The welfare of your native place is no less at stake. If things come to the surface which cast a slur upon my past life, all my opponents will join forces and overwhelm me. In our society a boyish error is never effaced. People will scrutinise my whole career, will rake up a thousand trifling incidents and interpret and comment upon them in the light of these disclosures. They will crush me beneath the weight of rumours and slanders. I shall have to retire from the railway board; and if I take my hand away, the whole thing will fall to pieces, and I shall have to face not only ruin but social extinction. LONA. Johan, after what you have heard, you must go away, and say nothing. BERNICK. Yes, yes, Johan, you must! JOHAN. Yes, I will go away, and say nothing; but I will come back again, and then I will speak. BERNICK. Remain over there, Johan; be silent, and I am ready to share with you—— JOHAN. Keep your money, and give me back my good name. BERNICK. And sacrifice my own! JOHAN. You and your “community” must settle that between you. I must and will make Dina my wife. So I shall sail to-morrow in the _Indian Girl_—— BERNICK. In the _Indian Girl_? JOHAN. Yes; the captain has promised to take me. I shall go across, I tell you, sell my farm, and settle up my affairs. In two months I shall be back again. BERNICK. And then you will tell all? JOHAN. Then the wrong-doer must take up his own burden. BERNICK. Do you forget that I must also take upon me wrong-doing of which I was _not_ guilty? JOHAN. Who was it that, fifteen years ago, reaped the benefit of that shameful rumour? BERNICK. You drive me to desperation! But if you speak, I will deny everything! I will say it is all a conspiracy against me; a piece of revenge; that you have come here to blackmail me! LONA. Shame on you, Karsten! BERNICK. I am desperate, I tell you; I am fighting for my life. I will deny everything, everything! JOHAN. I have your two letters. I found them in my box among my other papers. I read them through this morning; they are plain enough. BERNICK. And you will produce them? JOHAN. If you force me to. BERNICK. And in two months you will be here again? JOHAN.