The King regarded the preacher, a venerable old man, with a kindly smile, and said to him: “How many taxpayers are there in this village?”
The preacher was so astonished at the question that he could hardly reply, although he knew the number very well. At last he collected his wits and said: “Twenty-two.”
“And how much do they raise?”
The preacher stated the amount of grain in bushels as nearly as he could.
“Has the village suffered much during the war?”
“In the last eight weeks, Your Majesty, your troops and the Austrians have alternately foraged here. We are about at the end, for we only have our lives and cabins left.”
“Who represented the Austrians here?”
“General Luzinsky.”
“Where did he stop?”
“I had the honor of entertaining him in my house as well as I could.”