nvinced," says the Danish critic, "is his imperishable glory, and will
give lasting life to his works."

GHOSTS

A FAMILY-DRAMA IN THREE ACTS.

(1881)

CHARACTERS.

MRS. HELEN ALVING, widow of Captain Alving, late Chamberlain to
the King. [Note: Chamberlain (Kammerherre) is the only title of
honour now existing in Norway. It is a distinction conferred by the
King on men of wealth and position, and is not hereditary.]
OSWALD ALVING, her son, a painter.
PASTOR MANDERS.
JACOB ENGSTRAND, a carpenter.
REGINA ENGSTRAND, Mrs. Alving's maid.

The action takes place at Mrs. Alving's country house, beside one of the
large fjords in Western Norway.

ACT FIRST.

[A spacious garden-room, with one door to the left, and two doors to the
right. In the middle of the room a round table, with chairs about it. On
the table lie books, periodicals, and newspapers. In the foreground to
the left a window, and by it a small sofa, with a worktable in front of
it. In the background, the room is continued into a somewhat narrower
conservatory, the walls of which are formed by large panes of glass. In
the right-hand wall of the conservatory is a door leading down into
the garden. Through the glass wall a gloomy fjord landscape is faintly
visible, veiled by steady rain.]

[ENGSTRAND, the carpenter, stands by the garden door. His left leg
is somewhat bent; he has a clump of wood under the sole of his boot.
REGINA, with an empty garden syringe in her hand, hinders him from
advancing.]

REGINA. [In a low voice.] What do you want? Stop where you are. You're
positively dripping.

ENGSTRAND. It's the Lord's own rain, my girl.

REGINA. It's the devil's rain, _I_ say.

ENGSTRAND. Lord, how you talk, Regina. [Limps a step or two forward into
the room.] It's just this as I wanted to say--

REGINA. Don't clatter so with that foot of yours, I tell you! The young
master's asleep upstairs.

ENGSTRAND. Asleep? In the middle of the day?

REGINA. It's no business of yours.

ENGSTRAND. I was out on the loose last night--

REGINA. I can quite believe that.

ENGSTRAND. Yes, we're weak vessels, we poor mortals, my girl--

REGINA. So it seems.

ENGSTRAND.--and temptations are manifold in this world, you see. But all
the same, I was hard at work, God knows, at half-past five this morning.

REGINA. Very well; only be off now. I won't stop here and have
_rendezvous's_ [Note: This and other French words by Regina