o the river?"--The PRIEST's voice:
"Shocking!" A few moments later the GENERAL with BANG, the MAYOR, and
the PRIEST come in from the other room. They stop on seeing the KING,
who is standing at the desk with his back to them, and whisper.)

The General. Isn't that the King?

The Others. The King?

The Mayor. Is the King back? He must have come in the night!

Bang. Let me see!--I know him personally.

The General (holding him back). Of course it is the King.

The Mayor. Really?

Bang. I recognise him by his agitation! It is he.

The General. Hush! Let us go quietly out again! (They begin to move
off.)

The Mayor. He is grieved. Naturally.

Bang. First of all her death; and then this--!

The Priest. It is the judgment of heaven!

The King (turning round). Who is that? What? (Comes forward.) Who said
that? (They all stop, take off their hats and bow.) Come back! (They
come back hastily.) Who said: "It is the judgment of heaven"?

The General. Your Majesty must forgive us--we were just taking a little
stroll; I am here to spend Christmas with my friend Mr. Bang, who has a
factory here--a branch of his works--and we happened to meet the Mayor
and the Priest, and we joined company--and were strolling along when we
heard a shot. A shot. We did not think anything more about it till we
came nearer here and saw people running, and heard a great outcry and
disturbance. Great disturbance--yes. We stopped, of course, and came to
see what it was. Came to see what it was, of course. And they told us
that the Minister of the Interior--

The King. What is all that to me! (The GENERAL bows.) Who said: "It is
the judgment of heaven"? (No one speaks.) Come, answer me!

The Mayor. It was the Priest--I fancy.

The King (to the PRIEST). Haven't you the courage to tell me so
yourself?

The General. Probably our reverend friend is unaccustomed to find
himself in the presence of royalty.

The Priest. It is the first time that--that I have had the honour of
speaking to your Majesty--I did not feel self-possessed enough, for the
moment, to--

The King. But you were self-possessed enough when you said it! What did
you mean by saying it was "the judgment of heaven"?--I am asking you
what you meant by it.

The Priest. I really don't quite know--it slipped out--

The King. That is a lie! Some one said: "First of all her death, and
then this." And you said: "It is the judgment of heaven."

The Mayor. That is quite right, yo