out
yourself and thought about yourself quite long enough; now I'm going to
talk about _my_self.

BOB. And it won't be the first time either.

GERALD (quickly). It will be the first time to _you_. You say I've never
tried to understand your feelings--have you ever tried to understand
mine? My God, Bob! I've thought a good deal more about you than you have
about me. Have I ever talked about myself to you? When a boy does well
at school he likes talking about it; did I ever bore _you_ with it?
Never! Because I knew how you'd feel about it. I knew how _I'd_ feel
about it, and so I tried to make it easy for you.

BOB. Very noble of you.

GERALD (angrily). Don't be such a damned fool, Bob. What's the good
of talking like that? If whatever I do is wrong, then you're only
convicting yourself; you're not convicting me. According to you, if I
talk about myself I'm being conceited and superior, and if I don't talk
about myself, I'm being noble and still more superior. In fact, whatever
I do, I can't please you. That doesn't condemn me; it condemns yourself.
(Wearily) What's the good of talking?

BOB. Go on; I like to hear it.

GERALD. Very well. We'll take the definite accusations first. Apart from
the general charge of being successful--whatever that amounts to--you
accuse me of two things. One you didn't mention just now, but it was
more or less obvious the last time I saw you. That was that I neglected
to help you when you were in trouble, and that through me you went to
prison.

BOB. Yes, I forgot that this time. (With an unpleasant laugh) But I
didn't forget it in prison.

GERALD. You had a sense of humour once, Bob. I don't know what's
happened to it lately. Don't you think it's rather funny to hate a
person steadily for fifteen years, judge all his acts as you'd hardly
judge those of your bitterest enemy, and yet, the first time you are in
trouble, to expect him to throw everything on one side and rush to your
help--and then to feel bitterly ill-used if he doesn't?

BOB (rather taken aback). I--you didn't--I didn't--

GERALD (quietly). That's been rather like you all through, Bob. You were
always the one who had to be helped; you were always the one who was
allowed to have the grievance. Still, that doesn't make it any better
for me if I could have helped you and didn't. However, I'm quite certain
that I _couldn't_ have helped you then. We'll take the other accusation,
that I stole Pamela from you. I've only g