BERNICK. And no one is to give in or fall away, whatever opposition we may meet with. RUMMEL. We stand or fall together, Bernick. HILMAR. [_Coming up from the garden._] Excuse me, isn’t it the railway that falls? BERNICK. On the contrary, it is to go ahead—— RUMMEL. ——full steam, Mr. Tönnesen. HILMAR. [_Coming forward._] Indeed! RÖRLUND. What? MRS. BERNICK. [_At the door._] My dear Karsten, what’s the meaning——? BERNICK. Oh, my dear Betty, it can’t possibly interest you. [_To the three men._] Now we must get the prospectus ready; the sooner the better. Of course we four put our names down first. Our position in society renders it our duty to do as much as we can. SANDSTAD. No doubt, Consul. RUMMEL. We _will_ make it go, Bernick; we are bound to. BERNICK. Oh, yes; I have no fear as to the result. We must work hard, each in his own circle; and if we can once point to a really lively interest in the affair among all classes of society, it follows that the town, too, must contribute its share. MRS. BERNICK. Now, Karsten, you must really come and tell us—— BERNICK. Oh, my dear Betty, ladies don’t understand these things. HILMAR. Then you are actually going to back up the railway after all? BERNICK. Yes, of course. RÖRLUND. But last year, Consul——? BERNICK. Last year it was a different matter altogether. Then it was a coast line that was proposed—— VIGELAND. ——which would have been entirely superfluous, Doctor; for have we not steamboats? SANDSTAD. ——and would have been outrageously expensive—— RUMMEL. ——yes, and would actually have interfered with important vested interests here in the town. BERNICK. The chief objection was that it would have conferred no benefit on the great mass of the community. Therefore I opposed it; and then the inland line was adopted. HILMAR. Yes, but that won’t touch the towns about here. BERNICK. It will touch _our_ town, my dear Hilmar, for we are going to build a branch line. HILMAR. Aha; an entirely new idea, then? RUMMEL. Yes; a magnificent idea, isn’t it? RÖRLUND. H’m—— VIGELAND.