at this
distressing work. I'll tell you what, Mrs. Elvsted,--you shall take the
empty room at Aunt Julia's, and then I will come over in the evenings,
and we can sit and work there--eh?

HEDDA.

[In the inner room.] I hear what you are saying, Tesman. But how am _I_
to get through the evenings out here?

TESMAN.

[Turning over the papers.] Oh, I daresay Judge Brack will be so kind as
to look in now and then, even though I am out.

BRACK.

[In the arm-chair, calls out gaily.] Every blessed evening, with all the
pleasure in life, Mrs. Tesman! We shall get on capitally together, we
two!

HEDDA.

[Speaking loud and clear.] Yes, don't you flatter yourself we will,
Judge Brack? Now that you are the one cock in the basket--

[A shot is heard within. TESMAN, MRS. ELVSTED, and BRACK leap
to their feet.

TESMAN.

Oh, now she is playing with those pistols again.

[He throws back the curtains and runs in, followed by MRS.
ELVSTED. HEDDA lies stretched on the sofa, lifeless.
Confusion and cries. BERTA enters in alarm from the right.

TESMAN.

[Shrieks to BRACK.] Shot herself! Shot herself in the temple! Fancy
that!

BRACK.

[Half-fainting in the arm-chair.] Good God!--people don't do such
things.

THE END

FOOTNOTES.

(1)Pronounce _Reena_.

(2)In the original "Statsradinde Falks villa"--showing that it had
belonged to the widow of a cabinet minister.

(3)_Du_ equals thou: Tesman means, "If you could persuade yourself
to _tutoyer_ her."

(4)See previous note.

(5)Pronounce _Tora_ and _Taya_.

(6)Mrs. Elvsted here uses the formal pronoun _De_, whereupon Hedda
rebukes her. In her next speech Mrs. Elvsted says _du_.

(7)"Bagveje" means both "back ways" and "underhand courses."

(8)As this form of address is contrary to English usage, and as the
note of familiarity would be lacking in "Mrs. Tesman," Brack may,
in stage representation, say "Miss Hedda," thus ignoring her
marriage and reverting to the form of address no doubt customary
between them of old.

(9)He uses the familiar _du_.

(10)From this point onward Lovborg use the formal _De_.

(11)In this speech he once more says _du_. Hedda addresses him
throughout as _De_.

(12)"Enest hane i kurven"--a proverbial saying.

(13)Literally, "That you burn for me."

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Hedda Gabler, by Henri