The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain (desktop ebook reader TXT) đ
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sceptre was in his hand again; but they kept a firm grip upon him and
enjoyed his impotent struggling and jeered at his threats. This
continued until the poultice began to bite; and in no long time its work
would have been perfected, if there had been no interruption. But there
was; for about this time the âslaveâ who had made the speech denouncing
Englandâs laws, appeared on the scene, and put an end to the enterprise,
and stripped off the poultice and bandage.
The King wanted to borrow his delivererâs cudgel and warm the jackets of
the two rascals on the spot; but the man said no, it would bring trouble
âleave the matter till night; the whole tribe being together, then, the
outside world would not venture to interfere or interrupt. He marched
the party back to camp and reported the affair to the Ruffler, who
listened, pondered, and then decided that the King should not be again
detailed to beg, since it was plain he was worthy of something higher and
betterâwherefore, on the spot he promoted him from the mendicant rank
and appointed him to steal!
Hugo was overjoyed. He had already tried to make the King steal, and
failed; but there would be no more trouble of that sort, now, for of
course the King would not dream of defying a distinct command delivered
directly from head-quarters. So he planned a raid for that very
afternoon, purposing to get the King in the lawâs grip in the course of
it; and to do it, too, with such ingenious strategy, that it should seem
to be accidental and unintentional; for the King of the Game-Cocks was
popular now, and the gang might not deal over-gently with an unpopular
member who played so serious a treachery upon him as the delivering him
over to the common enemy, the law.
Very well. All in good time Hugo strolled off to a neighbouring village
with his prey; and the two drifted slowly up and down one street after
another, the one watching sharply for a sure chance to achieve his evil
purpose, and the other watching as sharply for a chance to dart away and
get free of his infamous captivity for ever.
Both threw away some tolerably fair-looking opportunities; for both, in
their secret hearts, were resolved to make absolutely sure work this
time, and neither meant to allow his fevered desires to seduce him into
any venture that had much uncertainty about it.
Hugoâs chance came first. For at last a woman approached who carried a
fat package of some sort in a basket. Hugoâs eyes sparkled with sinful
pleasure as he said to himself, âBreath oâ my life, anâ I can but put
THAT upon him, âtis good-den and God keep thee, King of the Game-Cocks!â
He waited and watchedâoutwardly patient, but inwardly consuming with
excitementâtill the woman had passed by, and the time was ripe; then
said, in a low voiceâ
âTarry here till I come again,â and darted stealthily after the prey.
The Kingâs heart was filled with joyâhe could make his escape, now, if
Hugoâs quest only carried him far enough away.
But he was to have no such luck. Hugo crept behind the woman, snatched
the package, and came running back, wrapping it in an old piece of
blanket which he carried on his arm. The hue and cry was raised in a
moment, by the woman, who knew her loss by the lightening of her burden,
although she had not seen the pilfering done. Hugo thrust the bundle
into the Kingâs hands without halting, sayingâ
âNow speed ye after me with the rest, and cry âStop thief!â but mind ye
lead them astray!â
The next moment Hugo turned a corner and darted down a crooked alleyâand
in another moment or two he lounged into view again, looking innocent and
indifferent, and took up a position behind a post to watch results.
The insulted King threw the bundle on the ground; and the blanket fell
away from it just as the woman arrived, with an augmenting crowd at her
heels; she seized the Kingâs wrist with one hand, snatched up her bundle
with the other, and began to pour out a tirade of abuse upon the boy
while he struggled, without success, to free himself from her grip.
Hugo had seen enoughâhis enemy was captured and the law would get him,
nowâso he slipped away, jubilant and chuckling, and wended campwards,
framing a judicious version of the matter to give to the Rufflerâs crew
as he strode along.
The King continued to struggle in the womanâs strong grasp, and now and
then cried out in vexationâ
âUnhand me, thou foolish creature; it was not I that bereaved thee of thy
paltry goods.â
The crowd closed around, threatening the King and calling him names; a
brawny blacksmith in leather apron, and sleeves rolled to his elbows,
made a reach for him, saying he would trounce him well, for a lesson; but
just then a long sword flashed in the air and fell with convincing force
upon the manâs arm, flat side down, the fantastic owner of it remarking
pleasantly, at the same timeâ
âMarry, good souls, let us proceed gently, not with ill blood and
uncharitable words. This is matter for the lawâs consideration, not
private and unofficial handling. Loose thy hold from the boy, goodwife.â
The blacksmith averaged the stalwart soldier with a glance, then went
muttering away, rubbing his arm; the woman released the boyâs wrist
reluctantly; the crowd eyed the stranger unlovingly, but prudently closed
their mouths. The King sprang to his delivererâs side, with flushed
cheeks and sparkling eyes, exclaimingâ
âThou hast lagged sorely, but thou comest in good season, now, Sir Miles;
carve me this rabble to rags!â
Chapter XXIII. The Prince a prisoner.
Hendon forced back a smile, and bent down and whispered in the Kingâs
earâ
âSoftly, softly, my prince, wag thy tongue warilyânay, suffer it not to
wag at all. Trust in meâall shall go well in the end.â Then he added to
himself: âSIR Miles! Bless me, I had totally forgot I was a knight!
Lord, how marvellous a thing it is, the grip his memory doth take upon
his quaint and crazy fancies! ⊠An empty and foolish title is mine,
and yet it is something to have deserved it; for I think it is more
honour to be held worthy to be a spectre-knight in his Kingdom of Dreams
and Shadows, than to be held base enough to be an earl in some of the
REAL kingdoms of this world.â
The crowd fell apart to admit a constable, who approached and was about
to lay his hand upon the Kingâs shoulder, when Hendon saidâ
âGently, good friend, withhold your handâhe shall go peaceably; I am
responsible for that. Lead on, we will follow.â
The officer led, with the woman and her bundle; Miles and the King
followed after, with the crowd at their heels. The King was inclined to
rebel; but Hendon said to him in a low voiceâ
âReflect, Sireâyour laws are the wholesome breath of your own royalty;
shall their source resist them, yet require the branches to respect them?
Apparently one of these laws has been broken; when the King is on his
throne again, can it ever grieve him to remember that when he was
seemingly a private person he loyally sank the king in the citizen and
submitted to its authority?â
âThou art right; say no more; thou shalt see that whatsoever the King of
England requires a subject to suffer, under the law, he will himself
suffer while he holdeth the station of a subject.â
When the woman was called upon to testify before the justice of the
peace, she swore that the small prisoner at the bar was the person who
had committed the theft; there was none able to show the contrary, so the
King stood convicted. The bundle was now unrolled, and when the contents
proved to be a plump little dressed pig, the judge looked troubled,
whilst Hendon turned pale, and his body was thrilled with an electric
shiver of dismay; but the King remained unmoved, protected by his
ignorance. The judge meditated, during an ominous pause, then turned to
the woman, with the questionâ
âWhat dost thou hold this property to be worth?â
The woman courtesied and repliedâ
âThree shillings and eightpence, your worshipâI could not abate a penny
and set forth the value honestly.â
The justice glanced around uncomfortably upon the crowd, then nodded to
the constable, and saidâ
âClear the court and close the doors.â
It was done. None remained but the two officials, the accused, the
accuser, and Miles Hendon. This latter was rigid and colourless, and on
his forehead big drops of cold sweat gathered, broke and blended
together, and trickled down his face. The judge turned to the woman
again, and said, in a compassionate voiceâ
ââTis a poor ignorant lad, and mayhap was driven hard by hunger, for
these be grievous times for the unfortunate; mark you, he hath not an
evil faceâbut when hunger drivethâGood woman! dost know that when one
steals a thing above the value of thirteenpence haâpenny the law saith he
shall HANG for it?â
The little King started, wide-eyed with consternation, but controlled
himself and held his peace; but not so the woman. She sprang to her
feet, shaking with fright, and cried outâ
âOh, good lack, what have I done! God-a-mercy, I would not hang the poor
thing for the whole world! Ah, save me from this, your worshipâwhat
shall I do, what CAN I do?â
The justice maintained his judicial composure, and simply saidâ
âDoubtless it is allowable to revise the value, since it is not yet writ
upon the record.â
âThen in Godâs name call the pig eightpence, and heaven bless the day
that freed my conscience of this awesome thing!â
Miles Hendon forgot all decorum in his delight; and surprised the King
and wounded his dignity, by throwing his arms around him and hugging him.
The woman made her grateful adieux and started away with her pig; and
when the constable opened the door for her, he followed her out into the
narrow hall. The justice proceeded to write in his record book. Hendon,
always alert, thought he would like to know why the officer followed the
woman out; so he slipped softly into the dusky hall and listened. He
heard a conversation to this effectâ
âIt is a fat pig, and promises good eating; I will buy it of thee; here
is the eightpence.â
âEightpence, indeed! Thouâlt do no such thing. It cost me three
shillings and eightpence, good honest coin of the last reign, that old
Harry thatâs just dead neâer touched or tampered with. A fig for thy
eightpence!â
âStands the wind in that quarter? Thou wast under oath, and so swore
falsely when thou saidst the value was but eightpence. Come straightway
back with me before his worship, and answer for the crime!âand then the
lad will hang.â
âThere, there, dear heart, say no more, I am content. Give me the
eightpence, and hold thy peace about the matter.â
The woman went off crying: Hendon slipped back into the court room, and
the constable presently followed, after hiding his prize in some
convenient place. The justice wrote a while longer, then read the King a
wise and kindly lecture, and sentenced him to a short imprisonment in the
common jail, to be followed by a public flogging. The astounded King
opened his mouth, and
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