Chapter 27

Professor Rubek.

[Tries to seize it.] Have you a knife?

Irene.

Always, always—both day and night—in bed as well!

Professor Rubek.

Give me that knife, Irene!

Irene.

[Concealing it.] You shall not have it. I may very likely find a use for it myself.

Professor Rubek.

What use can you have for it, here?

Irene.

[Looks fixedly at him.] It was intended foryou, Arnold.

Professor Rubek.

Forme!

Irene.

As we were sitting by the Lake of Taunitz last evening——

Professor Rubek.

By the Lake of——

Irene.

—outside the peasant’s hut—and playing with swans and water-lilies——

Professor Rubek.

What then—what then?

Irene.

—and when I heard you say with such deathly, icy coldness—that I was nothing but an episode in your life——

Professor Rubek.

It wasyouthat saidthat, Irene, not I.

Irene.

[Continuing.]—then I had my knife out. I wanted to stab you in the back with it.

Professor Rubek.

[Darkly.] And why did you hold your hand?

Irene.

Because it flashed upon me with a sudden horror that you were dead already—long ago.

Professor Rubek.

Dead?

Irene.

Dead. Dead, you as well as I. We sat there by the Lake of Taunitz, we two clay-cold bodies—and played with each other.

Professor Rubek.

I do not call that being dead. But you do not understand me.

Irene.

Then where is the burning desire for me that you fought and battled against when I stood freely forth before you as the woman arisen from the dead?

Professor Rubek.

Our love is assuredly not dead, Irene.

Irene.

The love that belongs to the life of earth—the beautiful, miraculous earth-life—the inscrutable earth-life—that is dead in both of us.

Professor Rubek.

[Passionately.] And do you know that just that love—it is burning and seething in me as hotly as ever before?

Irene.

And I? Have you forgotten who I now am?

Professor Rubek.

Be who or what you please, for aught I care! For me, you are the woman I see in my dreams of you.

Irene.

I have stood on the turn-table—naked—and made a show of myself to many hundreds of men—after you.

Professor Rubek.

It was I that drove you to the turn-table—blind as I then was—I, who placed the dead clay-image above the happiness of life—of love.

Irene.

[Looking down.] Too late—too late!

Professor Rubek.

Not by a hairsbreadth has all that has passed in the interval lowered you in my eyes.

Irene.

[With head erect.] Nor in my own!

Professor Rubek.

Well, what then! Then we are free—and there is still time for us to live our life, Irene.

Irene.

[Looks sadly at him.] The desire for life is dead in me, Arnold. Now I have arisen. And I look for you. And I find you.—And then I see that you and life lie dead—as I have lain.

Professor Rubek.

Oh, how utterly you are astray! Both in us and around us life is fermenting and throbbing as fiercely as ever!

Irene.

[Smiling and shaking her head.] The young woman of your Resurrection Day can see all life lying on its bier.

Professor Rubek.

[Throwing his arms violently around her.] Then let two of the dead—us two—for once live life to its uttermost—before we go down to our graves again!

Irene.

[With a shriek.] Arnold!

Professor Rubek.

But not here in the half darkness! Not here with this hideous dank shroud flapping around us——

Irene.

[Carried away by passion.] No, no—up in the light, and in all the glittering glory! Up to the Peak of Promise!

Professor Rubek.

There we will hold our marriage-feast, Irene—oh, my beloved!

Irene.

[Proudly.] The sun may freely look on us, Arnold.

Professor Rubek.

All the powers of light may freely look on us—and all the powers of darkness too. [Seizes her hand.] Will you then follow me, oh my grace-given bride?

Irene.

[As though transfigured.] I follow you, freely and gladly, my lord and master!

Professor Rubek.

[Drawing her along with him.] We must first pass through the mists, Irene, and then——

Irene.

Yes, through all the mists, and then right up to the summit of the tower that shines in the sunrise.

[The mist-clouds close in over the scene—Professor RubekandIrene, hand in hand, climb up over the snow-field tothe right and soon disappear among the lower clouds. Keen storm-gusts hurtle and whistle through the air.

[TheSister of Mercyappears upon the stone-scree to the left. She stops and looks around silently and searchingly.[Maiacan be heard singing triumphantly far in the depths below.

[TheSister of Mercyappears upon the stone-scree to the left. She stops and looks around silently and searchingly.

[Maiacan be heard singing triumphantly far in the depths below.

Maia.

I am free! I am free! I am free!No more life in the prison for me!I am free as a bird! I am free!

I am free! I am free! I am free!

No more life in the prison for me!

I am free as a bird! I am free!

[Suddenly a sound like thunder is heard from high up on the snow-field, which glides and whirls downwards with rushing speed.Professor RubekandIrenecan be dimly discerned as they are whirled along with the masses of snow and buried in them.

The Sister of Mercy.

[Gives a shriek, stretches out her arms towards them and cries.] Irene!

[Stands silent a moment, then makes the sign of the cross before her in the air, and says.

Pax vobiscum!

[Maia’striumphant song sounds from still farther down below.

1. The French word used by Count Prozor is “infatuation.” I can think of no other rendering for it; but I do not quite know what it means as applied to Allmers and Eyolf.

2.Main Currents of Nineteenth Century Literature, vol. VI. p. 299.

Transcriber’s NoteThere are quite a few instances of missing punctuation. The conventional period following the character’s name is sometimes missing and has been added for consistency’s sake without further comment. Those missing from setting and stage direction are also added without comment, since there is no obvious purpose to be served by the omission. However, the restoration of punctuation missing from dialogue is noted below, since the punctuation can be expressive. One instances of dubious ‘?’ mark has been corrected to‘!’, based on context.Other errors deemed most likely to be the printer’s have been corrected, and are noted here. The references are to the page and line in the original.xiii.18of passion[.]Added.40.22[No, ]that is true.Restored.132.21nothing in the world had happened[.]Added.337.25no mereport[r]ait-bustsInserted.433.21Let me go, I tell you[?/!]Replaced.

Transcriber’s Note

There are quite a few instances of missing punctuation. The conventional period following the character’s name is sometimes missing and has been added for consistency’s sake without further comment. Those missing from setting and stage direction are also added without comment, since there is no obvious purpose to be served by the omission. However, the restoration of punctuation missing from dialogue is noted below, since the punctuation can be expressive. One instances of dubious ‘?’ mark has been corrected to‘!’, based on context.

Other errors deemed most likely to be the printer’s have been corrected, and are noted here. The references are to the page and line in the original.

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