Svava. What is it that is in your mind, mother?
Mrs. Riis. The thought that, as I have endured so much for your sake, you might make up your mind to endure a little for mine.
Svava. A little of this? No, not for a moment!
Mrs. Riis. But what are you going to do?
Svava. Go away from here at once, of course.
Mrs. Riis (with a cry). Then I shall go with you!
Svava. You? Away from father?
Mrs. Riis. It has been for your sake that I have stayed with him. I won"t stay here a day without you!--Ah, you don"t want me with you!
Svava. Mother, dear--I must have time to accustom myself to the changed state of things. You have quite changed in my eyes too, you see. I have been mistaken in you, and I must get accustomed to that idea. I must be alone!--Oh, don"t look so unhappy, dear!
Mrs. Riis. And this is the end of it all--this is the end of it!
Svava. I cannot act otherwise, dear. I must go away now to my Kindergartens and give up my life entirely to that work. I must, I must!
If I cannot be alone there, I must go farther afield.
Mrs. Riis. This is the cruellest part of it all--the cruellest part!
Listen, is that--? Yes, it is he. Do not say anything now! For my sake say nothing now; I cannot bear anything more on the top of this!--Try to be friendly to him! Svava--do you hear me! (RIIS comes back, still humming a tune; this time he has his overcoat over his arm. SVAVA comes hurriedly forward, and after a moment"s hesitation sits down with her back half turned to him, and tries to busy herself with something. RIIS puts down his overcoat. He is in court dress and wears the Order of St.
Olaf.)
Riis. Good morning, ladies! Good morning!
Mrs. Riis. Good morning!
Riis. Here is the latest great piece of news for you: Who do you think drove me from the palace? Christensen!
Mrs. Riis. Really?
Riis. Yes! Our wrathful friend of yesterday! Yes! He and one of my fellow-directors. I was one of the first persons he greeted when he got to the palace. He introduced me to people, chatted with me--paid me the most marked attention!
Mrs. Riis. You don"t mean it?
Riis. Consequently nothing really happened here yesterday! No gloves were thrown about at all, least of all in his eldest son"s face!
Christensen, the worthy knight of to-day"s making, feels the necessity for peace! We ended by drinking a bottle of champagne at my brother"s.
Mrs. Riis. How amusing!
Riis. Therefore, ladies--smiles, if you please! Nothing has happened here, absolutely nothing! We begin again with an absolutely clean slate, without a smear upon it!
Mrs. Riis. What a piece of luck!
Riis. Yes, isn"t it! That rather violent outburst of our daughter"s has unburdened her mind and cleared the ideas in other people"s heads. The general atmosphere is agreeably clear, not to say favourable.
Mrs. Riis. And what was it like at the palace?
Riis. Well, I can tell you this--when I looked round at our batch of new-fledged knights, it did not exactly impress me that it is virtue that is rewarded in this world of ours. However, we were all confronted with an alarmingly solemn doc.u.ment. It was about something we swore to preserve--I fancy it was the State--or perhaps the Church--I am really not sure, because I didn"t read it. They all signed it!
Mrs. Riis. You, as well?
Riis. I, as well. Do you suppose I was going to be left out of such good company? Up at those exalted heights one obtains a happier and freer outlook upon life. We were all friends up there. People came up and congratulated me--and after a bit I wasn"t sure whether it was on my daughter"s account or on my own; and, what is more, I never knew I had so many friends in the town, let alone at Court! But in such brilliant company and such an atmosphere of praises and compliments and general amiability, one was not inclined to be particular! And there were only men present! You know--you ladies must excuse me--there is sometimes a peculiar charm in being only with men, especially on great occasions like that. Conversation becomes more pointed, more actual, more robust--and laughter more full of zest. Men seem to understand one another almost without the need of words.
Mrs. Riis. I suppose you are feeling very happy to-day, then?
Riis. I should think I am!--and I only wish every one were the same! I daresay life might be better than it is; but, as I saw it under those circ.u.mstances from those exalted heights, it might also be much worse.
And, as for us men--oh, well, we have our faults, no doubt, but we are very good company for all that. It would be a dull world without us, I am sure. Let us take life as it comes, my dear Svava! (Comes nearer to her. She gets up.) What is the matter? Are you still in a bad temper?--when you have had the pleasure of boxing his ears with your own gloves, before the whole family circle? What more can you reasonably ask of life? I should say you ought to have a good laugh over it!--Or is there something up? What? Come, what is the matter now?
Mrs. Riis. The fact is--
Riis. Well, the fact is--?
Mrs. Riis. The fact is that Alfred will be here in a moment.
Riis. Alfred here? In a moment? Hurrah! I quite understand! But why didn"t you tell me so at once?
Mrs. Riis. You have talked the whole time since you came in.
Riis. I do believe I have!--Well, if you are going to take it seriously, my dear Svava, perhaps you will allow your "knightly" father to take it lightly? The whole thing amuses me so tremendously. I was put into good spirits to-day the moment I saw, from Christensen"s face, that there was nothing in the wind. And so Alfred is coming here directly! Then I understand everything. Hurrah, once more! I a.s.sure you that is the best of all the good things that have happened to-day. I really think I must play a festal overture till he comes! (Goes towards the piano, singing.)
Mrs. Riis. No, no, dear! Do you hear? No, no! (RIIS plays on, without listening to hey, till she goes up to him, and stops him, pointing to SVAVA.)
Svava. Oh, let him play, mother--let him play! It is the innocent gaiety that I have admired since I was a child! (Bursts into tears, but collects herself.) How hateful! How horrible!
Riis. My dear child, you look as if you wanted to be throwing down gauntlets to-day too! Isn"t that all done with?
Svava. No, indeed it is not!
Riis. You shall have the loan of my gloves, if you haven"t--
Mrs. Riis. Oh, don"t say those things to her!
Svava. Oh, yes, let him! Let him mock at us, mother dear! A man of his moral earnestness has the right to mock at us!
Riis. What are you talking about? Does it show a lack of moral earnestness not to be in love with old maids and sour-faced virtue?
Svava. Father, you are--
Mrs. Riis. No, Svava!
Riis. Oh, let her say what she wants! It is something quite new to see a well-brought-up girl throw her gloves in her fiance"s face and accusations in her father"s! Especially when it is all done in the name of morality!
Svava. Don"t talk about morality! Or go and talk to Mrs. North about it!