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“The king wearing a mask of gold stood up from the black throne upon which he had been seated for hours and demanded to know the cause of the tumult. For the guards at the doors had crossed their pikes and the clash of steel was heard. Gathered about the bronze brazier, to the right there also rose the fifty priests and, to the left, the fifty jesters; and the women, in a semi-circle before the king, waved their arms. The rose and purple glow that shone through the bronze grille of the brazier illuminated the masks on their faces: at the example of the emaciated king, the women, the jesters and the priests wore immovable masks of silver, iron, copper, wood and cloth. And the jesters’ masks were open-mouthed with laughter, whilst the masks of the priests were black with care. Fifty hilarious faces beamed on the left, and on the right fifty dismal faces scowled. And the light fabrics stretched over the heads of the women portrayed eternally gracious faces animated by an artificial smile. But the king’s golden mask was majestic, noble and truly royal.”