MRS. ALVING. [Laying her two hands upon his shoulders.] And I say that I
have half a mind to put my arms round your neck, and kiss you.
MANDERS. [Stepping hastily back.] No, no! God bless me! What an idea!
MRS. ALVING. [With a smile.] Oh, you needn't be afraid of me.
MANDERS. [By the table.] You have sometimes such an exaggerated way of
expressing yourself. Now, let me just collect all the documents, and put
them in my bag. [He does so.] There, that's all right. And now, good-bye
for the present. Keep your eyes open when Oswald comes back. I shall
look in again later. [He takes his hat and goes out through the hall
door.]
MRS. ALVING. [Sighs, looks for a moment out of the window, sets the room
in order a little, and is about to go into the dining-room, but stops at
the door with a half-suppressed cry.] Oswald, are you still at table?
OSWALD. [In the dining room.] I'm only finishing my cigar.
MRS. ALVING. I thought you had gone for a little walk.
OSWALD. In such weather as this?
[A glass clinks. MRS. ALVING leaves the door open, and sits down with
her knitting on the sofa by the window.]
OSWALD. Wasn't that Pastor Manders that went out just now?
MRS. ALVING. Yes; he went down to the Orphanage.