Previous  - next

vestry meetings and committees.

Mrs. Alving. It was all the kinder of you to come in such good
time; we can settle our business before dinner. But where is your
luggage?

Manders (quickly). My things are down at the village shop. I am
going to sleep there tonight.

Mrs. Alving (repressing a smile). Can't I really persuade you to
stay the night here this time?

Manders. No, no; many thanks all the same; I will put up there,
as usual. It is so handy for getting on board the boat again.

Mrs. Alving. Of course, you shall do as you please. But it seems
to me quite another thing, now we are two old people--

Manders. Ha! ha! You will have your joke! And it's natural you
should be in high spirits today--first of all there is the great
event tomorrow, and also you have got Oswald home.

Mrs. Alving. Yes, am I not a lucky woman! It is more than two
years since he was home last, and he has promised to stay the
whole winter with me.

Manders, Has he, really? That is very nice and filial of him;
because there must be many more attractions in his life in Rome
or in Paris, I should think.

Mrs. Alving. Yes, but he has his mother here, you see. Bless the
dear boy, he has got a corner in his heart for his mother still.

Manders. Oh, it would be very sad if absence and preoccupation
with such a thing as Art were to dull the natural affections.

Mrs. Alving. It would, indeed. But there is no fear of that with
him, I am glad to say. I am quite curious to see if you recognise
him again. He will be down directly; he is just lying down for a
little on the sofa upstairs. But do sit down, my dear friend.

Manders. Thank you. You are sure I am not disturbing you?

Mrs. Alving. Of course not. (She sits down at the table.)

Manders. Good. Then I will show you--. (He goes to the chair
where his bag is lying and takes a packet of papers from it; then
sits down at the opposite side of the table and looks for a clear
space to put the papers down.) Now first of all, here is--(breaks
off). Tell me, Mrs. Alving, what are these books doing here?

Mrs. Alving. These books? I am reading them,

Manders. Do you read this sort of thing?

Mrs, Alving. Certainly I do.

Manders. Do you feel any the better or the happier for reading
books of this kind?

Mrs. Alving. I think it makes me, as it were, more self-reliant.

Manders. That is remarkable. But why?

Mrs. Alving. Well, they give me an explanation or a confirmation
of lots of different ideas that have come into my own mind. But
what surprises me, Mr. Manders, is that, properly speaking, there
is nothing at all new in these books. There is nothing more in
them than what most people think and believe. The only thing is,
that most people either take no account of it or won't admit it
to themselves.

Manders. But, good heavens, do you seriously think that most
people--?

Mrs. Alving. Yes, indeed, I do.

Manders. But not here in the country at any rate? Not here
amongst people like ourselves?

Mrs. Alving. Yes, amongst people like ourselves too.

Previous  - next