Chapter XXXV: Act I

SCENE.--_A plainly furnished work-room in the house of_ HALVARD
SOLNESS. _At the back, visible through an open door, is the
draughtsman's office, where sit_ KNUT BROVIK _and his son_,
RAGNAR, _occupied with plans and calculations. At the desk
in the outer office_ KAIA FOSLI _is writing in the ledger.
She is young, slight, and delicate-looking. She wears a
green shade over her eyes. All three work for some time
in silence_.

KNUT BROVIK _(rising as if in distress_): No, I can't
bear it much longer!

KAIA: You're feeling very ill, aren't you, uncle?

BROVIK: Oh, I seem to get worse every day!

RAGNAR _(advancing)_: You ought to go home, father.

BROVIK: Not till _he_ comes! I'm determined to have
it out--with the chief!

KAIA _(anxiously)_: Oh, no, uncle! Wait awhile.
Hush! I hear him on the stairs.

[_They go back to their work_. HALVARD SOLNESS, _mature,
healthy, vigorous, comes in_.

SOLNESS: Are they gone?

KAIA: No. _[She takes the shade off her eyes_.

SOLNESS _(approaching her and whispering_): Kaia!
Why do you always take off that shade when I come?

KAIA: I look so ugly with it on.

SOLNESS _(stroking her hair_): Poor, poor little
Kaia------

KAIA: Hush------

[BROVIK _comes into the front room_.

BROVIK: May I have a few words with you?

SOLNESS: Certainly.

[BROVIK _sends_ KAIA _out_.

BROVIK: It will soon be all over with me. (SOLNESS
_places him in an armchair_.) Thanks. Well, you see, it's
about Ragnar. That weighs most upon me. What's to
become of him?

SOLNESS: Your son will stay with me as long as ever
he likes.
BROVIK: But he wants to have a chance. He must do
something on his own account.

SOLNESS: Well, but he has learnt nothing, except, of
course, to draw.

BROVIK: You had learnt little enough when you were
with me, and yet you cut me out. Now, how can you
have the heart to let me go to my grave without having
seen what Ragnar is fit for? And I'm anxious to see
him and Kaia married--before I go.

SOLNESS: I can't drag commissions down from the
moon for him.

BROVIK: He can have the building of that villa at Lövstrand,
if you would only approve of his plans, and
retire------

SOLNESS _(angrily):_ Retire? I?

BROVIK: From the agreement, that is.

SOLNESS: So that's it, is it? Halvard Solness to make
room for younger men! Never in the world!

BROVIK _(rising painfully_): Then I'm to die without
any certainty, any gleam of happiness or trust in Ragnar?

SOLNESS: You must pass out of life as best you can.
[BROVIK _reels_. RAGNAR _enters and takes his father
home._ SOLNESS _detains_ KAIA.

SOLNESS: You want to marry Ragnar.

KAIA: I cared for him once--before I met you. I
can't be separated from you------

SOLNESS: Marry him as much as you please. Make
him stay here, and then I can keep _you_, too, my dear
Kaia.

KAIA _(sinks down before him_): Oh, how unspeakably
good you are to me!

SOLNESS: Get up! For goodness' sake get up! I
think I hear someone.

[MRS. SOLNESS _enters. She is wasted with grief, but has
once been beautiful_.

MRS. SOLNESS _(with a glance at_ KAIA): Halvard!
I'm afraid I'm disturbing you.

SOLNESS: Not in the least. What is it, Aline?

MRS. SOLNESS: Merely that Dr. Herdal is in the drawing-room.

SOLNESS: I'll come later on, dear--later on.

[_Exit_ MRS. SOLNESS.

KAIA: Oh, dear! Oh, dear! I'm sure Mrs. Solness
thinks ill of me in some way!

SOLNESS: Oh, not in the least! You'd better go now,
all the same, Kaia. And mind you get that matter about
Ragnar settled for me. Please give me Ragnar's drawings
before you go. I might glance over them.

KAIA _(happy):_ Oh, yes, please do!

[MRS. SOLNESS _and_ DR. HERDAL _enter_.

MRS. SOLNESS: Halvard, I cannot keep the doctor any
longer.

SOLNESS: Well, then, come in here.

KAIA: Good-night, Mrs. Solness.

[KAIA _goes out_.

MRS. SOLNESS: She must be quite an acquisition to you,
Halvard, this Miss Fosli.

SOLNESS: Yes, indeed. She's useful in all sorts of
ways.

MRS. SOLNESS: So it seems.

[MRS. SOLNESS _goes out_.

SOLNESS: Tell me, doctor, did you notice anything odd
about Aline?

DR. HERDAL _(smiling_): Well, one couldn't help noticing
that your wife--h'm------

SOLNESS: Well?

DR. HERDAL: That your wife isn't particularly fond
of this Miss Fosli. There's nothing of any sort in the
case, is there?

SOLNESS: Not on _my_ side.

DR. HERDAL: On hers, then?

SOLNESS: Hardly a fair question! Still, you know
she's engaged to Ragnar; but since she came here she
seemed to drift quite away from _him_.
DR. HERDAL: She drifted over to you, then?

SOLNESS: Yes, entirely. She quivers when she comes
near me.

DR. HERDAL: Why on earth don't you tell your wife
the rights of it?

SOLNESS: Because I seem to find a sort of--of salutary
self-sacrifice in allowing Aline to do me an injustice.
It's like paying off a little bit of a huge, immeasurable
debt I owe her. Oh, I know she thinks I'm ill--crazy.
And, I think, so do you.

DR. HERDAL: And what then?

SOLNESS: Then I dare say you fancy I'm an extremely
happy man--Solness, the master builder!

DR. HERDAL: You've certainly had luck on your side.
First of all, the home of your wife's family was burnt
down for you. A great grief to her--but _you_ rose on the
ruins. Yes, you've had luck.

SOLNESS: But luck must turn. The younger generation
will come knocking at my door. Then there's an
end of Halvard Solness, the master builder. (_A knock
at the door. Starts_.) What's that?

DR. HERDAL: Someone is knocking at the door.

SOLNESS (_loudly_): Come in!

[HILDA WANGEL _enters. She is dressed in a tourist
costume, skirt caught up for walking, and carries
a knapsack and alpenstock_.

HILDA: You don't recognise me?

SOLNESS (_doubtfully_): No. I must admit that--just
for the moment.

DR. HERDAL: But I recognise you, Miss Wangel.

SOLNESS: Wangel? You must be the doctor's daughter
up at Lysanger?

HILDA: Yes. Who else's daughter should I be?

[SOLNESS _calls in his wife, an old friend of_ MISS
WANGEL'S. HILDA _asks leave to stay the night_. MRS.
SOLNESS _consents amiably. She and the doctor go
out._ HILDA and SOLNESS _alone_.

HILDA: Mr. Solness, have you a bad memory?

SOLNESS: Not that I'm aware of.

HILDA: Don't you remember what happened up at Lysanger?

SOLNESS: It was nothing much, was it?

HILDA: How can you say that? Don't you remember
how you climbed the new church tower when it was
finished, and hung a great wreath on the weather-cock; and
how I stood with the other white-frocked schoolgirls and
screamed, "Hurrah for Mr. Solness?" And you sang up
there--like harps in the air! And afterwards you
kissed me, kissed me and said in ten years I'd be _your_
princess, and you'd come back and give me a castle in
Spain--a kingdom--

SOLNESS (_open-mouthed_): _I_ did?

HILDA: Yes, _you_. Well, the ten years are up to-day.
I want my kingdom! Out with my kingdom, Mr. Solness!
On the table!

SOLNESS: But, seriously, what do you want to do here?

HILDA: I don't want that stupid imaginary kingdom--I've
set my heart upon quite a different one.

SOLNESS (_gazing at her_): I seem--it's strange--to
have gone about all these years torturing myself with the
effort to recover something--some experience which I
seem to have forgotten. What a good thing it is that
you have come to me now. I'd begun to be so afraid--so
terribly afraid of the younger generation. One day
they'll thunder at my door.

HILDA: Then I'd go out and open it. Let them come
in to you on friendly terms, as it were.

SOLNESS: No, no, no! The younger generation--it
means retribution.

HILDA (_with quivering lips_): Can _I_ be of any use to
you, Mr. Solness?

SOLNESS: Yes, you can. For you, too, come--under
a new banner, it seems to me. Youth marshalled against
youth! _You_ are the very one I have most needed.

HILDA (_with happy, wondering eyes_): Oh, heavens, how
lovely!

SOLNESS: What?

HILDA: Then I _have_ my kingdom!

SOLNESS _(involuntarily)_: Hilda!

HILDA _(with quivering lips): Almost_--I was going to say.

[_She goes out_. SOLNESS _follows her_.