"That is so, sir."
"The Prince himself is very wealthy; and I think that you will find him disinterested. Still there is, of course, a certain balance to be observed."
"Oh, quite."
"I leave the matter, then, entirely in your hands."
The Prime Minister bowed.
And then the conversation changed.
"You know what happened to me last night, I suppose," said the King.
"Ah, yes, indeed, sir! You will pardon my silence; I was most horrified. But I thought that perhaps your Majesty did not wish to speak of it."
"On the contrary," replied the King, "I have got a great deal to say." And then, with much detail and particularity, he narrated his experience—all those hours which he had spent in the crowd; and the Prime Minister listened, saying nothing.
"Well," said the King, when he had done, "that is what I have seen; and you cannot tell me it is something that does not matter."