[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.lenced him with the potent remark, Yes, speak up, do,The King was seized.He did not even struggle, so and free thy mind only, mark ye, that for each wordparalysed was he with the mere thought of the mon- you utter he shall get six strokes the more. strous outrage that was proposed to be inflicted upon Hendon was removed from the stocks, and his backhis sacred person.History was already defiled with the laid bare; and whilst the lash was applied the poor littlerecord of the scourging of an English king with whips King turned away his face and allowed unroyal tears toit was an intolerable reflection that he must furnish a channel his cheeks unchecked. Ah, brave good heart, duplicate of that shameful page.He was in the toils, he said to himself, this loyal deed shall never perishthere was no help for him; he must either take this out of my memory.I will not forget it and neitherpunishment or beg for its remission.Hard conditions; shall they! he added, with passion.Whilst he mused,160 The Prince and the Pauperhis appreciation of Hendon s magnanimous conduct grew for One who is higher than kings hath done that forto greater and still greater dimensions in his mind, and thee; but a king can confirm thy nobility to men. Heso also did his gratefulness for it.Presently he said to picked up the scourge from the ground, touchedhimself, Who saves his prince from wounds and pos- Hendon s bleeding shoulders lightly with it, and whis-sible death and this he did for me performs high pered, Edward of England dubs thee Earl! service; but it is little it is nothing oh, less than Hendon was touched.The water welled to his eyes,nothing! when tis weighed against the act of him who yet at the same time the grisly humour of the situationsaves his prince from shame! and circumstances so undermined his gravity that itHendon made no outcry under the scourge, but bore was all he could do to keep some sign of his inwardthe heavy blows with soldierly fortitude.This, together mirth from showing outside.To be suddenly hoisted,with his redeeming the boy by taking his stripes for naked and gory, from the common stocks to the Alpinehim, compelled the respect of even that forlorn and altitude and splendour of an Earldom, seemed to himdegraded mob that was gathered there; and its gibes the last possibility in the line of the grotesque.He saidand hootings died away, and no sound remained but to himself, Now am I finely tinselled, indeed! The spec-the sound of the falling blows.The stillness that per- tre-knight of the Kingdom of Dreams and Shadows isvaded the place, when Hendon found himself once more become a spectre-earl a dizzy flight for a callow wing!in the stocks, was in strong contrast with the insulting An this go on, I shall presently be hung like a veryclamour which had prevailed there so little a while be- maypole with fantastic gauds and make-believe honours.fore.The King came softly to Hendon s side, and whis- But I shall value them, all valueless as they are, for thepered in his ear love that doth bestow them.Better these poor mock Kings cannot ennoble thee, thou good, great soul, dignities of mine, that come unasked, from a clean hand161 Mark Twainand a right spirit, than real ones bought by servilityXXIXfrom grudging and interested power. The dreaded Sir Hugh wheeled his horse about, and as To Londonhe spurred away, the living wall divided silently to lethim pass, and as silently closed together again.And sohen Hendon s term of service in the stocksremained; nobody went so far as to venture a remark inwas finished, he was released and orderedfavour of the prisoner, or in compliment to him; but noto quit the region and come back no more.matter the absence of abuse was a sufficient homageHis sword was restored to him, and also his mule andin itself.A late comer who was not posted as to thehis donkey.He mounted and rode off, followed by thepresent circumstances, and who delivered a sneer atKing, the crowd opening with quiet respectfulness tothe impostor, and was in the act of following it with alet them pass, and then dispersing when they were gone.dead cat, was promptly knocked down and kicked out,Hendon was soon absorbed in thought.There werewithout any words, and then the deep quiet resumedquestions of high import to be answered.What shouldsway once more.he do? Whither should he go? Powerful help must befound somewhere, or he must relinquish his inherit-ance and remain under the imputation of being an im-postor besides.Where could he hope to find this power-ful help? Where, indeed! It was a knotty question.By-and-by a thought occurred to him which pointed to apossibility the slenderest of slender possibilities, cer-tainly, but still worth considering, for lack of any other162 The Prince and the Pauperthat promised anything at all.He remembered what old in his wake, with his head bowed; for he, too, was deepAndrews had said about the young King s goodness and in plans and thinkings.A sorrowful misgiving cloudedhis generous championship of the wronged and unfor- Hendon s new-born cheerfulness: would the boy be will-tunate.Why not go and try to get speech of him and ing to go again to a city where, during all his brief life,beg for justice? Ah, yes, but could so fantastic a pauper he had never known anything but ill-usage and pinch-get admission to the august presence of a monarch? ing want? But the question must be asked; it could notNever mind let that matter take care of itself; it was a be avoided; so Hendon reined up, and called outbridge that would not need to be crossed till he should I had forgotten to inquire whither we are bound.come to it.He was an old campaigner, and used to in- Thy commands, my liege! venting shifts and expedients: no doubt he would be To London! able to find a way.Yes, he would strike for the capital.Hendon moved on again, mightily contented with theMaybe his father s old friend Sir Humphrey Marlow would answer but astounded at it too.help him good old Sir Humphrey, Head Lieutenant of The whole journey was made without an adventure ofthe late King s kitchen, or stables, or something Miles importance.But it ended with one.About ten o clockcould not remember just what or which.Now that he on the night of the 19th of February they stepped uponhad something to turn his energies to, a distinctly de- London Bridge, in the midst of a writhing, strugglingfined object to accomplish, the fog of humiliation and jam of howling and hurrahing people, whose beer-jollydepression which had settled down upon his spirits lifted faces stood out strongly in the glare from manifoldand blew away, and he raised his head and looked about torches and at that instant the decaying head of somehim.He was surprised to see how far he had come; the former duke or other grandee tumbled down betweenvillage was away behind him.The King was jogging along them, striking Hendon on the elbow and then bound-163 Mark Twaining off among the hurrying confusion of feet.So eva-XXXnescent and unstable are men s works in this world!the late good King is but three weeks dead and three Tom s progressdays in his grave, and already the adornments which hetook such pains to select from prominent people for hishilst the true King wandered about thenoble bridge are falling
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]