[Jean hesitates and then seizes her foot and kisses it lightly.]
JULIE. Splendid! You should have been an actor.
JEAN [Rising]. But this mustn"t go any further, Miss Julie. What if someone should come in and see us?
JULIE. What harm would that do?
JEAN. Simply that it would give them a chance to gossip. And if Miss Julie only knew how their tongues wagged just now--then--
JULIE. What did they say? Tell me. And sit down now.
JEAN [Sitting]. I don"t wish to hurt you, but they used an expression--threw hints of a certain kind--but you are not a child, you can understand. When one sees a lady drinking alone with a man--let alone a servant--at night--then--
JULIE. Then what? And for that matter, we are not alone. Kristin is here.
JEAN. Sleeping! Yes.
JULIE. Then I shall wake her. [Rises]. Kristin, are you asleep?
KRISTIN. [In her sleep]. Bla--bla--bla--bla.
JULIE. Kristin! She certainly can sleep. [Goes to Kristin.]
KRISTIN. [In her sleep]. The Count"s boots are polished--put on the coffee--soon--soon--soon. Oh--h-h-h--puh! [Breathes heavily. Julie takes her by the nose.]
JULIE. Won"t you wake up?
JEAN [Sternly]. Don"t disturb the sleeping.
JULIE [Sharply]. What?
JEAN. Anyone who has stood over the hot stove all day long is tired when night comes. One should respect the weary.
JULIE. That"s a kind thought--and I honor it. [Offers her hand.] Thanks for the suggestion. Come out with me now and pick some syringas.
[Kristin has awakened and goes to her room, right, in a sort of sleep stupified way.]
JEAN. With Miss Julie?
JULIE. With me.
JEAN. But that wouldn"t do--decidedly not.
JULIE. I don"t understand you. Is it possible that you fancy that I--
JEAN. No--not I, but people.
JULIE. What? That I"m in love with my coachman?
JEAN. I am not presumptuous, but we have seen instances--and with the people nothing is sacred.
JULIE. I believe he is an aristocrat!
JEAN. Yes, I am.
JULIE. But I step down-- --
JEAN. Don"t step down, Miss Julie. Listen to me--no one would believe that you stepped down of your own accord; people always say that one falls down.
JULIE. I think better of the people than you do. Come--and try them--come!
[Dares him with a look.]
JEAN. Do you know that you are wonderful?
JULIE. Perhaps. But you are too. Everything is wonderful for that matter. Life, people--everything. Everything is wreckage, that drifts over the water until it sinks, sinks. I have the same dream every now and then and at this moment I am reminded of it. I find myself seated at the top of a high pillar and I see no possible way to get down. I grow dizzy when I look down, but down I must. But I"m not brave enough to throw myself; I cannot hold fast and I long to fall--but I don"t fall.
And yet I can find no rest or peace until I shall come down to earth; and if I came down to earth I would wish myself down in the ground. Have you ever felt like that?
JEAN. No, I dream that I"m lying in a dark wood under a tall tree and I would up--up to the top, where I can look far over the fair landscape, where the sun is shining. I climb--climb, to plunder the birds" nests up there where the golden eggs lie, but the tree trunk is so thick, so smooth, and the first limb is so high! But I know if I reached the first limb I should climb as though on a ladder, to the top. I haven"t reached it yet, but I shall reach it, if only in the dream.
JULIE. Here I stand talking about dreams with you. Come now, just out in the park.
[She offers her arm and they start.]
JEAN. We should sleep on nine midsummer flowers tonight and then our dreams would come true.
[She turns, Jean quickly holds a hand over his eye.]
JULIE. What is it, something in your eye?
JEAN. Oh, it is nothing--just a speck. It will be all right in a moment.
JULIE. It was some dust from my sleeve that brushed against you. Now sit down and let me look for it. [Pulls him into a chair, looks into his eye.] Now sit still, perfectly still. [Uses corner of her handkerchief in his eye. Strikes his hand.] So--will you mind? I believe you are trembling, strong man that you are. [Touching his arm.] And such arms!
JEAN [Warningly.] Miss Julie!
JULIE. Yes, Monsieur Jean!
JEAN. Attention. Je ne suis qu"un homme!
JULIE. Will you sit still! So, now it is gone! Kiss my hand and thank me!
[Jean rises.]
JEAN. Miss Julie, listen to me. Kristin has gone to bed now--will you listen to me--
JULIE. Kiss my hand first.