A Doll’s House

I can’t now. Run away in; I have such a lot to do. Run away in, my sweet little darlings. She gets them into the room by degrees and shuts the door on them; then sits down on the sofa, takes up a piece of needlework and sews a few stitches, but soon stops. No! Throws down the work, gets up, goes to the hall door and calls out. Helen! bring the tree in. Goes to the table on the left, opens a drawer, and stops again. No, no! it is quite impossible! Maid Coming in with the tree. Where shall I put it, ma’am? Nora Here, in the middle of the floor. Maid Shall I get you anything else? Nora No, thank you. I have all I want. Exit Maid. Nora Begins dressing the tree. A candle here⁠—and flowers here⁠—The horrible man! It’s all nonsense⁠—there’s nothing wrong. The tree shall be splendid! I will do everything I can think of to please you, Torvald!⁠—I will sing for you, dance for you⁠—Helmer comes in with some papers under his arm. Oh! are you back already? Helmer Yes. Has anyone been here? Nora Here? No. Helmer That is strange. I saw Krogstad going out of the gate. Nora Did you? Oh yes, I forgot, Krogstad was here for a moment. Helmer Nora, I can see from your manner that he has been here begging you to say a good word for him. Nora Yes. Helmer And you were to appear to do it of your own accord; you were to conceal from me the fact of his having been here; didn’t he beg that of you too? Nora Yes, Torvald, but⁠— Helmer Nora, Nora, and you would be a party to that sort of thing? To have any talk with a man like that, and give him any sort of promise? And to tell me a lie into the bargain? Nora A lie⁠—? Helmer Didn’t you tell me no one had been here? Shakes his finger at her. My little songbird must never do that again. A songbird must have a clean beak to chirp with⁠—no false notes! Puts his arm round her waist. That is so, isn’t it? Yes, I am sure it is. Lets her go. We will say no more about it. Sits down by the stove. How warm and snug it is here! Turns over his papers. Nora After a short pause, during which she busies herself with the Christmas tree. Torvald! Helmer Yes. Nora I am looking forward tremendously to the fancy-dress ball at the Stenborgs’ the day after tomorrow. Helmer And I am tremendously curious to see what you are going to surprise me with. Nora It was very silly of me to want to do that. Helmer What do you mean? Nora I can’t hit upon anything that will do; everything I think of seems so silly and insignificant. Helmer Does my little Nora acknowledge that at last? Nora Standing behind his chair with her arms on the back of it. Are you very busy, Torvald? Helmer Well⁠— Nora What are all those papers? Helmer Bank business. Nora Already? Helmer I have got authority from the retiring manager to undertake the necessary changes in the staff and in the rearrangement of the work; and I must make use of the Christmas week for that, so as to have everything in order for the new year. Nora Then that was why this poor Krogstad⁠— Helmer Hm! Nora Leans against the back of his chair and strokes his hair. If you hadn’t been so busy I should have asked you a tremendously big favour, Torvald. Helmer What is that? Tell me. Nora There is no one has such good taste as you. And I do so want to look nice at the fancy-dress ball. Torvald, couldn’t you take me in hand and decide what I shall go as, and what sort of a dress I shall wear? Helmer Aha! so my obstinate little woman is obliged to get someone to come to her rescue? Nora Yes, Torvald, I can’t get along a bit without your help. Helmer Very well, I will think it over, we shall manage to hit upon something. Nora That is nice of you. Goes to the Christmas tree. A short pause. How pretty the red flowers look⁠—. But, tell me, was it really something very bad that this Krogstad was guilty of? Helmer He forged someone’s name. Have you any idea what that means? Nora Isn’t it possible that he was driven to do it by necessity? Helmer Yes; or, as in so many cases, by imprudence. I am not so heartless as to condemn a man altogether because of a single false step of that kind. Nora No, you wouldn’t, would you, Torvald? Helmer Many a man has been able to retrieve his character, if he has openly confessed his fault and taken his punishment. Nora Punishment⁠—? Helmer But Krogstad did nothing of that sort; he got himself out of it by a cunning trick, and that is why he has gone under altogether. Nora But do you think it would⁠—? Helmer Just think how a guilty man like that has to lie and play the hypocrite with everyone, how he has to wear a mask in the presence of those near and dear to him, even before his own wife and children. And about the children⁠—that is the most terrible part of it all, Nora. Nora How? Helmer Because such an atmosphere of lies infects and poisons the whole life of a home. Each breath the children take in such a house is full of the germs of evil. Nora Coming nearer him. Are you sure of that? Helmer My dear, I have often seen it in the course of my life as a lawyer. Almost everyone who has gone to the bad early in life has had a deceitful mother. Nora Why do you only say⁠—mother? Helmer It seems most commonly to be the mother’s influence, though naturally a bad father’s would have the same result. Every lawyer is familiar with the fact. This Krogstad, now, has been persistently poisoning his own children with