Mrs. Halm.
How long? Bethink you, fortune’s calling!
Svanhild [with a quiet smile].
Only a little; till the leaves are falling.
[She goes towards the verandah; Mrs. Halm seeks out Guldstad.
Strawman [among the guests].
One lesson, friends, we learn from this example!
Tho’ Doubt’s beleaguering forces hem us in,
Yet Truth upon the Serpent’s head shall trample,
The cause of Love shall win—