GERALD. I wish to God I could.... What are you and Bob going to do? PAMELA. Canada, as soon as we can. I've got friends there. We've a little money between us. Bob ought to have done it a long time ago. (Coming up to him) Just do one more nice thing for me before we go. GERALD (moving away from her on pretence of getting a cigarette). What is it? PAMELA. Bob will want to see you before he goes. GERALD. I don't want to see him. PAMELA. Ah, but you must. GERALD. What have we got to say to each other? PAMELA. I don't know, but I feel you must see him. Otherwise he'll think that he ran away from you. GERALD (with a shrug). All right. You'll go back to London at once, I suppose? PAMELA. Yes. We hired a car. We left it outside at the gates. We didn't want to see anybody but you, if possible. GERALD. Father and mother are out. Aunt Harriet knows--oh, and Tommy and Letty--that Bob was coming to-day; nobody else. But I can make up something. We'll keep Tommy and Letty out of it for the moment. Of course, they'll all have to know in the end. PAMELA. We'll write, of course. GERALD. Yes. Tommy and Letty are engaged, by the way. PAMELA. Oh! (Understanding how he must feel about it) Oh, Gerald! (She makes a movement towards him, but he takes no notice.) I'll send Bob to you; he's waiting outside, I expect. (Timidly) Good-bye, Gerald. GERALD (still with his back to her). Good-bye, Pamela. PAMELA. Won't you-- GERALD (from the bottom of his heart). Go away, go away! I can't bear the sound of your voice; I can't bear to look at you. Go away! PAMELA. Oh, Gerald! [She goes out.] (GERALD looks up as she goes out, and then looks quickly down again. When BOB comes in he is still resting with his arm on the mantelpiece looking into the fire.) GERALD (looking up). Hullo. BOB. Hullo. (After a pause) Is that all you've got to say? GERALD. I've just seen Pamela. BOB (trying not to show his eagerness). Well? GERALD. Well--isn't that enough? BOB. What do you mean? GERALD (bitterly). Do you want me to fall on, your neck, and say take her and be happy? BOB. You never loved her. GERALD. That's a lie, and anyhow we won't discuss it. She's going to marry you, and that's an end of it. BOB (very eagerly). She _is_ going to? GERALD (sharply). Don't you know it? BOB (mumbling). Yes, but she might--Ah, you couldn't charm her away from me this time. GERALD (with an effort). I don't know what you mean by "_this_ time." I think we'd better leave Pamela out of it altogether. She's waiting for you outside. Last time I offered to shake hands with you, you had some fancied grievance against me, and you wouldn't; now if there's any grievance between us, it's on _my_ side. (Holding out his hand) Good-bye, Bob, and--quite honestly--good luck. BOB (ignoring the hand). Magnanimous Gerald! (GERALD looks at him in surprise for a moment. Then he shrugs his shoulders, turns round, and goes back to the mantelpiece, and takes a cigarette from the box there.)