HYACINTH—You don’t understand yourself, my child. It was pity that
stirred in you last night. And at half past two it expressed itself in
that bitter kiss.
ALEXANDRA—Bitter?
HYACINTH—It wasn’t me you kissed, and yet I know it was bitter.
ALEXANDRA—I am very unhappy, Hyacinth. But when you talk to me like this
... if you would only stay on a day or two longer and keep talking to me
like this ... then I should feel better.
HYACINTH—I’ll stay, my child. I’ll stay three days more to keep you
cheerful; I’ll stay four days——
AGI—Permit me to take my leave. [_Bows._] Your highness. [_Nervously
takes leave of HYACINTH._]
ALEXANDRA—[_Cannot bring herself to let him go like this._] I admire your
calm. Your mastery of yourself. Yet I know you are only pretending. This
isn’t what you’d like to do. [_She obstructs AGI’S way._]
AGI—Perhaps not, your highness.
ALEXANDRA—That isn’t what you’d like to say.
AGI—Perhaps not.
ALEXANDRA—But ... if you can control yourself so perfectly now, why
didn’t you last night? [_Angrily._] That’s what I want to know.
HYACINTH—I’ll stay a week.
ALEXANDRA—[_More and more hysterically._] If you can be so calm now, why
weren’t you calm then? Why did you do what you did? Why? Why? What did
you want?
AGI—I don’t know. That is the strangest part of what happened last night.
I didn’t quite know what I wanted.
ALEXANDRA—You didn’t know?
AGI—No.