A Faux Versailles - Somewhere in Alzheim

"Diplomacy, Bauer." His Majesty the King in Alzheim fiddled delicately with the inner workings of a lock.

"Your Majesty?"

"It's an exciting game, you know. "

"Exciting?"

"The most exciting game of all. Better even than vingt-et-un. I learned a lot from our little go-round with the Persian Ambassador the other day. Him and his wretched cumquats. I was sick for an hour after eating them."

"Whatever have you done?"

"What was that?"

"Err, It sounds like a lot of fun."

"Oh, it is. Fun galore! Why just the other day I refused to recognise the independence of one of those little hat states!"

"Hesse-Fedora?"

"That's the one! A-a-a-nd I've set us at odds with all our neighbours! It's jolly fun. Oh, and I'm putting out peace-feelers to our oldest enemy."

"The Vulgarians?"

"Yes! But it'll probably come to naught.

"We'll be completely isolated Your Highness."

"Ahhh, splendid isolation.

"Buck up lad! You've gone all green, Bauer. You need an iron constitution like mine to play a hand at this game, oh, my word, yes! Sit up straight, you're spilling your tea. That's English tea that is. Good and strong."