stayed in this country if the King did not remain in hiding? You
are no better than a flagrant heretic.

VISHU. My dear pillar of orthodoxy! Do you think any other King
would have hesitated to cut off your tongue and make it food for
dogs? And you have the face to say that our King is horrid to
look at!

VIRUPAKSHA. Look here, Vishu. will you curb your tongue?

VISHU. It would be superfluous to point out whose tongue needs
the curbing.

FIRST CITIZEN. Hush, my dear friends--this looks rather bad....
It seems as if they are resolved to put me in danger as well. I
am not going to be a party to all this.[Exit.]

[Enter a number of men, dragging in GRANDFATHER, in boisterous
exuberance]

SECOND CITIZEN. Grandpa, something strikes me to-day ...

GRANDFATHER. What is it?

SECOND CITIZEN. This year every country has sent its people to
our festival, but every one asks, "Everything is nice and
beautiful--but where is your King?" and we do not know what to
answer. That is the one big gap which cannot but make itself
felt to every one in our country.