The Red House Mystery and Other Novels. A. A. Milne
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GERALD (excited). Bob? Did you come down with him?
PAMELA. Yes.
GERALD. I had a telegram, but it didn't say--Did you meet him? Why didn't he tell us? Where is he?
PAMELA. He just went to look for you.
GERALD. I'll soon find him.
(He turns away to go after BOB, but PAMELA stops him.)
PAMELA. Gerald!
GERALD (turning round). Yes.
PAMELA. Never mind Bob for the moment. I wanted to see you alone.
GERALD (coming back quickly). Of course. Hang Bob! Come on the sofa and tell me everything. Jove! it's wonderful to see you again; you've been away for years.
(He takes her hand and tries to lead her towards the sofa, but she stops.)
PAMELA. Gerald, you're making it very hard for me; I've got something to tell you.
GERALD (afraid suddenly and speaking sharply). What do you mean?
PAMELA. Oh, don't look at me like that--I know it will hurt you, but it won't be more than that. I want you to release me from my promise.
GERALD. What promise?
PAMELA (in a low voice). My promise to marry you.
GERALD. I don't understand. Why?
PAMELA (bravely). I want to marry Bob.
(Keeping his eyes on her all the time, GERALD moves slowly away from her.)
GERALD (to himself). Bob! Bob! But you knew Bob first.
PAMELA. Yes.
GERALD. And then you promised to marry me. You couldn't have been in love with him. I don't understand.
PAMELA (sadly). I don't understand either, but that's how it's happened.
GERALD. And to think how I've been throwing you in Bob's way, and wanting you and him to be fond of each other. (Fiercely) _That_ didn't make you think that I didn't love you?
PAMELA (faltering). I--I don't--you didn't--
GERALD. I was so confident of you. That was your fault. You made me.
PAMELA. I think you could have made me love you if you hadn't been so confident.
GERALD. I trusted you. You had told me. _I_ knew I should never change, and I thought I knew _you_ wouldn't.
PAMELA. I was wrong. I never did love you.
GERALD. Then why did you say--
PAMELA (looking at him rather wistfully). You're rather charming, Gerald, you know, and you--
GERALD (turning away from her furiously). _Damn_ charming! That's what you all say. I'm sick of it! You think that if a man's charming, that's the end of him, and that all he's good for is to amuse a few old ladies at a tea party. I'm sick of it! The rude rough man with the heart of gold--that's the only sort that can have a heart at all, according to some of you.
PAMELA (utterly surprised by this). Gerald!
GERALD. I'm sorry, Pamela. Of course you wouldn't understand. But we were just talking. (With a sudden disarming smile) I don't know whether an apology is overdoing the charm?
PAMELA (in distress). Oh, Gerald, you couldn't really have loved me; you don't really now. Of course, it will hurt you, but you'll soon get over it. Oh, what's the good of my talking like this? I've never really known you; I don't know you now.
GERALD (quietly). It's no good now, anyway. (He walks away from her and looks out through the windows at the back.) Just tell me one or two things. Were you in love with him when he went to prison?
PAMELA. I don't know--really I don't know. I was so dreadfully sorry for him all that time before, and I felt so very friendly towards him, so very--oh, Gerald, so motherly. And I wanted to be wanted so badly, and you didn't seem to want me in that way. That was why, when he had gone, I went right away from you, and asked you not to write to me; I wanted to think it all out--alone.
GERALD. But you wrote to Bob?
PAMELA. Oh, Gerald, he wanted it so badly.
GERALD. I'm sorry.
PAMELA. I wrote to him and he wrote to me. I met him when he came out--he told me when to come. I suppose I had decided by then; we came down here to tell you. I had to come at once.
GERALD. You do love him, Pamela? It isn't just pity?
PAMELA. I do, Gerald; I think I found that out this afternoon. (Timidly) Say you don't hate me very much.
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