What would you have had me do for the people? When Ekdal came out of prison he was a broken-down being, past all help. There are people in the world who dive to the bottom the moment they get a couple of slugs in their body, and never come to the surface again. You may take my word for it, Gregers, I have done all I could without positively laying myself open to all sorts of suspicion and gossip—— GREGERS. Suspicion——? Oh, I see. WERLE. I have given Ekdal copying to do for the office, and I pay him far, far more for it than his work is worth—— GREGERS. [_Without looking at him._] H'm; _that_ I don’t doubt. WERLE. You laugh? Do you think I am not telling you the truth? Well, I certainly can’t refer you to my books, for I never enter payments of that sort. GREGERS. [_Smiles coldly._] No, there are certain payments it is best to keep no account of. WERLE. [_Taken aback._] What do you mean by _that_? GREGERS. [_Mustering up courage._] Have you entered what it cost you to have Hialmar Ekdal taught photography? WERLE. I? How “entered” it? GREGERS. I have learnt that it was you who paid for his training. And I have learnt, too, that it was you who enabled him to set up house so comfortably. WERLE. Well, and yet you talk as though I had done nothing for the Ekdals! I can assure you these people have cost me enough in all conscience. GREGERS. Have you entered any of these expenses in your books? WERLE. Why do you ask? GREGERS. Oh, I have my reasons. Now tell me: when you interested yourself so warmly in your old friend’s son—it was just before his marriage, was it not? WERLE. Why, deuce take it—after all these years, how can I——? GREGERS. You wrote me a letter about that time—a business letter, of course; and in a postscript you mentioned—quite briefly—that Hialmar Ekdal had married a Miss Hansen. WERLE. Yes, that was quite right. That was her name. GREGERS. But you did not mention that this Miss Hansen was Gina Hansen—our former housekeeper. WERLE. [_With a forced laugh of derision._] No; to tell the truth, it didn’t occur to me that you were so particularly interested in our former housekeeper. GREGERS. No more I was. But [_lowers his voice_] there were others in this house who _were_ particularly interested in her. WERLE.