Punch: Punch (100.1891)

148

[March 28, 1891.

n.n _^AI/rT ,D«r-M gravely) BeataI I understood where your deliverance lay—and I

MR. PUNCH'S POCKET IBSEN. acted. I drove Beata into the mill-race .. . There!

[Condensed and Revised Version by Mr. P.'s Own Harmless Ibsenite.) '\ _ Rosmer {after a short silence). H'm ! Well Kboll-{takes up his

hat)—li you re thinking- of walking1 home, I 11 go too. I m going to

No. I.-ROSMERSHOLM (concluded.)
Act in.

Sitting-room at Rosmersholm. Sun shining outside in the Garden.
Inside Rebecca "West is watering a geranium with a small

be orthodox once more—after this!

Kroll {severely and impressively, to Reb.). A nice sort of young
woman you are! [Both go out hastily, without looking at Reb.

Reb. {speaks to herself, under her breath). Now I have done it. I

instae Rebecca west m watering a geranium wun a snum wonder ^Ay. {Pulls bell-rope.) Madam Helseth, I have just had
watering-pot. Her crochet antimacassar lies in the arm-chair . a Um of twQ rushin WMte Horgegi Bri dow^ hair-trunk.
Madam Helseth is rubbing the chairs with furniture-polish ° * vt7m+ov lUo^om tt .™vi 7™». uiT?-.,-i n..~+„:» f„n.

rubbing the chairs with furniture-polish
from a large bottle. Enter Rosmer, with his hat and stick in his
hand. Madam Helseth corks the bottle and goes out to the right.

Rebecca. Good morning, dear. {A moment after—crocheting.) Have
you seen Rector Kroll's paper this morning? There's something
about you in it.

Rosmer. Oh, indeed? {Puts doivn hat and stick, and takes up
paper.) H'm! {Reads—then walks about the room.) Kboll has

[Enter Madam H., with large hair-trunk, as Curtain falls.
Act IY.

Late evening. Rebecca West stands by a lighted lamp, with a shade
over it, packing sandwiches, fyc, in a reticule, with a faint
smile. The antimacassar is on the sofa. Enter Rosmeb.
Rosmer {seeing the sandwiches, <§~c). Sandwiches ? Then you are
going I Why, on earth,—I can't understand !

made it hot for me. {Reads some more.) Oh, this is too bad! Reb. Dear, you never can. Rosmersholm is too much for me

Rebecca, they do say such nasty spiteful things! They actually
call me a renegade—and I can't think why! They mustn't go on
like this. All that is good in human nature will go to ruin if
they 're allowed to attack an excellent man like me ! Only think,
if I can make them see how unkind they have been!

Reb. Yes, dear, in that you have a great and glorious object to
attain—and I wish you may get it!
Rosmer. Thanks. I think I shall. {Happens to took through

But how did you get on with Kboll ?

Rosmer. We have made it up. He has convinced me that the
work of ennobling men was several sizes too large for me—so I am

going to let it alone-

Reb. {with her faint smile). There I almost think, dear, that you
are wise.

Rosmer {as if annoyed). What, so you don't believe in me either,
Rebecca—you*never did! [Sits listlessly on chair.

window, and jumps.) Ah, no, I Reb. Not much, dear, when

shan't—never now. I have just c\y f'"? you are left to yourself—but I've

seen- '» . . another confession to make.

Reb. Not the White Horse, |f f ., ./ ,/_ £ - . .. Rosmer. What, another f I
dear? We must really not overdo ', ~v -- ^-W^ S> >;•-■' '"'^/y' / really can't stand any more con-
that White Horse ! j 4^ fVmffl& & -MM$'%<Z' y ■' fessions just now 1

Rosmer, No — the mill-race, , , ; 'j^^Kmrn ' Reb, {sitting close to him). It is

where Beata-(Puts on his hat Ztf Jggt' J ^W""^^'-'^>- only a little one. I bullied Beata

— takes it off again,) I 'm begin- ■ /''f'j*" _r<^^/^^^mr- *m. ' into the mill-race—because of a

ning to "be haunted by — no, I , :;J$§^K wild uncontrollable-;- (Rosmeb

don't mean the horse—byaterrible | V/^jfP^*^ if'^^^^^^^^liy^'W.^a^^^'ji'i^^: .-i-.<-'-" moves uneasily.) Sit still, dear-

suspicion that Beata may have ' ^\ftjts<?0Mim^M^jfjffj J^PpS^fe^'^^''■'?%0^:>"-.■ ■ uncontrollable fancy—for you!

been right after all! Yes, I do \ fy/^^'^'^Tg***^"' ~^ y-xT ^^^^fi^j^^^^ Rosmer {goes and sits on sofa).

believe, now I come to think of t ' '"^llllV - v""'■■^f^T:-^^^^^\ffiffiaSs^^ Oh, my goodness, Rebecca—you

it, that I must really have been IP^mP'-' >r- '^^JfS^Sl^^^' ' "fjjggP-^' mustn't, you know !

in love with you from the first. '^§|p^|^ ' '■^^msf' jumps up and down as

Tell me your opinion. ^1|§|jjfe> '■^^jSnl " ''■^^^■'fmS^-'^-*^S^^' if embarrassed.

Reb. (struggling with herself, >6'fcfr '^^^.a^^^W / ' . (iN ~ - Reb. Don't be alarmed, dear,

and still crocheting). Oh—I can't M \ft, \>ff^C^ml: ■ \j^S—i ligjlP^ '' it is all over now. After living

exactly say—such an odd question ^^m,W-Z^^^^^W' ' ~" : ~ alone with you in solitude, when

to ask me ! /Wv-( .^^^^^^^^^^^^^^--^fj^.^^^^ " - you showed me all your thoughts

Rosmer (shakes his head). Per- j^Ps/k ;■. .<sr=^ cf3'f~~ - - - without reserve,—little by little,

haps ; I have no sense of humour
—no respectable Norwegian has
— and I do want to know—be-
cause, you see, if I was in love

with you, it was a sin, and if I once convinced myself of that-

[ Wanders across the room.
Reb. (breaking out). Oh, these old ancestral prejudices! Here is
your hat, and your stick, too ; go and take a walk.

[Rosmer takes hat and stick, first, then goes out and takes a
walk ; presently Madam Helseth appears, and tells Rebecca
something. Rebecca tells her something. They whisper
together. Madam H. nods, and shows in Rector Kboll,
ivho keeps his hat in his hand, and sits on a chair.
Kroll. I merely called for the purpose of informing you that I
consider you an artful and designing person, but that, on the whole,
considering your birth and moral antecedents, you know—(nods at
her)—it is not surprising. (Rebecca ivalks about, wringing her
hands ) Why, what is the matter ? Did you really not know that
you had no right to your father's name ? I'd no idea you would
mind my mentioning such a trifle !

Reb. (breaking out). I do mind. I am an emancipated enigma, but
I retain a few little prejudices still. I don't like owning to my real
age, and I do prefer to be legitimate. And, after your information
—of which 1 was quite ignorant, as my mother, the late Mrs. Oamvik,
never once alluded to it—I feel I must confess everything. Strong-
minded advanced women are like that. Here is Rosmeb. (Rosmee
enters with his hat arid stick.) Rosmeb, I want to tell you and
Rector Kroll a little story. Let us sit down, dear, all three of us.
(They sit down, mechanically, on chairs.) A long time ago, before
the play began—(in a voice scarcely audible)—in Ibsenite dramas,
all the interesting things somehow do happen before the play
begins-

Rosmer. But, Rebecca, I know all this. Kboll—(looks hard at
her). Perhaps I had better go ?

Reb. No—I will be short—this was it. I wanted to take my share
in the life of the New Era, and march onward with Rosmer. There
was one dismal, insurmountable barrier—(to Rosmer, who nods

somehow the fancy passed off. I
caught the Rosmer view of life badly, and dulness descended on
my soul as an extinguisher upon one of our Northern dips. The
Rosmer view of life is ennobling, very—but hardly lively. And
I've more yet to tell you.
Rosmer (turning it off). Isn't that enough for one evening ?
Reb. (almost voiceless). No, dear. I have a Past—behind me !
Rosmer. Behind you ? How strange. I had an idea of that sort
already. (Starts, as if in fear.) A joke ! (Sadly.) Ah, no—no, I
must not give way to that! Never mind the Past, Rebecca ; I once
thought that I had made the grand discovery that, if one is only
virtuous, one will be happy. I see now it was too daring, too original
— an immature dream. What bothers me is that I can't—somehow I
can't—believe entirely in you—I am not even sure that I have
ennobled you so very much— isn't it terrible ?

Reb. (wringing her hands). Oh, this killing doubt! (Looks darkly
at him.) Is there anything Jean do to convince you ?

Rosmer (as if impelled to speak against his will). Yes, one thing—
only I'm afraid you wouldn't see it in the same light. _ And yet
I must mention it. It is like this. I want to recover faith in my
mission, in my power to ennoble human souls. And, as a logical
thinker, this I cannot do now, unless—well, unless you jump into
the mill-race, too, like Beata !

Reb. (takes up her antimacassar^ with composure, and puts it on
her head). Anything to oblige you.

Rosmer (springs up). What? You really will! You are sure
you don't mind ? Then, Rfbecca, I will go further. I will even
go—yes—as far as you go yourself I

Reb. (boivs her head towards his breast). Yon will see me off?
Thanks. Now you are indeed an Ibsenite.

[Smiles almost imperceptibly.
Rosmer (cautiously). I said as far as you go. I don't commit
myself further than that. Shall we go ?

Reb. First tell me this. Are you going with me, or am I going
with you f

Ros?ner. A subtle psychological point—but we have not time to
think it out here. We will discuss it as we go along. Come I