Long ago there lived a powerful king. Some of his ideas were good, but others caused people to suffer. One of the king's ideas was to set up a public arena . When a person was accused of a crime, his future would be decided in this arena. It had two doors, side by side, exactly alike. The accused person was taken into the arena and asked to open one. Behind one door was a hungry tiger, while behind the other was a lady chosen especially for him. To this lady he would be immediately married, in honor of his innocence. The king had a beautiful daughter whom he loved very much , and she secretly loved a young commoner . When the king discovered their relationship, the man was immediately put in prison, and a day was set for him to enter the arena. The princess knew behind which door stood the tiger, and behind which a lady. She also knew that the lady was one of the loveliest in the kingdom. The princess hated the woman behind that silent door. As he entered the arena and his eyes met the princess's, the young man knew that she knew behind which door waited the tiger, and behind which stood the lady. The princess raised her hand, and made a short, quick movement toward the right. No one but her lover saw it. Every eye was fixed on him. He turned, and with a firm, quick step he walked across the empty space to the door on the right and opened it. Now, the point of the story is this: Did the tiger come out of that door, or did the lady? The more we think about this question, the harder it is to answer. It involves a study of the human heart. The soul of the princess loved the young man but also burned under the fires of sadness and jealousy . The question of her decision cannot be easily answered. And so I leave it with all of you: which came out of the open door? The lady or the tiger? What can we infer from the passage?
The young man would survive. The lady behind the door would be killed. The princess would lose her lover regardless of what happened. The king knew what the result of the trial would be.