There was silence for a moment then the King said,
“I have not told you, Attila, because I did not want to upset you, but the doctors who examined me two days ago are very worried about my condition.”
“Oh no, Papa! What is wrong? I thought you were just tired.”
“If I am to be truthful,” he replied, “I have to face the fact that I will not live for very long. I have a disease, my dearest, for which there is no known cure. Although I may live for several years, it will not be longer than that.”
“Papa!”
Atilla gave a loud cry of horror as she bent forward to put her arms around her father’s neck.
“Oh, Papa, how could this happen to you?”
“I am afraid it happens to a large number of people and the doctors are not as clever as they pretend to be.”
“But surely there must be somewhere we
