Ghosts | Page 8

but--
Mrs. Alving. But--?
Manders (lowering his voice). But one doesn't talk about it, Mrs.
Alving. One certainly is not called upon to account to everyone for
what one reads or thinks in the privacy of one's own room.
Mrs. Alving. Certainly not. I quite agree with you.
Manders. Just think of the consideration you owe to this Orphanage,
which you decided to build at a time when your thoughts on such
subjects were very different from what they are now--as far as I am
able to judge.
Mrs. Alving. Yes, I freely admit that. But it was about the Orphanage...
Manders. It was about the Orphanage we were going to talk; quite so.
Well--walk warily, dear Mrs. Alving! And now let us turn to the
business in hand. (Opens an envelope and takes out some papers.) You
see these?
Mrs. Alving. The deeds?
Manders. Yes, the whole lot--and everything in order; I can tell you it
has been no easy matter to get them in time. I had positively to put
pressure on the authorities; they are almost painfully conscientious
when it is a question of settling property. But here they are at last.
(Turns over the papers.) Here is the deed of conveyance of that part of
the Rosenvold estate known as the Solvik property, together with the
buildings newly erected thereon-- the school, the masters' houses and
the chapel. And here is the legal sanction for the statutes of the
institution. Here, you see--(reads) "Statutes for the Captain Alving
Orphanage."

Mrs. Alving (after a long look at the papers). That seems all in order.
Manders. I thought "Captain " was the better title to use, rather than
your husband's Court title of "Chamberlain." "Captain " seems less
ostentatious.
Mrs. Alving. Yes, yes; just as you think best.
Manders. And here is the certificate for the investment of the capital in
the bank, the interest being earmarked for the current expenses of the
Orphanage.
Mrs. Alving. Many thanks; but I think it will be most convenient if you
will kindly take charge of them.
Manders. With pleasure. I think it will be best to leave the money in the
bank for the present. The interest is not very high, it is true; four per
cent at six months' call; later on, if we can find some good
mortgage--of course it must be a first mortgage and on unexceptionable
security--we can consider the matter further.
Mrs. Alving. Yes, yes, my dear Mr. Manders, you know best about all
that.
Manders. I will keep my eye on it, anyway. But there is one thing in
connection with it that I have often meant to ask you about.
Mrs. Alving. What is that?
Manders. Shall we insure the buildings, or not?
Mrs. Alving. Of course we must insure them.
Manders. Ah, but wait a moment, dear lady. Let us look into the matter
a little more closely.
Mrs. Alving. Everything of mine is insured--the house and its contents,
my livestock--everything.

Manders. Naturally. They are your own property. I do exactly the same,
of course. But this, you see, is quite a different case. The Orphanage is,
so to speak, dedicated to higher uses.
Mrs. Alving. Certainly, but--
Manders. As far as I am personally concerned, I can conscientiously
say that I don't see the smallest objection to our insuring ourselves
against all risks.
Mrs. Alving. That is exactly what I think.
Manders. But what about the opinion of the people hereabouts?
Mrs. Alving. Their opinion--?
Manders. Is there any considerable body of opinion here--opinion of
some account, I mean--that might take exception to it?
Mrs. Alving. What, exactly, do you mean by opinion of some account?
Manders. Well, I was thinking particularly of persons of such
independent and influential position that one could hardly refuse to
attach weight to their opinion.
Mrs. Alving. There are a certain number of such people here, who
might perhaps take exception to it if we--
Manders. That's just it, you see. In town there are lots of them. All my
fellow-clergymen's congregations, for instance! It would be so
extremely easy for them to interpret it as meaning that neither you nor I
had a proper reliance on Divine protection.
Mrs. Alving. But as far as you are concerned, my dear friend, you have
at all events the consciousness that--
Manders. Yes I know I know; my own mind is quite easy about it, it is
true. But we should not be able to prevent a wrong and injurious
interpretation of our action. And that sort of thing, moreover, might

very easily end in exercising a hampering influence on the work of the
Orphanage.
Mrs. Alving. Oh, well, if that is likely to be the effect of it--
Manders. Nor can I entirely overlook the difficult--indeed, I may say,