“Go before the numbers build”

Question

In Mark Ravenhill's The Cane, there is a line which I think it's a slang, but I can't find any references on the net. Please help me:

Maureen: Which is why I’ve invited the Head here today. I want his assurance that the staff will lend their full support to protect everyone attending the farewell and to prevent any disruption or physical attack.
Anna: If he just apologizes.
Maureen: If you leave now
Anna: I understand how to put together a form of words
Maureen: Go before the numbers build.
Anna: that will operate as an apology without recognizing any legal...

What are their means? Especially Maureen's line.

Answer 1

In my reading, the two characters are talking past each other, rather than responding to each other. Anna seems to be some kind of public relations officer whom Maureen believes will actually make the situation worse if she hangs around.

Maureen says, "If you leave now", and the next thing she says is "Go before the numbers build.". It's a continuation of that idea. She's effectively saying that people are arriving and that Anna should leave before the crowd becomes large ("the numbers" refers to the number of people). Presumably Maureen thinks it will be harder for Anna to leave at that point. The phrase "If you leave now" is a polite command, rather than a real conditional.