Jan 2013
"I'm a married man. And my wife won't live with me for reasons that I think most women would consider sound... Or I should have made love to you long ago."
There came a silence again
"I don't care," said Ann Veronica
"But if you knew anything of that-"
"I did. It doesn't matter."
"Why did you tell me [you loved me]? I thought- I thought we were going to be friends."
He was suddenly resentful...
"Why on earth did you tell me?" he cried
"I couldn't help it. It was an impulse. I had to."
"But it changes things. I thought you understood."
"I had to", she repeated. I was sick of the make-believe. I don't care! I'm glad I did. I'm glad I did."
"Look here!" said Capes, "what on earth do you want? What do you think we can do? Don't you know what men are, and what life is?- to come to me and talk to me like this!"
"I know-something anyhow. But I don't care; I haven't a spark of shame. I don't see any good in life if it hasn't got you in it. I wanted you to know. And now you know. And the fences are down for good. You can't look me in the eyes and say you don't care for me."
"I've told you," he said "...Apart from everything else, this meeting of ours is a breach of a good rule."
"Rules are for everyday," said Ann Veronica, "This is not everyday. This is something above all rules."
"For you"
"Not for you?"
"No. No; I'm going to stick to the rules... It's odd, but nothing but cliché seems to meet this case.You've placed me in a very exceptional position... The plain common-sense of the case is that we can't possibly be lovers in the ordinary sense. That, I think, is manifest... We can't be lovers in the ordinary sense, but we can be great and intimate friends"
"We are" said Ann Veronica
"You've interested me tremendously... I want to be your friend... Let us be friends- as near and close as friends can be"
"What is the good of pretending?" she said.
"We don't pretend."
"We do. Love is one thing and friendship quite another. Because I'm younger than you... I've got imagination.. I know what I am taking about. Do you think... do you think I don't know the meaning of love?"
There came a silence again
"I don't care," said Ann Veronica
"But if you knew anything of that-"
"I did. It doesn't matter."
"Why did you tell me [you loved me]? I thought- I thought we were going to be friends."
He was suddenly resentful...
"Why on earth did you tell me?" he cried
"I couldn't help it. It was an impulse. I had to."
"But it changes things. I thought you understood."
"I had to", she repeated. I was sick of the make-believe. I don't care! I'm glad I did. I'm glad I did."
"Look here!" said Capes, "what on earth do you want? What do you think we can do? Don't you know what men are, and what life is?- to come to me and talk to me like this!"
"I know-something anyhow. But I don't care; I haven't a spark of shame. I don't see any good in life if it hasn't got you in it. I wanted you to know. And now you know. And the fences are down for good. You can't look me in the eyes and say you don't care for me."
"I've told you," he said "...Apart from everything else, this meeting of ours is a breach of a good rule."
"Rules are for everyday," said Ann Veronica, "This is not everyday. This is something above all rules."
"For you"
"Not for you?"
"No. No; I'm going to stick to the rules... It's odd, but nothing but cliché seems to meet this case.You've placed me in a very exceptional position... The plain common-sense of the case is that we can't possibly be lovers in the ordinary sense. That, I think, is manifest... We can't be lovers in the ordinary sense, but we can be great and intimate friends"
"We are" said Ann Veronica
"You've interested me tremendously... I want to be your friend... Let us be friends- as near and close as friends can be"
"What is the good of pretending?" she said.
"We don't pretend."
"We do. Love is one thing and friendship quite another. Because I'm younger than you... I've got imagination.. I know what I am taking about. Do you think... do you think I don't know the meaning of love?"
