I have noticed lately that you go about mimicking me; you imitate even my clothes and my handwriting. Be kind enough to stop that. BASTIAN. What do you mean? Don’t we belong to the same party? STENSGÅRD. Yes, but I won’t put up with this—you make yourself ridiculous—— BASTIAN. By being like you? STENSGÅRD. By aping me. Be sensible now, Monsen, and give it up. It’s quite disgusting. But look here—can you tell me when your father is coming back? BASTIAN. I have no idea. I believe he’s gone to Christiania; he may not be back for a week or so. STENSGÅRD. Indeed? I’m sorry for that. He has a big stroke of business on hand, I hear. BASTIAN. I have a big stroke of business on hand too. Look here, Stensgård, you must do me a service. STENSGÅRD. Willingly. What is it? BASTIAN. I feel so full of energy. I have to thank you for that; you have stimulated me. I feel I must do something, Stensgård:—I want to get married. STENSGÅRD. To get married? To whom? BASTIAN. Sh! Some one in this house. STENSGÅRD. Madam Rundholmen? BASTIAN. Sh! Yes, it’s her. Put in a good word for me, do! This sort of thing is just the thing for me. She’s in the swim, you know; she’s on the best of terms with the Chamberlain’s people, ever since her sister was housekeeper there. If I get her, perhaps I shall get the town-contracts too. So that on the whole—damn it, I love her! STENSGÅRD. Oh, love, love! Have done with that sickening hypocrisy. BASTIAN. Hypocrisy! STENSGÅRD. Yes; you are lying to yourself, at any rate. You talk in one breath of town-contracts and of love. Why not call a spade a spade? There’s something sordid about all this; I will have nothing to do with it. BASTIAN. But listen——! STENSGÅRD. Do your dirty work yourself, I say! [_To_ FIELDBO, _who enters from the right._] Well, how goes the election? FIELDBO. Excellently for you, it appears. I saw Lundestad just now; he said you were getting all the votes. STENSGÅRD. Am I indeed? FIELDBO. But what good will they do you? Since you’re not a man of property—— STENSGÅRD. [_Between his teeth._] Isn’t it confounded! FIELDBO. Well, you can’t do two things at once. If you win on the one side, you must be content to lose on the other. Good-bye!