Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen (best ebook reader for pc TXT) đ
- Author: Henrik Ibsen
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MANDERS. No, no, Mrs. Alving; many thanks. I shall stay at the inn, as usual. It is so conveniently near the landing-stage.
MRS. ALVING. Well, you must have your own way. But I really should have thought we two old peopleâ
MANDERS. Now you are making fun of me. Ah, youâre naturally in great spirits to-dayâwhat with to-morrowâs festival and Oswaldâs return.
MRS. ALVING. Yes; you can think what a delight it is to me! Itâs more than two years since he was home last. And now he has promised to stay with me all the winter.
MANDERS. Has he really? That is very nice and dutiful of him. For I can well believe that life in Rome and Paris has very different attractions from any we can offer here.
MRS. ALVING. Ah, but here he has his mother, you see. My own darling boyâhe hasnât forgotten his old mother!
MANDERS. It would be grievous indeed, if absence and absorption in art and that sort of thing were to blunt his natural feelings.
MRS. ALVING. Yes, you may well say so. But thereâs nothing of that sort to fear with him. Iâm quite curious to see whether you know him again. Heâll be down presently; heâs upstairs just now, resting a little on the sofa. But do sit down, my dear Pastor.
MANDERS. Thank you. Are you quite at libertyâ?
MRS. ALVING. Certainly. [She sits by the table.]
MANDERS. Very well. Then let me show youâ[He goes to the chair where his travelling-bag lies, takes out a packet of papers, sits down on the opposite side of the table, and tries to find a clear space for the papers.] Now, to begin with, here isâ[Breaking off.] Tell me, Mrs. Alving, how do these books come to be here?
MRS. ALVING. These books? They are books I am reading.
MANDERS. Do you read this sort of literature?
MRS. ALVING. Certainly I do.
MANDERS. Do you feel better or happier for such reading?
MRS. ALVING. I feel, so to speak, more secure.
MANDERS. That is strange. How do you mean?
MRS. ALVING. Well, I seem to find explanation and confirmation of all sorts of things I myself have been thinking. For that is the wonderful part of it, Pastor Mindersâthere is really nothing new in these books, nothing but what most people think and believe. Only most people either donât formulate it to themselves, or else keep quiet about it.
MANDERS. Great heavens! Do you really believe that most peopleâ?
MRS. ALVING. I do, indeed.
MANDERS. But surely not in this country? Not here among us?
MRS. ALVING. Yes, certainly; here as elsewhere.
MANDERS. Well, I really must sayâ!
MRS. ALVING. For the rest, what do you object to in these books?
MANDERS. Object to in them? You surely do not suppose that I have nothing better to do than to study such publications as these?
MRS. ALVING. That is to say, you know nothing of what you are condemning?
MANDERS. I have read enough about these writings to disapprove of them.
MRS. ALVING. Yes; but your own judgmentâ
MANDERS. My dear Mrs. Alving, there are many occasions in life when one must rely upon others. Things are so ordered in this world; and it is well that they are. Otherwise, what would become of society?
MRS. ALVING. Well, well, I daresay youâre right there.
MANDERS. Besides, I of course do not deny that there may be much that is attractive in such books. Nor can I blame you for wishing to keep up with the intellectual movements that are said to be going on in the great world-where you have let your son pass so much of his life. Butâ
MRS. ALVING. But?
MANDERS. [Lowering his voice.] But one should not talk about it, Mrs. Alving. One is certainly not bound to account to everybody for what one reads and thinks within oneâs own four walls.
MRS. ALVING. Of course not; I quite agree with you.
MANDERS. Only think, now, how you are bound to consider the interests of this Orphanage, which you decided on founding at a time whenâif I understand you rightlyâyou thought very differently on spiritual matters.
MRS. ALVING. Oh, yes; I quite admit that. But it was about the Orphanageâ
MANDERS. It was about the Orphanage we were to speak; yes. All I say is: prudence, my dear lady! And now let us get to business. [Opens the packet, and takes out a number of papers.] Do you see these?
MRS. ALVING. The documents?
MANDERS. Allâand in perfect order. I can tell you it was hard work to get them in time. I had to put on strong pressure. The authorities are almost morbidly scrupulous when there is any decisive step to be taken. But here they are at last. [Looks through the bundle.] See! here is the formal deed of gift of the parcel of ground known as Solvik in the Manor of Rosenvold, with all the newly constructed buildings, schoolrooms, masterâs house, and chapel. And here is the legal fiat for the endowment and for the Bye-laws of the Institution. Will you look at them? [Reads.] âBye-laws for the Childrenâs Home to be known as âCaptain Alvingâs Foundation.ââ
MRS. ALVING. (Looks long at the paper.) So there it is.
MANDERS. I have chosen the designation âCaptainâ rather than âChamberlain.â âCaptainâ looks less pretentious.
MRS. ALVING. Oh, yes; just as you think best.
MANDERS. And here you have the Bank Account of the capital lying at interest to cover the current expenses of the Orphanage.
MRS. ALVING. Thank you; but please keep itâit will be more convenient.
MANDERS. With pleasure. I think we will leave the money in the Bank for the present. The interest is certainly not what we could wishâ four per cent. and six monthsâ notice of withdrawal. If a good mortgage could be found later onâof course it must be a first mortgage and an unimpeachable securityâthen we could consider the matter.
MRS. ALVING. Certainly, my dear Pastor Manders. You are the best judge in these things.
MANDERS. I will keep my eyes open at any rate.âBut now there is one thing more which I have several times been intending to ask you.
MRS. ALVING. And what is that?
MANDERS. Shall the Orphanage buildings be insured or not?
MRS. ALVING. Of course they must be insured.
MANDERS. Well, wait a moment, Mrs. Alving. Let us look into the matter a little more closely.
MRS. ALVING. I have everything insured; buildings and movables and stock and crops.
MANDERS. Of course you haveâon your own estate. And so have Iâof course. But here, you see, it is quite another matter. The Orphanage is to be consecrated, as it were, to a higher purpose.
MRS. ALVING. Yes, but thatâs no reasonâ
MANDERS. For my own part, I should certainly not see the smallest impropriety in guarding against all contingenciesâ
MRS. ALVING. No, I should think not.
MANDERS. But what is the general feeling in the neighbourhood? You, of course, know better than I.
MRS. ALVING. Wellâthe general feelingâ
MANDERS. Is there any considerable number of peopleâreally responsible peopleâwho might be scandalised?
MRS. ALVING. What do you mean by âreally responsible peopleâ?
MANDERS. Well, I mean people in such independent and influential positions that one cannot help attaching some weight to their opinions.
MRS. ALVING. There are several people of that sort here, who would very likely be shocked ifâ
MANDERS. There, you see! In town we have many such people. Think of all my colleagueâs adherents! People would be only too ready to interpret our action as a sign that neither you nor I had the right faith in a Higher Providence.
MRS. ALVING. But for your own part, my dear Pastor, you can at least tell yourself thatâ
MANDERS. Yes, I knowâI know; my conscience would be quite easy, that is true enough. But nevertheless we should not escape grave misinterpretation; and that might very likely react unfavourably upon the Orphanage.
MRS. ALVING. Well, in that caseâ
MANDERS. Nor can I entirely lose sight of the difficultâI may even say painfulâposition in which I might perhaps be placed. In the leading circles of the town, people take a lively interest in this Orphanage. It is, of course, founded partly for the benefit of the town, as well; and it is to be hoped it will, to a considerable extent, result in lightening our Poor Rates. Now, as I have been your adviser, and have had the business arrangements in my hands, I cannot but fear that I may have to bear the brunt of fanaticismâ
MRS. ALVING. Oh, you mustnât run the risk of that.
MANDERS. To say nothing of the attacks that would assuredly be made upon me in certain papers and periodicals, whichâ
MRS. ALVING. Enough, my dear Pastor Manders. That consideration is quite decisive.
MANDERS. Then you do not wish the Orphanage to be insured?
MRS. ALVING. No. We will let it alone.
MANDERS. [Leaning hack in his chair.] But if, now, a disaster were to happen? One can never tellâShould you be able to make good the damage?
MRS. ALVING. No; I tell you plainly I should do nothing of the kind.
MANDERS. Then I must tell you, Mrs. Alvingâwe are taking no small responsibility upon ourselves.
MRS. ALVING. Do you think we can do otherwise?
MANDERS. No, that is just the point; we really cannot do otherwise. We ought not to expose ourselves to misinterpretation; and we have no right whatever to give offence to the weaker brethren.
MRS. ALVING. You, as a clergyman, certainly should not.
MANDERS. I really think, too, we may trust that such an institution has fortune on its side; in fact, that it stands under a special providence.
MRS. ALVING. Let us hope so, Pastor Manders.
MANDERS. Then we will let it take its chance?
MRS. ALVING. Yes, certainly.
MANDERS. Very well. So be it. [Makes a note.] Thenâno insurance.
MRS. ALVING. Itâs odd that you should just happen to mention the matter to-dayâ
MANDERS. I have often thought of asking you about itâ
MRS. ALVING. âfor we very nearly had a fire down there yesterday.
MANDERS. You donât say so!
MRS. ALVING. Oh, it was a trifling matter. A heap of shavings had caught fire in the carpenterâs workshop.
MANDERS. Where Engstrand works?
MRS. ALVING. Yes. They say heâs often very careless with matches.
MANDERS. He has so much on his mind, that manâso many things to fight against. Thank God, he is now striving to lead a decent life, I hear.
MRS. ALVING. Indeed! Who says so?
MANDERS. He himself assures me of it. And he is certainly a capital workman.
MRS. ALVING. Oh, yes; so long as heâs soberâ
MANDERS. Ah, that melancholy weakness! But, a is often driven to it by his injured leg, lie says,â Last time he was in town I was really touched by him. He came and thanked me so warmly for having got him work here, so that he might be near Regina.
MRS. ALVING. He doesnât see much of her.
MANDERS. Oh, yes; he has a talk with her every day. He told me so himself.
MRS. ALVING. Well, it may be so.
MANDERS. He feels so acutely that he needs some one to keep a firm hold on him when temptation comes. That is what I cannot help liking about Jacob Engstrand: he comes to you so helplessly, accusing himself and confessing his own weakness. The last time he was talking to meâBelieve me, Mrs. Alving, supposing it were a real necessity for him to have Regina home againâ
MRS. ALVING. [Rising hastily.] Regina!
MANDERS. âyou must not set yourself against it.
MRS. ALVING. Indeed I shall set myself against it. And besidesâ Regina is to have a position in the Orphanage.
MANDERS. But, after all, remember he is
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