COAST. Fire ahead!

[Looks at DICK with a perfectly blank face.

DICK.  Anything between you and Georgiana?

COAST. [After a short pause.] There is—­

DICK.  Mrs. Carley hinted as much.

COAST. [Unflinchingly.] I’m—­er—­I’m going to marry Georgiana.

[A pause. COAST looks DICK in the eye, then away.

DICK.  Congratulate you, Coast! [Shakes his hand.] She’s worth even more than you can give her!

COAST. That’s right!

[COAST goes out on the balcony and whistles “Congo." DICK walks away and turns his back. DICK goes to the mantel and takes up a picture of GEORGIANA, looks at it, takes it out of the frame, and seeing that COAST isn’t observing, puts it in his breast pocket.  He turns round with a pathetic sort of half-laughing exclamation to COAST.

DICK.  I say, Coast. [COAST comes in from the balcony.] I’ve been in love with Georgiana for years.

COAST. That don’t surprise me!

[COAST sits on the piano bench.

DICK.  I never realized it until the other day, when I found I was going to leave her, and—­perhaps—­not coming back, and then I found boy friendship had sort of grown up into a man’s love—­I almost told her—­[Pause.] I wonder if I’d found it out sooner—­before you came along—­

COAST. No use shutting the stable door after the horse is swiped!

DICK.  I shan’t be able to say exactly what I wanted to to Georgiana—­but that’s—­your luck—­I guess the quicker I can say good-by and get out, the better for me—­

COAST. Listen—­don’t say anything to Georgiana about her and me, will you, unless of course she tells you—­we’re not talking about it yet.

DICK. I don’t care mentioning it, thank you.

[MRS. CARLEY and GEORGIANA come in Right and meet DICK.

MRS. CARLEY.  We’re so sorry to say good-by, Dick—­will you have some tea?

DICK.  No, thanks.

COAST. Hello, Auntie.

[MRS. CARLEY goes to the sofa and sits with her crocheting.

GEORGIANA.  Dick!

[Shaking his hand—­a second long.  They look into each other’s eyes.

MRS. CARLEY.  Isn’t he fine in his uniform?

DICK. [Embarrassed.] I hadn’t time to change before we start.

MRS. CARLEY.  Louise asks me to give her farewells; she’s got a bad headache and is being shampooed—­she’s too disappointed not to see you.

DICK.  I’m sorry she’s in her usual health.

MRS. CARLEY.  Got it from her father; we didn’t expect him to live a year when I married him, but he surprised us all—­and I tell Louise she’ll outlive me yet.  How are you, Sammy?

[Drops her worsted; COAST picks it up and gives it to her.