Oh no, Ekdal; for God’s sake don’t say such things. GREGERS. H'm; don’t let us get upon those questions. HIALMAR. And yet, after all, I cannot but recognise the guiding finger of fate. He is going blind. GINA. Oh, you can’t be sure of that. HIALMAR. There is no doubt about it. At all events there ought not to be; for in that very fact lies the righteous retribution. He has hoodwinked a confiding fellow creature in days gone by—— GREGERS. I fear he has hoodwinked many. HIALMAR. And now comes inexorable, mysterious Fate, and demands Werle’s own eyes. GINA. Oh, how dare you say such dreadful things! You make me quite scared. HIALMAR. It is profitable, now and then, to plunge deep into the night side of existence. HEDVIG, _in her hat and cloak, comes in by the passage door. She is pleasurably excited, and out of breath._ GINA. Are you back already? HEDVIG. Yes, I didn’t care to go any farther. It was a good thing, too; for I've just met some one at the door. HIALMAR. It must have been that Mrs. Sörby. HEDVIG. Yes. HIALMAR. [_Walks up and down._] I hope you have seen her for the last time. [_Silence._ HEDVIG, _discouraged, looks first at one and then at the other, trying to divine their frame of mind._ HEDVIG. [_Approaching, coaxingly._] Father. HIALMAR. Well—what is it, Hedvig? HEDVIG. Mrs. Sörby had something with her for me. HIALMAR. [_Stops._] For you? HEDVIG. Yes. Something for to-morrow. GINA. Bertha has always given you some little thing on your birthday. HIALMAR. What is it? HEDVIG. Oh, you mustn’t see it now. Mother is to give it to me to-morrow morning before I'm up. HIALMAR. What is all this hocus-pocus that I am to be kept in the dark about! HEDVIG. [_Quickly._] Oh no, you may see it if you like. It’s a big letter. [_Takes the letter out of her cloak pocket._ HIALMAR. A letter too? HEDVIG. Yes, it is only a letter. The rest will come afterwards, I suppose. But fancy—a letter! I've never had a letter before. And there’s “Miss” written upon it. [_Reads._] “Miss Hedvig Ekdal.” Only fancy—that’s me!