Act III:

[Lights up on stage.  Nora sits in a parlor, which is small but well decorated.  The furniture is slightly worn, but kept in order.  Despite the second-hand look, the room is very neat.  There are book shelves to stage right, a window seat in the rear, and a door facing stage left.  An old vertical piano is pushed against the wall to stage left.  NORA sits at a table stage center, wearing a modest dress.]
NORA: [shuffling papers, humming to self absently] Little Amelia is on holiday for two weeks... The Chekovs are postponing until the week after next... I suppose that things would be slow, it being Easter... [there is a knock outside the door] Just a moment, please! [getting up, setting papers down.  NORA goes to the door and opens it.  The MAILMAN enters]
MAILMAN: Good afternoon, Miss Nora. 
NORA: [pleasantly] Good afternoon.
MAILMAN: [drawing a stack of letters out of bag] A note from the headmistress... Some bank notice... And an envelope from a Mrs. Linde. 
NORA: Thank you. [She takes the letters.  MAILMAN exits.  Bringing the letters back to her table, she opens the first letter.  Reading it aloud:] "Dear Miss Nora, [she pauses], The Board of Governors at St. Peter's Academy for Young Women would like to formally extend our gratitude for your two years of service.  We would like to offer you a promotion, for which you would take on the responsibilities of educating our pupils in formal dance, introduction to music, and to lead seminars on some classical arts.  This would be in addition to your duties as an assistant to the advanced music and drama classes. It would be accompanied by a raise in salary..." [suppressing a smile] A promotion! [looking back at letter] "Please send your reply to the headmistress's office as soon as possible." As if I wouldn't!
[Nora sets the letter down, searching for a pen and paper.  Finding some, she scribbles out a response and sets it down.  She picks up the letter from MRS. LINDE and opens it with a letter opener. Reading it aloud:]
NORA: "Dearest Nora; Nils and I received your last package.  The pressed flowers make a lovely make a lovely addition to our living room decorations.  Since you last visited, he and I have moved to a new apartment, which is closer to the bank.  I could simply not stand to pass Torvald in the street; despite my best attempts at evasion, he always sought me out, asking about you.  Fear not, my dear Nora; I still hold my position at the bank, and Nils has been picking up some work as a clerk.  It appears that you are not as incompetent as I once believed you to be.  Though I miss my childhood friend, I am glad that you have found boarding in a respectable part of your new city.  I hope you are more inclined to teaching than I was, but you seem to have found your niche..." [NORA trails off, looking slightly distressed] Does Torvald think of me still? Even after all this time?
[She paces the room, setting the letter down on the table.  Biting her lip, she looks back at the letter. After a moment, she goes back to the table, grabs another piece of paper, and leans her hip against the table.]
NORA: Dear Mr. Helmer; no, too formal.  Dearest Torvald;...No, that doesn't work either... [squinting at the paper] Dear Torvald; [she nods to herself, and scribbles that down.  NORA begins to pace the room, while delivering monologue.  She ends by the window.  She pauses every few sentences to write down her thoughts.]
I write to you not for my own desire, but for the sake of you and the children.  It occurs to me that despite your ability and influence, you persist in your want for my return.  Though I swore not to contact you, it is not responsible for a man to forget his obligations to his children or his friends.  It has been two years and five months since my departure, and I have rebuilt my life.  I teach at a finishing school and am a private piano instructor to the youths of this city.  My rooms are modest and my closets bare, but I have adjusted.  Do not let my leaving you destroy your ambitions....
[There is a tumultuous sound of feet on stairs, and shouts of a child. Distracted from her letter, NORA sets it down on the window seat, where it falls to the floor without her knowledge.  NORA rushes to the door and opens it.  Enter a girl and her mother, the girl about age ten]
NORA: Good day, Mrs. Moore. [bending down to meet the eyes of the girl] And hello, Miss Sarah.  Have you been practicing for your lesson?
SARAH: Yes Miss Nora. 
NORA: Excellent! How are your scales?
SARAH: [bashful] I didn't practice those as much...
NORA: [smiling] Oh, well I suppose we can work on those today.  Will you be staying to listen, Mrs. Moore?
MOORE: No, I have errands to run.  [Kissing SARAH's head] Good bye, dear.  I will be back at five. [exits]
[NORA leads SARAH over to piano, where they both sit.]
NORA: Can you play me an arpeggio? Good... [NORA coaches SARAH quietly through some piano exercises, giving encouragement.  The letter to Torvald lays forgotten.  Lights dim to sounds of NORA and SARAH playing piano]
FIN