.

Christensen. Is she not with them?

Mrs. Christensen. I don't see her.

Riis (appearing at the door). Here they are!

Mrs. Christensen. And your daughter too?

Riis. Yes, Svava too. She asked the others to go on ahead of her. I
expect she wanted to collect herself a little.

Mrs. Christensen (sitting down again). Ah, you see, it was just what I
thought, poor child!

Mrs. Riis (coming in). She will be here in a moment! (Goes up to MRS.
CHRISTENSEN.) You must forgive her, Mrs. Christensen; she has had a bad
time of it.

Mrs. Christensen. Bless my soul, of course I understand that! The first
time one has an experience of this kind, it tells on one.

Christensen. This is positively beginning to get amusing!

[Enter NORDAN.]

Nordan. Here we are! She asked me to come on little ahead of her.

Riis. She is not going to keep us waiting any longer, I hope?

Nordan. She was just behind me.

Riis. Here she is! (Goes to the door to meet her; NORDAN and MRS. RIIS
do the same from the other side of the room.)

Christensen. One would think she were the Queen of Sheba.

(SVAVA comes in, wearing her hat, and with her gloves and parasol in her
hand. CHRISTENSEN and MRS. CHRISTENSEN get up from their seats. She bows
slightly to them, and comes to the front of the stage on the right-hand
side. All sit down in silence. NORDAN is at the extreme left, then MRS.
RIIS, MRS. CHRISTENSEN and CHRISTENSEN. At the extreme right, but a
little behind the others, is RIIS, who is sitting down one minute and
standing the next.)

Mrs. Christensen. My dear Svava, we have come here to--well, you know
what we have come for. What has happened has distressed us very much;
but what is done cannot be undone. None of us can excuse Alfred. But all
the same we think that he might be granted forgiveness, especially
at the hands of one who must know that he loves her, and loves her
sincerely. That makes it a different matter altogether, of course.

Christensen. Of course!

Riis. Of course!

Nordan. Of course!

Mrs. Christensen. And, even if you don't quite agree with me about that,
I hope you will agree with me about Alfred himself. I mean to say, that
we consider his character, my dear Svava, should vouch to you for his
fidelity. I know that, if you require it, he will give you his word of
honour that--

Mrs. Riis (getting up). No! No!

Mrs. Christensen. What is the matter, my dear Mrs. Riis?

Mrs. Riis. No words of honour! He has