Borkman.

There was not a nook or cranny of my life that I hesitated to lay open to him. And then, when the moment came, he turned against me the weapons I myself had placed in his hands.

Foldal.

I have never been able to understand why he——Of course, there were whispers of all sorts at the time.

Borkman.

What were the whispers? Tell me. You see I know nothing. For I had to go straight into—into isolation. What did people whisper, Vilhelm?

Foldal.

You were to have gone into the Cabinet, they said.

Borkman.

I was offered a portfolio, but I refused it.