H’m; I’m not much in the humour for speaking to any one. What do you want? ERIK. You know I have never mixed you up in my affairs, father. THE CHAMBERLAIN. No; that is an honour I should certainly have declined. ERIK. But now I am forced to—— THE CHAMBERLAIN. What are you forced to do? ERIK. Father, you must help me! THE CHAMBERLAIN. With money! You may be very sure that—— ERIK. Only this once! I swear I’ll never again——The fact is, I am under certain engagements to Monsen of Stonelee—— THE CHAMBERLAIN. I know that. You have a brilliant speculation on hand. ERIK. A speculation? We? No! Who told you so? THE CHAMBERLAIN. Monsen himself. ERIK. Has Monsen been here? THE CHAMBERLAIN. He has just gone. I showed him the door. ERIK. If you don’t help me, father, I am ruined. THE CHAMBERLAIN. You? ERIK. Yes. Monsen has advanced me money. I had to pay terribly dear for it; and now the bills have fallen due—— THE CHAMBERLAIN. There we have it! What did I tell you——? ERIK. Yes, yes; it’s too late now—— THE CHAMBERLAIN. Ruined! In two years! But how could you expect anything else? What had you to do among these charlatans that go about dazzling people’s eyes with wealth that never existed! They were no company for you. Among people of that sort you must meet cunning with cunning, or you’ll go to the wall; you have learnt that now. ERIK. Father, will you save me or will you not? THE CHAMBERLAIN. No; for the last time, no. I will not. ERIK. My honour is at stake—— THE CHAMBERLAIN. Oh, let us have no big phrases! There’s no honour involved in commercial success nowadays; quite the opposite, I had almost said. Go home and make up your accounts; pay every man his due, and have done with it, the sooner the better. ERIK. Oh, you don’t know—— SELMA _and_ THORA _enter from the drawing-room._ SELMA. Is that Erik’s voice?—Good heavens, what is the matter? THE CHAMBERLAIN. Nothing. Go into the drawing-room again. SELMA. No, I won’t go. I will know. Erik, what is it? Tell me! ERIK. It’s only that I am ruined! THORA. Ruined!