The Prince and the Pauper Mark Twain (readict books .TXT) đ
- Author: Mark Twain
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The jailer finished by lifting himself a-tip-toe with an imaginary halter, at the same time making a gurgling noise in his throat suggestive of suffocation. The old man said, vindictivelyâ â
âLet him bless God anâ he fare no worse. Anâ I had the handling oâ the villain he should roast, or I am no true man!â
The jailer laughed a pleasant hyena laugh, and saidâ â
âGive him a piece of thy mind, old manâ âthey all do it. Thouâlt find it good diversion.â
Then he sauntered toward his anteroom and disappeared. The old man dropped upon his knees and whisperedâ â
âGod be thanked, thouârt come again, my master! I believed thou wert dead these seven years, and lo, here thou art alive! I knew thee the moment I saw thee; and main hard work it was to keep a stony countenance and seem to see none here but tuppenny knaves and rubbish oâ the streets. I am old and poor, Sir Miles; but say the word and I will go forth and proclaim the truth though I be strangled for it.â
âNo,â said Hendon; âthou shalt not. It would ruin thee, and yet help but little in my cause. But I thank thee, for thou hast given me back somewhat of my lost faith in my kind.â
The old servant became very valuable to Hendon and the king; for he dropped in several times a day to âabuseâ the former, and always smuggled in a few delicacies to help out the prison bill of fare; he also furnished the current news. Hendon reserved the dainties for the king; without them his Majesty might not have survived, for he was not able to eat the coarse and wretched food provided by the jailer. Andrews was obliged to confine himself to brief visits, in order to avoid suspicion; but he managed to impart a fair degree of information each timeâ âinformation delivered in a low voice, for Hendonâs benefit, and interlarded with insulting epithets delivered in a louder voice for the benefit of other hearers.
So, little by little, the story of the family came out. Arthur had been dead six years. This loss, with the absence of news from Hendon, impaired the fatherâs health; he believed he was going to die, and he wished to see Hugh and Edith settled in life before he passed away; but Edith begged hard for delay, hoping for Milesâs return; then the letter came which brought the news of Milesâs death; the shock prostrated Sir Richard; he believed his end was very near, and he and Hugh insisted upon the marriage; Edith begged for and obtained a monthâs respite, then another, and finally a third; the marriage then took place by the deathbed of Sir Richard. It had not proved a happy one. It was whispered about the country that shortly after the nuptials the bride found among her husbandâs papers several rough and incomplete drafts of the fatal letter, and had accused him of precipitating the marriageâ âand Sir Richardâs death, tooâ âby a wicked forgery. Tales of cruelty to the Lady Edith and the servants were to be heard on all hands; and since the fatherâs death Sir Hugh had thrown off all soft disguises and become a pitiless master toward all who in any way depended upon him and his domains for bread.
There was a bit of Andrewâs gossip which the king listened to with a lively interestâ â
âThere is rumor that the king is mad. But in charity forbear to say I mentioned it, for âtis death to speak of it, they say.â
His Majesty glared at the old man and saidâ â
âThe king is not mad, good manâ âand thouâlt find it to thy advantage to busy thyself with matters that nearer concern thee than this seditious prattle.â
âWhat doth the lad mean?â said Andrews, surprised at this brisk assault from such an unexpected quarter. Hendon gave him a sign, and he did not pursue his question, but went on with his budgetâ â
âThe late king is to be buried at Windsor in a day or twoâ âthe 16th of the monthâ âand the new king will be crowned at Westminster the 20th.â
âMethinks they must needs find him first,â muttered his Majesty; then added, confidently, âbut they will look to thatâ âand so also shall I.â
âIn the name ofâ ââ
But the old man got no furtherâ âa warning sign from Hendon checked his remark. He resumed the thread of his gossipâ â
âSir Hugh goeth to the coronationâ âand with grand hopes. He confidently looketh to come back a peer, for he is high in favor with the Lord Protector.â
âWhat Lord Protector?â asked his Majesty.
âHis Grace the Duke of Somerset.â
âWhat Duke of Somerset?â
âMarry, there is but oneâ âSeymour, Earl of Hertford.â
The king asked sharplyâ â
âSince when is he a duke, and Lord Protector?â
âSince the last day of January.â
âAnd prithee who made him so?â
âHimself and the Great Councilâ âwith help of the king.â
His Majesty started violently. âThe king!â he cried. âWhat king, good sir?â
âWhat king, indeed! (God-a-mercy, what aileth the boy?) Sith we have but one, âtis not difficult to answerâ âhis most sacred Majesty King Edward the Sixthâ âwhom God preserve! Yea, and a dear and gracious little urchin is he, too; and whether he be mad or noâ âand they say he mendeth dailyâ âhis praises are on all menâs lips; and all bless him, likewise, and offer prayers that he may be spared to reign long in England; for he began humanely with saving the old Duke of Norfolkâs life, and now is he bent on destroying the cruellest of the laws that harry and oppress the people.â
This news struck his Majesty dumb with amazement, and plunged him into so deep and dismal a reverie that he heard no more of the old manâs gossip. He wondered if the âlittle urchinâ was the beggar-boy whom he left dressed in his own garments in the palace. It did not seem possible that this could be, for surely his manners and speech would betray him if
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