Mrs. Christensen. Poor child!
Riis. Believe her?
Mrs. Riis. Yes, believe her. Believe her if, after past like that, she came and a.s.sured us that she would make an honest wife?
Christensen. After a past like that?
Mrs. Riis. Perhaps that is putting it too harshly. But why should you require her to believe a man any more readily than a man would believe her? Because he would not believe her for a moment.
Riis (coming up behind her). Are you absolutely mad?
Christensen (half rising). Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen; the two young people must settle the affair now! (Sits down again.)
Alfred. I must confess I have never thought of what Mrs. Riis has just said, because such a thing never could happen. No man of honour would choose a woman of whose past he was not certain. Never!
Mrs. Riis. But what about a woman of honour, Alfred?
Alfred. Ah, that is quite different.
Nordan. To put it precisely: a woman owes a man both her past and her future; a man owes a woman only his future.
Alfred. Well, if you like to put it that way--yes.
Nordan (to SVAVA, as he gets up). I wanted you to postpone your answer, my child. But now I think you ought to answer at once. (SVAVA goes up to ALFRED, flings her glove in his face, and goes straight into her room.
ALFRED turns and looks after her. RIIS disappears into his room on the right. Every one has risen from their seats. MRS. CHRISTENSEN takes ALFRED by the arm and goes nut with him; CHRISTENSEN follows them. MRS.
RIIS is standing at the door of the room which SVAVA has locked after her.)
Nordan. That was throwing down a gauntlet, if you like!
Mrs. Riis (calling through the door). Svava!
Christensen (coming in and speaking to NORDAN, who has taken no notice of him and has not turned round). Then it is to be war?--Well, I fancy I know a thing or two about war. (Goes out. NORDAN turns round and stands looking after him.)
Mrs. Riis (still at the door). Svava! (RIIS comes rushing out of his room, with his hat on and his gloves and stick in his hand, and follows the CHRISTENSENS.) Svava!
ACT III
SCENE I
(SCENE.--DR. NORDAN"S garden, behind his neat one-storied house. He is sitting on a chair in the foreground reading. His old servant, THOMAS, opens the how door and looks out.)
Thomas. Doctor!
Nordan. What is it? (ALFRED comes into sight in the doorway.) Oh, it is you! (Gets up.) Well, my boy? You don"t look up to much!
Alfred. No, but never mind that. Can you give me a bit of breakfast?
Nordan. Have you had no breakfast yet? Have you not been home then?--not been home all night?--not since yesterday? (Calls) Thomas!
Alfred. And when I have had something to eat, may I have a talk with you?
Nordan. Of course, my dear boy. (To THOMAS, who has come out of the house) Get some breakfast laid in that room, please (pointing to a window on the left).
Alfred. And may I have a wash too?
Nordan. Go with Thomas. I will be with you directly. (ALFRED and THOMAS go into the house. Then a carriage is heard stopping outside.) There is a carriage. Go and see who it is, Thomas. I won"t see any patients! I am going away to-morrow.
Thomas. It is Mr. Christensen. (Goes into the house again.)
Nordan. Oho! (Goes to the window on the left.) Alfred!
Alfred (coming to the window). Yes?
Nordan. It is your father! If you do not want to be seen, pull down the blind. (The blind is dulled dawn.)
Thomas (showing in CHRISTENSEN). Will you come this way please, sir.
(CHRISTENSEN is in court dress protected by a dustcoat, and wears the cross of a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Olaf.)
Christensen. I hope I do not disturb you, doctor?
Nordan. Not at all!--In full dress! I congratulate you.
Christensen. Yes, we newly-fledged knights have to go to Court to-day.
But do you mind if I spend a minute or two here with you before I go on to the palace?--Any news from over there? From the Riis"s?
Nordan. No. They are sitting waiting for the "war" to begin, I expect.
Christensen. They shall not have to wait long, then! I have made up my mind to begin it to-day. Has she come to her senses, by any chance?
Women usually feel things like that very acutely. But they usually get over it, too.
Nordan. I do not think so. But I bow before your experience.
Christensen. Thank you! I should think that, as an old hand at playing the buffer in family jars, you had a much greater experience. Yesterday she was like an electric eel! And she gave her shock, too! The boy has not been home since. I am almost glad of that; it shows he has some sense of shame. I was beginning to doubt it.
Nordan. It is the coming "war" that interests me.
Christensen. Oh, you are anxious to see that, are you? Very well. As a matter of fact there is no need to draw up a plan of campaign. That affair of Mrs. North"s can be taken up again any day, my dear fellow! It is in the hands of the bank, you know.
Nordan. But what has that to do with your son engagement?
Christensen. What has it to do with it? Miss Riis gives my son his dismissal because she cannot tolerate his conduct before marriage. Her own father indulges in the same sort of conduct when he is well on in married life! Tableau vivant tres curieux!--to use a language Mr. Riis is very fond of.
Nordan. It is a shame to talk like that--because your son is the only one to blame in this matter.
Christensen. My son is not in the least to blame in the matter! He has not done the slightest thing that could harm or discredit the Riis"s--not the slightest thing! He is a man of honour, who has given Miss Riis his promise and has kept it. Will any one dare to contradict that? Or to suggest that he will not keep his promise? If any one doubts him, it is an insult. Dr. Nordan! In this matter the alternatives are either an apology and peace--or war. For I am not going to put up with this sort of thing; and if my son puts up with it, I shall despise him.