hat the emperor stands at the gate. He has been robbed
of his clothes and of his horse. Go quickly to your master."

The porter closed the gate between them, and went within to the duke.

"Your Grace," said he, "there is a madman at the gate. He is unclad and
wild. He bade me come to you and tell you that he was the emperor."

"Here is a strange thing indeed," said the duke; "I will see it for
myself."

So he went to the gate, followed by his servants, and when the porter
opened it there stood the proud king. The proud king knew the duke, but
the duke saw only a bruised and beaten madman.

"Do you not know me?" cried the proud king. "I am your emperor. Only
this morning you were on the hunt with me. I left you that I might bathe
in the lake. While I was in the water, some wretch took both my clothes
and my horse, and I--I have been beaten by a base knight."

"Put him in chains," said the duke to his servants. "It is not safe to
have such a man free. Give him some straw to lie on, and some bread and
water."

The duke turned away and went back to his hall, where his friends sat at
table.

"That was a strange thing," he said. "There was a madman at the gate. He
must have been in the wood this morning, for he told me that I was on
the hunt with the emperor, and so I was; and he told me that the
emperor went apart to bathe in the lake, and so he did. But he said that
some one stole the clothes and the horse of the emperor, yet the emperor
rode back to us cool and fresh, and clothed and on his horse. And he
said"--And the duke looked around on his guests.

"What did he say?"

"He said that he was the emperor."

Then the guests fell to talking and laughing, and soon forgot the
strange thing. But the proud king lay in a dark prison, far even from
the servants of the duke. He lay on straw, and chains bound his feet.

"What is this that has come upon me?" he said. "Am I brought so low? Am
I so changed that even the duke does not know me? At least there is one
who will know me, let me wear what I may."

Then, by much labor, he loosed the chains that bound him, and fled in
the night from the duke's prison. When the morning came, he stood at the
door of his own palace. He stood there awhile; perhaps some one would
open the door and let him in. But no one came, and the proud king lifted
his hand and knocked; he knocked at the door of his own palace. The
porter came at last and looked at him.

"Who are you?" he asked,