TEINDOR. She says she has gone down in the gorge before. Is that true?

INGOLF (nods reluctantly). Yes.

STEINDOR. When was that?

INGOLF. Last summer.

STEINDOR. Did you hold the rope?

INGOLF. I did.

STEINDOR. Well, then I don't know what you are afraid of.

INGOLF. It seems strange that Hrafnhild should come up here.

STEINDOR. She came with the spade.

INGOLF. It seems strange we didn't find the pearls, if they were in the
gorge.

STEINDOR. She'll be lucky if they are ever found.

INGOLF. It seems strange that she dropped them. When I saw that she
herself was coming here, it flashed across my mind, that she hadn't
dropped the pearls in the gorge after all.

STEINDOR. I don't understand--what are you driving at? Do you think it
is something she invented? Why should she?

INGOLF. I am afraid to let her go down.

HADDA PADDA [enters with a large stone in her arms which she places on
the edge. She has the coil of rope thrown over her shoulder. Laughs].
So you haven't gone yet! [Takes the spade and starts to dig.] Don't you
think I can do without you now? I will dig a deep, deep hole. Then
I'll tie one end of the rope around the stone, and place it into the
hole.--Then I'll go and get more stones up in the mountain and pile them
up. You will see how well it will hold.

INGOLF [examining the stone]. So you think it will hold? Well--[Takes
the stone and flings it into the ravine.]

HADDA PADDA [smiling, she looks at Ingolf]. I shall take better care
next time. [Running away, Ingolf and Steindor look after her.]

STEINDOR. She is determined to go down.

INGOLF. I will offer to go down again. Let us both offer to go down.

STEINDOR. She said she would go down anyhow, if we didn't find the
pearls.

INGOLF. Just look how fast she is running! She is holding her hand to
her breast.

STEINDOR. Now she is stopping... She is lifting a stone... Now she has
thrown it away.

INGOLF. She runs without stopping.

STEINDOR. Now she has found a new stone.

INGOLF. She is bending over it. What is she doing?

STEINDOR. She is tying the rope around it. She won't let you hurl this
one over.

INGOLF. She is lifting the stone, and carrying it in her arms.

STEINDOR. She is strong, Hrafnhild is. Now she is running with it.

INGOLF. See how the earth is slipping from under her feet. See how the
pebbles pursue her! She is running away from them with the big stone.
She is holding it in her arms as if it were a c