The General. Better equipped than your Majesty? Your Majesty is the
most gifted man in the whole country!
All. Yes!
The General. Yes--your Majesty must excuse me--I spoke
involuntarily!
The Mayor. There was a tone running through all your Majesty said
that seemed to suggest that your Majesty was contemplating--.
(Breaks off.)
The King. --going away? Yes.
All. Going away?
The General. And abdicating? For heaven's sake, your Majesty--!
Bang. That would mean handing us over to the crown prince--the
pietist!
The Priest (betraying his pleasure in spite of himself). And his
mother!
The King. You are pleased at the idea, parson! It will be a sight
to see her and her son prancing along, with all of you in your best
clothes following them! Hurrah!
The General. Ha, ha, ha! Ho, ho, ho!
Bang. Ha-ha-ha! (Coughs.) I get such a cough when I laugh.
The King (seriously). I had no intention of provoking laughter in
the presence of death. I can hear the sounds of mourning through
the open door.
The Mayor. With all due respect to the church--the vast majority of
the nation have no desire for things to come to _that_--to the
accession of a pietist to the throne. If your Majesty threatens to
abdicate you will have us all at your feet.
Pages:
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373