In the kingdom of the semi-barbaric king, if a person is accused of a crime that interests the king in its importance, then public notice is given that the accused will be sentenced in the king's arena.
On the appointed day of the trial, the accused is placed in a secret vault and when the king gives a signal, the accused is released through a door into the amphitheater. Across from the accused are two identical doors that are right next to each other. It is "the duty and the privilege" of this accused person to choose one of the doors and open it. If he opens a certain one, a beautiful maiden will emerge and he will be married to her in a immediate ceremony replete with bells, dancing maidens, and children strewing flowers as the people cheer. But, if he opens the other, a fierce tiger will rage forth, tearing the guilty subject apart, killing him "as punishment for his guilt." With the case decided for the subject, "doleful iron bells clang," hired mourners are posted on the outer part of the arena, and the audience makes their way home with bowed heads in grief for the fate of the accused.
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