ASTA. Why, dear me, only six or seven weeks —

RITA. Yes; but you must remember that Alfred has never been away from me before — never so much as twenty-four hours. Not once in all these ten years.

ASTA. No; but that is just why I really think it was high time he should have a little outing this year. He ought to have gone for a tramp in the mountains every summer — he really ought.

RITA.
[Half smiling.]
Oh yes, it’s all very well fair you to talk. If I were as — as reasonable its you, I suppose I should have let him go before — perhaps. But I positively could not, Asta! It seemed to me I should never get him back again. Surely you can understand that?

ASTA. No. But I daresay that is because I have no one to lose.

RITA.
[With a teasing smile.]
Really? No one at all?

ASTA. Not that
I
know of.
[Changing the subject.]
But tell me, Rita, where is Alfred? Is he still asleep?

RITA. Oh, not at all. He got up as early as ever to-day.

ASTA. Then he can’t have been so very tired after all.

RITA. Yes, he was last night — when he arrived. But now he has had little Eyolf with him in his room for a whole hour and more.

ASTA. Poor little white-faced boy! Has he to be for ever at his lessons again?

RITA.
[With a slight shrug.]
Alfred will have it so, you know.

ASTA. Yes; but I think you ought to put down your foot about it, Rita.

RITA.
[Somewhat impatiently.]
Oh no; come now, I really cannot meddle with that. Alfred knows so much better about these things than I do. And what would you have Eyolf do? He can’t run about and play, you see — like other children.

ASTA.
[With decision.]
I will talk to Alfred about this.

RITA. Yes, do; I wish you would. — Oh! here he is.

[ALFRED ALLMERS, dressed in light summer clothes, enters by the door on the left, leading EYOLF by the hand. He is a slim, lightly-built man of about thirty-six or thirty-seven, with gentle eyes, and thin brown hair and beard. His expression is serious and thoughtful. EYOLF wears a suit cut like a uniform, with gold braid and gilt military buttons. He is lame, and walks with a crutch under his left arm. His leg is shrunken. He is undersized, and looks delicate, but has beautiful intelligent eyes.]

ALLMERS.
[Drops EYOLF’s hand, goes up to ASTA with an expression of marked pleasure, and holds out both his hands to her.]
Asta! My dearest Asta! To think of your coming! To think of my seeing you so soon!

ASTA. I felt I must — . Welcome home again!

ALLMERS.
[Shaking her hands.]
Thank you for coming.

RITA. Doesn’t he look well?

ASTA.
[Gazes fixedly at him.]
Splendid! Quite splendid! His eyes are so much brighter! And I suppose you have done a great deal of writing on your travels?
[With an outburst of joy.]
I shouldn’t wonder if you had finished the whole book, Alfred?

ALLMERS.
[Shrugging his shoulders.]
The book? Oh, the book —

ASTA. Yes, I was sure you would find it go so easily when once you got away.

ALLMERS. So I thought too. But, do you know, I didn’t find it so at all. The truth is, I have not written a line of the book.

ASTA. Not a line?

RITA. Oho! I wondered when I found all the paper lying untouched in your bag.

ASTA. But, my dear Alfred, what have you been doing all this time?

ALLMERS.
[Smiling.]
Only thinking and thinking and thinking.

RITA.
[Putting her arm round his neck.]
And thinking a little, too, of those you had left at home?

ALLMERS. Yes, you may be sure of that. I have thought a great deal of you — every single day.

RITA.
[Taking her arm away.]
Ah, that is all I care about.

ASTA. But you haven’t even touched the book! And yet you can look so happy and contented! That is not what you generally do — I mean when your work is going badly.

ALLMERS. You are right there. You see, I have been such a fool hitherto. All the best that is in you goes into thinking. What you put on paper is worth very little.

ASTA.
[Exclaiming.]
Worth very little!

RITA.
[Laughing.]
What an absurd thing to say, Alfred.

EYOLF.
[Looks confidingly up at him.]
Oh yes, Papa, what you write is worth a great deal!

ALLMERS.
[Smiling and stroking his hair.]
Well, well, since you say so. — But I can tell you, some one is coming after me who will do it better.

EYOLF. Who can that be? Oh, tell me!

ALLMERS. Only wait — you may be sure he will come, and let us hear of him.

EYOLF. And what will you do then?

ALLMERS.
[Seriously.]
Then I will go to the mountains again —

RITA. Fie, Alfred! For shame!

ALLMERS. — up to the peaks and the great waste places.

EYOLF. Papa, don’t you think I shall soon be well enough for you to take me with you?

ALLMERS.
[With painful emotion.]
Oh, yes, perhaps, my little boy.

EYOLF. It would be so splendid, you know, if I could climb the mountains, like you.

ASTA.
[Changing the subject.]
Why, how beautifully you are dressed to-day, Eyolf!

EYOLF. Yes, don’t you think so, Auntie?

ASTA. Yes, indeed. Is it in honour of Papa that you have got your new clothes on?

EYOLF. Yes, I asked Mama to let me. I wanted so to let Papa see me in them.

ALLMERS.
[In a low voice, to RITA.]
You shouldn’t have given him clothes like that.

RITA.
[In a low voice.]
Oh, he has teased me so long about them — he had set his heart on them. He gave me no peace.

EYOLF. And I forgot to tell you, Papa — Borgheim has bought me a new bow. And he has taught me how to shoot with it too.

ALLMERS. Ah, there now — that’s just the sort of thing for you, Eyolf.

EYOLF. And next time he comes, I shall ask him to teach me to swim, too.

ALLMERS. To swim! Oh, what makes you want to learn swimming?

EYOLF. Well, you know, all the boys down at the beach can swim. I am the only one that can’t.

ALLMERS.
[With emotion, taking him in his arms.]
You shall learn whatever you like — everything you really want to.

EYOLF. Then do you know what I want most of all, Papa?

ALLMERS. No; tell me.

EYOLF. I want most of all to be a soldier.

ALLMERS. Oh, little Eyolf, there are many, many other things that are better than that.

EYOLF. Ah, but when I grow big, then I shall have to be a soldier. You know that, don’t you?

ALLMERS.
[Clenching his hands together.]
Well, well, well: we shall see —

ASTA.
[Seating herself at the table on the left.]
Eyolf! Come here to me, and I will tell you something.

EYOLF.
[Goes up to her.]
What is it, Auntie?

ASTA. What do you think, Eyolf — I have seen the Rat-Wife.