Author's Note: This is grew out of a paper for my college script analysis class where we had to complete Henrik Ibsen's classic, A Doll's House, with a fourth act that continues the well-made play structure that Ibsen had abandoned in his own ending. What my version of a mythical "Act IV" is to flesh out the character of Torvald and give him a chance to have a more clear understanding of what had been going on throughout the play. I also just felt like tying up loose ends that were neglected in the original script. Obviously knowledge of the original script is essential to understanding what is going on in this narrative scene.
Act IV opens up back in the room of the Helmer's home a little over an hour after the events of the last act. Torvald sits at the piano haphazardly playing chords. Some combinations are quiet, some are loud none of them really are connected musically. He stares out into the center of the room where the Christmas tree still stands, as perfect as the day it was decorated, which was only a number of hours before. The party upstairs has now ended and aside from the piano, the house is quiet.
A bell rings in the hallway and Torvald immediately jumps up. Eyes fixed on the doorway his face begins to brighten. Helene, the maid, now in her night clothes enters the room.
"Mrs. Linde to see you, sir."
Torvald's face immediately falls.
"Send her away! I don't…I don't wish to…is anyone with her?"
"No sir."
"Oh…" He begins to sit back at the piano, "Then yes, send her away."
Helene nods and leaves the room. Torvald suddenly coming to his senses calls her back, "No wait! Let her in, I wish to discuss some things with her." Helene nods once again and goes to the front door.
A few moments later, Mrs. Linde quickly comes into the room. The look on her face is that of confusion mixed with uneasiness. She stops in the doorway unsure of whether to enter the room or not. Torvald moves from the piano towards an armchair and leans against it; his look is cold.
"So, have you come for my wife's things?"
"Mr. Helmer I –"
"I don't know who you think you are, presuming that you could come into my home and take my wife's things, things that are in fact lawfully mine –"
"Mr. Helmer, it's not –"
"It was ever since you first came here! Suddenly my wife, my lovely darling Nora…Our marriage was perfect then she tells me that I'm nothing but a stranger to her. That she does not love me anymore. That I've treated her as nothing but a doll all these years and she blames her unhappiness not only on me but her father as well. I have always been faithful to her and I've always been good to her, kept a house over her head, and kept her in fineries where she didn't have to lift a finger. Then she tells…then she tells me…that our marriage meant nothing…"
Torvald slumps into the armchair, emotionally exhausted. During this Mrs. Linde has stayed in the doorway. Only when he is seated does she walk into the room calmly approaching him. He stares off into the distance almost unaware of her until she begins to speak.
"Mr. Helmer, I…I don't know really where to begin but I just wish to stress to you that in no way did I even fathom that Nora would leave you. I had no idea of it until she came knocking on my door. She –"
"So she is with you?" Torvald asked, looking hopeful.
"At my lodgings, yes."
"She is well?"
"Yes, she is quite well I assure you."
Torvald barely makes a smile and nods. A moment of silence passes between the two of them before Mrs. Linde continues.
"Mr. Helmer I am just as surprised as you about what has happened. I never thought events would play out as they have. I told her that what she had done was foolish and that she should have told you about it before things went out of hand."
"You knew of the forgery?" Torvald asked her, suddenly his coldness has returned.
"Not exactly, I knew that she secretly borrowed money."
"And you didn't think it important to tell me of this, knowing full well that what she had done was illegal?" Tovald begins to stand, Mrs. Linde remains calm and holds her ground.
"Mr. Helmer, I told her to tell you when she first revealed her secret to me. At that moment I did not know how serious it was nor whom she was borrowing from. I did not think it was my place to interfere in private matters."
Following this Torvald walks away from her and begins pacing the room agitated.
"Then I am surrounded by conspirators! You were just as guilty as her by not coming forward about it. Do you know how close she came to disgracing not only herself but me and her own children?"
"Do you know why she did it?" Mrs. Linde's voice is louder now in an effort to overpower Torvald. She is clearly upset but still tries to maintain her calm demeanor.
"What difference does it make 'why' she did it? If the very act itself is a crime, then it makes no difference whether it was for good intentions or not, the courts would have punished her regardless and myself along with her!"
"Mr. Helmer she did it because she loves you. If she would have not taken out the loan, in order to send you all south, than you would have died! She did it to save your life because she loves you!" Mrs. Linde is almost pleading with Torvald for him to understand.
"If that were the case Mrs. Linde then why was I not well aware of my own mortality? Besides if Nora loves me as you so claim than she would be here now and we wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place."
"You are a stubborn man."
Torvald is taken aback by her response, "Mrs. Linde, I –"
"It was your stubbornness that lead her to take such drastic measures."
"How –"
"I am not condoning her actions for I do agree that she was quite foolish. But she as much as said herself that she would never have borrowed without your consent if you would have taken the loan out yourself when she urged you to go away in the first place! She did what she had to do and whether that was right or wrong it has been done."
"So you are putting the blame on me. I lead her to that damned Krogstad who had the audacity to blackmail us –"
"Mr. Helmer, I ask that you do not bring Nils into this. Whatever his past mistakes and misdeeds I can assure you that he is a changed man. The letter he gave you was sincere he is sorry for what he has done."
"How did you know about the letter?"
"What difference does it make how I know? What is done is done. I am sorry for you and if I was Nora I would not have made her choices but then she is a different woman from I, has been since we were children. Her choices are foreign to me as mine undoubtedly are to her. Even I don't know what her plans are but I have promised to assist her as much as I possibly can not only her sake but my own. Now Mr. Helmer it is late and I wish to go back home before the chill becomes too unbearable. The reason I came was to collect Nora's things."
Before Torvald has time to make a response the bell in the hall rings and he instinctively moves towards the hallway door. The hope that he had upon Mrs. Linde's arrival is repeated here as he calls out for the maid.
"Helene, who is it?"
Helene quickly comes into the room as the visitor follows close behind her.
"Mr. –"
"Krogstad!" Torvald answers, cutting Helene off, "What are you doing here?"
"Nils, why aren't you outside in the carriage?" Mrs. Linde asks as Krogstad passes through the threshold of the doorway, completely bypassing Torvald, towards her.
"I was concerned that you were taking so long."
"What is all this about?" Torvald asks angrily.
"Nora insisted that we leave tonight to get a head start for home." Mrs. Linde stated matter-of-factly.
"You mean…she's just outside!" Torvald quickly moved towards the door once more.
"Torvald, she does not wish to speak to you." Krogstad said, pulling Torvald back, "It was Kristine's idea to stop here tonight before we left, to pick up Nora's clothes. Nora wished to leave until we convinced her that it would make more sense to get them now than for us to come back later for them. She didn't want you to know."
"But if she's just outside, perhaps I can go out and –"
"Mr. Helmer she will have none of it, I couldn't even convince her to say goodbye to the children one last time." Mrs Linde said, moving closer to the two men in the doorway, "Now really we must be on our way. If you give me your permission I'll have Helene assist me and it will only take a few minutes than we'll be gone."
Torvald continued to stare at the front door, as if willing Nora to step through it again. He nodded and Mrs. Linde took that as her cue and quickly went with Helene up the stairs to pack.
"Old friend, perhaps it is for the best." Krogstad said trying to comfort him. Torvald shrugged him off and moved away back into the room.
"I don't know how you can even set foot in my home again after all that you've done! You took advantage of my own wife and manipulated me and our friendship, blackmailed the both of us! You have done nothing but brought me down with you!"
"I do not blame you for your anger. I was a desperate man and what I did was wrong and despicable. I saw an opportunity and I took it, I do not deny my actions."
"You've poisoned this household, brought shame on yourself and your family and yet it is me and my family who are being punished!"
"Torvald I do not presume to know about your affairs."
"I should hope not!"
"But perhaps you were not as happy as you thought you were."
Torvald becomes angrier at this, "Not happy? We were quite content and happy in our marriage.
"Yes, you were content but only in your ignorance."
"How dare you!"
"Please, I do not wish to argue or insult you. Nora had been hiding this from you for years. I did not doubt her love for you or her willingness to be your wife. But her secrecy was something that would have been discovered either through her own admission or mine. It was for the best but I did not wish for it to happen as it did. She was sure that you would protect her from any trouble that would come to her."
"So you and the whole world believes that this is inevitably my doing? That I am in the wrong towards her."
"I do not know what to believe, Torvald. But I am partly to blame for it and for that I am sorry. It does me no good to dwell on whether I will receive an apology since I do not believe I deserve one but –"
The sound of footsteps on the stairs interrupts Krogstad. Both he and Torvald turn towards the doorway and watch as Mrs. Linde quietly walked back into the room, a bag in each hand.
"Nils, we should go now."
"Yes, go outside and I'll be there in a moment." Krogstad said then turned back to Torvald. Mrs. Linde nodded and turned towards the front door but not before addressing Torvald one last time.
"Mr. Helmer I am sorry, truly." And with that she quickly left. Torvald and Krogstad stood quietly, Torvald avoided even looking at him.
"Perhaps there is nothing more to say for I don't feel that anything I could come up with will alleviate your pain." Krogstad slowly walked towards the doorway, "Kristine and I will check in on Nora often and we will gladly inform you how she is doing. I'm afraid that I can't offer you the same courtesy to you for her." The silence between them was growing more awkward.
"Well, if there's nothing more…I'll send a post when we arrive back here then…Good evening to you." Krogstad turned, walked down the hall and went to open the front door when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Here." Torvald said, handing Krogstad a ring.
"What's this?"
"It's her wedding ring. She handed it back to me before she… before she left. I wish to return it."
"Torvald, I don't know if Nora will…"
"You don't have to give it to her directly, have Mrs. Linde put it in one of her bags. It is her ring, not mine; it has been hers since we were married. I want her to have it back. What she does with it, that's her business. But I'll have comfort in knowing that she has it anyway. You should go now." Torvald said, looking through the stained window next to the front door and seeing an outline of the carriage waiting outside. He then turned and walked back into the hall, and into his study, closing the door.
Krogstad watched him walk away, smiled and went out the door into the cold night.
~JLV~