Tom’s meeting with the Prince.

Tom got up hungry, and sauntered hungry away, but with his thoughts busyrnwith the shadowy splendours of his night’s dreams. He wandered herernand there in the city, hardly noticing where he was going, or whatrnwas happening around him. People jostled him, and some gave him roughrnspeech; but it was all lost on the musing boy. By-and-by he foundrnhimself at Temple Bar, the farthest from home he had ever travelled inrnthat direction. He stopped and considered a moment, then fell into hisrnimaginings again, and passed on outside the walls of London. The Strandrnhad ceased to be a country-road then, and regarded itself as a street,rnbut by a strained construction; for, though there was a tolerablyrncompact row of houses on one side of it, there were only some scatteredrngreat buildings on the other, these being palaces of rich nobles, withrnample and beautiful grounds stretching to the river--grounds that arernnow closely packed with grim acres of brick and stone.rnrnTom discovered Charing Village presently, and rested himself at thernbeautiful cross built there by a bereaved king of earlier days; thenrnidled down a quiet, lovely road, past the great cardinal’srnstately palace, toward a far more mighty and majestic palacernbeyond--Westminster. Tom stared in glad wonder at the vast pile ofrnmasonry, the wide-spreading wings, the frowning bastions and turrets,rnthe huge stone gateway, with its gilded bars and its magnificent arrayrnof colossal granite lions, and other the signs and symbols of Englishrnroyalty. Was the desire of his soul to be satisfied at last? Here,rnindeed, was a king’s palace. Might he not hope to see a prince now--arnprince of flesh and blood, if Heaven were willing?rnrnAt each side of the gilded gate stood a living statue--that is to say,rnan erect and stately and motionless man-at-arms, clad from head to heelrnin shining steel armour. At a respectful distance were many countryrnfolk, and people from the city, waiting for any chance glimpse ofrnroyalty that might offer. Splendid carriages, with splendid peoplernin them and splendid servants outside, were arriving and departing byrnseveral other noble gateways that pierced the royal enclosure.rnrnPoor little Tom, in his rags, approached, and was moving slowly andrntimidly past the sentinels, with a beating heart and a rising hope, whenrnall at once he caught sight through the golden bars of a spectacle thatrnalmost made him shout for joy. Within was a comely boy, tanned andrnbrown with sturdy outdoor sports and exercises, whose clothing was allrnof lovely silks and satins, shining with jewels; at his hip a littlernjewelled sword and dagger; dainty buskins on his feet, with red heels;rnand on his head a jaunty crimson cap, with drooping plumes fastenedrnwith a great sparkling gem. Several gorgeous gentlemen stood near--hisrnservants, without a doubt. Oh! he was a prince--a prince, a livingrnprince, a real prince--without the shadow of a question; and the prayerrnof the pauper-boy’s heart was answered at last.rnrnTom’s breath came quick and short with excitement, and his eyes grew bigrnwith wonder and delight. Everything gave way in his mind instantlyrnto one desire: that was to get close to the prince, and have a good,rndevouring look at him. Before he knew what he was about, he had hisrnface against the gate-bars. The next instant one of the soldiersrnsnatched him rudely away, and sent him spinning among the gaping crowdrnof country gawks and London idlers. The soldier said,--rnrn“Mind thy manners, thou young beggar!”rnrnThe crowd jeered and laughed; but the young prince sprang to the gaternwith his face flushed, and his eyes flashing with indignation, and criedrnout,--rnrn“How dar’st thou use a poor lad like that? How dar’st thou use the Kingrnmy father’s meanest subject so? Open the gates, and let him in!”rnrnYou should have seen that fickle crowd snatch off their hats then.rnYou should have heard them cheer, and shout, “Long live the Prince ofrnWales!”rnrnThe soldiers presented arms with their halberds, opened the gates,rnand presented again as the little Prince of Poverty passed in, in hisrnfluttering rags, to join hands with the Prince of Limitless Plenty.rnrnEdward Tudor said--rnrn“Thou lookest tired and hungry: thou’st been treated ill. Come withrnme.”rnrnHalf a dozen attendants sprang forward to--I don’t know what; interfere,rnno doubt. But they were waved aside with a right royal gesture, andrnthey stopped stock still where they were, like so many statues. Edwardrntook Tom to a rich apartment in the palace, which he called his cabinet. By his command a repast was brought such as Tom had never encounteredrnbefore except in books. The prince, with princely delicacy andrnbreeding, sent away the servants, so that his humble guest might not bernembarrassed by their critical presence; then he sat near by, and askedrnquestions while Tom ate.rnrn“What is thy name, lad?”rnrn“Tom Canty, an’ it please thee, sir.”rnrn“‘Tis an odd one. Where dost live?”rnrn“In the city, please thee, sir. Offal Court, out of Pudding Lane.”rnrn“Offal Court! Truly ’tis another odd one. Hast parents?”rnrn“Parents have I, sir, and a grand-dam likewise that is but indifferentlyrnprecious to me, God forgive me if it be offence to say it--also twinrnsisters, Nan and Bet.”rnrn“Then is thy grand-dam not over kind to thee, I take it?”rnrn“Neither to any other is she, so please your worship. She hath a wickedrnheart, and worketh evil all her days.”rnrn“Doth she mistreat thee?”rnrn“There be times that she stayeth her hand, being asleep or overcome withrndrink; but when she hath her judgment clear again, she maketh it up tornme with goodly beatings.”rnrnA fierce look came into the little prince’s eyes, and he cried out--rnrn“What! Beatings?”rnrn“Oh, indeed, yes, please you, sir.”rnrn“_Beatings_!--and thou so frail and little. Hark ye: before the nightrncome, she shall hie her to the Tower. The King my father”--rnrn“In sooth, you forget, sir, her low degree. The Tower is for the greatrnalone.”rnrn“True, indeed. I had not thought of that. I will consider of herrnpunishment. Is thy father kind to thee?”rnrn“Not more than Gammer Canty, sir.”rnrn“Fathers be alike, mayhap. Mine hath not a doll’s temper. He smitethrnwith a heavy hand, yet spareth me: he spareth me not always with hisrntongue, though, sooth to say. How doth thy mother use thee?”rnrn“She is good, sir, and giveth me neither sorrow nor pain of any sort.rnAnd Nan and Bet are like to her in this.”rnrn“How old be these?”rnrn“Fifteen, an’ it please you, sir.”rnrn“The Lady Elizabeth, my sister, is fourteen, and the Lady Jane Grey,rnmy cousin, is of mine own age, and comely and gracious withal; butrnmy sister the Lady Mary, with her gloomy mien and--Look you: do thyrnsisters forbid their servants to smile, lest the sin destroy theirrnsouls?”rnrn“They? Oh, dost think, sir, that _they_ have servants?”rnrnThe little prince contemplated the little pauper gravely a moment, thenrnsaid--rnrn“And prithee, why not? Who helpeth them undress at night? Who attirethrnthem when they rise?”rnrn“None, sir. Would’st have them take off their garment, and sleeprnwithout--like the beasts?”rnrn“Their garment! Have they but one?”rnrn“Ah, good your worship, what would they do with more? Truly they havernnot two bodies each.”rnrn“It is a quaint and marvellous thought! Thy pardon, I had not meantrnto laugh. But thy good Nan and thy Bet shall have raiment and lackeysrnenow, and that soon, too: my cofferer shall look to it. No, thank mernnot; ’tis nothing. Thou speakest well; thou hast an easy grace in it. Art learned?”rnrn“I know not if I am or not, sir. The good priest that is called FatherrnAndrew taught me, of his kindness, from his books.”rnrn“Know’st thou the Latin?”rnrn“But scantly, sir, I doubt.”rnrn“Learn it, lad: ’tis hard only at first. The Greek is harder; butrnneither these nor any tongues else, I think, are hard to the LadyrnElizabeth and my cousin. Thou should’st hear those damsels at it! Butrntell me of thy Offal Court. Hast thou a pleasant life there?”rnrn“In truth, yes, so please you, sir, save when one is hungry. Therernbe Punch-and-Judy shows, and monkeys--oh such antic creatures! and sornbravely dressed!--and there be plays wherein they that play do shoutrnand fight till all are slain, and ’tis so fine to see, and costeth butrna farthing--albeit ’tis main hard to get the farthing, please yourrnworship.”rnrn“Tell me more.”rnrn“We lads of Offal Court do strive against each other with the cudgel,rnlike to the fashion of the ‘prentices, sometimes.”rnrnThe prince’s eyes flashed. Said he--rnrn“Marry, that would not I mislike. Tell me more.”rnrn“We strive in races, sir, to see who of us shall be fleetest.”rnrn“That would I like also. Speak on.”rnrn“In summer, sir, we wade and swim in the canals and in the river, andrneach doth duck his neighbour, and splatter him with water, and dive andrnshout and tumble and--”rnrn“‘Twould be worth my father’s kingdom but to enjoy it once! Prithee gornon.”rnrn“We dance and sing about the Maypole in Cheapside; we play in the sand,rneach covering his neighbour up; and times we make mud pastry--ohrnthe lovely mud, it hath not its like for delightfulness in all thernworld!--we do fairly wallow in the mud, sir, saving your worship’srnpresence.”rnrn“Oh, prithee, say no more, ’tis glorious! If that I could but clothe mernin raiment like to thine, and strip my feet, and revel in the mud once,rnjust once, with none to rebuke me or forbid, meseemeth I could foregornthe crown!”rnrn“And if that I could clothe me once, sweet sir, as thou art clad--justrnonce--”rnrn“Oho, would’st like it? Then so shall it be. Doff thy rags, and donrnthese splendours, lad! It is a brief happiness, but will be not lessrnkeen for that. We will have it while we may, and change again beforernany come to molest.”rnrnA few minutes later the little Prince of Wales was garlanded with Tom’srnfluttering odds and ends, and the little Prince of Pauperdom was trickedrnout in the gaudy plumage of royalty. The two went and stood side byrnside before a great mirror, and lo, a miracle: there did not seem tornhave been any change made! They stared at each other, then at thernglass, then at each other again. At last the puzzled princeling said--rnrn“What dost thou make of this?”rnrn“Ah, good your worship, require me not to answer. It is not meet thatrnone of my degree should utter the thing.”rnrn“Then will _I_ utter it. Thou hast the same hair, the same eyes, thernsame voice and manner, the same form and stature, the same face andrncountenance that I bear. Fared we forth naked, there is none couldrnsay which was you, and which the Prince of Wales. And, now that Irnam clothed as thou wert clothed, it seemeth I should be able the morernnearly to feel as thou didst when the brute soldier--Hark ye, is notrnthis a bruise upon your hand?”rnrn“Yes; but it is a slight thing, and your worship knoweth that the poorrnman-at-arms--”rnrn“Peace! It was a shameful thing and a cruel!” cried the little prince,rnstamping his bare foot. “If the King--Stir not a step till I comernagain! It is a command!”rnrnIn a moment he had snatched up and put away an article of nationalrnimportance that lay upon a table, and was out at the door and flyingrnthrough the palace grounds in his bannered rags, with a hot face andrnglowing eyes. As soon as he reached the great gate, he seized the bars,rnand tried to shake them, shouting--rnrn“Open! Unbar the gates!”rnrnThe soldier that had maltreated Tom obeyed promptly; and as the princernburst through the portal, half-smothered with royal wrath, the soldierrnfetched him a sounding box on the ear that sent him whirling to thernroadway, and said--rnrn“Take that, thou beggar’s spawn, for what thou got’st me from hisrnHighness!”rnrnThe crowd roared with laughter. The prince picked himself out of thernmud, and made fiercely at the sentry, shouting--rnrn“I am the Prince of Wales, my person is sacred; and thou shalt hang forrnlaying thy hand upon me!”rnrnThe soldier brought his halberd to a present-arms and said mockingly--rnrn“I salute your gracious Highness.” Then angrily--“Be off, thou crazyrnrubbish!”rnrnHere the jeering crowd closed round the poor little prince, and hustledrnhim far down the road, hooting him, and shouting--rnrn“Way for his Royal Highness! Way for the Prince of Wales!”