2. IN THE CITY OF LONDON, ON
A CERTAIN AUTUMN DAY IN
THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY...
IT’S A
BOY!
...A BOY WAS BORN TO A POOR FAMILY OF THE NAME
OF CANTY, WHO DID NOT WANT HIM. ON THE SAME
DAY, ANOTHER ENGLISH CHILD WAS BORN TO A RICH
FAMILY OF THE NAME OF TUDOR, WHO DID WANT HIM.
BUT THERE WAS NO TALK ABOUT
THE OTHER BABY, TOM CANTY,
COVERED IN HIS POOR RAGS.
ANOTHER
MOUTH TO FEED. HE’LL
BE CALLED TOM, I GUESS.
PUT HIM DOWN NOW, WOMAN,
AND GET BACK TO WORK. HE’S
WORTHLESS TO ME UNTIL
HE CAN EARN SOME
MONEY.
OUR KINGDOM
HAS AN HEIR. I HAVE
WAITED ANXIOUSLY FOR
THIS DAY. RAISE HIM TO THE
HEAVENS, FOR ONE DAY THEY
SHALL BE HIS. ALL HAIL
EDWARD, PRINCE OF
ENGLAND!
THERE WAS NO TALK IN
ALL ENGLAND BUT OF THE
NEW BABY, EDWARD TUDOR,
PRINCE OF WALES.
CAMPFIRETM
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3. THE HOUSE WHICH TOM’S FATHER LIVED IN WAS A DIRTY LITTLE
POCKET CALLED OFFAL COURT. TOM’S FATHER, JOHN CANTY, WAS
A THIEF; AND HIS MOTHER A BEGGAR. THEY MADE BEGGARS OF
THE CHILDREN, BUT FAILED TO MAKE THIEVES OF THEM.
TOM'S LIFE WENT ALONG WELL ENOUGH. HE
BEGGED JUST ENOUGH TO SAVE HIMSELF. BUT
ONE DESIRE HAUNTED HIM DAY AND NIGHT. IT WAS
TO SEE A REAL PRINCE, WITH HIS OWN EYES.
HIS DESIRE TO SEE A REAL PRINCE GREW
UPON HIM, DAY BY DAY, UNTIL, AT LAST, IT
ABSORBED ALL OTHER DESIRES, AND BECAME THE ONE PASSION OF HIS LIFE.
TOM! GET
YOUR LAZY BONES
OUT OF BED!
HE WOULD DREAM ABOUT
IT ALL NIGHT LONG.
AND WHEN HE AWOKE IN THE MORNING AND
LOOKED UPON THE MISERY ABOUT HIM...
...THE AGONY OF HIS SURROUNDINGS
WOULD GET INCREASED A THOUSAND TIMES.
THERE ARE A
LOT OF RICH FOLKS
OUT AND ABOUT TODAY. SO,
GET OUT THERE WITHOUT
ANY DELAY AND BEG FOR
YOUR FOOD.
TOM, DON’T
YOU DARE COME HOME
WITHOUT ANY MONEY
AGAIN. ELSE, YOU’LL
GET THE BEATING OF
A LIFETIME!
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4. TOM WANDERED HERE AND THERE
IN THE CITY, HARDLY NOTICING
WHERE HE WAS GOING, OR WHAT
WAS HAPPENING AROUND HIM.
HE LEFT HIS HOUSE TO BEG, BUT
HIS THOUGHTS WERE BUSY WITH THE
GLORY OF HIS NIGHT’S DREAMS.
BY-AND-BY HE FOUND HIMSELF AT TEMPLE
BAR, THE FARTHEST FROM HOME HE HAD
EVER TRAVELLED IN THAT DIRECTION. HE
STOPPED AND CONSIDERED A MOMENT,
THEN FELL INTO HIS DREAMS AGAIN...
...AND PASSED ON OUTSIDE
THE WALLS OF LONDON.
MY GOODNESS.
I HAVE WANDERED
FAR ENOUGH. I HAD
BETTER GET BACK
TO MY BEGGING.
BUT…
WHERE
AM I?
IT DID NOT TAKE TOM MUCH TIME TO
RECOGNISE THE SIGNS AND SYMBOLS
OF ENGLISH ROYALTY AROUND HIM.
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5. IN HIS RAGS, TOM MOVED
SLOWLY AND TIMIDLY PAST
THE GUARDS, WITH A BEATING
HEART AND RISING HOPE.
I CAN’T BELIEVE
IT… THE ROYAL CASTLE!
WILL THE DESIRE OF MY SOUL
BE SATISFIED AT LAST? WILL
THIS BE MY CHANCE TO SEE
THE PRINCE WITH MY
OWN EYES?
WHAT
WAS THAT? IS IT
POSSIBLE?
ALL AT ONCE, HE CAUGHT SIGHT
OF A SPECTACLE THAT ALMOST
MADE HIM SHOUT FOR JOY.
OH! HE IS
A PRINCE... A LIVING
PRINCE, A REAL PRINCE...
WITHOUT THE SHADOW
OF A QUESTION!
TOM’S PRAYER HAD BEEN
ANSWERED AT LAST.
TOM’S BREATH CAME QUICK AND SHORT
WITH EXCITEMENT. EVERYTHING GAVE
WAY IN HIS MIND INSTANTLY TO ONE
DESIRE
TO GET CLOSE TO THE PRINCE
AND HAVE A GOOD LOOK AT HIM.
MIND YOUR
MANNERS, YOU YOUNG
BEGGAR! LOOKS LIKE YOU
NEED TO BE TAUGHT
A LESSON.
NO!
THE YOUNG PRINCE SPRANG TO THE
GATE WITH HIS FACE FLUSHED AND
EYES FLASHING WITH ANGER.
HOW DARE
YOU TREAT ONE OF
MY FATHER’S SUBJECTS
IN THIS WAY? OPEN THE
GATE AND LET HIM
IN AT ONCE!
STOP!
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6. YOU LOOK
TIRED AND HUNGRY.
YOU HAVE BEEN
TREATED BADLY. COME
WITH ME.
THANK
YOU, YOUR
MAJESTY.
PRINCE EDWARD TOOK TOM TO A
RICH APARTMENT IN THE PALACE,
WHICH HE CALLED HIS CABINET.
YOUR
HIGHNESS,
ARE YOU SAFE?
SHALL I…
ENOUGH! LEAVE
US ALONE!
THE PRINCE SENT EVERYONE AWAY BECAUSE
HE REALISED THAT TOM WOULD FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE IN THEIR PRESENCE.
WHAT’S YOUR
NAME, LAD?
TOM CANTY, IF
IT PLEASES YOUR
HIGHNESS.
WHAT A STRANGE
NAME! AND PRAY TELL
ME, WHAT WERE YOU
DOING ON THE GATE
JUST THEN?
I…I WAS
TRYING TO GET A
GLIMPSE OF YOUR
MAJESTY.
WHY WOULD
YOU WANT
THAT?
IT HAS ALWAYS
BEEN MY DREAM TO SEE
A PRINCE, MY LORD.
WELL, HERE IS YOUR DREAM
FULFILLED. I AM SORRY
TO DISAPPOINT YOUR
FANTASY, TOM.
HOW
COULD YOU
SAY THAT, YOUR
MAJESTY?
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7. A chance meeting between a member of the royal family and a street urchin triggers
a course of events that form the basis of this enthralling story.
Tom, the pauper; and Edward, the prince, discover that not only do they share the
same birthday, but they also look identical. Being the boys that they are, they decide
to have some fun and exchange clothes. However, little do they know that this will
land them up in the most bizarre of situations.
Inadvertently, the boys end up swapping places with each other – Tom becomes the
prince; and Edward, the pauper. No one believes them when they try to explain their
true identities, so they are forced to adapt to their new lifestyles, with very interesting
consequences.
This well-loved novel by Mark Twain takes a humorous look at the sixteenth-century
society, and the inequalities that existed at that time, and perhaps still do today.
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