"THIRST" "Sleepyhead!" " What do you want in here?" " I'm so sorry." "I got the wrong room." "What was that?" "Keep your eyes open." " Are there snakes here?" " Of course." " Let's swim back to the boat." " They're in the water too." "I could spend all summer here with you." "No rehearsals or ballet shoes." "Very nice, but other duties call." "It's back to the wife and kids tomorrow." " You're married?" " Yes." "Did you think I wasn't?" "A man my age who isn't married with kids is a failure." "But it's nothing we can't work out." "I just wanted to see how you live." "Is this some kind of inspection?" " I'm his wife." " Whose?" "Whose?" "You have more than one?" "Forgive me." "Is he paying for this?" "You should be ashamed of yourself." "Have you no conscience?" "I'd pictured you quite differently." "You're not even beautiful." "It's beyond me." "I love him." "Don't you have any pride?" "Don't you?" "A woman with three children can't be too concerned about pride." "But you should be." "It's known as loyalty between decent women." "Little troll!" "My little troll!" "What are you doing here?" "Having a look at the troll." "I see." "Was this really necessary?" "People are talking." "This has to end." "Let's not make a scene." "We're civilized human beings." "I want order and discipline." "Go home." " You too, and don't come back!" "Pay attention, both of you!" "I'm an honest man." "I've never tried to hide the fact I have two women." "Any healthy man has to have two women." "There are sly devils with more, and that's just indecent." "No, two's the right number, and you hold on to them for dear life." "Why are you laughing?" "I believe I'm entitled." "Go ahead and laugh." "My standards are first-rate." "People can say what they like." "Envious cads!" "I'm sure she'll calm down." "Trust me." "Are you crying?" "I thought I heard something." "What's wrong?" " Go back to sleep." " Has Astrid been pestering you?" "Just tell me." "What's wrong with you?" "Can't you tell from the way I've been lately?" "What the..." "Are you pregnant?" " I think so." " You're not sure?" "Yes, I am." "What do they teach you in ballet school?" "A virgin at 20, and no caution!" " I'm so scared, Raoul!" " Don't be." "I'm sure it can be worked out." " I don't want that." "I'm so scared." "Please don't leave me now." "There we go." "You stay here, darling." "I'll make coffee." "Forgive me for being such a fool." "Are you leaving?" "Don't you want coffee?" " How long have you kept it from me?" " What?" " How far along are you?" " Three months, I think." " You think?" " Or four." " Which is it?" " Perhaps four." " Do you think, or are you sure?" " Probably three." " That can't be." "I was on maneuvers." " Then it must be four." "Oh, really?" "So it's four now." "I'm not quite sure, Raoul." " Sudden ignorance." " It's impossible to know for sure!" "You can't fool me!" "I wasn't born yesterday!" "The kid's not mine." "Whore!" "Whore!" "Whore!" "Crying again?" "How are we doing?" "Nurse, am I ruined for the rest of my life?" "A young girl like you talking of being ruined!" "I mean, do you think I can't have children now?" "Who says so?" "You know what they did, nurse." "Is that what they usually do?" " It depends." "You'd better talk to the doctor." " I have." "Well, then?" "I can't get an answer." "He dismisses it." "And so should you, miss." "A woman nowadays can do so many other things besides having babies." "With your profession, so full of variety, where you're both celebrated and envied, well..." "I don't want to be sterile!" "Let's let in some fresh air." "Are you awake?" "I know you're awake." "You're just pretending." "You've had your fill of sleep." "Open the curtains, will you?" "I'm suffocating." "Here we go again." "What?" "What's that stink?" "I made some tea earlier." "Perhaps it wasn't a good brand." "Up here, please!" "What an idea, sitting on a train all midsummer." " It was your idea." " My idea?" "Wasn't it?" ""Book the train home on Midsummer's Eve," you said." ""We'll escape the crowds at home. "" "You're the man." "You should decide." " What are you doing?" " Ordering breakfast." "We have to be sure we can pay for the room." "We nearly starved for three days, but you wanted this expensive hotel." "You'd left your hat here on our trip out." "So it was my fault." " The money's gone." "That's all." " You were in charge of it." "Just be glad I was." "You should watch a man's face when he pulls out his wallet." "And hers, when he doesn't pull it out." "Men's tone of voice, how they go on, their lack of finesse, their ugly bodies!" "Damn it!" "Come in." "National-Zeitung." " A whole franc!" " He brought it all the way up." "A franc for a paper you won't read." "It's 10 centimes at the station!" "Talk about expensive habits." "But no breakfast." "And no nightcap last night." " You felt better without one." "You'd feel better without any nightcaps whatsoever!" "Are you saying I'm a drinker?" "Are you saying I'm a drinker?" "You bet I am!" "Ruth, I didn't mean it." "I'm sorry." "With all your fine upbringing, you still forget to brush your teeth at night." "A statue representing "The Quarrel. "" "You shouldn't smoke so much." "Think of your heart." "What use is a heart to a dancer who can't use her legs?" "It wouldn't even do as an arch support." "Take care of it anyway, for my sake." "You're afraid I'll land in the hospital and run up big bills." "Of course." "You'll get well and dance again." "You always look like a tormented animal, as if I were torturing you." "Always looking at your watch." "It's your god." "And your old coins." "You and your assistant lecturer's ties!" "But I am an assistant lecturer." "Your trousers are baggy at the knees because you don't hang them up." "I'm sure you press them before you go see your other woman." " Shut your mouth." " Bravo!" "I didn't mean it that way." "You never mean it." "We were at this until 3:00 a. m." "Don't start again!" "Oh, I will... every time you need some softening up." "Viola wasn't in love with me." "She was in love with her dead husband." "I was just a stand-in." "That's what you were born to be, darling." "A stand-in." "Raoul was a rat, but he was a man." "Besides, I felt sorry for her." " But not for me?" " You didn't have encephalitis." "I could go mad just the same." "I couldn't just break it off." "How would you like it if..." " If what?" "If you broke up with me because" "I'm tired and whiny?" "Just toss me away!" "I don't want to be your appendix, like Viola." "Viola." "What a name." "When you're sweet, you're very sweet." "It's late." "You have to get dressed." "Let go of me." "You've never really cared for me." " We have to pack." " I'm not beautiful enough for you." " You've never looked better." "So I was ugly before?" "You never said." "The sun has done you good." "It was wise of them to give me that scholarship." "I see." "You'd rather have traveled alone." "You don't love me." "Have some wine." "It might help." "Go to hell with your straw-covered bottle!" "Don't start now." "You've never understood me!" " You're babbling." " Maybe I am." "But I'm sober as a judge!" "Just say it!" "Tell me you've had enough of me." "Don't be so docile." "I should clobber you over the head, but I don't have the courage." " You notice anything?" " Of course." " Doesn't it excite you?" " Not at all." "There's too much nudity in this marriage." "You get ready while I pay the bill." "I met Peter just before we left Stockholm." "He said Gullan had seen me in the sauna." "She thought I had the most beautiful breasts in Stockholm." "I'm off now." "Don't touch the picnic basket." "There's no restaurant car in Germany." "A cold shower in the morning!" "Ruth, we have enough left for breakfast." "Bread, butter, marmalade and eggs." "I'll just have coffee." "Good." "That leaves two more francs." "There was enough for a nightcap after all." "We don't have to pawn Arethusa." " What are those?" " They're quite valuable." "I came across them one day in Syracuse." "And you didn't say a word?" "Meanwhile we've been eating at the vilest joints." " She looks just like you." " Exactly." "You know that freshwater spring down by the sea?" "Arethusa was turned into that spring as she fled from the river god Alpheus." "The Greek invaders argued that it was the Greek river Alpheus that made its way beneath the sea to unite its waters with those of the Sicilian spring." "A fantastic thought!" "Why?" "It could happen." "Pure wishful thinking." "The two sexes can never be united." "They're separated by a sea of tears and misunderstandings." "We have to pack." "Will you help me, darling?" "The train leaves in an hour." "Find me a cigarette, will you?" "I haven't smoked in 15 minutes." "How wonderful to be back on the road again!" "With you." "Our home for two days." "It's splendid!" "I'd like to always live this way, on wheels." "Can't you stand a little heat?" "By all means, relax and make yourself at home." "Will you put the flowers in water?" "They'll brighten up our rolling home." "No, this suitcase should go there and that one there." "And I want to sit there." "No, it was better over here." "It's my bad knee, you see." "You think my skirt will be very creased when we get to Stockholm?" "What time is it?" "Why aren't we moving?" "Can you open the window?" "It's so hot!" "Shall I help you?" "It's that simple." "I'm so proud of you." "You should be." "The fact that we're here, on our way home in one piece, is certainly not your doing." "Whose is it then?" "So you've been out seeing the world?" "Yes, we've been out seeing the world." "I see." "On your way back from Italy?" "Verona, Bologna, Florence, Venice, the Lido," "Capri, Messina and Syracuse." "I see." "We're headed that way ourselves." "The train out and the plane back, to waste as few vitamins as possible." "So you've bought the plane tickets back, Lieutenant?" " Yes." " That's wise." "We flew out, and then there's no choice for the return." "This express is called "The Return. "" "Wasn't it hard to leave the children?" "Raoul being so fond of them and all." "They're very happy in their boarding house." "Well..." "Yes, well..." "Our respects to Stockholm!" " Our respects to Italy!" " You're such a fool." "An uncomfortable silence fell upon them..." "I know who you're thinking about." "You're thinking about your cast-off, so you think I'm getting revenge..." "By thinking of your old lover." "Well, aren't you?" " I don't think so." " I think you are!" "Damn, I left the paper in the hotel room." "Darling." "See you in a while." ""Midsummer days, oh, delightful season of lilacs. "" "And violets." "It's always Viola." "Strindberg's A Trip to Town." "Strindberg's Trinity Night." "And it's lilacs and peonies, not Viola." ""Oh, season of lilacs... the white ones above all, that whisper and smell as before of youth, of hope and of love. "" "Your husband?" "I understand." "My dear husband has been here for 15 years." "Just inside Gate 9." "The soil is nice and dry there." "It's quiet here today." "Not one of their busy days." "But Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost... if the weather's not too nice... then it's busy." "But Midsummer is completely dead." "There's a burial at 3:00." "I'm thinking of..." "Madam!" "The doctor called to say he's on his way." "He got held up at the asylum." " What are you doing here?" " That's obvious, isn't it?" "On Midsummer's Day?" "You're here to watch me." "Come on, lady." "Try a bit of humor." "Do I look like I'm mixed up with those loonies?" "You flinch at my slightest movement." "Why is that?" "Funny you should ask." "Someone put their arm through the glass this morning." "They should use shatterproof glass around here." "I almost felt like doing it myself just now." "There's nothing wrong with me." "I've been ill with encephalitis." "Let's have a light." "Hurry up and finish." "Miss." "Miss!" "The doctor's here." " How is she?" " She's still lying down." "That's a good sign." "Blood loss?" "Negligible." "Pulse normal." " Has she said anything?" " Yes." "I took some notes." "Let's hear." ""It's blood." "Take those knives away." "It's so dark." "I can't see the path." "Ugh!"" "What?" " That is, she tried to..." " I see." ""Dad, warm me up." "Quick, the leggings." "There are wet marks on the floor." "A bridge of light." "I walk onto it. "" " What was that about "Dad"?" " "Dad, warm me up. "" "That's something." "Well, what have we here?" "Don't you recognize me?" "I'm Dr. Rosengren." "It was in my office that you had that little mishap." "That's a good sign." "You just cry." "Have a good cry." "I'll help you build a strong new personality." "Do we dare let her go home?" "No, better not." "Dr. Hjertén?" "Rosengren here." "I've got a melancholia religiosa, complicated by a lesion to the arteria radialis, through the window here." "Can you take her over the weekend?" "Good." "Take her over there." "Mrs. Garelli." " Do you have plans for Midsummer?" " What about you?" "I'll be at my chalet, writing my book." "Liberating Imagination." "Come with me." "Come away and break up a marriage." "Do something worthwhile." "Help yet another sleepwalking couple wake up from their illusions." "I'd like to shatter your illusions." " About my marriage?" "You said it." "You open with an all-out attack today." "My marriage was very happy." "That's an illusion you cling to." "You never loved your husband, not until after his death." "You've spun a coat of armor around your marriage." "Admit that your whole life has been one long mistake." "Admit it." "A neglected upbringing, a foolish marriage, twisted liaisons." "Wake up, woman." "I am awake." "Of course, you could stop seeing me." ""Patient jumps up from operating table, intestines hanging out. "" "Must be a problem with the anesthetic." "I feel awfully awake!" "You're clever, Doctor." "That was close." " I feel very sorry for you." " You don't mean that." "You're not a good man." "Your kindness is just a sham." "Kindness?" "I replace kindness with imagination." "Liberating Imagination." "You have no imagination!" "You've never lived!" "You know nothing about life or suffering!" "You think!" " You smoke too much." " My last lover nagged me too." ""Think of your heart," he said and married a dancer." "That's how much he thought of my heart." "How do you know that's true?" "I could tell you any story I like." "You're full of wiles." "You really are troublesome." "It makes my work so much more difficult." "Oh, yes, you talk quite a lot." "But in fact you say nothing." "What are you holding back?" "What are you keeping from me?" "Just be normal." "Talk away and let it out any old way." "Don't worry about the form." "I'll sort through it, straighten the strands, and provide assistance." "You need someone." "Otherwise you'll perish." "You have me." "I'll never abandon you." "I'm your friend." "More than that, depending on how things develop." "I don't want anyone there in my place when you cry." "You do cry, although never with me." "Don't deny me your tears." "Follow my path." "Let go of your own self." "Give yourself to me and I'll deliver you." "I'm always at hand." "You're clever." "You call that giving?" "To stand there and wait for the shock." "You'll never see my tears!" "They won't be put on display!" "What is it you can't bear?" "That you're fond of me?" "Try to understand that the main thing isn't to be loved, but to love." "I'll put up no resistance." "Love me." "You may, and you will." " You need psychoanalysis!" " I'll carve out your real self." "I'll plow your virgin soil." " You will not plow my soil!" "I'm God's representative on earth." "You shouldn't be treating people!" "Not everyone has my strength to resist." "I'm leaving!" "I forbid you to leave in this condition." "I won't be coming back." "I've discovered that I'm well." " I don't think so, my dear." " Oh, no?" "What would you know?" "You don't even have a license!" "You belong with the incurables." "Your breakdown is imminent." "As usual, you'll end up in the asylum." "Dr. Rosengren." "What are you up to with the dames, eh?" "See ya." "Watch out or you'll catch a cold." "What are you supposed to do in this heat?" "Now I know how ruins feel." "Sterile and empty-eyed amid lush nature." "That's me in a nutshell." "Is this okay?" " Perfect." "What are you reading?" "You look so wise when you're engrossed in a book." "Filing and reading." "Tell me something about coins." "Besides, how can you study art?" "You have no idea how it's created." "The stab of pain..." "what do you know about that?" "You tell me about it day and night." "A butterfly brings no joy to your heart, but a coin arouses your desires." "Dear boy, don't listen to the things I say!" "You know how I get when I'm tired." " Of course I do, dear." " And I'm so worried about the future." " Don't do that!" "You mustn't make such violent gestures." "Feel how my heart's pounding." "Perhaps I should have a little wine." "You too." "I don't want to be the only one with a glass." "Hi there." "Would you like some chocolate?" "Another piece?" " Yes." " Do you like me?" " No." " Not at all?" " No." " And now?" " Say thank you." "But you know you shouldn't accept anything from strangers." " Never ask if they love you." " Thank you!" "You're always jumping on children." "And you're oversensitive." "Easy for you to say." "They threw my child in the trash and mutilated me!" "I've seen buckets of my own blood." "Butchers with sharp knives!" ""Everything will be fine. "" " You have to get over it, Ruth!" "I can't!" "They killed something inside me." "Dearest Ruth, is it that painful?" "It's hell." " Children aren't the only thing in life." " Oh, no?" "I should get myself tested, but I never have the time." "You're so considerate." "You know you're fertile, don't you?" "Don't you?" "I know that I'll never forgive Raoul for that operation." " You've ruined people too." " Not to my knowledge." "What do you know?" "There isn't a man who hasn't brought ruin to a woman, one way or another." "I wouldn't mind a bite to eat now." "Your bad knee." "I'll go and get a bottle of beer." " So do you like me?" " Yes." " Are you sure?" " Yes." " You look happy." " No wonder..." "Swiss beer!" "Good hard stuff." "Here's to you." "Cheers." " You think they're hungry?" " Without a doubt." "Pull down the shade." " Pull it down?" " Throw that away." "There's ashes on it." " I don't think they'll mind." "How can you?" "Feeding them like chicken!" "They're so busy surviving that they have no time for a spiritual life." "One could almost envy them." "You're so real, so wholesome, prudent and industrious." "Did anyone bother to make me real?" "How often do men make human beings of women?" "In your case it would be a full-time job for a millionaire." " But you eat noisily." " It's my adenoids." "Shall we cut them out?" "Imagine a pair of scissors up your nose." "I only say it for your own good." " Would you like some coffee?" " That might do you good." "Think of my heart." "Do I look funny?" "He was staring." "Sheer imagination." "You look quite normal, only prettier." "I want you to think I'm beautiful." "There." "Caress my face." "Teach me to know it." "Wake it up." "Show me its contours." "Discover it." "I photograph well." "Why don't I get any film offers?" "Your day will come, I'm sure." "Put it away." "I shouldn't have any more." "I'll train my voice." "I thought I might specialize in folk music." "Little songs from all over the world." "Little, little songs." "You have such good hands." "I'd like to sleep." " That can be arranged." "No, not rest." "I don't dare rest." "I have to feel rested to rest." "I'm so tired, and it's so hot." "I prattle on like a machine gun." "It's because I'm afraid of silence." " I've always known that." "Give me that bottle." "Give it to me!" "It's Midsummer!" "Am I a bad person?" "Dissolute?" "Nothing takes root in me anymore." "It's all muddy inside!" "Ruth, for God's sake!" "One shouldn't drink." "One shouldn't drink!" "I hate you." "I hate you so much that I want to live just to make your life miserable." "Are you asking for brutality?" "Raoul was brutal." "You took away my lust for life." "You cheated on me, with Viola and maybe others." "You're no saint yourself." "I always told you everything." "But you forgot to tell me." "You led me to believe you were the noblest man on earth." "It's my cursed fate to always meet hysterical women." "It's my cursed fate to play the nurse, and I've had enough." " You want a divorce!" " Stop shouting!" "People can hear!" "I don't give a damn!" "I'll never leave you." "We're joined together, like on a chain gang." "Forgive me while I laugh, loudly and coarsely." "I don't want a divorce." "You're too scared to say it." "I love you." "Go to hell, you and your coins and your cold eyes!" "That was mean." "I didn't mean anything by it." "I'll probably never learn to sing." ""And see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom... and they will be thrust into utter darkness. "" "What's wrong?" "Are you sick?" "Leave me alone!" "To me, ballet isn't a profession." "It's my second home, more real than my actual home." "I started early." "I see it all before me." "The rosin box where you dip your shoes so you don't slip." "Pavlova's foot and ankle, the crushing ideal." "The large mirror that exposes what little soul and technique you have." "The eternal tinkling sound of the piano." "One and two and three and four." "Straight and happy, little Blomgren." "Once more." "Don't blubber." "You're not joining the theater, my child." "A dancer must be tough." "Leave her alone." "What's this nonsense, Valborg?" "Leave Ruth alone or I'll quit." "The star has spoken." "Seems we have a budding diva here." "On with the class." "Don't let her treat you like a doormat." "Have a sandwich." " I've discovered something." " What?" "She enjoys it." "They both do." " But I'm on scholarship." " Who isn't?" "We're on scholarship because we're especially talented." "The old girls plan to cash in on us." "We had no time for love." "Play with it, brush up against it, but don't come to depend on it." "Someday, perhaps, when I was too old to dance." "To be young and sought after and asked out..." "He who laughs last laughs best." ""A woman's only way to freedom and independence. "" "I could say a thing or two about that." "Don't, Miss Henriksson." "I see what fate lies in store for you, my dear." "It's there in your eyes, as a promise." "A slumbering little devil." "Are you going to extend your contract?" "Certainly not." "We're going to draw up our own contracts." "You'd be stupid not to." "Fly, little birds, fly!" "A drop of port for sad thoughts." "Where did Valborg go off to?" "She was the neatest of the bunch." "Her room was tidy as a doll's house." "She went on a European tour." "She was one of those that start off well, then vanish in silence." "It was before the war." "What happened to her?" "Is she buried in one of these graveyards?" "Or did she marry some duke or millionaire?" "Is she as danced out as me?" "Aren't you..." "Yes, I am." "Hello!" "You look the same." " No, I don't." "You don't look too happy either." " One should be." "It's Midsummer." " Alone in town?" " Yes, alone in town." "Don't ask me and I won't ask you." "Which way are you going?" "Same as me." "We can walk together." "It's nice being with old schoolmates who don't talk about old schoolmates." "This is where I live." " How nice." " What's in your bag?" " A pork chop." "Care to see how I live?" "We can cook our chops together." "That would be nice." "Nice teeth." "You should smile more often." "There's no elevator." "How cozy!" "I don't understand why flowers never last." " You must have so many memories." " I won't answer that." "This is our class." "That's you." "That's Ruth!" "I didn't know you knew her." "We went to different schools." "I didn't know her then, and I don't know her now." "We have mutual friends." "I haven't been in a hurry to look her up." "Please don't tell her you came here." " Don't worry." "I don't know." "I think I should go home after all." " Are you afraid of me?" " Why should I be?" "You're beautiful, standing there with your flushed cheeks." "Let's cheer up!" "A drop of port for sad thoughts." " Quite pleasant, don't you think?" " Yes." "It's bliss to go numb." "I've been through hell." "Every day I go through hell!" "Everyone seems to have exclusive rights to hell." "I'm so lonely, Valborg." "Lonely and dependent on a man..." "I know that one." "My husband is dead." " Doubly dependent, then." " Yes." "You understand me." " Don't be too sure." "Let's not get autobiographical." "It only ends in sentimentality." "Men are a closed chapter for me." "I've found the way." "A woman's only way to freedom and independence." " I'd like to learn about that." " Such nice teeth." "You can laugh without looking ugly." "I think I'll go now." "You've said that three or four times." "Why go?" "Let's open another bottle." "I've already had quite enough." "I'm sure it shows." " Not at all." "I'll look after you if you get pickled." "I don't mind." "You can always spend the night." " It's like being at the doctor's." "What's it like at the doctor's?" "Something takes my will away." "Cigarette?" " Are they strong?" " Have one." "You can take it." "Do you like it here with me?" "Viola!" "Let's dance." "No!" "The conference was a success." "We were agreed on one point:" "If we're to reach our parishioners, we must be less pious about marriage." "We must admit that problems occur, even in our own marriages." "We also know that the solution is to talk things over." "A quarrel is fine, but then you have to talk." "My wife and I have had our disputes." "I don't like anyone touching my desk." "She's very sensitive about her housekeeping budget." "We've talked it over." "She doesn't touch my papers, and I don't ask her to account for small sums." "Madam, sir, all is well." "Good night." " You go to bed." "I'm going to smoke." " Please, let's sleep tonight." " You sleep." " This circus has to end!" " What circus?" " I need my sleep!" " We can't go on like this!" " Then sleep!" "Good night!" "As I've been saying, talking things over is essential." "I'm going to write a book on marriage and its ups and downs." "A clergyman's too." " That's nice." "Are you asleep?" "Isn't it hot?" "Did you hear that?" "You're just pretending." "She won't be prattling on anymore." "What a looker!" "Bertil, are you awake?" "Are you awake?" " Yes, I'm awake." "What's going on outside?" "I beg your pardon." "This is Mr. And Mrs..." " Never mind." "We have no time to lose!" "What's going on?" "The police are checking the passenger list." "It's unimportant." "I'm so sorry." " Hurry up!" "Always in a hurry!" "I was horrible yesterday." "Though my admitting it doesn't change anything." "What's wrong with you?" " I was dreaming." "No, I've been in a trance." "I got it into my head that I'd killed you." "Aren't you going to say anything?" "I said I killed you." " I'm not surprised." " It's better like this." "You would've been alone and independent." "I don't want to be alone and independent!" "That's much worse." "Worse than what?" "Than the hell we have." "At least we have each other."