AGI—You must have known.
ALEXANDRA—That you would forget?
AGI—I ... must forget, and your highness must deny it ... and ... _he_
must not remember it.
ALEXANDRA—He shall remember it, and I don’t deny it. But I see that what
I gave you was too precious. More precious than you deserve. Perhaps ...
a kingdom.
AGI—That is not so precious. I know of one that was offered in exchange
for a horse.
ALEXANDRA—You even insult me! You speak like a sullen child.
AGI—No, your highness ... what I am saying, what I am doing, my departure
to-day ... these are my answer to your highness’ kiss.
ALEXANDRA—I hadn’t expected you to utter that word.
AGI—Uttering it doesn’t hurt. The kiss itself was much more painful.
ALEXANDRA—[_Cuttingly._] More painful for you than for me?
AGI—Oh, yes. It made me feel your profound pity for me, and also your
utter contempt. It was a supercilious thing to do. It implied that I was
not a human being at all ... that I could be treated ... like a child or
a pet animal.
ALEXANDRA—Is that the way you took it?