es.

Nora (taking a step towards him). Torvald--!

Helmer. Miserable creature--what have you done?

Nora. Let me go. You shall not suffer for my sake. You shall not take it
upon yourself.

Helmer. No tragic airs, please. (Locks the hall door.) Here you shall
stay and give me an explanation. Do you understand what you have done?
Answer me! Do you understand what you have done?

Nora (looks steadily at him and says with a growing look of coldness in
her face). Yes, now I am beginning to understand thoroughly.

Helmer (walking about the room). What a horrible awakening! All these
eight years--she who was my joy and pride--a hypocrite, a liar--worse,
worse--a criminal! The unutterable ugliness of it all!--For shame! For
shame! (NORA is silent and looks steadily at him. He stops in front of
her.) I ought to have suspected that something of the sort would happen.
I ought to have foreseen it. All your father's want of principle--be
silent!--all your father's want of principle has come out in you. No
religion, no morality, no sense of duty--. How I am punished for having
winked at what he did! I did it for your sake, and this is how you repay
me.

Nora. Yes, that's just it.

Helmer. Now you have destroyed all my happiness. You have ruined all my
future. It is horrible to think of! I am in the power of an unscrupulous
man; he can do what he likes with me, ask anything he likes of me, give
me any orders he pleases--I dare not refuse. And I must sink to such
miserable depths because of a thoughtless woman!

Nora. When I am out of the way, you will be free.

Helmer. No fine speeches, please. Your father had always plenty of those
ready, too. What good would it be to me if you were out of the way, as
you say? Not the slightest. He can make the affair known everywhere; and
if he does, I may be falsely suspected of having been a party to your
criminal action. Very likely people will think I was behind it all--that
it was I who prompted you! And I have to thank you for all this--you
whom I have cherished during the whole of our married life. Do you
understand now what it is you have done for me?

Nora (coldly and quietly). Yes.

Helmer. It is so incredible that I can't take it in. But we must come to
some understanding. Take off that shawl. Take it off, I tell you. I must
try and appease him some way or another. The matter must be hushed up at
any cost. And as for you and me, it must appear as if everything between
us we