[Illustration: Fancy Picture of Hanwellian Admirer of the Ibsenesque
Drama thoroughly enjoying himself.]

I have not the original for reference handy, but the version played
at Terry's Theatre bears internal evidence of a close translation. An
adapter, I fancy, with a free hand would scarcely have made one of the
characters use the same exit speech on two occasions. _Nils Krogstad_
does this. He can think of nothing better than, "If I am flung into
the gutter, you shall accompany me," repeated twice with the slight
variation, "If I am flung into the gutter for the second time, you
shall accompany me," used for the last exit. Again, _Torvald Helmer_
has a long monologue in the final Act that a practised playwright
would have "broken up" with the assistance of a portrait, or a letter,
or something. From this it would appear that the Editor, WILLIAM
ARCHER (without the "Mr.") has very faithfully produced the exact
translation of the original. To be hypercritical, I might suggest
that perhaps occasionally the version is rather _too_ literal. For
instance, _Torvald Helmer_, although he is cursed with one of the most
offensive wives known to creation, would scarcely call her "a little
lark," which conveys the impression that he is a "gay dog," and
one given to the traditional ways of that species of ultra-sociable
animals. I have confessed I have not the original before me, so I
cannot say whether the title used by IBSEN is "_Smalle Larke_," but
I fancy that a "capering capercailzie," if not actually his _words_,
would be nearer his _meaning_. A capercailzie is, according to the
dictionaries, a bird of "a delicious flavour" and partially "green;"
it is also found in Norway "very fine and large," as IBSEN might say.
Surely _Torvald_ would have thus described his semi-verdant _Nora_,
finding her distinctly to his taste.