e King. Dear, when you see him perhaps your fear will go.

Clara. Yes, only let me see him! Whatever he says, let me see him!

The King. Within twelve hours from now you shall! And I shall be with
you.

Clara. The finest thing about you is your kindness. Oh, I am so glad you
have come! I could not endure my fears any longer.

The King. There are dissensions going on about you!

Clara. Oh!--(Nestles in his arms again.)

The King. Bear up!--It will soon be over.

Clara. I believe it will. Yes, I know it will.--Let me walk about a
little! (The KING walks up and down with her.)

The King. And turn our thoughts to something else! Do you know where I
have come from?

Clara. Where?

The King. From our little house in the park.

Clara. Why, we drove past it yesterday!

The King. You will feel only _one_ person's presence there! Wherever you
go, you will be surrounded by the thoughts I have had of you there. If
you look out of the window, or go out on to the balcony--on every rock,
by each turn of the stream--on the lawns, under the trees, among the
bushes--everywhere you will find a thousand thoughts of you hidden.
Breathe the words "my darling girl," and they will all come clustering
round you!--Let us sit down.

Clara. It is all like a fairy tale.

The King. And I am the latest fairy prince! (He sits down and draws
her on to his knee.) And you are the little maid who comes, led by good
fairies, to the enchanted castle to wake him. He has been kept asleep by
wicked spells for many, many years.

Clara. For many, many years!

The King. I am not really _I_, nor you _you_. The monarch was bewitched
long ago. He was turned into a wild beast who gave reign to his passion
by night and slept by day. And now the maiden of humble degree has
become a woman and freed him from the spells.

Clara. Really! Ah, you are so clever at inventing things to cheat my
fears away from me. And you always succeed. But after all, you know, I
have no strength and no courage; I am so weak.

The King. You have more strength than I!--more than any one I have ever
known.

Clara. No, don't say that; but--you may be sure of this!--if I did not
feel that I had _some_ strength I would never try to throw in my lot
with yours.

The King. I will explain to you what you are! Some people are
tremendously more spiritual, more delicately constituted than others;
and they are a hundred times more sensitive. And they fancy that is
weakness. But