Devil take the practice! But how can you be so sure of that? BURGOMASTER. The House-owners' Association is sending round a circular from house to house, in which all well-disposed citizens are called upon not to employ you; and I dare swear that not a single head of a family will venture to refuse his signature; he simply _dare_ not. DR. STOCKMANN. Well well; I don’t doubt that. But what then? BURGOMASTER. If I might advise, I would suggest that you should leave the town for a time—— DR. STOCKMANN. Yes, I've had some such idea in my mind already. BURGOMASTER. Good. And when you have had six months or so for mature deliberation, if you could make up your mind to acknowledge your error, with a few words of regret—— DR. STOCKMANN. I might perhaps be reinstated, you think? BURGOMASTER. Perhaps it’s not quite out of the question. DR. STOCKMANN. Yes, but how about public opinion? You daren’t, on account of public opinion. BURGOMASTER. Opinion is extremely variable. And, to speak candidly, it is of the greatest importance for us to have such an admission under your own hand. DR. STOCKMANN. Yes, I daresay it would be mightily convenient for you! But you remember what I've said to you before about such foxes' tricks! BURGOMASTER. At that time your position was infinitely more favourable; at that time you thought you had the whole town at your back—— DR. STOCKMANN. Yes, and now I have the whole town on my back——[_Flaring up._] But no—not if I had the devil and his dam on my back—! Never—never, I tell you! BURGOMASTER. The father of a family has no right[13] to act as you are doing. You have no right to do it, Thomas. DR. STOCKMANN. I have no right! There’s only one thing in the world that a free man has no right to do; and do you know what that is? BURGOMASTER. No. DR. STOCKMANN. Of course not; but _I_ will tell you. A free man has no right to wallow in filth like a cur; he has no right to act so that he ought to spit in his own face! BURGOMASTER. That sounds extremely plausible; and if there were not another explanation of your obstinacy—but we all know there is—— DR. STOCKMANN. What do you mean by that? BURGOMASTER. You understand well enough. But as your brother, and as a man who knows the world, I warn you not to build too confidently upon prospects and expectations that may very likely come to nothing. DR. STOCKMANN.