Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen

Author:Henrik Ibsen [Ibsen, Henrik]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Tags: Families -- Drama, Europe -- Social conditions -- 19th century -- Drama, Tragedies, Mothers and sons -- Drama, Norwegian drama -- Translations into English, Domestic drama
Publisher: Standard Ebooks
Published: 2019-03-07T21:30:01+00:00

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

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