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Mark Twain wrote his famous book “The Prince and the Pauper” in 1882. Summary will help you get acquainted with this work in just a few minutes, while reading the original may take more than one day. Anyone who once read this as a child fascinating story, will be able to remember it after reading the retelling. And those who have not yet had the pleasure of meeting this an interesting book, will probably want to read the original source.

M. Twain, “The Prince and the Pauper.” Chapter 1

The novel begins with a preface. Here the author writes that he dedicates this work to his children, and tells that this story was passed on from mouth to mouth for three hundred years. The author says that maybe it really happened or is a legend.

The first chapter takes the reader to the end of the 16th century and introduces the poor Canty family and the rich Tudor family. Both here and there in London, one autumn day, boys were born. If the poor family did not need a child, then the son of the Tudors, the Crown Prince of Wales, was welcome throughout England. The whole country rejoiced at this event.

Chapter two

This chapter moves events forward several years. It is called "Tom's Childhood" and is about a boy from a poor family, Kanti. He lived in a dilapidated old house, which was located at the end of the garbage yard. The author continues the work “The Prince and the Pauper” with a description of the wretchedness of the place where Tom lived. The summary tells that the boy did not even have a bed. He slept on the floor with his grandmother and his twin sisters Beth and Nan.

So Tom lived among thieves, beggars, with his father and grandmother, who often got drunk and cursed. All family members were dressed in rags. Tom was lucky enough to make friends with a former priest, who also begged, but did not lose his dignity. He taught the child writing and reading. He taught the children of the yard about kindness and love. Tom, reading books, sometimes dreamed and even imagined himself as a prince.

Mark Twain, "The Prince and the Pauper." Contents of Chapter 3

One day Tom came to the gates of the palace. He saw richly dressed boy with a sword and dagger studded with jewels. It was the prince. Tom looked at him enchanted, but the palace guards began to scold the beggar and drive him away. But the prince was kind child, he took pity on Tom and called him to the palace. That's how the prince and the pauper met. The summary moves on to one of the most interesting moments works.

The boys met. began to ask Tom how his life was, and was surprised that his father was beating him. The beggar said that he has two twin sisters, fifteen years old. Edward spoke about his 14-year-old sister Elizabeth and his cousin. The prince was interested in the beggar's story; he also wanted to wallow in the mud, like Tom, swim in the river, and frolic with friends. Edward suggested exchanging clothes so that he could feel, at least for a moment, like a beggar who could walk barefoot and have fun as he pleased. The prince and the beggar exchanged clothes and realized that they were alike. Edward noticed a bruise on Tom's arm and ran to the guard to express his indignation. After all, it was he who tried to drive out the beggar and treated him so harshly. But the prince forgot what clothes he was wearing. The soldier was sure that this was the beggar, and kicked the real prince out of the palace. No matter how hard the Prince of Wales tried to prove who he really was, the soldiers and the crowd laughed at him.

Just like that, the prince and the beggar suddenly changed places. The summary continues the story.

Chapters 4-5

No one believed Edward that he was a prince - neither the boys from the monastery of Christ, nor Tom's family. They mocked him and even poisoned him with dogs. What happened to the beggar who remained in the palace in Edward's clothes? The fifth chapter of the work will talk about this.

At first Tom admired his rich clothes in the mirror, but then he wondered why the prince had been gone for so long? He was frightened and thought that the guards would grab him and that he would be punished. When a pretty girl, who was Edward's cousin, entered, Tom fell on his knees in front of her and began to beg for mercy. She was very surprised to see the Crown Prince kneeling in front of her. The courtiers also saw this. A rumor spread around the palace that the prince The boys were like two peas in a pod, so no one could even suspect that the prince was not real. That's how the prince and the beggar accidentally switched places.

The king forbade rumors about his son’s insanity to spread throughout the palace, but he himself was sure that his son was “not himself.” After all, the boy insisted that he lived in the yard of the Garbage in poor family.

Chapters 6-10

In chapter six, The Prince and the Pauper introduces readers to Lord St. John. He helps Tom learn some royal manners. My lord taught Tom to refer to his illness when he cannot remember something. The books he had read earlier helped him express himself like a king. Gradually he began to master it, but he was not able to show off his knowledge at dinner. Tom shocked many of those present during this dinner.

The tenth chapter tells about the misadventures of Edward M. Twain. The prince and the beggar accidentally switched places, and now each of them had to live in an environment unusual for themselves. The real prince had a very difficult time. He was abused not only verbally, but also physically. The Kenty family were sure that their Tom had gone crazy. After all, he imagines himself to be a prince. The only one who stood up for the boy was Miles Gendon - he saved him from an evil crowd, a drunken father, and took him to his place.

Chapters 11-12

In Chapter 11, Edward learns that his father has died and he has become king. But the prince could not begin his duties, since it was impossible for him to get into the palace.

Miles Gendon, after taking the child to his place, set the table, and he and Edward began to eat. He, as befits a royal person, was indignant, why was his friend sitting in his presence? Then Gendon asked Edward to grant him the favor that he and his descendants would sit in the presence of the kings. The prince took the sword from Gendon and made him a knight. The request was respected.

Chapters 13-16

Miles Hendon was kind to the child. He gave him his bed, bought not new, but good clothes.

Meanwhile, everyone in the palace is preparing for the coronation of the prince. Now he is forced to do state affairs. Several people appeared before the future king. One said that he was sentenced to death penalty. Tom was horrified when he learned that the man was to be executed, but his guilt had not been proven. Tom judged fairly and ordered the poor fellow to be released. The palace nobles present began to whisper that the prince had regained his sanity and was thinking sensibly. He also dealt well with another case, proving that the two women were also convicted in vain. In 4 days Tom got completely comfortable. He also behaved decently at dinner.

Everything falls into place

The prince still had to go through many trials. He saw the life of his kingdom from the inside. Edward lived with tramps. He heard them sad story. They told how cruelly they were once treated, like slaves. But he preferred hunger and cold, not begging and stealing with them. The prince was even arrested, but the faithful Miles Hendon came to his aid. And once again the generous Gendon saved his little friend, taking upon himself the punishment of the lashes. Then the friends went to London. Prince Edouard decided to regain his title at any cost.

He came to the coronation and did not let Tom put the crown on his head. He was glad that a real prince had finally appeared. Everything ended well. Each of the children returned to their place, and Miles Hendon and Lord St. John were rewarded for their nobility and kindness.

King Edward was a fair ruler, as he perfectly studied the life of his kingdom from the inside. And Tom Canty was respected by everyone as a royal pupil. This is where Mark Twain ends his book. "Prince and the Pauper" - fascinating work, which appeals to people of all ages.

Mark Twain

PRINCE AND THE PAUPER

To their dear and well-behaved children, Susie and Clara Plemens, their father dedicates this book with a feeling of heartfelt love.

Preface

I will tell you this story in the form in which I heard it from one man, who heard it from his father, who heard it from his father, and he from his, and so on. For three hundred years, and perhaps longer, fathers passed it on to their sons, and thus it was preserved for posterity. It's possible that this historical fact, but perhaps - a legend, a legend. Perhaps all this happened, and perhaps this did not happen, but still it could have happened. It is possible that in the old days wise men and scientists believed in it, but it is also possible that only simple, unlearned people believed in it and loved it.

Oh, there is double grace in mercy: Blessed is both the one who has mercy and the one whom he has mercy on. It is strongest in the hands of the strong; It suits kings more than a crown.

1. The birth of a prince and the birth of a pauper

This was at the end of the second quarter of the sixteenth century.

One autumn day in ancient city In London, a boy was born into Kenty's poor family, who she did not need at all. On the same day rich family Tudor born another English child, which was needed not only by her, but by all of England. England had been dreaming about him for so long, waiting for him and praying to God for him, that when he was actually born, the English almost went crazy with joy. People who barely knew each other, meeting that day, hugged, kissed and cried. No one worked, everyone celebrated - poor and rich, commoners and nobles - they feasted, danced, sang, treated themselves to wine, and such revelry continued for several days and nights. During the day, London presented a very beautiful sight: bright flags fluttered on every balcony, on every roof, and magnificent processions paraded through the streets. At night there was also something to see: large bonfires were burning at all the crossroads, and whole hordes of revelers were having fun around the bonfires. All over England the only talk was about the newborn Edward Tudor, Prince of Wales, and he lay wrapped in silks and satins, unaware of all this fuss and not knowing that noble lords and ladies were nursing him - it didn’t matter to him . But nowhere was there any talk of another child, Tom Canty, swaddled in miserable rags. They talked about him only in that beggarly, wretched family for whom his birth promised so much trouble.

2. Tom's childhood

Let's skip ahead a few years.

London has existed for fifteen centuries and has been big city at that time. It had a hundred thousand inhabitants, others believe - twice as many. The streets were narrow, crooked and dirty, especially in the part of the city where Tom Canty lived, not far from London Bridge. The houses were wooden; the second floor jutted out above the first, the third extended its elbows far above the second. The higher the houses grew, the wider they became. Their frames were made of strong beams laid crosswise; the gaps between the beams were filled with durable material and covered with plaster on top. The beams were painted red, blue or black, depending on the owner's taste, and this gave the houses a very picturesque appearance. The windows were small, with small diamond-shaped glass, and opened outward on hinges, like doors.

The house where Tom's father lived stood in a stinking dead end behind Glutton Row. The dead end was called the Garbage Yard. The house was small, dilapidated, shaky, filled to the brim with poor people. The Canty family occupied a closet on the third floor. His father and mother had some semblance of a bed, but Tom, his grandmother and both of his sisters. Beth and Nan knew no such inconvenience: they had the whole floor to themselves, and could sleep wherever they pleased. At their disposal were scraps of two or three old blankets and several armfuls of dirty, shabby straw, but this could hardly be called a bed, because in the morning it all fell into a heap, from which by night everyone chose what he wanted.

Beth and Nan were fifteen-year-old twin girls, good-natured, dirty, dressed in rags and deeply ignorant. The mother was not much different from them. But my father and grandmother were real devils; they got drunk wherever they could, and then they fought with each other or with anyone who came to hand. They swore and used foul language at every turn, drunk and sober. John Canty was a thief, and his mother was a beggar. They taught children to beg, but they could not turn them into thieves.

Among the beggars and thieves who filled the house, there lived one man who was not one of them. It was a kind old priest, thrown out into the street by the king with a paltry pension of a few copper coins. He often took the children to his place and, secretly from their parents, instilled in them a love of goodness. He taught Tom to read and write, from him Tom acquired some knowledge of Latin. The old man wanted to teach the girls to read and write, but the girls were afraid of their friends who would laugh at their inappropriate learning.

The whole Garbage Court was just as much of a hornet's nest as the house where Canty lived. Drinking, quarrels and fights were the order of the day here. They happened every night and lasted almost until the morning. Broken heads were as commonplace here as hunger. But still little Tom didn't feel unhappy. Sometimes he had a very hard time, but he did not attach importance to his misfortunes. of great importance: this is how all the boys lived in the Garbage Court; therefore, he believed that it should not be otherwise. He knew that in the evening, when he returned home empty-handed, his father would scold him and beat him, and his grandmother would not let him off the hook, and late at night his eternally hungry mother would sneak up and slowly sneak in a stale crust or some scraps that she could eat it herself, but saved it for him, although she had been caught more than once during these treacherous actions and received severe beatings from her husband as a reward.

No, life wasn't so bad for Tom, especially in summer time. He did not beg too hard - just to get rid of his father's beatings - because the laws against begging were harsh and beggars were punished very cruelly. He spent many hours with the priest Andrew, listening to his wondrous ancient legends and tales about giants and dwarfs, about wizards and fairies, about enchanted castles, magnificent kings and princes. The boy’s imagination was full of all these miracles, and more than once at night, in the dark, lying on the scanty and prickly straw, tired, hungry, beaten, he gave free rein to his dreams and soon forgot both insults and pain, drawing to himself sweet pictures of the delightful life of some pampered prince in the royal palace. Day and night he was haunted by one desire: to see a real prince with his own eyes. Once he expressed this desire to his comrades in the Court of Garbage, but they laughed at him and mocked him so mercilessly that he decided not to share his dreams with anyone in the future.

He often happened to read old books from the priest. At the boy’s request, the priest explained their meaning to him, and sometimes supplemented them with his own stories. Dreams and books left a mark on Tom's soul. The heroes of his fantasy were so graceful and elegant that he began to feel burdened by his rags, his untidiness, and he wanted to be clean and better dressed. True, he often played in the mud now with the same pleasure as before, but he began to splash in the Thames not only for fun: now he also liked the fact that the water washed away the dirt from him.

Tom always had something to look at at the Cheapside maypole or at the fairs. In addition, from time to time he, like all Londoners, had the opportunity to admire a military parade, when some unfortunate celebrity was taken to Tower prison by land or by boat. One summer day he had to see how poor Ann Askew was burned at the stake in Smithfield, and with her three other people; he heard a certain former bishop read to them a long sermon, which, however, interested him very little. Yes, in general life Toma was quite varied and pleasant.

Little by little, reading books and dreams of the lives of kings had such a strong effect on him that, without noticing it, he began to pretend to be a prince, to the admiration and amusement of his street comrades. His speech and habits became ceremonious and majestic. His influence in the Court of Garbage increased every day, and gradually his peers became accustomed to treating him with admiring respect, as a superior being. It seemed to them that he knew so much, that he was capable of such wondrous

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Mark Twain
Prince and the Pauper

© Electronic version books prepared by liters company

* * *

...Blessing is in mercy
Subject: she blesses
Those who give it and those who take it.
It is strongest in the hands of the strong;
It is more fitting for kings than a crown.

Shakespeare "The Merchant of Venice"

Preface by the author

I will tell you one fairy tale, as it was told to me by a man who heard it from his father, who heard it from his father, and he heard it from his, and so on. For three hundred years or more it passed from father to son and thus came down to us. What it tells is perhaps history, or perhaps a legend, a tradition. Perhaps all this happened, or perhaps it didn’t; but – it could be. Perhaps the wise and learned believed in this tale of old; or perhaps only the uneducated and simple-minded believed her and loved her.

Mark Twain

Chapter I
Birth of the Prince and the Pauper

In the ancient city of London, one autumn day in the second half of the sixteenth century, a child was born into a poor family named Canty - a boy, whom no one was happy about. On the same day another was born into the noble Tudor family English boy, which everyone was happy about and which they had long desired and waited for. All of England was waiting for him. England waited so passionately for him, so hoped for his appearance, so fervently begged him from God, that when he finally appeared, the people almost went mad with joy. People who barely knew each other, meeting on the streets, hugged, kissed and cried with delight. This day was a real holiday for everyone: noble and commoner, rich and poor - everyone feasted, danced, sang and drank in joy. This went on for several days and nights. During the day it was nice to look at London with its colorful flags waving on all the balconies and roofs and with magnificent processions solemnly marching through the streets. At night, the spectacle was also worth looking at: bright, amusing lights were blazing on all corners and intersections, and crowds of jubilant people were crowding around. All over England there was nothing but talk about the newborn Edward Tudor, Prince of Wales; and meanwhile he lay quietly in silk and satin, not even suspecting what a commotion he had caused, and looked completely indifferently as the noblest lords and ladies crowded around him and coddled him. But no one in all England spoke of the birth of another boy - Tom Canty, who lay wrapped in his miserable rags - no one except the family of poor people, for whom his appearance was only an unnecessary burden.

Chapter II
Tom's childhood

Several years have passed.

At that time, London had already counted fifteen centuries of its existence and was a large city for that time. It had over one hundred thousand inhabitants. The streets were narrow, crooked and dirty, especially in the part of the city where Tom Canty lived, not far from London Bridge. The houses were mostly wooden, with the second floor protruding above the first, and the third above the second, so that the higher the houses became, the more they spread out in width. The frames of the houses were built from thick, criss-crossed beams, the gaps were laid with strong building material and were covered with plaster, and the beams themselves were painted according to the taste of the owners, in red, blue or black paint, which gave the houses a very picturesque look. The windows were made narrow; the frames - with small oblique binding and the same small glass - opened outward, on hinges, like doors.

The house in which Tom's father lived was located in a very dirty slum called Offal Court, behind Pudding Lane. It was a small, dilapidated shack, crowded with poor people. The Kanti family occupied a room on the third floor. In the corner of the father and mother there was something like a bed; as for Tom, his grandmother and two sisters, Betty and Nain, they were not as limited in their possessions as the Canty spouses: they had the whole floor at their disposal, and they could sleep where they pleased. They also owned scraps of two or three blankets and several armfuls of old, half-rotten straw; but even if one wanted to, this rubbish could not be called beds. During the day, all this was dumped somewhere in a corner, in one common pile, and at night it was sorted out by the younger members of the family for sleeping.

Betty and Nani were fifteen-year-old girls, teenage twins, kind, but amazingly dirty and ragged, and, moreover, complete ignoramuses. Their mother was exactly the same. But my father and grandmother were real devils. They got drunk at every opportunity and the drunken people were always fighting among themselves or with whomever they had to; both drunk and sober, both did nothing but quarrel. John Canty lived by stealing, his grandmother by begging, they made beggars out of their children, although with all their desire they could not make thieves out of them. Among the rabble that filled the house lived a good old priest, dismissed by the king from service with a pension of several farthings. He often called the children over and slowly taught them good things. Thus Andrew's father taught Tom to read and write and a little Latin; he would have willingly taught the girls what he could, but they flatly refused to learn, fearing their friends, who, of course, would laugh at them for such a ridiculous idea.

The whole of Offal Court was, in essence, the same den as the home of the Canty family. Drunkenness, swearing, rioting and quarrels were repeated here day after day, not stopping either day or night. Broken heads were not a novelty for anyone, just as hunger was not a novelty. And yet Tom was not an unhappy child. True, sometimes he had a very tough time, but he did not realize it: all the boys at Offal Court lived no better, and Tom thought that this was in the order of things. In the evenings, when the boy returned empty-handed, he already knew in advance that his father would certainly scold and beat him up, and his grandmother would not let him off the hook; he knew that at night, when everyone was asleep, his eternally hungry mother would sneak up to him in the dark and quietly slip him a stale crust or some scraps that she, having snatched from herself, had saved for him, despite the fact that more than once She was convicted of this kind of treasonous behavior and suffered merciless beatings from her husband for this.

No, Tom was far from unhappy: he even had quite a fun time, especially in the summer. He begged just enough to avoid beatings, since the laws against begging at that time were very strict and the punishments severe. Most he spent time listening to the wonderful stories of Father Andrew: ancient legends about giants and fairies, about dwarves and sorcerers, about magic castles and about powerful princes and kings. The boy's head was full of all these wonders, and often at night, lying in the dark on hard straw, exhausted, tired, hungry and beaten, he forgot pain and grief, carried away by his imagination into magical land luxurious palaces inhabited by magnificent princes. Little by little, he was overcome by a passionate desire that haunted him day and night - the desire to see a real prince with his own eyes at all costs. He even tried to talk about it with his friends, the Offal Cord boys, but they only laughed at him, and Tom never mentioned it to anyone else. He often read the priest's ancient books and asked the kind old man to explain to him incomprehensible passages. Little by little, reading and constant dreams produced a noticeable change in him: he began to be ashamed of his dirty rags, and he had a desire to dress neater and better. True, he still willingly played and rolled in the mud; but now, splashing and hanging out in the Thames, he did it not only for fun, but also because these baths made him cleaner.

Tom knew how to find other amusements for himself, sometimes in Cheapside, where they often held bonus games, then somewhere at the fair. Sometimes he was able to admire a military parade with the rest of London; This usually happened when some unsuccessfully famous poor man was transported to the Tower by land or water. One summer, he even managed to see the burning of the unfortunate Anna Askew and three other people at the stake in Smithfield and hear a sermon addressed to the condemned by some retired bishop, in which, however, Tom was not at all interested. Yes, in general, Tom's life was quite fun and varied.

Gradually, reading and dreams took over the boy’s imagination so much that he involuntarily began to pretend to be a prince himself. His manners and speeches became hilariously grave and ceremonious, to the great amazement and delight of his boy friends. However, his influence on the young Offal-Cordian people grew every day, and soon the children began to look at him as some kind of miracle, as a supreme being. And how could it be otherwise? He knew so much, did and said such amazing things, he was so smart and learned! Tom's sayings, Tom's antics were on everyone's lips; The guys were in a hurry to tell their elders, and soon the elders also became interested in Tom and began to look at him as an amazingly gifted, extraordinary child. Adults began to come to him for advice and were often amazed at his reasonable and sensible answers. Thus, Tom became a real hero for everyone who knew him, except for his family, who did not find anything unusual in him.

Soon the boy little by little created a whole royal court for himself. Of course, he was a prince, and his friends portrayed bodyguards, chamberlains, equerry, courtiers, lords and ladies and members of the royal family. Every day in the morning the self-proclaimed prince was greeted according to the ceremony Tom read from the books; every day in the council which he established the affairs of state of the non-existent kingdom were discussed, and every day his Highness, the pretended king, gave orders to his imaginary troops, fleet and governors.

Then the self-proclaimed king, the prince in rags, went on his usual campaign for alms of a few farthings; returning home, he gnawed at his stale crust, endured the usual kicks and beatings, and in his sleep, stretched out on the hard straw, enjoyed his imaginary greatness. Meanwhile, Tom’s passionate desire to see the real prince with his own eyes at least once not only did not leave him, but grew from day to day, from hour to hour, so that it finally absorbed all other desires and thoughts in him and became his only dream.

One January day, during his usual wanderings for alms, Tom, barefoot and chilled, wandered sadly for several hours in a row around Mincing Lane and Little East Cheap, looking with envy at the windows of grocery stores and dreaming of tempting ham pies and about other delicious delicacies displayed in the windows to tempt the human race. All these delights seemed to him accessible only to angels - at least, as far as he could judge by the smell: Tom did not know the taste of such tempting things, because he had never had the good fortune to taste them.

It was drizzling cold outside; the day was sad, cloudy, foggy. In the evening, Tom returned home so wet, exhausted and hungry that even his father and grandmother took pity on him - in their own way, of course - and, having hastily treated him to a blow to the back, sent him to bed. Hunger, fatigue, quarrels and noise in the house prevented Tom from falling asleep for a long time, until his wild imagination finally carried him far into a magical land, and he fell asleep in the company of princes, dressed from head to toe in gold and gems. The princes lived in a luxurious palace, and they were served with low bows by many servants, who almost on the fly picked up and carried out their every order.

So, Tom fell asleep, and, as usual, he dreamed that he was the little prince.

The whole night Tom reveled in his greatness, walked through the luxurious, bright halls, surrounded by a crowd of noble lords and ladies, inhaling wonderful aromas, listening magical music and to the respectful bows of the crowd parting before him he responded either with a benevolent smile or with a regal bow of his head.

In the morning, when he woke up and saw the poverty surrounding him, the effect of his sleepy dreams was not slow to tell: life seemed to him a hundred times worse. His heart sank painfully, and he burst into tears.

Chapter III
Tom meets the prince

Tom woke up hungry and cold and left the house with his head clouded by the ghostly splendor of his night dreams. He wandered absentmindedly through the streets, not knowing where he was going and not noticing anything around him. Passers-by pushed and scolded him, but the boy was so deep in his thoughts that he did not see or notice anything. He finally reached Temple Bar. In his wanderings, Tom had never gone further than this place. He paused for a minute, as if thinking about something, but immediately fell back into his old reverie and wandered on. Soon he found himself outside the walls of London. At that time, the Strand was no longer a country road and was even called a street, although, I must admit, it was a rather strange street: on one side there was an almost continuous row of houses, while on the other side there were scattered magnificent huge houses - palaces of the rich nobility, with large luxurious gardens going down to the river. Now not a trace remains of these gardens: they are all completely built up with ugly buildings made of stone and brick.

Tom reached the village of Charing and sat down to rest at the foot of a wonderful cross, erected in times long past by a dethroned king; then he again lazily walked along the beautiful shady road, passed the luxurious palace of the cardinal and headed towards another, even more luxurious and majestic palace - to Westminster. Stunned with delight, Tom stared at this miracle of architecture, at the huge outbuildings in the form of wings, at the formidable bastions and towers, at the high stone gates with gilded bars, a whole row of colossal granite lions and other symbols and attributes of royal power and power. Has his ardent dream finally come true? Here he is, Royal Palace. Will the Lord not help him see the prince - a living, real prince?

On both sides of the gilded lattice gates stood, like two living statues, stretched out, stately, motionless sentries, clad from head to toe in sparkling steel armor. At a respectful distance from them, a group of people - villagers and townspeople - were milling around, waiting for an opportunity to catch a glimpse of someone from the royal house. Rich carriages, in which dressed up gentlemen sat, and at the back stood equally dressed up servants, drove in and out of other luxurious gates of the palace fence.

Poor Tom, in his rags, timidly pushed forward through the crowd, looking around with fear at the formidable sentries, looked through the gilded lattice, and what he saw there made him almost go mad with joy.

In the yard, behind the fence, stood a handsome, dark, stately boy. He was all in silk, satin and precious stones; on his side hung a small sword decorated with diamonds and a matching dagger; her feet were shod in lovely shoes with red heels, and on her head was an elegant crimson cap with feathers and a diamond agraph. The boy was surrounded by some smart gentlemen, probably his servants. Here he is, finally, a prince, a real living prince of the flesh, there could be no doubt about that. Finally the hot one came true, cherished dream ragged boy!

Tom's heart almost jumped out of joy, and his eyes opened wide with surprise and delight. All fear, all caution disappeared from him, giving way to one passionate desire: to come closer to the prince, to take a good look at him. Without realizing what he was doing, Tom pressed his face against the gilded bars of the gate, but at the same moment one of the sentries roughly pushed him away, and he flew head over heels into the crowd of onlookers.

“Be careful next time, little devil!” - said the sentry.

There was laughter in the crowd and witticisms began to fall. At that very moment the young prince rushed to the bars with a blazing face and eyes sparkling with anger and shouted:

“How dare you treat the poor boy like that!” How dare you be so rude, even to the least of my father’s subjects! Now open the bars - do you hear? - and let him in!

Should you look at the delight of the fickle crowd! You should have seen how the hats flew into the air! They should have listened to the unanimous cry: “Long live the Prince of Wales!” - the air boomed.

The sentries stood guard with their halberds, immediately unlocked the gates and stood guard again when the little prince of poverty in his flowing rags rushed towards the prince of boundless contentment and luxury.

- How tired you look! Are you hungry, right? You have been offended... Follow me,” said Edward Tudor.

Half a dozen of the splendid gentlemen present rushed forward, God knows why, probably to intervene in the matter. But one regal movement of the prince’s hand was enough for them to stop dead in their tracks. Meanwhile, Edward led Tom into a luxurious room, which he called his office. At his order, a snack immediately appeared on the table, the likes of which Tom had never seen in his life. He knew about such luxury only from his books. The prince, with truly royal kindness and delicacy, sent away all the servants so that they would not embarrass his ragged guest with their prim presence; he himself sat closer to him and, while Tom was eating, bombarded him with questions:

-What's your name, boy?

“Tom Canty, sir...your grace.”

– Strange name. Where do you live?

- In the city. In Offal Cord, behind Pudding Lane.

- Offal Cord! What a strange name! Do you have parents?

“Not only my parents, sir, but also my grandmother, whom I can’t stand—forgive me, Lord!” - and twin sisters, Nani and Betty.

- Well, your grandmother treats you badly, or what?

- Not with me alone; She's like that with everyone, if you please, sir. A despicable old woman: all she knows is that she swears and fights.

- Do you really mean to say that she beats you?

“The only time she doesn’t hit is when she’s asleep or dead drunk.” And as soon as he wakes up, he starts pushing and pulling his hair.

- Does it hit you? - the prince exclaimed, and his eyes flashed with anger.

- Yes, sir!

- You! So thin and small... So listen: she will be in the Tower today. The king, my father, will order...

“But you forget, sir, that she is a commoner, a beggar, and only noble nobles are imprisoned in the Tower.”

- Yes, yes, it's true. I completely forgot about it. Well does not matter; I’ll think it over, and rest assured, I’ll come up with a punishment for her. Okay... Well, is your father kind?

- Not kinder than grandma, sir.

- It must be that all fathers are the same: my father also has a cool temperament. His hand is very heavy; only he never lays a finger on me, and he often scolds me, I must admit... Tell me, is your mother kind?

“Mother is very kind, sir, she never offends me.” Nain and Betty are also kind girls.

- How old are they?

- Turned fifteen, your grace.

“Lady Elizabeth, my sister, is fourteen, and my cousin, Lady Gray, is my age, and both are very pretty and also very sweet girls; but my other sister, Lady Mary, with her stern face and... Listen, do your sisters also forbid their maids to laugh, so as not to destroy their souls?

- To the maids! Do you really think, sir, that they have maids?

- Is not it so? – asked the prince, looking at his guest with bewilderment. - After all, we need to undress them at night and dress them in the morning when they get up?

- What is this for? They can't sleep without a dress, like animals?

- How can you do without a dress? Are they wearing only one dress?

- What about it, your honor? And why do they need more? After all, each of them has only one body.

- So much fun! Sorry, darling, I didn't mean to offend you. Listen, now your sisters will have many, many dresses and all kinds of clothing: I will order it, and my treasurer will take care of it. No, no, there’s absolutely nothing to thank here for, it’s mere nonsense. You talk very interestingly and I like you very much. Have you studied?

“I don’t know how to say it, sir.” Good father Andrew taught me things from his books.

- Do you know Latin?

“It seems very little, sir.”

- Be sure to study, boy; Latin is difficult only at the beginning; Greek is much more difficult. But for my sister, Lady Elizabeth, and for my cousin, nothing seems to be difficult. If only you had listened to them!.. But tell me better about Offal Corde. Are you having fun?

“To tell you the truth, Your Grace, it’s a lot of fun when I’m not hungry.” Sometimes Petrushka or a magician comes to see us with monkeys - amazingly funny little animals, I tell you, and how dressed up they are! They imagine war, fight, shoot until they are killed every single one. It’s interesting, and it only costs one farthing, although, believe me, sir, earning a farthing is sometimes not an easy thing.

- Well, tell me something else.

“Sometimes we Offal-Cord boys fight with sticks like real apprentices.”

- That’s wonderful! I love! – exclaimed the prince with his eyes lighting up. - Well, how else do you play?

- We run in races, sir, who will outrun whom.

- That's not bad either. What else?

“In the summer we swim and splash in the ditches or in the river, sir; we swim after each other, splash ourselves with water, dive and catch each other, trying to dip each other in the water, and...

- What a delight! Yes, I would give my father's entire kingdom for one such game! What else are you doing? Tell us quickly!

“We also sometimes sing and dance around the maypole in Cheapside; and then we dig in the sand, or make mud pies - this is so much fun! There is nothing better than mud for play. But how can we delve into it, no offense to your honor!

- Oh, what a delight! Could there be anything better! It seems that if I could put on shoes and dress like you, and at least once - just once - play like that - only, of course, so that no one would interfere with me and no one would stop me - I would willingly give up my crown.

“But it seems to me that if I could dress like you, your honor, just once—just once—I would just...

- Do you want this? It's easy to arrange. Take off your rags and put on my dress - do you hear! True, it’s only for a minute, but I’ll be so glad! Hurry, hurry! We need to have time to change again before anyone comes and interferes.

A few minutes later the Prince of Wales was dressed in Tom's dirty rags, and the beggar, ragged prince, stood in the brilliant attire of the king's son. The boys went to the mirror, stood next to them and - oh, miracle! – it seemed to them that they had not even thought about changing their dress. Taken aback, they looked at each other, looked again in the mirror and again stared at each other.

- That's the thing! What do you think?

- Oh, your grace, I don’t dare say. Don't make me answer; really, I don't dare.

- But I dare and say it. You have exactly the same hair, the same eyes, the same figure, the same manners, the same voice as me; in a word, we are like each other like two peas in a pod. If it weren't for the dress, no one would distinguish you from the Prince of Wales. And now that I’m wearing your rags, I really seem to feel even more strongly how that rude soldier insulted you. What's that on your hand? A sign from his blow?

– Yes, but this is a mere trifle, you shouldn’t pay attention; and you know, your honor, the poor sentry is not so...

- Shut up! “It was a shameful, cruel act,” shouted the little prince, stamping barefoot. - And if the king... Wait! Wait here until I return - I order you!

With these words, the prince grabbed some object from the table, hastily hid it, ran out of the room, slammed the door behind him and, in his flowing rags, with a flaming face and sparkling eyes, began to run through the palace gardens. Running up to the bars of the main gate, he grabbed the gilded crossbars with his hands and began to shake them, shouting:

- Unlock it! Open it now, do you hear?

The sentry - the same one who pushed Tom - immediately obeyed; but when the prince furiously rushed at him, he slapped such a hefty blow to his ear that the boy rolled head over heels into the middle of the road.

- Here you go, brat! “This is for you because of what I got from His Highness,” said the soldier.

The crowd laughed. The prince, covered in mud, jumped to his feet and shouted in a voice broken with anger:

- How dare you beat the Prince of Wales? Do you know that my person is sacred and that you will be hanged tomorrow because you dared to raise your hand against me?

In response to these words, the soldier turned to guard very seriously and said in a mocking tone:

The crowd surrounded the poor man, laughing. little prince and she chased him along the road for a long time, whooping and shouting:

- Make way for His Highness! Way, way to the Prince of Wales!