Rosmer (holding BRENDEL back). Tell me--is there no other way I can be of service to you?
Brendel. I am sure I do not know of any. Yes, perdition seize it!--now that I come to think of it--John, do you happen to have seven or eight shillings on you?
Rosmer. I will see. (Opens his purse.) I have two half-sovereigns here.
Brendel. Oh, well, never mind. I may as well take them. I can always get change in town. Thanks, in the meantime. Remember that it was two half-sovereigns I had. Good-night, my own dear boy! Good-night to you, sir! (Goes out by the door on the right, where ROSMER takes leave of him and shuts the door after him.)
Kroll. Good heavens--and that is the Ulrik Brendel of whom people once thought that he would do great things!
Rosmer. At all events he has had the courage to live his life in his own way. I do not think that is such a small thing, after all.
Kroll. What? A life like his? I almost believe he would have the power, even now, to disturb all your ideas.
Rosmer. No, indeed. I have come to a clear understanding with myself now, upon all points.
Kroll. I wish I could believe it, my dear Rosmer. You are so dreadfully susceptible to impressions from without.
Rosmer. Let us sit down. I want to have a talk with you.
Kroll. By all means. (They sit down on the couch.)
Rosmer (after a short pause). Don"t you think everything here looks very pleasant and comfortable?
Kroll. Yes, it looks very pleasant and comfortable now--and peaceful.
You have made yourself a real home, Rosmer. And I have lost mine.
Rosmer. My dear fellow, do not say that. There may seem to be a rift just now, but it will heal again.
Kroll. Never, never. The sting will always remain. Things can never be as they were before.
Rosmer. I want to ask you something, Kroll. You and I have been the closest of friends now for so many years--does it seem to you conceivable that anything could destroy our friendship?
Kroll. I cannot imagine anything that could cause a breach between us.
What has put that into your head?
Rosmer. Well--your attaching such tremendous importance to similarity of opinions and views.
Kroll. Certainly I do; but then we two hold pretty similar opinions at all events on the most essential points.
Rosmer (gently). No. Not any longer.
Kroll (trying to jump up from his seat). What is this?
Rosmer (restraining him). No, you must sit still. Please, Kroll.
Kroll. What does it all mean? I do not understand you. Tell me, straight out!
Rosmer. A new summer has blossomed in my heart--my eyes have regained the clearness of youth. And, accordingly, I am now standing where--
Kroll. Where? Where are you standing?
Rosmer. Where your children are standing.
Kroll. You? You! The thing is impossible! Where do you say you are standing?
Rosmer. On the same side as Laurits and Hilda.
Kroll (letting his head drop). An apostate. John Rosmer an apostate.
Rosmer. What you are calling apostasy ought to have made me feel sincerely happy and fortunate; but for all that I have suffered keenly, because I knew quite well it would cause you bitter sorrow.
Kroll. Rosmer, Rosmer, I shall never get over this. (Looks at him sadly.) To think that you, too, could bring yourself to sympathise with and join in the work of disorder and ruin that is playing havoc with our unhappy country.
Rosmer. It is the work of emanc.i.p.ation that I sympathise with.
Kroll. Oh yes, I know all about that. That is what it is called, by both those who are leading the people astray and by their misguided victims. But, be sure of this--you need expect no emanc.i.p.ation to be the result of the spirit that relies on the poisoning of the whole of our social life.
Rosmer. I do not give my allegiance to the spirit that is directing this, nor to any of those who are leading the fight. I want to try to bring men of all shades of opinion together--as many as I can reach--and bind them as closely together as I can. I want to live for and devote all the strength that is in me to one end only--to create a real public opinion in the country.
Kroll. So you do not consider that we have sufficient public opinion!
I, for my part, consider that the whole lot of us are on the high road to be dragged down into the mire where otherwise only the common people would be wallowing.
Rosmer. It is just for that reason that I have made up my mind as to what should be the real task of public opinion.
Kroll. What task?
Rosmer. The task of making all our fellow-countrymen into men of n.o.bility.
Kroll. All our fellow-countrymen--!
Rosmer. As many as possible, at all events.
Kroll. By what means?
Rosmer. By emanc.i.p.ating their ideas and purifying their aspirations, it seems to me.
Kroll. You are a dreamer, Rosmer. Are you going to emanc.i.p.ate them? Are you going to purify them?
Rosmer. No, my dear fellow--I can only try to awake the desire for it in them. The doing of it rests with themselves.
Kroll. And do you think they are capable of it?
Rosmer. Yes.
Kroll. Of their own power?
Rosmer. Yes, of their own power. There is no other that can do it.