shoulder). Gerald, dear, you
mustn't be angry with Bob now. Let me be alone with him.

GERALD (with a shrug). All right. Poor old Bob! (He goes over to his
brother and holds out his hand.) Good-bye, old boy, and--good luck.

BOB (coldly). Good-bye.

GERALD. Shake hands, Bob.

BOB. No. I've been nothing to you all your life. You could have saved me
from this, and you wouldn't help me.

GERALD (angrily). Don't talk such rot!

PAMELA (coming between them). Gerald, dear, you'd better go. Bob won't
always feel like this towards you, but just now--

GERALD (indignantly). Pamela, you don't believe this about me?

PAMELA. I can't think of you, dear, now; I can only think of Bob.
[GERALD gives a shrug and goes out.]

BOB. Pamela.

PAMELA (coming to him). Yes, dear?

BOB. Come and sit near me. You're the only friend I've got in the world.

PAMELA. You know that isn't true.

(She sits down in the armchair and he sits on the floor at her feet.)

BOB. If it hadn't been for you, I should have shot myself long ago.

PAMELA. That would have been rather cowardly, wouldn't it?

BOB. I am a coward. There's something about the Law that makes people
cowards. It's so--what's the word? It goes on. You can't stop it, you
can't explain to it, you can't even speak to it.

PAMELA. But you can stand up to it. You needn't run away from it.

BOB. I think I would have broken my bail and run, if it hadn't been
for you. But you would have thought less of me if I had. Besides, I
shouldn't have seen you again.

PAMELA. Bob, you mustn't just do, or not do, things for _me_; you must
do them because of yourself. You must be brave because it's you, and
honourable because it's you, and cheerful because it's you. You mustn't
just say, "I won't let Pamela down." You must say, "I won't let myself
down." You must be proud of yourself.

BOB (bitterly). I've been taught to be proud of myself, haven't I? Proud
of myself! What's the family creed? "I believe in Gerald. I believe in
Gerald the Brother. I believe in Gerald the Son. I believe in Gerald
the Nephew. I believe in Gerald the Friend, the Lover, Gerald the Holy
Marvel." There may be brothers who don't mind that sort of thing, but
not when you're born jealous as I was. Do you think father or mother
cares a damn what happens to me? They're upset, of course, and they feel
the disgrace for themselves, but the beloved Gerald is all right, and
that's all that really matters.

PAMELA. Bob, d