as
his. A decent chap would have offered me half. You didn't see the brute
look at me that night at dinner as much as to say: "You blasted fool!"
It made me mad. That wasn't a bad jump-twice over. Nothing in the war
took quite such nerve. [Grimly] I rather enjoyed that evening.

MABEL. But--money! To keep it!

DANCY. [Sullenly] Yes, but I had a debt to pay.

MABEL. To a woman?

DANCY. A debt of honour--it wouldn't wait.

MABEL. It was--it was to a woman. Ronny, don't lie any more.

DANCY. [Grimly] Well! I wanted to save your knowing. I'd promised a
thousand. I had a letter from her father that morning, threatening to
tell you. All the same, if that tyke hadn't jeered at me for parlour
tricks!--But what's the good of all this now? [Sullenly] Well--it may
cure you of loving me. Get over that, Mab; I never was worth it--and I'm
done for!

MABEL. The woman--have you--since--?

DANCY. [Energetically] No! You supplanted her. But if you'd known I
was leaving a woman for you, you'd never have married me. [He walks over
to the hearth].

MABEL too gets up. She presses her hands to her forehead, then
walks blindly round to behind the sofa and stands looking straight
in front of her.

MABEL. [Coldly] What has happened, exactly?

DANCY. Sir Frederic chucked up the case. I've seen Twisden; they want
me to run for it to Morocco.

MABEL. To the war there?

DANCY. Yes. There's to be a warrant out.

MABEL. A prosecution? Prison? Oh, go! Don't wait a minute! Go!

DANCY. Blast them!

MABEL. Oh, Ronny! Please! Please! Think what you'll want. I'll pack.
Quick! No! Don't wait to take things. Have you got money?

DANCY. [Nodding] This'll be good-bye, then!

MABEL. [After a moment's struggle] Oh! No! No, no! I'll follow--I'll
come out to you there.

DANCY. D'you mean you'll stick to me?

MABEL. Of course I'll stick to you.

DANCY seizes her hand and puts it to his lips. The bell rings.

MABEL. [In terror] Who's that?

The bell rings again. DANCY moves towards the door.

No! Let me!

She passes him and steals out to the outer door of the flat, where
she stands listening. The bell rings again. She looks through the
slit of the letter-box. While she is gone DANCY stands quite still,
till she comes back.

MABEL. Through the letter-bog--I can see----It's--it's police. Oh!
God! . . . Ronny! I can't bear it.