"Philip?"
"Yes, Alixe."
"I did my best, w-without offending Gerald. Can you believe me?"
"I know you did. . . . Don't mind what I said—"
"N-no, not now. . . . You do believe me, don't you?"
"Yes, I do."
"Thank you. . . . And, Phil, I will try to s-steer straight—because you ask me."
"You must."
"I will. . . . It is good to be here. . . . I must not come again, must I?"