HENRY IV. Cured, yes! I am cured! (_To Belcredi_) ah, but not to let it end this way all at once, as you suppose! (_Attacks him_). Do you know that for twenty years nobody has ever dared to appear before me here like you and that gentleman (_pointing to the doctor_)? BELCREDI. Of course I know it. As a matter of fact, I too appeared before you this morning dressed.... HENRY IV. As a monk, yes! BELCREDI. And you took me for Peter Damiani! And I didn't even laugh, believing, in fact, that.... HENRY IV. That I was mad! Does it make you laugh seeing her like that, now that I am cured? And yet you might have remembered that in my eyes her appearance now.... (_interrupts himself with a gesture of contempt_) Ah! (_Suddenly turns to the doctor_): You are a doctor, aren't you? DOCTOR. Yes. HENRY IV. And you also took part in dressing her up as the Marchioness of Tuscany? To prepare a counter-joke for me here, eh? DONNA MATILDA (_impetuously_). No, no! What do you say? It was done for you! I did it for your sake. DOCTOR (_quickly_). To attempt, to try, not knowing.... HENRY IV. (_cutting him short_). I understand. I say counter-joke, in his case (_indicates Belcredi_), because he believes that I have been carrying on a jest.... BELCREDI. But excuse me, what do you mean? You say yourself you are cured. HENRY IV. Let me speak! (_To the doctor_): Do you know, doctor, that for a moment you ran the risk of making me mad again? By God, to make the portraits speak; to make them jump alive out of their frames.... DOCTOR. But you saw that all of us ran in at once, as soon as they told us.... HENRY IV. Certainly! (_Contemplates Frida and Di Nolli, and then looks at the Marchioness, and finally at his own costume_). The combination is very beautiful.... Two couples.... Very good, very good, doctor! For a madman, not bad!... (_With a slight wave of his hand to Belcredi_): It seems to him now to be a carnival out of season, eh? (_Turns to look at him_). We'll get rid now of this masquerade costume of mine, so that I may come away with you. What do you say? BELCREDI. With me? With us? HENRY IV. Where shall we go? To the Club? In dress coats and with white ties? Or shall both of us go to the Marchioness' house? BELCREDI. Wherever you like! Do you want to remain here still, to continue--alone--what was nothing but the unfortunate joke of a day of carnival? It is really incredible, incredible how you have been able to do all this, freed from the disaster that befell you! HENRY IV. Yes, you see how it was! The fact is that falling from my horse and striking my head as I did, I was really mad for I know not how long.... DOCTOR. Ah! Did it last long?