Nora.  Yes, I think I remember—­

Krogstad.  Then I gave you the bond to send by post to your father.  Is that not so?

Nora.  Yes.

Krogstad.  And you naturally did so at once, because five or six days afterwards you brought me the bond with your father’s signature.  And then I gave you the money.

Nora.  Well, haven’t I been paying it off regularly?

Krogstad.  Fairly so, yes.  But—­to come back to the matter in hand—­that must have been a very trying time for you, Mrs. Helmer?

Nora.  It was, indeed.

Krogstad.  Your father was very ill, wasn’t he?

Nora.  He was very near his end.

Krogstad.  And died soon afterwards?

Nora.  Yes.

Krogstad.  Tell me, Mrs. Helmer, can you by any chance remember what day your father died?—­on what day of the month, I mean.

Nora.  Papa died on the 29th of September.

Krogstad.  That is correct; I have ascertained it for myself.  And, as that is so, there is a discrepancy (taking a paper from his pocket) which I cannot account for.

Nora.  What discrepancy?  I don’t know—­

Krogstad.  The discrepancy consists, Mrs. Helmer, in the fact that your father signed this bond three days after his death.

Nora.  What do you mean?  I don’t understand—­

Krogstad.  Your father died on the 29th of September.  But, look here; your father dated his signature the 2nd of October.  It is a discrepancy, isn’t it? (NORA is silent.) Can you explain it to me? (NORA is still silent.) It is a remarkable thing, too, that the words “2nd of October,” as well as the year, are not written in your father’s handwriting but in one that I think I know.  Well, of course it can be explained; your father may have forgotten to date his signature, and someone else may have dated it haphazard before they knew of his death.  There is no harm in that.  It all depends on the signature of the name; and that is genuine, I suppose, Mrs. Helmer?  It was your father himself who signed his name here?

Nora (after a short pause, throws her head up and looks defiantly at him).  No, it was not.  It was I that wrote papa’s name.

Krogstad.  Are you aware that is a dangerous confession?

Nora.  In what way?  You shall have your money soon.

Krogstad.  Let me ask you a question; why did you not send the paper to your father?

Nora.  It was impossible; papa was so ill.  If I had asked him for his signature, I should have had to tell him what the money was to be used for; and when he was so ill himself I couldn’t tell him that my husband’s life was in danger—­it was impossible.

Krogstad.  It would have been better for you if you had given up your trip abroad.