Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen (best novels of all time .TXT) 📕

understand you. Regina Who has also risen. Perhaps I ought to go? Mrs. Alving No. Stay here. Now I can speak. Now, my boy, you shall know the whole truth. And then you can choose. Oswald! Regina! Oswald Hush! The Pastor⁠— Manders Enters by the hall door. There! We have had a most edifying time down there. Oswald So have we. Manders We must stand by Engstrand and his Sailors’ Home. Regina must go to him and help him⁠— Regina No thank you, sir. Manders Noticing her for the first time. What⁠—? You here? And with a glass in your hand! Regina Hastily putting the glass down. Pardon! Oswald Regina is going with me, Mr. Manders. Manders Going! With you! Oswald Yes; as my wife⁠—if she wishes it. Manders But, merciful God⁠—! Regina I can’t help it, sir. Oswald Or she’ll stay here, if I stay. Regina Involuntarily. Here! Manders I am thunderstruck at your conduct, Mrs. Alving. Mrs. Alving They will do neither one thing nor the other; for now I can speak out plainly. Manders You surely will not do that! No, no, no! Mrs. Alving Yes, I can speak and I will. And no ideals shall suffer after all. Oswald Mother⁠—what is it you are hiding from me? Regina Listening. Oh, ma’am, listen! Don’t you hear shouts outside. She goes into the conservatory and looks out. Oswald At the window on the left. What’s going on? Where does that light come from? Regina Cries out. The Orphanage is on fire! Mrs. Alving Rushing to the window. On fire! Manders On fire! Impossible! I’ve just come from there. Oswald Where’s my hat? Oh, never mind it⁠—Father’s Orphanage⁠—! He rushes out through the garden door. Mrs. Alving My shawl, Regina! The whole place is in a blaze! Manders Terrible! Mrs. Alving, it is a judgment upon this abode of lawlessness. Mrs. Alving Yes, of course. Come, Regina. She and Regina hasten out through the hall. Manders Clasps his hands together. And we left it uninsured! He goes out the same way. Act III

The room as before. All the doors stand open. The lamp is still burning on the table. It is dark out of doors; there is only a faint glow from the conflagration in the background to the left.

Mrs. Alving, with a shawl over her head, stands in the conservatory, looking out. Regina, also with a shawl on, stands a little behind her. Mrs. Alving The whole thing burnt!⁠—burnt to the ground! Regina The basement is still burning. Mrs. Alving How is it Oswald doesn’t come home? There’s nothing to be saved. Regina Should you like me to take down his hat to him? Mrs. Alving Has he not even got his hat on? Regina Pointing to the hall. No; there it hangs. Mrs. Alving Let it be. He must come up now. I shall go and look for him myself. She goes out through the garden door. Manders Comes in from the hall. Is not Mrs. Alving here? Regina She has just gone down the garden. Manders This is the most terrible night I ever went through. Regina Yes; isn’t it a dreadful misfortune, sir? Manders Oh, don’t talk about it! I can hardly bear to think of it. Regina How can it have happened⁠—? Manders Don’t ask me, Miss Engstrand! How should I know? Do you, too⁠—? Is it not enough that your father⁠—? Regina What about him? Manders Oh, he has driven me distracted⁠— Engstrand Enters through the hall. Your Reverence⁠— Manders Turns round in terror. Are you after me here, too? Engstrand Yes, strike me dead, but I must⁠—! Oh, Lord! what am I saying? But this is a terrible ugly business, your Reverence. Manders Walks to and fro. Alas! alas! Regina What’s the matter? Engstrand Why, it all came of this here prayer-meeting, you see. Softly. The bird’s limed, my girl. Aloud. And to think it should be my doing that such a thing should be his Reverence’s doing! Manders But I assure you, Engstrand⁠— Engstrand There wasn’t another soul except your Reverence as ever laid a finger on the candles down there. Manders Stops. So you declare. But I certainly cannot recollect that I ever had a candle in my hand. Engstrand And I saw as clear as daylight how your Reverence took the candle and snuffed it with your fingers, and threw away the snuff among the shavings. Manders And you stood and looked on? Engstrand Yes; I saw it as plain as a pikestaff, I did. Manders It’s quite beyond my comprehension. Besides, it has never been my habit to snuff candles with my fingers. Engstrand And terrible risky it looked, too, that it did! But is there such a deal of harm done after all, your Reverence? Manders Walks restlessly to and fro. Oh, don’t ask me! Engstrand Walks with him. And your Reverence hadn’t insured it, neither? Manders Continuing to walk up and down. No, no, no; I have told you so. Engstrand Following him. Not insured! And then to go straight away down and set light to the whole thing! Lord, Lord, what a misfortune! Manders Wipes the sweat from his forehead. Ay, you may well say that, Engstrand. Engstrand And to think that such a thing should happen to a benevolent Institution, that was to have been a blessing both to town and country, as the saying goes! The newspapers won’t be for handling your Reverence very gently, I expect. Manders No; that is just what I am thinking of. That is almost the worst of the whole matter. All the malignant attacks and imputations⁠—! Oh, it makes me shudder to think of it! Mrs. Alving Comes in from the garden. He is not to be persuaded to leave the fire. Manders Ah, there you are, Mrs. Alving. Mrs. Alving So you have escaped your Inaugural Address, Pastor Manders. Manders Oh, I should so gladly⁠— Mrs. Alving In an undertone. It is all for the best. That Orphanage would have done no one any good. Manders Do you think not? Mrs. Alving Do you think it would? Manders It is a terrible misfortune, all the same. Mrs. Alving Let us speak of it plainly, as a matter of business.⁠—Are you waiting for Mr. Manders, Engstrand? Engstrand At the hall door. That’s just what I’m