Hedda Gabler

Then what am I to do with my life? Lövborg You must try to live your life as if you had never know me. Mrs. Elvsted But you know I cannot do that! Lövborg Try if you cannot, Thea. You must go home again⁠— Mrs. Elvsted In vehement protest. Never in this world! Where you are, there will I be also! I will not let myself be driven away like this! I will remain here! I will be with you when the book appears. Hedda Half aloud, in suspense. Ah yes⁠—the book! Lövborg Looks at her. My book and Thea’s; for that is what it is. Mrs. Elvsted Yes, I feel that it is. And that is why I have a right to be with you when it appears! I will see with my own eyes how respect and honour pour in upon you afresh. And the happiness⁠—the happiness⁠—oh, I must share it with you! Lövborg Thea⁠—our book will never appear. Hedda Ah! Mrs. Elvsted Never appear! Lövborg Can never appear. Mrs. Elvsted In agonised foreboding. Lövborg⁠—what have you done with the manuscript? Hedda Looks anxiously at him. Yes, the manuscript⁠—? Mrs. Elvsted Where is it? Lövborg The manuscript⁠—. Well then⁠—I have torn the manuscript into a thousand pieces. Mrs. Elvsted Shrieks. Oh no, no⁠—! Hedda Involuntarily. But that’s not⁠— Lövborg Looks at her. Not true, you think? Hedda Collecting herself. Oh well, of course⁠—since you say so. But it sounded so improbable⁠— Lövborg It is true, all the same. Mrs. Elvsted Wringing her hands. Oh God⁠—oh God, Hedda⁠—torn his own work to pieces! Lövborg I have torn my own life to pieces. So why should I not tear my lifework too⁠—? Mrs. Elvsted And you did this last night? Lövborg Yes, I tell you! Tore it into a thousand pieces⁠—and scattered them on the fjord⁠—far out. There there is cool seawater at any rate⁠—let them drift upon it⁠—drift with the current and the wind. And then presently they will sink⁠—deeper and deeper⁠—as I shall, Thea. Mrs. Elvsted Do you know, Lövborg, that what you have done with the book⁠—I shall think of it to my dying day as though you had killed a little child. Lövborg Yes, you are right. It is a sort of child murder. Mrs. Elvsted How could you, then⁠—! Did not the child belong to me too? Hedda Almost inaudibly. Ah, the child⁠— Mrs. Elvsted Breathing heavily. It is all over then. Well well, now I will go, Hedda. Hedda But you are not going away from town? Mrs. Elvsted Oh, I don’t know what I shall do. I see nothing but darkness before me. She goes out by the hall door. Hedda Stands waiting for a moment. So you are not going to see her home, Mr. Lövborg? Lövborg I? Through the streets? Would you have people see her walking with me? Hedda Of course I don’t know what else may have happened last night. But is it so utterly irretrievable? Lövborg It will not end with last night⁠—I know that perfectly well. And the thing is that now I have no taste for that sort of life either. I won’t begin it anew. She has broken my courage and my power of braving life out. Hedda Looking straight before her. So that pretty little fool has had her fingers in a man’s destiny. Looks at him. But all the same, how could you treat her so heartlessly. Lövborg Oh, don’t say that I was heartless! Hedda To go and destroy what has filled her whole soul for months and years! You do not call that heartless! Lövborg To you I can tell the truth, Hedda. Hedda The truth? Lövborg First promise me⁠—give me your word⁠—that what I now confide in you Thea shall never know. Hedda I give you my word. Lövborg Good. Then let me tell you that what I said just now was untrue. Hedda About the manuscript? Lövborg Yes. I have not torn it to pieces⁠—nor thrown it into the fjord. Hedda No, no⁠—. But⁠—where is it then? Lövborg I have destroyed it none the less⁠—utterly destroyed it, Hedda! Hedda I don’t understand. Lövborg Thea said that what I had done seemed to her like a child murder. Hedda Yes, so she said. Lövborg But to kill his child⁠—that is not the worst thing a father can do to it. Hedda Not the worst? Lövborg Suppose now, Hedda, that a man⁠—in the small hours of the morning⁠—came home to his child’s mother after a night of riot and debauchery, and said: “Listen⁠—I have been here and there⁠—in this place and in that. And I have taken our child with⁠—to this place and to that. And I have lost the child⁠—utterly lost it. The devil knows into what hands it may have fallen⁠—who may have had their clutches on it.” Hedda Well⁠—but when all is said and done, you know⁠—this was only a book⁠— Lövborg Thea’s pure soul was in that book. Hedda Yes, so I understand. Lövborg And you can understand, too, that for her and me together no future is possible. Hedda What path do you mean to take then? Lövborg None. I will only try to make an end of it all⁠—the sooner the better. Hedda A step nearer him. Eilert Lövborg⁠—listen to me.⁠—Will you not try to⁠—to do it beautifully? Lövborg Beautifully? Smiling. With vine leaves in my hair, as you used to dream in the old days⁠—? Hedda No, no. I have lost my faith in the vine leaves. But beautifully nevertheless! For once in a way!⁠—Goodbye! You must go now⁠—and do not come here any more. Lövborg Goodbye, Mrs. Tesman. And give George Tesman my love. He is on the point of going. Hedda No, wait! I must give you a memento to take with you. She goes to the writing table and opens the drawer and the pistol case; then returns to Lövborg with one of the pistols. Lövborg Looks at her. This? Is this the memento? Hedda Nodding slowly. Do you recognise it? It was aimed at you once. Lövborg You should have used it then. Hedda Take it⁠—and do you use it now. Lövborg Puts the pistol in his breast pocket. Thanks! Hedda And beautifully, Eilert Lövborg. Promise me that! Lövborg Goodbye, Hedda Gabler. He goes out by the hall door. Hedda listens for