ROBERT.
[Gracefully.] To be quite accurate, I wrote part of it—in my mind—before you went away. The rest—the worst part—I wrote after. Much later.
BERTHA.
And you could write last night!
ROBERT.
[Shrugs his shoulders.] I am a welltrained animal. [He comes closer to her.] I passed a long wandering night after... in my office, at the vicechancellor’s house, in a nightclub, in the streets, in my room. Your image was always before my eyes, your hand in my hand. Bertha, I will never forget last night. [He lays his hat on the table and takes her hand.] Why do you not look at me? May I not touch you?
BERTHA.
[Points to the study.] Dick is in there.
ROBERT.
[Drops her hand.] In that case children be good.
BERTHA.
Where are you going?
ROBERT.
To foreign parts. That is, to my cousin Jack Justice, alias Doggy Justice, in Surrey. He has a nice country place there and the air is mild.
BERTHA.
Why are you going?
ROBERT.
[Looks at her in silence.] Can you not guess one reason?
BERTHA.
On account of me?