The speaker is Frances and the context is at the Café Select where Robert, Jake, and Frances were at.
This passage has symbolism and it helps create an effect to the story. For example, this passage symbolizes uncertainty. Uncertainty plays a big role because Rober Cohn is uncertain about his relationship with Frances. Robert Cohn is a character that seems to be uncertain about his life throughout the chapters and I think that is why he just wants to get up and go to South America, because he wants to start a new life. Selfishness plays a role to the effect because at this point, Frances seems to care only about herself because she wants pounds to go to Europe but she is like this because she knows that Robert is becoming uninterested