akorn - Mighty Old Tales Retold
Mark Twain
Episodes
Friday Jul 30, 2021
The Prince and the Pauper - Chapter XVI - Mark Twain
Friday Jul 30, 2021
Friday Jul 30, 2021
The Prince and the Pauper
Chapter XVI - Mark Twain
The dinner hour drew near—yet strangely enough, the thought brought but slight discomfort to Tom, and hardly any terror. The morning's experiences had wonderfully built up his confidence; the poor little ash-cat was already more wonted to his strange garret, after four days' habit, than a mature person could have become in a full month. A child's facility in accommodating itself to circumstances was never more strikingly illustrated.
Thursday Jul 29, 2021
The Prince and the Pauper - Chapter XV - Mark Twain
Thursday Jul 29, 2021
Thursday Jul 29, 2021
The Prince and the Pauper
Chapter XV - Mark Twain
The next day the foreign ambassadors came, with their gorgeous trains; and Tom, throned in awful state, received them. The splendours of the scene delighted his eye and fired his imagination at first, but the audience was long and dreary, and so were most of the addresses—wherefore, what began as a pleasure grew into weariness and home-sickness by-and-by. Tom said the words which Hertford put into his mouth from time to time, and tried hard to acquit himself satisfactorily, but he was too new to such things, and too ill at ease to accomplish more than a tolerable success. He looked sufficiently like a king, but he was ill able to feel like one. He was cordially glad when the ceremony was ended.
Wednesday Jul 28, 2021
The Prince and the Pauper - Chapter XIV - Mark Twain
Wednesday Jul 28, 2021
Wednesday Jul 28, 2021
The Prince and the Pauper
Chapter XIV - Mark Twain
Toward daylight of the same morning, Tom Canty stirred out of a heavy sleep and opened his eyes in the dark. He lay silent a few moments, trying to analyse his confused thoughts and impressions, and get some sort of meaning out of them; then suddenly he burst out in a rapturous but guarded voice—"I see it all, I see it all! Now God be thanked, I am indeed awake at last! Come, joy! vanish, sorrow! Ho, Nan! Bet! kick off your straw and hie ye hither to my side, till I do pour into your unbelieving ears the wildest madcap dream that ever the spirits of night did conjure up to astonish the soul of man withal! . . . Ho, Nan, I say! Bet!"A dim form appeared at his side, and a voice said—"Wilt deign to deliver thy commands?”
Tuesday Jul 27, 2021
The Prince and the Pauper - Chapter XIII - Mark Twain
Tuesday Jul 27, 2021
Tuesday Jul 27, 2021
The Prince and the Pauper
Chapter XIII - Mark Twain
A heavy drowsiness presently fell upon the two comrades.
The King said—"Remove these rags."—meaning his clothing.Hendon disapparelled the boy without dissent or remark, tucked him up in bed, then glanced about the room, saying to himself, ruefully, "He hath taken my bed again, as before—marry, what shall _I_ do?" The little King observed his perplexity, and dissipated it with a word. He said, sleepily—"Thou wilt sleep athwart the door, and guard it."
Monday Jul 26, 2021
The Prince and the Pauper - Chapter XII - Mark Twain
Monday Jul 26, 2021
Monday Jul 26, 2021
The Prince and the Pauper
Chapter XII - Mark Twain
As soon as Miles Hendon and the little prince were clear of the mob, they struck down through back lanes and alleys toward the river. Their way was unobstructed until they approached London Bridge; then they ploughed into the multitude again, Hendon keeping a fast grip upon the Prince's—no, the King's—wrist. The tremendous news was already abroad, and the boy learned it from a thousand voices at once—"The King is dead!" The tidings struck a chill to the heart of the poor little waif, and sent a shudder through his frame.
Sunday Jul 25, 2021
The Prince and the Pauper - Chapter XI - Mark Twain
Sunday Jul 25, 2021
Sunday Jul 25, 2021
The Prince and the Pauper
Chapter XI - Mark Twain
The royal barge, attended by its gorgeous fleet, took its stately way down the Thames through the wilderness of illuminated boats. The air was laden with music; the river banks were beruffled with joy-flames; the distant city lay in a soft luminous glow from its countless invisible bonfires; above it rose many a slender spire into the sky, incrusted with sparkling lights, wherefore in their remoteness they seemed like jewelled lances thrust aloft; as the fleet swept along, it was greeted from the banks with a continuous hoarse roar of cheers and the ceaseless flash and boom of artillery.
Friday Jul 23, 2021
The Prince and the Pauper - Chapters IX and X - Mark Twain
Friday Jul 23, 2021
Friday Jul 23, 2021
The Prince and the Pauper
Chapters IX and X - Mark Twain
At nine in the evening the whole vast river-front of the palace was blazing with light. The river itself, as far as the eye could reach citywards, was so thickly covered with watermen's boats and with pleasure-barges, all fringed with coloured lanterns, and gently agitated by the waves, that it resembled a glowing and limitless garden of flowers stirred to soft motion by summer winds. The grand terrace of stone steps leading down to the water, spacious enough to mass the army of a German principality upon, was a picture to see, with its ranks of royal halberdiers in polished armour, and its troops of brilliantly costumed servitors flitting up and down, and to and fro, in the hurry of preparation.
Thursday Jul 22, 2021
The Prince and the Pauper - Chapters VII and VIII - Mark Twain
Thursday Jul 22, 2021
Thursday Jul 22, 2021
The Prince and the Pauper
Chapters VII and VIII - Mark Twain
Somewhat after one in the afternoon, Tom resignedly underwent the ordeal of being dressed for dinner. He found himself as finely clothed as before, but everything different, everything changed, from his ruff to his stockings. He was presently conducted with much state to a spacious and ornate apartment, where a table was already set for one. Its furniture was all of massy gold, and beautified with designs which well-nigh made it priceless, since they were the work of Benvenuto. The room was half-filled with noble servitors. A chaplain said grace, and Tom was about to fall to, for hunger had long been constitutional with him, but was interrupted by my lord the Earl of Berkeley, who fastened a napkin about his neck;
Wednesday Jul 21, 2021
The Prince and the Pauper - Chapter VI - Mark Twain
Wednesday Jul 21, 2021
Wednesday Jul 21, 2021
The Prince and the Pauper
Chapter VI - Mark Twain
Tom was conducted to the principal apartment of a noble suite, and made to sit down—a thing which he was loth to do, since there were elderly men and men of high degree about him. He begged them to be seated also, but they only bowed their thanks or murmured them, and remained standing. He would have insisted, but his 'uncle' the Earl of Hertford whispered in his ear—"Prithee, insist not, my lord; it is not meet that they sit in thy presence.”
Tuesday Jul 20, 2021
The Prince and the Pauper - Chapters IV and V - Mark Twain
Tuesday Jul 20, 2021
Tuesday Jul 20, 2021
The Prince and the Pauper
Chapters IV and V - Mark Twain
After hours of persistent pursuit and persecution, the little prince was at last deserted by the rabble and left to himself. As long as he had been able to rage against the mob, and threaten it royally, and royally utter commands that were good stuff to laugh at, he was very entertaining; but when weariness finally forced him to be silent, he was no longer of use to his tormentors, and they sought amusement elsewhere. He looked about him, now, but could not recognise the locality. He was within the city of London—that was all he knew. He moved on, aimlessly, and in a little while the houses thinned, and the passers-by were infrequent. He bathed his bleeding feet in the brook which flowed then where Farringdon Street now is; rested a few moments, then passed on, and presently came upon a great space with only a few scattered houses in it, and a prodigious church. He recognised this church.