arm of the sofa. She
topples the one off her lap and takes up another as if she couldn't
keep away from them; drops it in turn, and sits staring before her,
sniffing at the salts. The door, Right, is opened and DANCY comes
in.

MABEL. [Utterly surprised] Ronny! Do they want me in Court?

DANCY. No.

MABEL. What is it, then? Why are you back?

DANCY. Spun.

MABEL. [Blank] Spun? What do you mean? What's spun?

DANCY. The case. They've found out through those notes.

MABEL. Oh! [Staring at his face] Who?

DANCY. Me!

MABEL. [After a moment of horrified stillness] Don't, Ronny! Oh! No!
Don't! [She buries her face in the pillows of the sofa].

DANCY stands looking down at her.

DANCY. Pity you wouldn't come to Africa three months ago.

MABEL. Why didn't you tell me then? I would have gone.

DANCY. You wanted this case. Well, it's fallen down.

MABEL. Oh! Why didn't I face it? But I couldn't--I had to believe.

DANCY. And now you can't. It's the end, Mabel.

MABEL. [Looking up at him] No.

DANCY goes suddenly on his knees and seizes her hand.

DANCY. Forgive me!

MABEL. [Putting her hand on his head] Yes; oh, yes! I think I've known a
long time, really. Only--why? What made you?

DANCY. [Getting up and speaking in jerks] It was a crazy thing to do;
but, damn it, I was only looting a looter. The money was as much mine 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 nev