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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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RANK Something I have long been prepared for; but I didn’t think it would come so soon. NORA [Catching at his arm.] What have you discovered? Doctor Rank, you must tell me! RANK [Sitting down by the stove.] I am running down hill. There’s no help for it. NORA [Draws a long breath of relief.] It’s you-? RANK Who else should it be?- Why lie to one’s self? I am the most wretched of all my patients, Mrs. Helmer. In these last days I have been auditing my life-account-bankrupt! Perhaps before a month is over, I shall lie rotting in the church-yard. NORA Oh! What an ugly way to talk. RANK The thing itself is so confoundedly ugly, you see. But the worst of it is, so many other ugly things have to be gone through first. There is only one last investigation to be made, and when that is over I shall know pretty certainly when the break-up will begin. There’s one thing I want to say to you: Helmer’s delicate nature shrinks so from all that is horrible: I will not have him in my sick-roomNORA But, Doctor RankRANK I won’t have him, I say-not on any account! I shall lock my door against him.- As soon as I am quite certain of the worst, I shall send you my visiting-card with a black cross on it; and then you will know that the final horror has begun. NORA Why, you’re perfectly unreasonable to-day; and I did so want you to be in a really good humour. RANK With death staring me in the face?- And to suffer thus for another’s sin! Where’s the justice of it? And in one way or another you can trace in every family some such inexorable retributionNORA [Stopping her ears.] Nonsense, nonsense! Now cheer up! RANK Well, after all, the whole thing’s only worth laughing at. My poor innocent spine must do penance for my father’s wild oats. NORA [At table, left.] I suppose he was too fond of asparagus and Strasbourg pate, wasn’t he? RANK Yes; and truffles. NORA Yes, truffles, to be sure. And oysters, I believe? RANK Yes, oysters; oysters, of course. NORA And then all the port and champagne! It’s sad that all these good things should attack the spine. RANK Especially when the luckless spine attacked never had any good of them. NORA Ah, yes, that’s the worst of it. RANK[Looks at her searchingly.] H’mNORA[A moment later.] Why did you smile? RANK No; it was you that laughed. NORA No; it was you that smiled, Doctor Rank. RANK[Standing up.] I see you’re deeper than I thought. NORA I’m in such a crazy mood to-day. |
