You are still the same impractical theorist. NATHANIEL I am the same theorist--a little older, a little more travelled. The trouble with you, John, is that you think no age is important except your own. You always thought that, even when you were fourteen. Oh, I know I wasn't born then, but I know you. JOHN Did you come back to your home in order to lecture me? NATHANIEL No, no, I beg your pardon. I came back to see my home and Aunt Letitia and the children--and you, and I--I think--Jonathan. JOHN Nathaniel, when your letter came telling me that you had decided to come back to see us, I was going to ask you not to come-- NATHANIEL I gave no address. JOHN But on second thought, I made up my mind to forgive you-- NATHANIEL Thank you. JOHN To let bygones be bygones. NATHANIEL That is the better way, brother: let the dead past bury its dead. JOHN Why did you run away from home? NATHANIEL Because we couldn't agree, John. JOHN I was older than you; my judgment was mature; I was the head of the family, in my father's place. NATHANIEL We didn't speak the same language. I wanted something out of life that you couldn't understand; that my father couldn't understand. I determined to get it by myself. JOHN Well? NATHANIEL And so, I ran away. JOHN Leaving no trace, no word. NATHANIEL Oh, yes, I left a very important word--"Good-bye." JOHN You were willing to leave all the work of our father's business on my shoulders. NATHANIEL You were willing to take it all. And I wanted my freedom. JOHN You were selfish and heartless. NATHANIEL Selfish? Because I had my life to live and meant to live it? JOHN You should have told us where you were living. NATHANIEL I preferred to work out my salvation alone, without interference. My going away gave you a free hand. John, don't tell me that you were not overjoyed that my flight gave you all my father's fortune. JOHN It was my duty as head of the family to protect you. NATHANIEL I didn't ask for protection. I wanted understanding. JOHN A boy of eighteen must not be allowed freedom. NATHANIEL Perhaps not, John, but he must be allowed to grow toward his goal. Eighteen is not too young for a man to fly through the air in defense of his country, or you. The burden of the world today is on the shoulders of men from eighteen to eighty, share and share alike.... I wanted to be a writer-- JOHN And our brother Henry wanted to be a musical composer and our sister Emily wanted to be an actress! A fine putout for the leading commercial family of this state! NATHANIEL Well, John, our brother and our sister have paid the final penalty. They have died. Henry left a handful of worthless little tunes and Emily left a trunkful of costumes as monuments to their folly. And now Emily's boy is here under your wing. JOHN He's a dreamer like all the rest of you. NATHANIEL (_with interest; tenderly_) Yes? JOHN He spends all his leisure time playing with that fool toy there.