hand. Will you promise, Torvald dear?
Helmer
I promise. This evening I will be wholly and absolutely at your service, you helpless little mortal. Ah, by the way, first of all I will just—
Goes towards the hall door.
Nora
What are you going to do there?
Helmer
Only see if any letters have come.
Nora
No, no! don’t do that, Torvald!
Helmer
Why not?
Nora
Torvald, please don’t. There is nothing there.
Helmer
Well, let me look.
Turns to go to the letter box. Nora, at the piano, plays the first bars of the Tarantella. Helmer stops in the doorway. Aha!
Nora
I can’t dance tomorrow if I don’t practise with you.
Helmer
Going up to her. Are you really so afraid of it, dear?
Nora
Yes, so dreadfully afraid of it. Let me practise at once; there is time now, before we go to dinner. Sit down and play for me, Torvald dear; criticise me, and correct me as you play.
Helmer
With great pleasure, if you wish me to.
Sits down at the piano.
Nora
Takes out of the box a tambourine and a long variegated shawl. She hastily drapes the shawl round her. Then she springs to the front of the stage and calls out. Now play for me! I am going to dance!
Helmer plays and
Nora dances.
Rank stands by the piano behind
Helmer, and looks on.
Helmer
As he plays. Slower, slower!
Nora
I can’t do it any other way.
Helmer
Not so violently, Nora!
Nora
This is the way.
Helmer
Stops playing. No, no—that is not a bit right.
Nora
Laughing and swinging the tambourine. Didn’t I tell you so?
Rank
Let me play for her.
Helmer
Getting up. Yes, do. I can correct her better then.
Rank sits down at the piano and plays.
Nora dances more and more wildly.
Helmer has taken up a position beside the stove, and during her dance gives her frequent instructions. She does not seem to hear him; her hair comes down and falls over her shoulders; she pays no attention to it, but goes on dancing. Enter
Mrs. Linde.
Mrs. Linde
Standing as if spellbound in the doorway. Oh!—
Nora
As she dances. Such fun, Christine!
Helmer
My dear darling Nora, you are dancing as if your life depended on it.
Nora
So it does.
Helmer
Stop, Rank; this is sheer madness. Stop, I tell you!
Rank stops playing, and Nora suddenly stands still. Helmer goes up to her. I could never have believed it. You have forgotten everything I taught you.
Nora
Throwing away the tambourine. There, you see.
Helmer
You will want a lot of coaching.
Nora
Yes, you see how much I need it. You must coach me up to the last minute. Promise me that, Torvald!
Helmer
You can depend on me.
Nora
You must not think of anything but me, either today or tomorrow; you mustn’t open a single letter—not even open the letter box—
Helmer
Ah, you are still afraid of that fellow—
Nora
Yes, indeed I am.
Helmer
Nora, I can tell from your looks that there is a letter from him lying there.
Nora
I don’t know; I think there is; but you must not read anything of that kind now. Nothing horrid must come between us until this is all over.
Rank
Whispers to Helmer. You mustn’t contradict her.
Helmer
Taking her in his arms. The child shall have her way. But tomorrow night, after you have danced—
Nora
Then you will be free.
The Maid appears in the doorway to the right.
Maid
Dinner is served, ma’am.
Nora
We will have champagne, Helen.
Maid
Very good, ma’am.
Exit.
Helmer
Hullo!—are we going to have a banquet?
Nora
Yes, a champagne banquet until the small hours.
Calls out. And a few macaroons, Helen—lots, just for once!
Helmer
Come, come, don’t be so wild and nervous. Be my own little skylark, as you used.
Nora
Yes, dear, I will. But go in now and you too, Doctor Rank. Christine, you must help me to do up my hair.
Rank
Whispers to Helmer as they go out. I suppose there is nothing—she is not expecting anything?
Helmer
Far from it, my dear fellow; it is simply nothing more than this childish nervousness I was telling you of.
They go into the right-hand room.
Nora
Well!
Mrs. Linde
Gone out of town.
Nora
I could tell from your face.
Mrs. Linde
He is coming home tomorrow evening. I wrote a note for him.
Nora
You should have let it alone; you must prevent nothing. After all, it is splendid to be waiting for a wonderful thing to happen.
Mrs. Linde
What is it that you are waiting for?
Nora
Oh, you wouldn’t understand. Go in to them, I will come in a moment.
Mrs. Linde goes into the dining room. Nora stands still for a little while, as if to compose herself. Then she looks at her watch. Five o’clock. Seven hours until midnight; and then four-and-twenty hours until the next midnight. Then the Tarantella will be over. Twenty-four and seven? Thirty-one hours to live.
Helmer
From the doorway on the right. Where’s my little skylark?
Nora
Going to him with her arms outstretched. Here she is!
Act III
The table has been placed in the middle of the stage, with chairs around it. A lamp is burning on the table. The door into the hall stands open. Dance music is heard in the room above.
Mrs. Linde is sitting at the table idly turning over the leaves of a book; she tries to read, but does not seem able to collect her thoughts. Every now and then she listens intently for a sound at the outer door.
Mrs. Linde
Looking at her watch. Not yet—and the time is nearly up. If only he does not—.
Listens again. Ah, there he is.
Goes into the hall and opens the outer door carefully. Light footsteps are heard on the stairs. She whispers. Come in. There is no one here.
Krogstad
In the doorway.
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