A Doll’s House - Henrik Ibsen (acx book reading .TXT) 📗
- Author: Henrik Ibsen
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bunch of keys out of his pocket and goes into the hall. Torvald! what are you going to do there?
Helmer
Emptying the letter box; it is quite full; there will be no room to put the newspaper in tomorrow morning.
Nora
Are you going to work tonight?
Helmer
You know quite well I’m not. What is this? Someone has been at the lock.
Nora
At the lock—?
Helmer
Yes, someone has. What can it mean? I should never have thought the maid—. Here is a broken hairpin. Nora, it is one of yours.
Nora
Quickly. Then it must have been the children—
Helmer
Then you must get them out of those ways. There, at last I have got it open. Takes out the contents of the letter box, and calls to the kitchen. Helen!—Helen, put out the light over the front door. Goes back into the room and shuts the door into the hall. He holds out his hand full of letters. Look at that—look what a heap of them there are. Turning them over. What on earth is that?
Nora
At the window. The letter—No! Torvald, no!
Helmer
Two cards—of Rank’s.
Nora
Of Doctor Rank’s?
Helmer
Looking at them. Doctor Rank. They were on the top. He must have put them in when he went out.
Nora
Is there anything written on them?
Helmer
There is a black cross over the name. Look there—what an uncomfortable idea! It looks as if he were announcing his own death.
Nora
It is just what he is doing.
Helmer
What? Do you know anything about it? Has he said anything to you?
Nora
Yes. He told me that when the cards came it would be his leave-taking from us. He means to shut himself up and die.
Helmer
My poor old friend! Certainly I knew we should not have him very long with us. But so soon! And so he hides himself away like a wounded animal.
Nora
If it has to happen, it is best it should be without a word—don’t you think so, Torvald?
Helmer
Walking up and down. He had so grown into our lives. I can’t think of him as having gone out of them. He, with his sufferings and his loneliness, was like a cloudy background to our sunlit happiness. Well, perhaps it is best so. For him, anyway. Standing still. And perhaps for us too, Nora. We two are thrown quite upon each other now. Puts his arms round her. My darling wife, I don’t feel as if I could hold you tight enough. Do you know, Nora, I have often wished that you might be threatened by some great danger, so that I might risk my life’s blood, and everything, for your sake.
Nora
Disengages herself, and says firmly and decidedly. Now you must read your letters, Torvald.
Helmer
No, no; not tonight. I want to be with you, my darling wife.
Nora
With the thought of your friend’s death—
Helmer
You are right, it has affected us both. Something ugly has come between us—the thought of the horrors of death. We must try and rid our minds of that. Until then—we will each go to our own room.
Nora
Hanging on his neck. Goodnight, Torvald—Goodnight!
Helmer
Kissing her on the forehead. Goodnight, my little singing-bird. Sleep sound, Nora. Now I will read my letters through. He takes his letters and goes into his room, shutting the door after him.
Nora
Gropes distractedly about, seizes Helmer’s domino, throws it round her, while she says in quick, hoarse, spasmodic whispers. Never to see him again. Never! Never! Puts her shawl over her head. Never to see my children again either—never again. Never! Never!—Ah! the icy, black water—the unfathomable depths—If only it were over! He has got it now—now he is reading it. Goodbye, Torvald and my children! She is about to rush out through the hall, when Helmer opens his door hurriedly and stands with an open letter in his hand.
Helmer
Nora!
Nora
Ah!—
Helmer
What is this? Do you know what is in this letter?
Nora
Yes, I know. Let me go! Let me get out!
Helmer
Holding her back. Where are you going?
Nora
Trying to get free. You shan’t save me, Torvald!
Helmer
Reeling. True? Is this true, that I read here? Horrible! No, no—it is impossible that it can be true.
Nora
It is true. I have loved you above everything else in the world.
Helmer
Oh, don’t let us have any silly excuses.
Nora
Taking a step towards him. Torvald—!
Helmer
Miserable creature—what have you done?
Nora
Let me go. You shall not suffer for my sake. You shall not take it upon yourself.
Helmer
No tragic airs, please. Locks the hall door. Here you shall stay and give me an explanation. Do you understand what you have done? Answer me! Do you understand what you have done?
Nora
Looks steadily at him and says with a growing look of coldness in her face. Yes, now I am beginning to understand thoroughly.
Helmer
Walking about the room. What a horrible awakening! All these eight years—she who was my joy and pride—a hypocrite, a liar—worse, worse—a criminal! The unutterable ugliness of it all!—For shame! For shame! Nora is silent and looks steadily at him. He stops in front of her. I ought to have suspected that something of the sort would happen. I ought to have foreseen it. All your father’s want of principle—be silent!—all your father’s want of principle has come out in you. No religion, no morality, no sense of duty—. How I am punished for having winked at what he did! I did it for your sake, and this is how you repay me.
Nora
Yes, that’s just it.
Helmer
Now you have destroyed all my happiness. You have ruined all my future. It is horrible to think of! I am in the power of an unscrupulous man; he can do what he likes with me, ask anything he likes of me, give me any orders he pleases—I dare not refuse. And I
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