Officer asserts to be desirable will cost somewhere about
twenty thousand pounds.

Aslaksen. That is a lot of money, but--

Peter Stockmann. Of course it will be necessary to raise a municipal
loan.

Hovstad (getting up). Surely you never mean that the town must pay--?

Aslaksen. Do you mean that it must come out of the municipal
funds?--out of the ill-filled pockets of the small tradesmen?

Peter Stockmann. Well, my dear Mr. Aslaksen, where else is the money to
come from?

Aslaksen. The gentlemen who own the Baths ought to provide that.

Peter Stockmann. The proprietors of the Baths are not in a position to
incur any further expense.

Aslaksen. Is that absolutely certain, Mr. Mayor?

Peter Stockmann. I have satisfied myself that it is so. If the town
wants these very extensive alterations, it will have to pay for them.

Aslaksen. But, damn it all--I beg your pardon--this is quite another
matter, Mr. Hovstad!

Hovstad. It is, indeed.

Peter Stockmann. The most fatal part of it is that we shall be obliged
to shut the Baths for a couple of years.

Hovstad. Shut them? Shut them altogether?

Aslaksen. For two years?

Peter Stockmann. Yes, the work will take as long as that--at least.

Aslaksen. I'm damned if we will stand that, Mr. Mayor! What are we
householders to live upon in the meantime?

Peter Stockmann. Unfortunately, that is an extremely difficult question
to answer, Mr. Aslaksen. But what would you have us do? Do you suppose
we shall have a single visitor in the town, if we go about proclaiming
that our water is polluted, that we are living over a plague spot, that
the entire town--

Aslaksen. And the whole thing is merely imagination?

Peter Stockmann. With the best will in the world, I have not been able
to come to any other conclusion.

Aslaksen. Well then I must say it is absolutely unjustifiable of Dr.
Stockmann--I beg your pardon, Mr. Mayor.

Peter Stockmann. What you say is lamentably true, Mr. Aslaksen. My
brother has unfortunately always been a headstrong man.

Aslaksen. After this, do you mean to give him your support, Mr. Hovstad?

Hovstad. Can you suppose for a moment that I--?

Peter Stockmann. I have drawn up a short resume of the situation as it
appears from a reasonable man's point of view. In it I have indicated
how certain possible defects might suitably be remedied without
outrunning the resources of the Baths Committee.

Hovstad. Have you got it with you, Mr. Mayo