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, your Majesty.