mr. werle's writing. are you sure, hjalmar? look yourself. oh, you didn't think i'd know, do you? hedvig, may i open the letter and read it? - yes, of course, if you want. - no. not tonight, hjalmar. you know that it's meant for tomorrow. oh, please, let him read it. it's sure to be something nice, then daddy will be pleased and we'll all be happy again. - i may open it then? - yes, daddy, do. it'll be fun to find out what it is. very well. - what's this? - what does it say? - yes, tell us. - be quiet. it's a deed of gift. fancy that! what am i getting? read it yourself. the eyes, the eyes. and now this letter. yes, but it looks to me as though it's grandfather who's getting it. gina, can you understand this? i don't know the first thing about it. you tell me what it is. mr. werle writes to hedvig to say that her own grandfather needn't bother doing any more copying, but in future, he may collect a hundred crowns a month straight from the office. a hundred crowns, mother. i read that bit. well,

while i remember, mr. werle jr., don't use that fancy word, ideals. we got a plain word that's good enough: lies. you're saying the two things are related? yeah. not unlike typhus and putrid fever. dr. relling, i shall not rest until i have rescued hjalmar ekdal from your clutches. so much the worse for him. take away the life lie from the average man, and you take away his happiness, hmm? well now, my little wild duck mother, i'll pop down now and see if that father of yours is still lying there, thinking about his wonderful invention. i can see from your face nothing's been done. what? oh, the wild duck? no. your courage failed you, i imagine, at the last moment. no, it wasn't that. just when i woke up early this morning and remembered what we talked about, it all seemed so strange. strange? yes, i don't know. last night, when i first heard it, it seemed such a good idea. but when i thought about it again after i had slept on it, it didn't seem so good after all. no, no, no. you could hardly be expected to grow up here without being the worse for it