|
Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
||||
 |
||||
|
Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
||||
|
|
||||
|
NORA [Rises and walks across the room.] Oh, yesterday, it didn’t seem so pleasant as usual.- You should have come to town a little sooner, Christina.- Torvald has certainly the art of making home bright and beautiful. MRS. LINDEN You too, I should think, or you wouldn’t be your father’s daughter. But tell me-is Doctor Rank always so depressed as he was last evening? NORA No, yesterday it was particularly noticeable. You see, he suffers from a dreadful illness. He has spinal consumption, poor fellow. They say his father was a horrible man, who kept mistresses and all sorts of things-so the son has been sickly from his childhood, you understand. MRS. LINDEN [Lets her sewing fall into her lap.] Why, my darling Nora, how do you come to know such things? NORA [Moving about the room.] Oh, when one has three children, one sometimes has visits from women who are half-half doctors-and they talk of one thing and another. MRS. LINDEN [Goes on sewing; a short pause.] Does Doctor Rank come here every day? NORA Every day of his life. He has been Torvald’s most intimate friend from boyhood, and he’s a good friend of mine too. Doctor Rank is quite one of the family. MRS. LINDEN But tell me-is he quite sincere? I mean, isn’t he rather given to flattering people? NORA No, quite the contrary. Why should you think so? MRS. LINDEN When you introduced us yesterday he said he had often heard my name; but I noticed afterwards that your husband had no notion who I was. How could Doctor Rank-? NORA He was quite right, Christina. You see, Torvald loves me so indescribably, he wants to have me all to himself, as he says. When we were first married he was almost jealous if I even mentioned any of my old friends at home; so naturally I gave up doing it. But I often talk of the old times to Doctor Rank, for he likes to hear about them. MRS. LINDEN Listen to me, Nora! You are still a child in many ways. I am older than you, and have had more experience. I’ll tell you something? You ought to get clear of all this with Dr. Rank. NORA Get clear of what? MRS. LINDEN The whole affair, I should say. You were talking yesterday of a rich admirer who was to find you moneyNORA Yes, one who never existed, worse luck. What then? MRS. LINDEN Has Doctor Rank money? NORA Yes, he has. MRS. LINDEN And nobody to provide for? NORA Nobody. But-? MRS. LINDEN And he comes here every day? NORA Yes, I told you so. MRS. LINDEN I should have thought he would have had better taste. NORA I don’t understand you a bit. |
