MASON. I didn't know they put you in prison for being stupid. Some of us
have been lucky.

GERALD. They can put you in prison for everything Nanny--being stupid or
being wise, being bad or being good, being poor or--yes, or being rich.

MASON (putting her last touches to the flowers). There! Now it looks
much more like what her ladyship's used to. If you aren't sent to prison
for being bad, it doesn't seem to matter so much.

GERALD. Well--it isn't nice, you know.

MASON. There's lots of things that aren't nice in the world. They
haven't come _your_ way yet, and I only hope they never will.

GERALD. I wish they hadn't come Bob's way.

MASON. Ah, Master Bob was born to meet them. Well, I'll go up to her
ladyship now.

GERALD. Oh, are they back?

MASON. Sir James and her ladyship came back from the police-station--

GERALD. The Old Bailey, Nanny.

MASON. They came back about ten minutes ago, Master Gerald. And went up
to their rooms.

GERALD. Tell mother I'm here, will you?

MASON. Yes, Sir.

(She goes out and comes back almost at once with PAMELA.)

MASON. Here's Miss Pamela. (To PAMELA) I was just saying that her
ladyship will be down directly.

GERALD (smiling). Not too directly now, Nanny.

MASON. No, Master Gerald. [Exit.]

GERALD. Pamela! Have you just come up?

PAMELA. Mother and I are staying with Aunt Judith. Oh, Gerald! Poor,
poor Bob!

GERALD. Have you seen him?

PAMELA. He came down to us last week, and he has been writing the most
heart-rending letters.

GERALD. You're a dear to be so good to him.

PAMELA. How can one help it? Oh, Gerald, he _has_ been stupid! How he
could have gone on as he did, hating it all, understanding nothing, but
feeling all the time that things were wrong, and yet too proud or too
obstinate to ask for help--hadn't you any idea, _any_ of you?

GERALD (awkwardly). You never could get him to talk about the City at
all. If you asked him, he changed the subject.

PAMELA (reproachfully). Ah! but how did you ask him? Lightly? Jokingly?
"Hullo, Rothschild, how's the City getting on?" That sort of way. You
didn't really mind.

GERALD (smiling). Well, if it comes to that, he didn't much mind how I
was getting on at the Foreign Office. He never even said, "Hullo, Grey,
how are Balkans?"

PAMELA. You had plenty of people to say that; Bob was different. I
think I was the first person he really talked to about himself. That was
before I met you. I begged him then