NATHANIEL Yes, she always understands somehow. JONATHAN Good-bye, sir. NATHANIEL Jonathan, suppose we go away together. I'm not wanted and you're not wanted. JONATHAN You're going to Paris to marry Mlle. Perrault! NATHANIEL Would you let me be your father, Jonathan? JONATHAN Sir? NATHANIEL You shall go to the schools where you will find the work you want.... Will you be my son? JONATHAN Do you like me that much? NATHANIEL I like you more than that much. You'll get some long trousers and we'll plan and plan. Suppose we run away together. JONATHAN Do you think we ought to leave some word, Uncle Nathaniel? NATHANIEL Of course. How stupid of me. JONATHAN You write it. NATHANIEL No, we'll both write it. JONATHAN I don't know what to say. I've only run away once. NATHANIEL So have I. JONATHAN Did you ever run away? NATHANIEL Yes--when I was eighteen. JONATHAN Oh! NATHANIEL (_taking up paper_) The message ought to be short. JONATHAN Why did you run away? NATHANIEL I wanted to write. JONATHAN You did! NATHANIEL Didn't you know I ran away? JONATHAN No, sir; they never would tell me what became of you. NATHANIEL They didn't know. JONATHAN How could you keep it from them? NATHANIEL I changed my name--Mr. Alexander Jefferson, Sr! What shall I say? JONATHAN I can't think.... Did Uncle John lock you in? NATHANIEL No, I just ran away. JONATHAN How long did it take you to make up your mind to go? NATHANIEL I thought about it first when I was twelve. My father was still living then. JONATHAN Did you go to Somerset School? NATHANIEL Yes--for three years. JONATHAN What did you do after you ran away? NATHANIEL I had a very hard time, my boy--at first. I worked at anything I could get, then I got into a newspaper office, then I wrote "autobiographies" of famous men. JONATHAN I thought you had to write your own autobiography-- NATHANIEL Not nowadays. Then I wrote some successful short stories, then some very successful long ones--and now I am independent; but it took me ten bitter years to make my first success.... What shall I write here? JONATHAN I never could think of things to say when I was going away. NATHANIEL Neither could I. JONATHAN Don't you think "good-bye" would be enough? NATHANIEL (_writing_) Capital.... "Good-Bye--Nathaniel." Now you sign it. JONATHAN (_Signs_) "Jonathan."... Maybe we ought to put a line under it so Aunt Letitia won't feel so bad. NATHANIEL (_makes a line_) Dear Aunt Letitia will understand. She is the blessed kind who always does. Now, where shall we put it?... On John's chair, and maybe he'll understand too. [_He pins the note to John's chair._ JONATHAN Don't you want to pack your things? NATHANIEL I'll wire for them. [_Susan enters._ On second thought, I'll ask Aunt Letitia to send them. [_He goes out._ JONATHAN Hello, Susan. SUSAN Jonathan, I just saw Miss Letitia and she was crying.... What's the matter? JONATHAN