The Little Lame Prince
Page 8
CHAPTER VIII.
Next morning when Prince Dolor awoke he perceived that his room wasempty.
Very uncomfortable he felt, of course; and just a little frightened.Especially when he began to call again and again, but nobody answered.
"Nurse--dear nurse--please come back!" he called out. "Come back, and Iwill be the best boy in all the land."
And when she did not come back, and nothing but silence answered hislamentable call, he very nearly began to cry.
"This won't do," he said at last, dashing the tears from his eyes. "It'sjust like a baby, and I'm a big boy--shall be a man some day. What hashappened, I wonder? I'll go and see."
He sprang out of bed and crawled from room to room on his knees.
"What in the world am I to do?" thought he, and sat down in the middleof the floor, half inclined to believe that it would be better to giveup entirely, lay himself down and die.
This feeling, however, did not last long. He jumped up and looked out ofthe window. No help there. At first he only saw the broad bleak sunshinyplain. But, by-and-by, in the mud around the base of the tower he sawclearly the marks of horses' feet, and just in the spot where the deafmute always tied his great black charger, there lay the remains of abundle of hay.
"Yes, that's it. He has come and gone, taking nurse with him. Poornurse! how glad she must have been to go!"
That was Prince Dolor's first thought. His second was one ofindignation at her cruelty.
He decided that it would be easier to die here alone than out in theworld, among the terrible doings which he had just beheld.
The deaf mute had come--contrived somehow to make the nurse understandthat the king was dead, and that she need have no fear in going back tothe capital.
"I hope she'll enjoy it," said the Prince.
And then a kind of remorse smote him for feeling so bitterly towardsher, after all the years she had taken care of him--grudgingly, perhaps,still, she had taken care of him.
For the second time he tried to dress himself, and then to do everythinghe could for himself--even to sweeping the hearth and putting on morecoals.
He then thought of his godmother. Not of calling her or asking her tohelp him--she had evidently left him to help himself, and he wasdetermined to try his best to do it, being a very proud and independentboy--but he remembered her tenderly.
After his first despair, he was comfortable and happy in his solitude,but when it was time to go to bed, he was very lonely, even his littlelark was silent and as for his traveling cloak, either he never thoughtabout it, or else it had been spirited away--for he made no use of it,nor attempted to do so.
On the sixth day, Prince Dolor had a strange contented look in his face.Get out of the tower he could not; the ladder the deaf mute used wasalways carried away again and his food was nearly gone. So he made uphis mind to die. Not that he wished to die; on the contrary, there was agreat deal that he wished to live to do. Dying did not seem so verydreadful; not even to lie quietly like his uncle, whom he had entirelyforgiven now.
"Suppose I had grown to be a man, and had had work to do, and people tocare for, and was so useful and busy that they liked me, and perhapseven forgot that I was lame. Then, it would have been nice to havelived, I think," and tears came into the little fellow's eyes. Then heheard a trumpet, one of the great silver trumpets so admired inNomansland. Not pleasant music, but very bold and grand.
The poor condemned woman had not been such a wicked woman after all. Assoon as she heard of the death of the King, she persuaded the deaf-muteto take her away with him, and they galloped like the wind from city tocity, spreading everywhere the news that Prince Dolor's death and burialhad been an invention concocted by his wicked uncle--that he was aliveand well, and the noblest young Prince that ever was born.
It was a bold stroke, but it succeeded. People jumped at the idea ofthis Prince, who was the son of their late good King and Queen.
"Hurrah for Prince Dolor! Let him be our king!" rang from end to end ofthe kingdom. They were determined to have him reign over them.Accordingly no sooner was the late king laid in his grave than theypronounced him a usurper; turned all his family out of the palace, andleft it empty for the reception of the new sovereign, whom they went tofetch with great rejoicing.
They hailed him with delight, as prince and king and went down on theirknees before him, offering the crown to him.
"Yes," he said, "if you desire it, I will be your king. And I will do mybest to make my people happy."
"Oh!" said he, "if before I go, I could only see my dear godmother." Hegazed sadly up to the skylight, whence there came pouring a stream ofsunrays like a bridge between heaven and earth. Sliding down it, camethe little woman in grey.
He held out his arms in eager delight.
"Oh, godmother, you have not forsaken me!"
"Not at all my son. You may not have seen me, but I have seen you manya time."
"How?"
"Oh, never mind. I can turn into anything I please you know."
"A lark, for instance," cried Prince Dolor.
"Or a Magpie," answered she with a capital imitation of Mag's croakyvoice.
"You will not leave me now that I am king? Otherwise I had rather not bea king at all," said he.
The little old woman laughed gaily. "Forsake you? That is impossible.But now I must go. Good-bye! Open the window and out I fly."
Prince Dolor tried to hold his godmother fast, but in vain. A knockingwas heard at the door, and the little woman vanished.
His godmother helped him out of many difficulties for there was neversuch a wise old woman.
He was very happy and contented; first, because he took his afflictionpatiently; second, because being a brave man, he bore it bravely.Therefore other people grew to love him so well, that I think hundredsof his subjects might have been found who were almost ready to die fortheir poor lame king.
He did a good many things, however, which a little astonished hissubjects. First, he pardoned the condemned woman, who had been his nurseand ordered that there should be no such thing as the death punishmentin Nomansland.
Then he chose the eldest son of his eldest cousin, a quiet, unobtrusiveboy, to be educated as heir to the throne.
In course of time, when the little prince had grown into a tall youngman, King Dolor fixed a day when the people should assemble in the greatsquare of the capital to see the young prince installed solemnly in hisnew duties.
The king lifted up his thin slender hand and there came a silence overthe vast crowd immediately as he pronounced the vows which made theyoung prince king.
My people he said, I am tired; I want to rest; it is time for me to goand I do not think I shall come back any more. He drew a little bundleout of his breast pocket. Then, so suddenly that even those nearest tohis Majesty could not tell how, the king was away--floating right up inthe air--upon something they knew not what. Whither he went or who wentwith him it is impossible to say, but I myself believe that hisgodmother took him on his traveling cloak to the Beautiful Mountains.
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