[ANNE _looks at her for a moment inquiringly, and_ CHRISTINA _coolly returns the stare_.] ANNE. Why did you come here this afternoon, Christina? CHRISTINA. [_With a faint smile._] Why did you take so much trouble to get your brother moved to Paris? ANNE. Good heavens, I told you this morning. CHRISTINA. D'you think we need make pretences with one another? ANNE. I don't think I quite understand. CHRISTINA. Don't you? You wanted Ronny to leave Egypt because you know he's in love with Violet. [_For a moment_ ANNE _is a little taken aback, but she quickly recovers herself_.] ANNE. He's very susceptible. He's always falling in and out of love. I had noticed that he was attracted, and I confess I thought it better to put him out of harm's way. CHRISTINA. How cunning you are, Anne! You won't admit anything till you're quite certain the person you're talking to knows it. You know as well as I do that Violet is just as much in love with him. ANNE. [_Much disturbed._] Christina, what are you going to do? How could I help knowing? You've only got to see the way they look at one another. They're sick with love. CHRISTINA. What did Arthur expect? I've never seen a couple more admirably suited to one another. ANNE. I thought no one knew but me till this morning, when you were talking to Arthur. Then I thought you must know too. My heart was in my mouth, I was afraid you were going to tell him. But you didn't, and I thought I'd been mistaken. CHRISTINA. You didn't give me credit for very nice feeling, Anne. Because I didn't act like a perfect beast you thought I must be a perfect fool. ANNE. I know how devoted you are to your son. I didn't believe you'd stick at anything when his interests were at stake. I'm sorry, Christina. CHRISTINA. Pray don't apologise. I didn't know it myself. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell Arthur, but I simply couldn't. I couldn't do anything so shabby. ANNE. Oh, Christina, we mustn't ever let him know, we can't make him so miserable. It would break his heart. CHRISTINA. Well, what is to be done? ANNE. Heaven knows. I've been racking my brains. I can think of nothing. I'd arranged everything so beautifully. And now I'm helpless. I thought even of going to Ronny and asking him to refuse any job that will keep him here. But Arthur looks upon it as so important. He'll insist on Ronny's accepting unless his reasons for going are--what's the word I want? CHRISTINA. Irrefutable. It seems very hard that my boy should be done out of such a splendid chance by Ronny. Except for your brother I'm sure Arthur would give it to Henry. ANNE. [_Diplomatically._] I know he has the highest opinion of Henry's abilities. CHRISTINA. You can't expect me to sit still and let things go on. ANNE. Arthur is perfectly unconscious. He thinks Violet is as much in love with him as he is with her. You couldn't be so cruel as to hint anything to him. CHRISTINA.