Part 2

OLGA. (_Rising_) Let me see, dear. I think Mother would know what that was. Take it to Halla and she will bake it. Then wash those sticky hands. It is time to light the tree. (_Exeunt_ OSWALD _and_ SIGURD. _Takes violin from the cabinet and gives it to_ LILJEKRONA.) You will play for us to dance?--one of the old polkas, Liljekrona.

LILJEKRONA. (_Pettishly_) My E string has snapped.

OLGA. Well, put on a new one. Quick, before the children come back.

(LILJEKRONA _goes slowly upstairs with his violin_. OLGA _pulls out the tree from the corner and starts to light the candles with a taper. Enter_ HALLA _with a punch bowl and the glasses, which she places on the long table_. OSWALD _and_ SIGURD _follow, each carrying a plate of cakes_.)

OSWALD. Mother! Are you lighting the tree instead of Father?

OLGA. Yes. Do you want to help?

OSWALD. Oh, yes.

SIGURD. And I want to, too.

OLGA. You shall, dear. But first put the cakes on the table. (OSWALD _and_ SIGURD _deposit their cakes and run to the tree_. OLGA _gives her taper to_ SIGURD.) Here, Sigurd, first the low ones--there. (_Lighting another taper._) Now, Oswald. Can you do it, dear?

OSWALD. You light those, Mother. (_Pointing to higher ones._)

OLGA. There.

SIGURD. The top one of all isn’t lit, Mother.

OLGA. No, Father is the only one who can reach that. We’ll have to leave it. Come, Halla.

(_Enter_ LILJEKRONA _by the stairs without his violin_.)

OLGA. We’re all ready for a polka.

LILJEKRONA. I have no new string for my fiddle.

OLGA. But you _can_ play on three strings.

LILJEKRONA. I can remember no polkas.

OLGA. (_Approaching him persuasively_) Why, Liljekrona, can’t you play anything? Sha’n’t we be able to dance at all?

LILJEKRONA. Torstein is not back yet. He is the best dancer of all. Perhaps it was hard to find the house. (_Goes to the window._)

OLGA. Well then, we’ll wait our dancing for Torstein, and have our punch and cakes while they are hot.

LILJEKRONA. The sparrows are twittering about the window sill most miserably. Where is the pole with the sheaves for them?

OLGA. I did not think of it till now. Did you remember, Halla?

HALLA. No, I didn’t. Poor little things!

LILJEKRONA. How is it that you forgot on this day, of all days? Do old customs mean nothing to you? Or is it the heartlessness of those who shut their eyes to the meaning of old beliefs? At Ekeby no one ever forgot!

OLGA. (_Disturbed_) No, my dear, we are not heartless. The sheaves shall be put out as soon as Torstein returns. Come, shall we have our punch and cakes? Children, are you hungry?

OSWALD. I am.

SIGURD. I want a cookie from my plate.

LILJEKRONA. And there are no candles in the windows. Nothing is done as it used to be. (_He seats himself on the wooden bench._)

OLGA. Oh, why--why, I had intended to light the candles. (_Goes to mantel._) Come, children, before you have your cookies will you help Mother? (_She takes from the shelf above the fireplace two wooden frames, in each of which is set a row of candles. She lights them and gives one to each of the boys._) Careful. Put them on the windowsills.

OSWALD. I want mine in this window. You put yours over there, Sigurd.

OLGA. Halla, take the punch to the table by the fire. (OLGA _seats herself near_ LILJEKRONA.) Come, children. (OSWALD _and_ SIGURD _come to her side_.) Sigurd, do you know why we put candles in the windows on Christmas Eve?

OSWALD. So that people can see where we live!

OLGA. Yes--dear; and there is a story that the little Christ-Child goes about on Christmas Eve looking for a welcome. (_She pours some punch for_ LILJEKRONA, _who is looking intently at her_.)

SIGURD. And if he sees our lights, Mother, will he come to our house?

OLGA. Yes, dear, and when you hear him say: “Behold I stand at the door and knock----” (_She passes glass of punch to_ LILJEKRONA.)

LILJEKRONA. (_Ignoring it, and meeting her glance with a steady gaze_) “And if any man hear my voice and will open the door, I will come in and sup with him, and he with me.” Your candles are too late. The door is closed. The voice is gone. (_Rises and exits slowly to his room._)

OSWALD. (_After a pause_) Why did Father go away, Mother?

HALLA. Is it anything the matter with the punch, Ma’am?

OLGA. (_Hesitating_) No, Halla, it’s not the punch--I think he’s not--very happy----

SIGURD. Won’t he come back, Mother? Who will tell us stories?

(_Wild music is heard from_ LILJEKRONA’S _room. It rises and falls in passionate rushes and casts a spell over those who listen_.)

OLGA. (_Rising suddenly at the sound_) He is playing. Why--he has not played like that since he came home. It is his great heart full of revolt from all that is small about us. “You thought to bind me,” he is saying, “you thought to make me as small-minded as yourselves.” Oh, I was wrong! I thought to shut out unhappiness, but with it I have shut out love. To-morrow he will be gone, if God does not work a miracle in the night. (_She sinks into her chair and covers her face with her hands. The boys sit quite still and look with awe at their mother._ HALLA _wrings her hands in a half-understanding and miserable way_.)

(_Sleighbells are heard._ HALLA _goes to the window_.)

HALLA. It must be Torstein come back again at last. No, there are two of them. And yet that’s Torstein. He’s getting out. He’s helping the other. (_In a tone of horror._) Why, it must be Ruster with him!

OLGA. (_Until now heedless, looking and drying her eyes_) _Ruster_, did you say, Halla? Has Ruster come back again? (_She approaches the window and looks out._) Surely it is he! (_She opens the door. The two men enter. They are covered with snow._ TORSTEIN _is blue with the cold, and_ RUSTER _seems half-frozen. His mustache hangs down over his mouth. He leans on_ TORSTEIN. _The children jump up from the floor._) Ruster, you are welcome back to Lofdala. (_She loosens his coat and leads him, with_ TORSTEIN’S _help, to the fire_. HALLA _draws up the armchair into which_ RUSTER _sinks weakly. The children watch._)

TORSTEIN. (_Apologetically_) I had to bring him back, Ma’am. At every house they were either going away over Christmas, or were crowded with company. They didn’t even ask him to get out of the sledge. And the snow was so thick I thought we’d both be frozen.

OLGA. You did well to bring him, Torstein. (_She rubs_ RUSTER’S _hands to give them life_. TORSTEIN _stands by the fire_.) Halla, is the punch still hot?

HALLA. Yes, Ma’am.

OLGA. Then pour out a glass. It will warm him.

(HALLA _pours out two glasses. One she gives to_ TORSTEIN, _the other_ OLGA _holds to_ RUSTER’S _lips_.)

TORSTEIN. (_Smacking his lips_) Um! That puts life into you! (_Sets down his glass._) Well, I must drive the horses around, or they’ll be drifted in.

(_Exit by front door._ OSWALD _and_ SIGURD _watch from the window_.)

RUSTER. (_Gaining consciousness and looking about with a sad, puzzled expression_) How did I come here again? It is strange, all strange to be in Liljekrona’s house--I thought---- (_Abruptly._) Why are you so kind to me? I am only an old broken-down instrument....

OLGA. We are glad to see you, Ruster! And I want you to think--you have never been away. Let me have your wet coat. (_Helps him out of it._) Halla will dry it in the kitchen.

(_Exit_ HALLA _with coat_.)

OLGA. (_Refilling his glass and putting it on the table by him_) Are you warmer now?

RUSTER. Yes--quite warm, thank you.

OSWALD. (_Offering the cookie he has been holding_) Here’s a cookie. (SIGURD, _who is about to eat the last fragment of his, stops and holds it out to_ RUSTER.)

RUSTER. (_Starting up suddenly_) I can’t stay here! I am of no use--here--or anywhere!

OLGA. (_Putting a hand on his arm_) You are mistaken, Ruster. You may help, if you will. I must attend to setting the table for dinner and the children will be quite forsaken. Will you look after them a little?

RUSTER. (_Rising, alarmed_) I can’t do that!--Why, I--they----

(_Exit_ OLGA, _resolutely_. RUSTER _looks after her, then turns, and seeing his glass of punch on the table, starts to pick it up. He encounters the steady gaze of the children, restrains himself and fumbles in his pocket. He draws out his flute and blows a note on it. The boys come closer._)

OSWALD. How do you do that? (RUSTER _does not answer, but blows again_.)

SIGURD. Why do you lift your fingers?

RUSTER. To make the notes.

SIGURD. Let me try! (RUSTER _places his little fingers over two of the stops_. SIGURD _blows, but no sound comes_. OSWALD _laughs_.)

OSWALD. Let _me_ try! (RUSTER _shows him also--but still no tone_.) How do you do it? (_He tries again._)

RUSTER. I blow in here. (_Showing them._) And I keep the holes covered with my fingers. When I want to make a note, I lift up a finger, like this. (_He blows._)

SIGURD. Blow another.

RUSTER. (_Blows another. Then both over again_) This is A and this is B.

OSWALD. A and B. You can’t play _them_. They’re letters.

RUSTER. Yes, and in music they are the names of the notes. (_Takes out a score and with a crayon makes a few notes._) This is the way they look.

SIGURD. Let me see.

OSWALD. No! That’s not right! That’s not what’s in our storybook! See--I’ll show you. (_He runs to music cabinet, and from lower cupboard pulls out a battered cloth book._)

RUSTER. (_To_ SIGURD) Can this boy spell his name?

SIGURD. Yes--S I G U R D!

OSWALD. See--look at _our_ book. There isn’t any A and B like that! That is A and that is B. (_Pointing._)

RUSTER. Can you read that?

OSWALD. Yes, I can read it.

(_Enter_ OLGA _with tablecloth, glasses and silver. She smiles at the group and quietly begins to arrange the table._)

OSWALD. (_Reading_) “Far away, in the deep forest there once grew----”

BOTH CHILDREN. “A pretty Fir-_Tree_. The sun shone full upon _him_, the breeze played freely around _him_, and in the n--n----” (_Looking up questioningly at_ RUSTER.)

RUSTER. “Neigh-bor-hood.”

OSWALD. “Neighborhood grew many Fir-Trees.”

BOTH CHILDREN. “Some older, some younger.”

OSWALD. (_Turning from the book_) Look--I’ll draw you a fir-tree. (_He draws on_ RUSTER’S _music score--spreading it on the floor_.)

SIGURD. (_Slowly_) “But the little Fir-Tree was not happy; he was always long--longing to be tall; he th--th----”

(RUSTER, _who during the last part of the reading has been paying no attention, suddenly covers his face with his hands. His shoulders shake a little._ SIGURD _looks up frightened_. OLGA _crosses quickly to him_.)

OLGA. (_Gently_) Ruster--Ruster! Don’t feel badly!

RUSTER. (_Sobbing softly_) Yes--I am of no use any more.

OLGA. (_Sympathetically_) I know--I know. You cannot make a living by your music and you are destroying yourself with brandy. You have been turned away from every door where you have knocked. But, Ruster----

RUSTER. Yes, I am worn out. I ought to be thrown away! Nobody needs me.

OLGA. But don’t you see that to be with the children, as to-night, would be something for you? If you would teach children you would be welcomed everywhere. Look at them, Ruster! (_She places the boys in front of him._) Look at them!

RUSTER. (_Blinking_) I dare not!

OLGA. (_Laughing joyously_) Then you must accustom yourself to them, Ruster! Perhaps you could help them with their reading. They need a schoolmaster! (_Turning to children triumphantly._) How would you like that, children?

(_Enter_ LILJEKRONA, _violin under his arm_. RUSTER _remains motionless by the fireplace with bowed head_.)

LILJEKRONA. Why are you laughing, Olga, what is it?

OLGA. Nothing--but that Ruster has come again!

LILJEKRONA. (_Perplexed_) Ruster here again?

OLGA. (_Beaming_) Yes, and he is going to stay with us to teach our little boys.

LILJEKRONA. Ruster! (_With amazement_) You have asked him to teach----?

OLGA. Yes, Oswald and Sigurd. He has been helping them this afternoon.

LILJEKRONA. But--has he promised to give up----?

OLGA. He has promised nothing. But there is much about which he must be careful when he has to look little children in the eyes every day.

LILJEKRONA. You’re sure he can do it?

OLGA. (_Not heeding_) If it had not been Christmas, perhaps I should not have ventured; but if our Lord dared to place His own son among us sinners, surely we can dare to let our children try to save a human soul.

(LILJEKRONA’S _face twitches and twists. He gently kisses his wife’s hand as if asking forgiveness._)

LILJEKRONA. The children must come and kiss their Mother’s hand! (_They do so, though not just knowing why._)

OLGA. (_Going to_ RUSTER _and holding out her hand_) Ruster, it is you who have made our Christmas happy. (_He kisses her hand._)

CURTAIN

(_The lifted curtain reveals the whole family gathered about the tree_, HALLA, TORSTEIN _and all, while_ LILJEKRONA _lights the topmost candle_.)