Page:The collected works of Henrik Ibsen (Volume 9).djvu/240

 himself: "Married—to another man—while I was away."

Ellida.

[Shuts her eyes, and says half to herself:] Did he say that?

Lyngstrand.

Yes; and would you believe it—he said it in perfectly good Norwegian. He must have had a great gift for languages, that man.

Ellida.

And what then? What happened next?

Lyngstrand.

Now comes the wonderful part of it—a thing I shall never forget to my dying day. For he added,—and this quite quietly too: "But mine she is, and mine she shall remain. And follow me she shall, though I should have to go home and fetch her, as a drowned man from the bottom of the sea."

Ellida.

[Pouring out a glass of water; her hand shakes.] Pah—how close it is to-day!

Lyngstrand.

And he said it with such force of will that I felt he was the man to do it too.

Ellida.

Do you know at all—what has become of this man?

Lyngstrand.

Oh he's dead, Mrs. Wangel, beyond a doubt.