THE BEGGAR (in a faint voice, after a slight pause).  Art thou the king?

THE KING.  I am the king.

THE SERVANT (aside to THE BEGGAR).  It is not proper for a beggar to ask a question of a king.  Speak only as thou art spoken to.

THE KING (to THE SERVANT).  Do thou likewise. (To THE BEGGAR) I have ordered thee here to speak to thee concerning a very grave matter.  Thou art the beggar, I understand, who often cries aloud in the streets for bread.  Now, the complaint of thy voice annoys me greatly.  Therefore, do not beg any more.

THE BEGGAR (faintly).  I—­I do not understand.

THE KING.  I said, do not beg any more.

THE BEGGAR.  I—­I do not understand.

THE SERVANT (aside to THE BEGGAR).  The king has commanded thee not to beg for bread any more.  The noise of thy voice is as garbage in his ears.

THE KING (to THE SERVANT).  Ha!  An excellent flower of speech.  Pin it in thy buttonhole. (To THE BEGGAR) Thine ears, I see, are in need of a bath even more than thy body.  I said, Do not beg any more.

THE BEGGAR.  I—­I do not understand.

THE KING (making a trumpet of his hands and shouting). DO NOT
BEG ANY MORE.

THE BEGGAR.  I—­I do not understand.

THE KING.  Heavens!  He is deafer than a stone wall.

THE SERVANT.  O king, he cannot be deaf, for he understood me quite easily when I spoke to him in the street.

THE KING (to THE BEGGAR).  Art thou deaf?  Canst thou hear what I am saying to thee now?

THE BEGGAR.  Alas!  I can hear every word perfectly.

THE KING.  Fft!  The impudence.  Thy tongue shall be cut out for this.

THE SERVANT.  O king, to cut out his tongue is useless, for he will grow another.

THE KING.  No matter.  It shall be cut out anyway. (To THE BEGGAR) I have ordered thee not to beg any more in the streets.  What meanest thou by saying thou dost not understand?

THE BEGGAR.  The words of thy mouth I can hear perfectly.  But their noise is only a foolish tinkling in my ears.

THE KING.  Fft!  Only a—!  A lash will tinkle thy hide for thee if thou dost not cure thy tongue of impudence.  I, thy king, have ordered thee not to beg any more in the streets for bread.  Signify, therefore, that thou wilt obey the orders of thy king by quickly touching thy forehead thrice to the floor.

THE BEGGAR.  That is impossible.

THE SERVANT (aside to THE BEGGAR).  Come.  It is not safe to tempt the patience of the king too long.  His patience is truly great, but he loses it most wondrous quickly.

THE KING.  Come, now:  I have ordered thee to touch thy forehead to the floor.

THE SERVANT (nudging him).  And quickly.

THE BEGGAR.  Wherefore should I touch my forehead to the floor?