TTLE LAME
PRINCE —
BY THE AUTHOR OF
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THE EEE LAME FRINGE
AND HIS TRAVELLING CLOAK
A Parable for Woung and Old
BY THE AUTHOR OF
“JOHN HALIFAX, GENTLEMANâ€
NEW YORK: 46 EAS? 14TH STREET
THOMAS Y. CROWELL & CO.
BOSTON: t00 PURCHASE STREET
CopyriGHT, 1893,
By THOMAS Y. CROWELL & CO.
Norwood ress :
J. S. Cushing & Co, — Berwick & Smith.
Boston, Mass., U.S.A.
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12s, Ob,
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Tngcerthed
WITH DEEP TENDERNESS
TO A DEAR LITTLE BOY I KNOW
SOR y Me eo ow AINE T We Wo HH
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CHAPTER I.
Yes, he was the most beautiful Prince that
ever was born.
Of course, being a prince, people said this:
but it was true besides. When he looked at
the candle, his eyes had an expression of ear-
nest inquiry quite startling in a new-born baby.
His nose —there was not much of it certainly,
but what there was seemed an aquiline shape;
his complexion was a charming, healthy purple;
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
he was round and fat, straight-limbed and long
—jin fact, a splendid baby, and everybody was
exceedingly proud of him. Especially his
father and mother, the King and Queen of
Nomansland, who had waited for him during
their happy reign of ten years—now made
happier than ever, to thernselves and their
subjects, by the appearance of a son and heir.
The only person who was not quite happy
was the king’s brother, the heir-presumptive,
who would have been king one day, had the
baby not been born. But as his Majesty was
very kind to him, and even rather sorry for him, .
— insomuch that at the Queen’s request he
gave him a dukedom almost as big as a county,
—the Crown Prince, as he was called, tried to
seem pleased also; and let us hope he suc-
ceeded. *
The Prince’s christening was to be a grand
affair. According to the custom of the coun-
try, there were chosen for him four-and-twenty
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
godfathers and godmothers, who each had to
give him a name, and promise to do their ut-
most for him. When he came of age, he him-
self had to choose the name—and the god-
father or godmother —that he liked best, for
the rest of his days.
Meantime, all was rejoicing. Subscriptions
were made among the rich to give pleasure to
the poor: dinners in town-halls for the working
men; tea-parties in the streets for their wives ;
and milk and bun feasts for the children in the
schoolrooms. For Nomansland, though I can-
not point it out in any map, or read of it in any
history, was, I believe, much like our own or
many another country.
As for the Palace—which was no different
from other palaces —it was clean “turned out
of the windows,†as people say, with the prepa-
rations going on. The only quiet place in it
was the room which, though the Prince was six
weeks old, his mother the Queen had never
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
quitted. Nobody said she was ill, however ; it
would have been so inconvenient ; and as she
said nothing about it herself, but lay pale and
placid, giving no trouble to anybody, nobody
thought much about her. All the world was
absorbed in admiring the baby.
The christening-day came at last, and it was
as lovely as the Prince himself. All the people
in the palace were lovely too—or thought
themselves so, in the elegant new clothes which
the queen, who thought of everybody, had taken
care to give them, from the ladies-in-waiting
down to the poor little kitchenmaid, who looked
at herself in her pink cotton gown, and thought,
doubtless, that there never was such a pretty
girl as she.
By six in the morning all the royal household
had dressed itself in its very best; and then the
little Prince was dressed in his best —his mag-
nificent christening-robe ; which proceeding his
Royal Highness did not like at all, but kicked
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THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 9
and screamed like any common baby. When
he had a little calmed down, they carried him
to be looked at by the Queen his mother, who,
though her royal robes had been brought and
laid upon the bed, was, as everybody well knew,
quite unable to rise and put them on.
She admired her baby very much; kissed
and blessed him, and lay looking at him, as
she did for hours sometimes, when he was
placed beside her fast asleep; then she gave
him up with a gentle smile, and saying “she
hoped he would be very good, that it would be a
very nice christening, and all the guests would
enjoy themselves,†turned peacefully over on
her bed, saying nothing more to anybody.
She was a very uncomplaining person —the
Queen, and her name was Dolorez.
Everything went on exactly as if she had
been present. All, even the King himself,
had grown used to her absence, for she was.
not strong, and for years had not joined in
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any gaieties. She always did her royal duties,
but as to pleasures, they could go on quite
well without her, or it seemed so. The com-
pany arrived: great and notable persons in
this and neighboring countries ; also the four-
and-twenty godfathers and godmothers, who .
had been chosen with care, as the people
who would be most useful to his Royal High-
ness, should he ever want friends, which did
not seem likely. What such want could pos-
sibly happen to the heir of the powerful mon-
arch of Nomansland?
They came, walking two and two, with their
coronets on their heads—being dukes and
duchesses, princes and princesses, or the like ;
they all kissed the child, and pronounced the
name which each had given him. Then the
four-and-twenty names were shouted out with
great energy by six heralds, one after the
other, and afterwards written down, to be
preserved in the state records, in readiness
«They came walking two and two, with their
coronets on their heads.â€
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. IT
for the next time they were wanted, which
would be either on his Royal Highness’s cor-
onation or his funeral. Soon the ceremony
was over, and everybody satisfied; except,
perhaps, the little Prince himself, who moaned
faintly under his christening robes, which
nearly smothered him.
In truth, though very few knew, the Prince
in coming to the chapel had met with a slight
disaster. His nurse—not his ordinary one,
but the state nursemaid, an elegant and fash-
ionable young lady of rank, whose duty it was
to carry him to and from the chapel, had
been so occupied in arranging her train with
one hand, while she held the baby with the
other, that she stumbled and let him fall, just
at the foot of the marble staircase. To be
sure, she contrived to pick him up again the
next minute; and the accident was so slight
it seemed hardly worth speaking of. Conse-
quently, nobody did speak of it. The baby
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THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
had turned deadly pale but did not cry, so
no person a step or two behind could dis-
cover anything wrong; afterwards, even if he
had moaned, the silver trumpets were loud
enough to drown his voice. It would have
been a pity to let anything trouble such a
day of felicity.
So, after a minute’s pause, the procession
had moved on, Such a procession! Heralds
in blue and silver ; pages in crimson and gold;
and a troop of little girls in dazzling white,
carrying baskets of flowers, which they strewed
all the way before the nurse and child, —
finally the four-and-twenty godfathers and god-
mothers, as proud as possible, and so splendid
to look at that they would have quite extin-
guished their small godson—merely a heap
of lace and muslin with a baby-face inside —
had it not been for a canopy of white satin
and ostrich feathers, which was held over him
wherever he was carried.
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THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 13
Thus, with the sun shining on them through
the painted windows, they stood; the King
and his train on one side, the Prince and his
attendants on the other, as pretty a sight as
ever was seen out of fairyland.
“It’s just like fairyland,†whispered the el-
dest little girl to the next eldest, as she shook
the last rose out of her basket ; “and I think
the only thing the Prince wants now is a fairy
godmother.â€
“Does he?†said a shrill but soft and not
unpleasant voice behind; and there was seen
among the group of children somebody — not
a child—yet no bigger than a child: some-
body whom nobody had seen before, and who
. certainly had not been invited, for she had no
christening clothes on.
- She was a little old woman dressed all in
gray: gray gown; gray hooded cloak, of a
material excessively fine, and a tint that
seemed perpetually changing, like the gray
I4 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE,
of an evening sky. Her hair was gray, and
her eyes also; even her complexion had a
soft gray shadow over it. But there was
nothing unpleasantly old about her, and her
smile was as sweet and childlike as the
Prince’s own, which stole over his pale little
face the instant she came near enough to
touch him.
“Take care. , Don’t let the baby fall again.â€
The grand young lady nurse started, flushing
angrily.
“Who spoke to me? How did anybody
know ?—I mean, what business has anybody
—?†Then, frightened, but still speaking in a
much sharper tone than I hope young ladies
of rank are in the habit of speaking — “Old
woman, you will be kind enough not to say
‘the baby,’ but ‘the Prince.’ Keep away ; his
Royal Highness is just going to sleep.â€
“Nevertheless, I must kiss him. I am his
godmother.â€
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THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
“You!†cried the elegant lady nurse.
“YVou!!†repeated all the gentlemen and
ladies in waiting.
“Vou!!!†echoed the heralds and pages —
and they began to blow the silver trumpets, in
order to stop all further conversation.
The Prince’s procession formed itself for re-
turning —the King and his train having already
moved off towards the palace—but, on the
topmost step of the marble stairs, stood, right
in front of all, the little old Soon clothed in
gray.
She stretched herself on tiptoe by the help of
her stick, and gave the little Prince three kisses.
“This is intolerable,†cried the young lady
nurse, wiping the kisses off rapidly with her
lace handkerchief. ‘Such an insult to his
Royal Highness. Take yourself out of the
way, old woman, or the King shall be informed
immediately.†:
“The King knows nothing of me, more ’s the
16 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
pity,†replied the old woman with an indifferent
air, as if she thought the loss was more on his
Majesty’s side than hers. ‘My friend in the
palace is the King’s wife.â€
‘Kings’ wives are called queens,†said the
lady nurse, with a contemptuous air.
“You are right,’ replied the old woman.
“Nevertheless, I know her Majesty well, and
I love her and her child. And—since you
dropped him on the marble stairs (this she said
in a mysterious whisper, which made the young
lady tremble in spite of her anger) —I choose
to take him for my own. I am his godmother,
ready to help him whenever he wants me.â€
“You help him!†cried all the group, break-
ing into shouts of laughter, to which the little
old woman paid not the slightest attention.
Her soft gray eyes were fixed on the Prince,
who seemed to answer to the look, smiling
again, and again in causeless, aimless fashion,
as babies do smile.
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“She stretched herself on tiptoe by the help of her stick,
and gave the little Prince three kisses.â€
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
“His Majesty must hear of this,†said a
gentleman-in-waiting.
“His Majesty will hear quite enough news
in a minute or two,†said the old woman sadly.
And again stretching up to the little Prince,
she kissed him on the forehead solemnly.
“Be called by a new name which nobody has
ever thought of. Be Prince Dolor, in memory
of your mother Dolorez.â€
“Tn memory of!†Everybody started at the
ominous phrase, and also at a most terrible
breach of etiquette which the old woman had
committed. In Nomansland, neither the king
nor the queen were supposed to have any
Christian name at all. They dropped it on
their coronation-day, and it was never men-
tioned again till it was engraved on their coffins
when they died.
“Qld woman, you are exceedingly ill-bred,â€
cried the eldest lady-in-waiting, much horrified.
“How you could know the fact passes my
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. IQ
comprehension. But even if you did not know
it, how dared you presume to hint that her
most gracious Majesty is called Dolorez?â€â€™
“ Was called Dolorez,’ said the old woman
with a tender solemnity.
The first gentleman, called the Gold-stick-in-
waiting, raised it to strike her, and all the rest
stretched out their hands to seize her; but the
gray mantle melted from between their fingers
like air; and, before anybody had time to do
anything more, there came a heavy, muffled,
startling sound.
The great bell of the palace — the bell which
was only heard on the death of some of the
Royal family, and for as many times as he or
she was years old — began to toll. They lis-
tened, mute and _ horror-stricken. Some one
counted: one — two — three — four — up to
nine and twenty — just the queen’s age.
It was, indeed, the Queen. Her Majesty
was dead! In the midst of the festivities she
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
20
had slipped away, out of her new happiness
and her old sufferings, neither few nor small.
Sending away her women to see the sight — at
least, they said afterwards, in excuse, that she
had done so, and it was very like her to do it —
she had turned with her face to the window,
whence one could just see the tops of the
distant mountains —the Beautiful Mountains,
as they were called — where she was born. So
gazing, she had quietly died.
When the little Prince was carried back to
his mother’s room, there was no mother to kiss
him. And, though he did not know it, there
would be for him no mother’s kiss any more.
As for his Godmother — the little old woman
in gray who called herself so—whether she
melted into air, like her gown when they
touched it, or whether she flew out of the
chapel window, or slipped through the doorway
among the bewildered crowd, nobody knew —
nobody ever thought about her.
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 21
Only the nurse, the ordinary homely one,
coming out of the Prince’s nursery in the
middle of the night in search of a cordial to
quiet his continual moans,-saw, sitting in the
doorway, something which she would have
thought a mere shadow, had she not seen
shining out of it two eyes, gray and soft and
sweet. She put her hand before her own,
screaming loudly. When she took them away,
the old woman was gone.
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CHAPTER II.
EvERYBopY was very kind to the poor little
Prince. I think people generally are kind to
motherless children, whether princes or peas-
ants. He had a magnificent nursery, and a
regular suite of attendants, and was treated
with the greatest respect and state. Nobody
was allowed to talk to him in silly baby lan-
guage, or dandle him, or, above all, to kiss him,
; though, perhaps, some people did it surrepti-
tiously, for he was such a sweet baby that it
was difficult to help it.
It could not be said that the Prince missed
his mother ; children of his age cannot do that ;
but somehow after she died everything seemed
to go wrong with him. From a beautiful baby
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 23
he became sickly and pale, seeming to have
almost ceased growing, especially in his legs,
which had been so fat and strong. But after
the day of his christening they withered and
shrank; he no longer kicked them out either
in passion or play, and when, as he got to be
nearly a year old, his nurse tried to make him
stand upon them, he only tumbled down.
This happened so many times, that at last
people began to talk about it. A prince, and
not able to stand on his own legs! What a
dreadful thing! what a misfortune for the
country !
Rather a misfortune to him also, poor little
BS boy! but nobody seemed to think of that. And
when, after a while, his health revived, and the
old bright look came back to his sweet little
face, and his body grew larger and stronger,
though still his legs remained the same, people
continued to speak of him in whispers, and
with grave shakes of the head. Everybody
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THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
knew, though nobody said it, that something,
impossible to guess what, was not quite right
with the poor little Prince.
Of course, nobody hinted this to the King
his father: it does not do to tell great people
anything unpleasant. And besides, his Majesty
took very little notice of his son, or of his
other affairs, beyond the necessary duties of
his kingdom. People had said he would not
miss the Queen at all, she having been so long
an invalid: but he did. After her death he
never was quite the same. He established
himself in her empty rooms, the only rooms in
the palace whence one could see the Beautiful
Mountains, and was often observed looking at
them as if he thought she had flown away
thither, and that his longing could bring her
back again. And by a curious coincidence,
which nobody dared to inquire into, he desired
that the Prince might be called, not by any of
the four-and-twenty grand names given him by
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THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 25
his godfathers and godmothers, but by the
identical name mentioned by the little old
woman in gray, — Dolor, after his mother
Dolorez.
Once a week, according to established state
custom, the Prince, dressed in his very best,
was brought to the King his father for half-an-
hour, but his Majesty was generally too ill and
too melancholy to pay much heed to the child.
Only once, when hé and the Crown Prince,
who was exceedingly attentive to his royal
brother, were sitting together, with Prince
Dolor playing in a corner of the room, dragging
himself about with his arms rather than his
legs, and sometimes trying feebly to crawl from
one chair to another, it seemed to strike the
father that all was not right with his son.
“ How oldis his Royal Highness?†said he
suddenly to the nurse.
“Two years, three months, and five days,
please your Majesty.â€
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
“Tt does not please me,†said the King with
a sigh. ‘He ought to be far more forward
than he is now, ought he not, brother? You,
who have so many children, must know. Is
there not: something wrong about him?â€
“Oh, no,†said the Crown Prince, exchanging
meaning looks with the nurse, who did not
understand at all, but stood frightened and
trembling with the tears in her eyes. ‘‘ Noth-
ing to make your Majesty at all uneasy. No
doubt his Royal Highness will outgrow it in
time.â€â€™
“ Outgrow — what ?â€
“A slight delicacy — ahem ! — in the spine ;
something inherited, perhaps, from his dear
mother.â€
_ “ Ah, she was always delicate; but she was
the sweetest woman that ever lived. Come
here, my little son.â€
And as the Prince turned round upon his
father a small, sweet, grave face —so like his
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 2h
mother’s — his Majesty the King smiled and
held out his arms. But when the boy came to
him, not running like a boy, but wriggling
awkwardly along the floor, the royal counte-
nance clouded over.
“T ought to have been told of this. It is
terrible — terrible! And for a prince too!
Send for all the doctors in my kingdom im-
mediately.â€
They came, and each gave a different opin-
ion, and ordered a different mode of treatment.
The only thing they agreed in was what had
been pretty well known before: that the prince
eres
28 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
must have been hurt when he was an infant —
let fall, perhaps, so as to injure his spine and
lower limbs. Did nobody remember ?
No, nobody. Indignantly, all the nurses
denied that any such accident had happened,
was possible to have happened, until the faith-
ful country nurse recollected that it really had
happened, on the day of the christening. For
which unluckily good memory, all the others
scolded her so severely that she had no peace
of her life, and soon after, by the influence of
the young lady nurse who had carried the
baby that fatal day, and who was a sort of
connection of the Crown Prince, being his
wife’s second cousin once removed, the poor
woman was pensioned off, and sent to the
Beautiful Mountains, from whence she came,
with orders to remain there for the rest of her
days.
But of all this the King knew nothing, for,
indeed, after the first shock of finding out that
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THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 29
his son could not walk, and seemed never
likely to walk, he interfered very little con-
cerning him. The whole thing was too pain-
ful, and his Majesty had never liked painful
things. Sometimes he inquired after Prince
Dolor, and they told him his Royal Highness
was going on as well as could be expected,
which really was the case. For after worrying
the poor child and perplexing themselves with
one remedy after another, the Crown Prince,
not wishing to offend any of the different
doctors, had proposed leaving him to nature;
and nature, the safest doctor of all, had come
to his help, and done her best. He could
not walk, it is true; his limbs were mere
useless additions to his body; but the body
itself was strong and sound. And his face
was the same as ever —just his mother’s face,
one of the sweetest in the world!
Even the King, indifferent as he was, some-
times looked at the little fellow with sad ten-
30 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
derness, noticing how cleverly he learned to
crawl, and swing himself about by his arms,
so that in his own awkward way he was as
active in motion as most children of his age.
“Poor little man! he does his best, and he
is not unhappy; not half so unhappy as I,
brother,†addressing the Crown Prince, who
was more constant than ever in his attendance
upon the sick monarch. “If anything should
befall me, I have appointed you as Regent.
In case of my death, you will take care of my
poor little boy?â€
“Certainly, certainly; but do not let us
imagine any such misfortune. I assure your
Majesty — everybody will assure you — that it
is not in the least likely.â€
He knew, however, and everybody knew,
that it was likely, and soon after it actually
did happen. The King died, as suddenly and
quietly as the Queen had done —indeed, in
her very room and bed; and Prince Dolor was
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THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 31
left without either father or mother—as sad
a thing as could happen, even to a Prince.
He was more than that now, though. He
was aking. In Nomansland, as in other coun-
‘tries, the people were struck with grief one
day and revived the next. “The king is dead
—long live the king!†was the cry that rang
through the nation, and almost before his late
Majesty had been laid beside the queen in their
splendid mausoleum, crowds came thronging
from all parts to the royal palace, eager to
see the new monarch.
They did see him—the Prince Regent took
care they should— sitting on the floor of the
council-chamber, sucking his thumb! And
when one of the gentlemen-in-waiting lifted
him up and carried him — fancy, carrying a
king!—to the chair of state, and put the
crown on his head, he shook it off again, it
was so heavy and-uncomfortable. Sliding
down to the foot of the throne, he began play-
32 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
ing with the golden lions that supported it,
stroking their paws and putting his tiny fingers
into their eyes, and laughing — laughing as if
he had at last found something to amuse him.
“There’s a fine king for you!†said the first’
lord-in-waiting, a friend of the Prince Regent’s
(the Crown Prince that used to be, who, in the
deepest mourning, stood silently beside the
throne of his young nephew. He was a hand-
some man, very grand and clever looking).
“What a king! who can never stand to receive
his subjects, never walk in processions, who, to
the last day of his life, will have to be carried
about like a baby. Very unfortunate!â€
“Exceedingly unfortunate,’ repeated the
second lord. “It is always bad for a nation
when its king is a child; but such a child—
a permanent cripple, if not worse.â€
“Let us hope not worse,†said the first lord
in a very hopeless tone, and looking towards
the Regent, who stood erect and pretended to
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“Sliding down to the foot of the throne, he began playing
with the golden lions that supported it.â€
34 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
hear nothing. ‘I have heard that these sort of
children with very large heads and great broad
foreheads and staring eyes, are — well, well, let
us hope for the best and be prepared for the
worst. In the meantime —â€
“I swear,†said the Crown Prince, coming
forward and kissing the hilt of his sword — “I
swear to perform my duties as regent, to take
all care of his Royal Highness —his Majesty,
I mean,†with a grand bow to the little child,
who laughed innocently back again. “And I
- will do my humble best to govern the country.
Still, if the country has the slightest objec-
tion щۉ۪
But the Crown Prince being generalissimo,
and having the whole army at his beck and call,
so that he could have begun a civil war in no
time; the country had, of course, not the
slightest objection.
So the king and queen slept together in
peace, and Prince Dolor reigned over the land
ee.
SEC :
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 35
—that is, his uncle did; and everybody said
what a fortunate thing it was for the poor little -
Prince to have such a clever uncle to take care
of him. All things went on as usual; indeed,
after the Regent had brought his wife and her
seven sons, and established them in the palace,
rather better than usual. For they gave such
splendid entertainments and made the capital so
lively, that trade revived, and the country was
said to be more flourishing than it had been for
a century.
Whenever the Regent and his sons appeared,
they were received with shouts— “Long live
the Crown Prince!†“Long live the Royal
| family!†And, in truth, they were very fine
children, the whole seven of them, and made
a great show when they rode out together
on seven beautiful horses, one height above
another, down to the youngest, on his tiny
black pony, no bigger than a large dog.
As for the other child, his Royal Highness
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
Prince Dolor — for somehow people soon ceased _
to call him his Majesty, which seemed such a
ridiculous title for a poor little fellow, a helpless
cripple, with only head and trunk, and no legs
to speak of —he was seen very seldom by any-
body. ;
Sometimes, people daring enough to peer
v
ae
A ye FAQ Wh Ta We Ly Ue
2 OAL OD, a SS ah
Nees Sen TO ao yl
a
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 37
over the high wall of the palace garden, noticed
there, carried in a footman’s arms, or drawn in
a chair, or left to play on the grass, often with
nobody to mind him, a pretty little boy, with
a bright intelligent face, and large melancholy
eyes —no, not exactly melancholy, for they
were his mother’s, and she was by no means
sad-minded, but thoughtful and dreamy. They
rather perplexed people, those childish eyes ;
they were so exceedingly innocent and yet so
penetrating. If anybody did a wrong thing,
told a lie for instance, they would turn round
with such a grave silent surprise—the child
never talked much—that every naughty per-
‘son in the palace was rather afraid of Prince
Dolor.
He could not help it, and perhaps he did not
even know it, being no better a child than
many other children, but there was something
about him which made bad people sorry, and
grumbling people ashamed of themselves, and
, vy 2S SS one me 50h
EP BIEL a Oi
38 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
ill-natured people gentle and kind. I suppose,
because they were touched to see a poor little
fellow who did not in the least know what had
befallen him, or what lay before him, living his
baby life as happy as the day was long. Thus,
whether or not he was good himself, the sight
of him and his affliction made other people
good, and, above all, made everybody love him.
So much so, that his.uncle the Regent began
to feel a little uncomfortable. .
Now, I have nothing to say against uncles
in general. They are usually very excellent
people, and very convenient to little boys and
girls.
Even the “cruel uncle†of “The Babes in
the Wood†I believe to be quite an exceptional
character. And this “cruel uncle†of whom I
am telling was, I hope, an exception too.
He did not mean to be cruel. If anybody
had called him so, he would have resented it
extremely: he would have said that what he did
BS OSB EES
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 39
was done entirely for the good of the country.
But he was a man who had been always ac-
customed to consider himself first and foremost,
believing that whatever he wanted was sure to
be right, and, therefore, he ought to have it.
So he tried to get it, and got it too, as people
like him very often do. Whether they enjoy it
when they have it, is another question.
Therefore, he went one day to the council-
chamber, determined on making a speech and
informing the ministers and the country at
large that the young King was in failing health,
and that it would be advisable to send him for
a time to the Beautiful Mountains. Whether
he really meant to do this; or whether it oc-
curred to him afterwards that there would be
an easier way of attaining his great desire, the
crown of Nomansland, is a point which I cannot
decide.
But soon after, when he had obtained an
order in council to send the King away — which
fi LR ety
cass
x CK
Us oa
Eu
SOS) ie
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
was done in great state, with a guard of honor
composed of two whole regiments of soldiers —
the nation learnt, without much surprise, that
the poor little Prince —nobody ever called him
king now—had gone a much longer journey
than to the Beautiful Mountains.
He had fallen ill on the road and died within
a few hours; at least, so declared the physician
in attendance, and the nurse who had been sent
to take care of him. They brought his coffin
back in great state, and buried it in the mauso-
leum with his parents.
So Prince Dolor was seen no more. The
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. AI
country went into deep mourning for him, and
then forgot, him, and his uncle reigned in his
stead. That illustrious personage accepted his
crown with great decorum, and wore it with
great dignity, to the last. But whether he
enjoyed it or not, there is no evidence to
show.
ee
& Sere
CHAPTER III.
Anp what of the little lame prince, whom
everybody seemed so easily to have forgotten ?
Not everybody. There were a few kind
souls, mothers of families, who had heard his
sad story, and some servants about the palace,
who had been familiar with his sweet ways -——
these many a time sighed and said “Poor
Prince Dolor!†Or, looking at the Beautiful
Mountains, which were visible all over Nomans-
land, though few people ever visited them,
« Well, perhaps his Royal Highness is better
where he is than even there.â€
They did not know — indeed, hardly anybody
did know—that beyond the mountains, be-
tween them and the sea, lay a tract of coun-
we Baloo, BRET vip set
Se s .
ae SN FON ey ae
Â¥
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 43
try, barren, level, bare, except for short stunted
grass, and here and there a patch of tiny ,
flowers. Not a bush — not a tree — not a rest-
ing-place for bird or beast was in that dreary
plain. In summer, the sunshine fell upon it
hour after hour with a blinding glare; in winter,
the winds and rains swept over it unhindered,
and the snow came down, steadily, noiselessly,
covering it from end to end in one great white
sheet, which lay for days and weeks unmarked
by a single footprint.
Not a pleasant place to live in — and nobody
did live there, apparently. The only sign that
human creatures had ever been near the spot,
was one large round tower which rose up in the
centre of the plain, and might be seen all over
it—if there had been anybody to see, which
there never was. Rose, right up out of the
ground, as if it had grown of itself, like a mush-
room. But it was not at all mushroom-like; on
the contrary, it was very solidly built. In form,
Ss
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
it resembled the Irish round towers, which have
puzzled people for so long, nobody being able
to find out when, or by whom, or for what
purpose they were made; seemingly for no use
at all, like this tower. It was circular, of very
firm brickwork, with neither doors nor windows,
until near the top, when you could perceive
some slits in the wall, through which one might
possibly creep in or look out. Its height was
nearly a hundred feet, and it had a battlemented
parapet, showing sharp against the sky.
As the plain was quite desolate — almost like
a desert, only without sand, and led to nowhere
except the still more desolate sea-coast — no-
body ever crossed it. Whatever mystery there
was about the tower, it and the sky and the
plain kept their secret to themselves.
It was a very, great secret indeed —a state
secret — which none but so clever a man as the
present king of Nomansland would ever have
thought of. How he carried it out, undiscov-
6 = WES cL oN
SS Ppp Te ae
Si 7
RN Ne IS ee wa, SY sn | ERAS We Sy wd
n¢ ‘ a ; gy
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 45
ered, I cannot tell. People said, long after-
wards, that it was by means of a gang of
condemned criminals, who were set to work,
and executed immediately after they had done,
so that nobody knew anything, or in the least
suspected the real fact.
And what was the fact? Why, that this
tower, which seemed a mere mass of masonry,
utterly forsaken and uninhabited, was not so at
all. Within twenty feet of the top, some
ingenious architect had planned a perfect little
house, divided into four rooms —as by drawing
a cross within a circle you will see might easily
be done. By making skylights, and a few slits
in the walls for windows, and raising a peaked
roof which was hidden by the parapet, here was
a dwelling complete; eighty feet from the
ground, and as inaccessible as a rook’s nest on
the top of a tree.
A charming place to live in! if you once got
up there, and never wanted to come down again.
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
Inside — though nobody could have looked
inside except a bird, and hardly even a bird
flew past that lonely tower —inside it was
furnished with all the comfort and elegance
imaginable; with lots of books and toys, and
everything that the heart of a child could
desire. For its only inhabitant, except a nurse
of course, was a poor little solitary child.
One winter night, when all the plain was
white with moonlight, there was seen crossing
it a great tall black horse, ridden by a man also
big and equally black, carrying before him on
the saddle a woman and a child. The woman
— she had a sad fierce look, and no wonder,
for she was a criminal under sentence of: death,
but her sentence had been changed to almost as
severe a punishment. She was to inhabit the
lonely tower with the child, and was allowed
to live as long as the child lived —no longer.
This, in order that she might take the utmost
care of him; for those who put him there were
“There was seen a great, tall black horse, ridden by a man
carrying before him on the saddle a woman and a child.â€
ey Ne 4 SS SS
aye ‘ Big 53 SBN 20
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 47
equally afraid of his dying and of his living.
And yet he was only a little gentle boy, with a
sweet sleepy smile-—he had been very tired
with his long journey —and clinging arms,
which held tight to the man’s neck, for he was
rather frightened, and the face, black as it was,
looked kindly at him. And he was very help-
less, with his poor small shrivelled legs, which
could neither stand nor run away —for the
little forlorn boy was Prince Dolor.
He had not been dead at all—or buried
either. His grand funeral had been a mere
pretence: a wax figure having been put in
his place, while he himself was spirited away
under charge of these two, the condemned
woman and the black man. The latter was
deaf and dumb, so could neither tell nor repeat
anything.
When they reached the foot of the tower,
there was light enough to see a huge chain
dangling from the parapet, but dangling only
Gs Eisiaanre Siete
Fy Gl 2 ty a! ae
<3
Arann ? He,
ies, oh 0S 4 oC ere
rate Rees LoS aa
2
48 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
half way. The deaf-mute took from his saddle-
wallet a sort of ladder, arranged in pieces like
a puzzle, fitted it together and
lifted it up to meet the chain.
Then he mounted to the top of
and the child placed
themselves and were
drawn up, never
to come down
again as long as
they lived. Leav-
ing them there,
the man de-
scended the lad-
der, took it to
pieces again and
packed it in his
pack,mounted the
horse and disap-
wa, MY go “ARF Se RE
BFS Ss Sean ca Ne iS
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE, 49
peared across the plain. Every month they
used to watch for him, appearing like a
speck in the distance. He fastened his horse
to the foot of the tower and climbed it, as
before, laden with provisions and many other
things. He always saw the Prince, so as to
make sure that the child was alive and
well, and then went away until the following
month.
While his first childhood lasted, Prince Dolor
was happy enough. He had every luxury that
even a prince could need, and the one thing
wanting — love, never having known, he did not
miss. His nurse was very kind to him, though
she was a wicked woman. But either she had
not been quite so wicked as people said, or she
grew better through being shut up continually
with a little innocent child, who was dependent
upon her for every comfort and pleasure of his
life.
It was not an unhappy life. There was no-
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
body to tease or ill-use him, and he was never
ill. He played about from room to room —
there were four rooms, parlor, kitchen, his
nurse’s bed-room, and his own; learnt to crawl
like a fly, and to jump like a frog, and to run
about on all-fours almost as fast as a puppy.
In fact, he was very much like a puppy or a
kitten, as thoughtless and as merry — scarcely
ever cross, though sometimes a little weary.
As he grew older, he occasionally liked to be
quiet for a while, and then he would sit at the
YRS 4 s\ ou oD oe x
BeBe gh or aye 2
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 51
slits of windows, which were, however, much
bigger than they looked from the bottom of the
tower, —and watch the sky above and the
ground below, with the storms sweeping over
and the sunshine coming and going, and the
shadows of the clouds running races across the
blank plain.
By-and-by he began to learn lessons — not
that his nurse had been ordered to teach him,
but she did it partly to amuse herself. She
was not a stupid woman, and Prince Dolor’was
by no means a stupid boy; so they got on very
well, and his continual entreaty “What can
I do? what can you find me to do?†was
stopped; at least for an hour or two in the
day.
It was a dull life, but he had never known
any other; anyhow, he remembered no other ;
and he did not pity himself at all. Not for
a long time, till he grew to be quite a big little
boy, and could read easily. Then he suddenly
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
took to books, which the deaf-mute brought
him from time to time— books which, not
being acquainted with the literature of No-
mansland, I cannot describe, but no doubt
they were very interesting; and they informed
him of everything in the outside world, and
filled him with an intense longing to see it.
From this time a change came over the boy.
He began to look sad and thin, and to shut
himself up for hours without speaking. For
his nurse hardly spoke, and whatever questions
he asked beyond their ordinary daily life she
never answered. She had, indeed, been for-
bidden, on pain of death, to tell him anything’
about himself, who he was, or what he might
have been. He knew he was Prince Dolor,
because she always addressed him as “my
prince,†and “your royal highness,’ but what
a prince was he had not the least idea. He
had no idea of anything in the world, except
what he found in his books,
SO 4 aa, SME Pe MTs We
Ce Nent§ Ney Ber hh aie Elo, SOT eS SS
ee eC ae Ze oN te De wy
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 53
He sat one day surrounded by them, having
built them up round him like a little castle
wall. He had been reading them half the
day, but feeling all the while that to read
about things which you never can see is like
hearing about a beautiful dinner while you
are starving. For almost the first time in
his life he grew melancholy: his hands fell
on his lap; he sat gazing out of the window-
slit upon the view outside —the view he had
looked at every day of his life, and might look
at for endless days more.
Not a very cheerful view—just the plain
and the sky—but he liked it. He used to
think, if he could only fly out of that win-
dow, up to the sky or down to the plain, how
nice it would be! Perhaps when he died —
ys his‘ nurse had told him once in anger that he
would never leave the tower till he died —he
cet might be able to do this. Not that he under-
stood much what dying meant, but it must
ALS OZ
US
eS
54 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
be a change, and any change seemed to him
a blessing.
“And I wish I had somebody to tell me all
about it; about that and many other things;
somebody that would be fond of me, like my |
poor white kitten.â€
Here the tears came into his eyes, for the
boy’s one friend, the one interest of his life,
had been a little white kitten, which the deaf-
mute, kindly smiling, once took out of his
pocket and gave him—the only living creat-
ure Prince Dolor had ever seen. For four
weeks it was his constant plaything and com-
panion, till one moonlight night it took a
fancy for wandering, climbed on to the par-
apet of the tower, dropped over and disap-
peared. It was not killed, he hoped, for cats
have nine lives; indeed, he almost fancied he
saw it pick itself up and scamper away, but
he never caught sight of it more.
“Yes, I wish I had something better than
Me
PES Seen ION
RQ Mp Pe
ON
iss
4
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 55
a kitten—a person, a real live person, who
would be fond of me and kind to me. Oh, I
want somebody — dreadfully, dreadfully !â€â€™
As he spoke, there sounded behind him a
slight tap-tap-tap, as of a stick or a cane, and
twisting himself round, he saw—what do you
think he saw?
Nothing either frightening or ugly, but still
exceedingly curious. A little woman, no bigger
than he might himself have been, had his legs
grown like those of other children, but she
was not a child—she was an old woman.
Her hair was gray, and her dress was gray,
and there was a gray shadow over her wher-
ever she moved. But she had the sweetest
smile, the prettiest hands, and when she spoke
it was in the softest voice imaginable.
“My dear little boy,’—and dropping her
cane, the only bright and rich thing about
her, she laid those two tiny hands on _ his
shoulders — “my own little boy, I could
nee
\ KS
a
3 “wie "ae Caf A
56 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
not come to you until you had said you
wanted me, but now you do want me, here
IT am.â€
“And you are very welcome, madam,†re-
plied the Prince, trying to speak politely, as
princes always did in books; “and I am ex-
ceedingly obliged to you. May I ask who you
are? Perhaps my mother?†For he knew
that little boys usually had a mother, and had
occasionally wondered what had become of his
own.
“No,†said the visitor, with a tender, half-
sad smile, putting back the hair from his
forehead, and looking right into his eyes —
“No, I am not your mother, though she was
a dear friend of mine; and you are as like
her as ever you can be.â€
“Will you tell her to come and see me
then?â€
“She cannot; but I daresay she knows all
about you. And she loves you very much —
ee
LR op NS soe ae SR FQ NP 1 We LY MI
Boe OE. To BN OR
i Cy
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 57
and so do I; and I want to help you all I
can, my poor little boy.â€
“Why do you call me poor?†asked Prince
Dolor in surprise.
The little old woman glanced down on his
legs and feet, which he did not know were
different from those of other children, and
then at his sweet, bright face, which, though
he knew not that either, was exceedingly dif-
ferent from many children’s faces, which are
often so fretful, cross, sullen. Looking at him,
instead of sighing, she smiled, “I beg your
pardon, my prince,†said she.
“Ves, I ama prince, and my name is Dolor;
will you tell me yours, madam?â€
The little old woman laughed like a chime of
silver bells.
“T have not got a name—or rather, I have
so many names that I don’t know which to
choose. However, it was I who gave you
yours, and you will belong to me all your days.
I am your godmother.â€
LO Shy eH Nie eae ge SMA ws
Tere, OOS Se ES. y GS Ch,
SEO BE EOE
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
58
“Hurrah!†cried the little prince; “I am
glad I belong to you, for I like you very much.
Will you come and play with me?â€
So they sat down together, and played. By-
and-by they began to talk.
“Are you very dull here?†asked the little
old woman.
“Not particularly, thank you, godmother. I
have plenty to eat and drink, and my lessons to
do, and my books to read —lots of books.â€
« And you want nothing?â€
“Nothing. Yes— perhaps—If you please,
godmother, could you bring me just one more
thing?â€
“What sort of thing?â€
«A little boy to play with.â€
The old woman looked very sad. “Just the
thing, alas, which I cannot give you. My
child, I cannot alter your lot in any way, but I
can help you to bear it.â€
“Thank you. But why do you talk of bear-
ing it? I have nothing to bear.â€
Ae
oe, ME A PRR ee ND sue
oe ee ex 1 ane GA Ooh
A wes a
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 59
‘““My poor little man!†said the old woman in
the very tenderest tone of her tender voice.
“Kiss me!â€
“What is kissing?†asked the wondering child.
His godmother took him in her arms and
embraced him many times. By-and-by he
kissed her back again—at first awkwardly and °
shyly, then with all the strength of his warm
little heart.
“You are better to cuddle than even my
white kitten, I think. Promise me that you
will never go away.â€
“JT must; but I will leave a present behind
me—something as good as myself to amuse
you—something that will take you wherever
you want to go, and show you all that you wish
to see.â€
“What is it?â€
‘A travelling-cloak.â€
The Prince’s countenance fell. “I don't
want a cloak, for I never go out. Sometimes
60 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
nurse hoists me on to the roof, and carries me
round by the parapet; but that is all. I can’t
walk, you know, as she does.â€
“The more reason why you should ride; and
besides, this travelling-cloak щۉ۪
“Hush !—she’s coming.â€
There sounded outside the room door a heavy
step and a grumpy voice, and a rattle of plates
and dishes.
“Tt’s my nurse, and she is bringing my
dinner; but I don’t want dinner at all —I only
want you. Will her coming drive you away,
godmother?â€
“Perhaps; but only for a little. Never
mind; all the bolts and bars in the world
couldn’t keep me out. I’d fly in at the win-
dow, or down through the chimney. Only wish
for me, and I come.â€
)
“Thank you,†said Prince Dolor, but almost
in a whisper, for he was very uneasy at what
might happen next. His nurse and his god- _
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 61
mother — what would they say to one another?
how would they look at one another ?—two
such different faces: one, harsh-lined, sullen,
cross, and sad; the other, sweet and bright and
calm as a summer evening before the dark
begins.
When the door was flung open, Prince Dolor
shut his eyes, trembling all over: opening them
again, he saw he need fear nothing; his lovely
old godmother had melted away just like the
rainbow out of the sky, as he had watched it
many atime. Nobody but his nurse was in the
room.
“What a muddle your Royal Highness is
sitting in,’ said she sharply. “Such a heap
of untidy books; and what’s this rubbish ?â€â€™
kicking a little bundle that lay beside them.
“Oh, nothing, nothing — give it me!†cried
the prince, and darting after it, he hid it under
“his pinafore, and then pushed it quickly into
his pocket. Rubbish as it was, it was left in
ee ee aE ae or ce BS Sng =
62 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
the place where she had sat, and might be
something belonging to her— his dear, kind
godmother, whom already he loved with all his
lonely, tender, passionate heart.
It wos thoush he did mot know this tic
wonderful travelling-cloak.
that)
ty ae
a/
4
c
.
& aT,
eye
So S Ree core BrQ Xh¢ we a sou ly
ites pO US oy oes Mle, BP Re
Ean 5 BOGEN ise SN TOE ae
mS aA
CHAP DERE Vs
Anp what of the travelling-cloak? What
sort of cloak was it, and what good did it do
the Prince?
Stay, and I ’ll tell you all about it.
Outside it was the commonest-looking bundle
imaginable— shabby and small; and the in-
stant Prince Dolor touched it, it grew smaller
still, dwindling down till he could put it in his
trousers pocket, like a handkerchief rolled up
into a ball. He did this at once, for fear his
nurse should see it, and kept it there all day —
all night, too. Till after his next morning's les-
sons he had no opportunity of examining his
treasure. :
When he did, it seemed no treasure at all;
64 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
but a mere piece of cloth—circular in form,
dark green in color, that is, if it had any color
at all, being so worn and shabby, though not
dirty. It had a split cut to the centre, forming
around hole for the neck —and that was all
its shape; the shape, in fact, of those cloaks
which in South America are called ponchos —
very simple, but most graceful and convenient.
Prince Dolor had never seen anything like it.
In spite of his disappointment he examined it
curiously ; spread it out on the floor, then ar-
ranged it on his shoulders. It felt very warm
and comfortable; but it was so exceedingly
shabby —the only shabby thing that the Prince
had ever seen in his life.
“And what use will it be to me?†said he
sadly. ‘I have no need of outdoor clothes, as
I never go out. Why was this given me, I
wonder ? and what in the world am I to do with
»
it? She must be rather a funny person, this
dear godmother of mine.â€
PLL
a we
sp I oe ee Mlop, BA
“fe sy oe Pee Be eon FOE aah oe
i eae: 12h 5
eS
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 65
Nevertheless, because she was his godmother,
and had given him the cloak, he folded it care-
fully and put it away, poor and shabby as it
was, hiding it in a safe corner of his toy-cup-
board, which his nurse never meddled with.
He did not want her to find it, or to laugh at
it, or at his godmother—as he felt sure she
would, if she knew all.
There it lay, and by-and-by he forgot all
about it; nay, I am sorry to say, that, being
but a child, and not seeing her again, he al-
most forgot his sweet old godmother, or thought
of her only as he did of the angels or fairies that
she read of in his books, and of her visit as if it
had been a mere dream of the night.
There were times, certainly, when he recalled
her; of early mornings like that morning
when she appeared beside him, and_ late
evenings, when the gray twilight reminded
him of the color of her hair and her pretty
soft garments; above all, when, waking in
66 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
the middle of the night, with the stars peer-
ing in at his window, or the moonlight shining
across his little bed, he would not have been
surprised to see her standing beside it, looking
at him with those beautiful tender eyes, which
seemed to have a pleasantness and comfort
in them different from anything he had ever
known.
But she never came, and gradually she slipped
out of his memory — only a boy’s memory, after
all; until something happened which made him
remember her, and want her as he had. never
wanted anything before.
Prince Dolor fell ill. He caught — his nurse
could not tell how—a complaint common to
the people of Nomansland, called the doldrums,
as unpleasant as measles or any other of our
complaints; and it made him ‘restless, cross,
and disagreeable. Even when a little better,
he was too weak to enjoy anything, but lay all
day long on his’ sofa, fidgeting his nurse ex- By
f y D5 > i
ee WD A ‘ gu, ond Oe:
for the kitten, he remembered, had four active
Beet
we
Ye.
p>:
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 67
tremely — while, in her intense terror lest he
might die, she fidgeted him still more. At last,
seeing he really was getting well, she left him
to himself —which he was most glad of, in
spite of his dulness and dreariness. There he
lay, alone, quite alone.
Now and then an irritable fit came over him,
in which he longed to get up and do something,
or go somewhere — would have liked to imitate
his white kitten — jump down from the tower
and run away, taking the chance of whatever
might happen.
Only one thing, alas! was likely to happen ;
legs, while he —
“J wonder what my godmother meant when
she looked at my legs and sighed so bitterly?
I wonder why I can’t walk straight and steady
like my nurse—only I wouldn't like to have
her great noisy, clumping shoes. Still, it would
be very nice to move about quickly — perhaps
68 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
to fly, like a bird, like that string of birds I saw
the other day skimming across the sky — one
after the other.â€
These were the passage-birds — the only liv-
ing creatures that ever crossed the lonely plain ;
and he had been much interested in them,
wondering whence they came and whither they
were going,
“ How nice it must be to be a bird. If legs
are no good, why can not one have wings?
People have wings when they die — perhaps :
I wish I was dead, that I do. I am so tired,
so tired; and nobody cares for me. Nobody
ever did care for me, except perhaps my god-
mother. Godmother, dear, have you quite for-
saken me?â€
He stretched himself wearily, gathered him-
self up, and dropped his head upon his hands ;
as he did so, he felt somebody kiss him at the
back of his neck, and turning, found that he
was resting, not on the sofa-pillows, but on a
se
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 69
warm shoulder —that of the little old woman
clothed in gray.
How glad he was to see her! How he
looked into her kind eyes, and felt her hands,
to see if she were all real and alive! then put
both his arms round her neck, and kissed her
as if he never would have done kissing !
“Stop, stop!†cried she, pretending to be
smothered. “I see you have not forgotten my
teachings. Kissing is a good thing —in mod-
SB Le < GS (/
ie Sik, SI a ye Bhe~ eS
7O THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
eration. Only, just let me have breath to speak
one word.â€
“A dozen!†he said:
“Well, then, tell me all that has happened to
you since I saw you—or rather, since you saw
me, which is a quite different thing.â€
“Nothing has happened — nothing ever does
happen to me,†answered the Prince dolefully.
« And are you very dull, my boy?â€
«So dull, that I was just thinking whether I
could not jump down to the bottom of the
tower like my white kitten.â€
“Do n't do that, being not a white kitten.â€
“T wish I were!—I wish I were anything
but what I am!â€
“And you can’t make yourself any different,
nor can I do it either. You must be content
to stay just what you are.â€
The little old woman said this —very
firmly, but gently, too—with her arms round
his neck and her lips on his forehead. It was
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 71
the first time the boy had ever heard anyone
talk like this, and he looked up in surprise —
but not in pain, for her sweet manner softened
the hardness of her words.
“ Now, my prince —for you are a prince, and
must behave as such —let us see what we can
do; how much I can do for you, or show you
how to do for yourself. Where is your travel-
ling-cloak ?â€
Prince Dolor blushed extremely. ‘“I—TI put
it away in the cupboard ; I suppose it is there
still.â€
“You have never used it; you dislike it?â€
He hesitated, not wishing to be impolite.
«Do n't you think it ’s—just a little old and
shabby, for a prince?â€
The old woman laughed —long and loud,
though very sweetly.
“Prince, indeed! Why, if all the princes in
the world craved for it, they could n’t get it,
unless I gave it them. Old and shabby! It’s
72 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
the most valuable thing imaginable! Very few
ever have it; but I thought I would give it to
you, because — because you are different from
other people.â€
“Am I?†said the prince, and looked first
with curiosity, then with a sort of anxiety, into
his godmother’s face, which was sad and grave,
with slow tears beginning to steal down.
She touched his poor little legs. “These are
not like those of other little boys.â€
“Indeed !— my nurse never told me that.â€
“Very likely not. But it is time you were
told; and I tell you, because I love you.â€
“Tell me what, dear godmother?â€
“That you will never be able to walk, or run,
or jump, or play —that your life will be quite
different to most people’s lives: but it may be
a very happy life for all that. Do not be
afraid.â€â€™
“T am not afraid,’ said the boy; but he
turned very pale, and his lips began to quiver,
Se
DS eee Ms BOR Te
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE, 73
though he did not actually cry —he was too
old for that, and, perhaps, too proud.
Though not wholly comprehending, he be-
gan dimly to guess what his godmother meant.
He had never seen any real live boys, but he
had seen pictures of them; running and jump-
ing; which he had admired and tried hard to
imitate, but always failed. Now he began to
understand why he failed, and that he always
should fail —that, in fact, he was not like other
little boys ; and it was of no use his wishing to
do as they did, and play as they played, even
if he had had them to play with. His was a
separate life, in which he must find out new
work and new pleasures for himself.
The sense of the inevitable, as grown-up
people call it—that we cannot have things as
we want them to be, but as they are, and that
we must learn to bear them and make the best
of them —this lesson, which everybody has to
learn soon or late—came, alas! sadly soon, to
74 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
the poor boy. He foyght against it for a while,
and then, quite overcome, turned and sobbed
bitterly in his godmother's arms.
She comforted him—I do not know how,
except that love always comforts ; and then she
whispered to him, in her sweet, strong, cheerful
voice — “ Never mind!â€
“No, I do n't think I do mind—that is, I
won't mind,†replied he, catching the courage
of her tone and speaking like a man, though he
was still such a mere boy.
“That is right, my prince!—that is being
like a prince. Now we know exactly where
we are; let us put our shoulders to the wheel
and—â€
“We are in Hopeless Tower†(this was its
name, if it had a name), “and there is no
wheel to put our shoulders to,†said the child
sadly.
“You little matter-of-fact goose! Well for
you that you have a godmother called —â€
ay
Lys
Â¥
oh
Tee
‘.
Ay
rs Ning FeQ NT We i
alle, SK AR S SN SS EI
AD OTN By, SOY SS OA wcehtd
WS oa,
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 75 XS
“What?†he eagerly asked.
« Stuff-and-nonsense.â€
“ Stuff-and-nonsense! What a funny name!â€
«Some people give it me, but they are not
my most intimate friends. These call me—
never mind what,†added the old woman, with
a soft twinkle in her eyes. “So as you know
me, and know me well, you may give me any
name you please ; ‘it does n’t matter. But I am
your godmother, child. I have few godchil-
dren; those I have love me dearly, and find me
the greatest blessing in all the world.â€
“TJ can well believe it,†cried the little lame
Prince, and forgot his troubles in looking at her
—as her figure dilated, her eyes grew lustrous
as stars, her very raiment brightened, and the
whole room seemed filled with her beautiful
and beneficent presence like light.
He could have looked at her for ever—half
in love, half in awe; but she suddenly dwindled
down into the little old woman all in gray, and
76 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
with a malicious twinkle in her eyes, asked for
the travelling-cloak.
“Bring it out of the rubbish cupboard, and
shake the dust off it, quick!†said she to Prince
Dolor, who hung his head, rather ashamed.
“Spread it out on the floor, and wait till the
split closes and the edges turn up like a rim
all round. Then go and open the skylight —
mind, I say open the skylight—set yourself
down in the middle of it, like a frog on a water-
lily leaf; say ‘Abracadabra, dum dum dum,’
and—see what will happen!â€
The prince burst into a fit of laughing. It
all seemed so exceedingly silly; he wondered
that a wise old woman like his godmother
should talk such nonsense.
“Stuff-and-nonsense, you mean,†said she,
answering, to his great alarm, his unspoken
thoughts. “Did I not tell you some people
called me by that name? Never mind; it
does n’t harm me.â€
an,
snc z 3 Qo Se . 3A se In Au
BBs DTaP Hie, Bien os
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 77
And she laughed—her merry laugh—as
childlike as if she were the prince’s age instead
of her own, whatever that might be. She cer-
tainly was a most extraordinary old woman.
“Believe me or not, it does n’t matter,†said
she. ‘Here is the cloak: when you want to go
travelling on it, say Abracadabra, dum dum dum ;
when you want to come back again, say Adraca-
dabra, tum tum tz. That’s all; good-bye.â€
A puff of pleasant air passing by him, and
making him feel for the moment quite strong
and well, was all the Prince was conscious of.
His most extraordinary godmother was gone.
“Really now, how rosy your Royal High-
ness’s cheeks have grown! You seem to have
got well already,†said the nurse, entering the
room.
“JT think I have,†replied the Prince very
gently —he felt kindly and gently even to his
grim nurse. “And now let me have my din-
ner, and go you to your sewing as usual.â€
s
how rosy your Royal Highness’
“ Really now
ve grown!â€
a
pal
nD
a
oO
oO
oc
oO
Aes
4D
<=]
as Pt
ae ie
:
aS
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 79
The instant she was gone, however, taking
with her the plates and dishes, which for the
first time since his illness he had satisfactorily
cleared, Prince Dolor sprang down from his
sofa, and with one or two of his frog-like jumps,
not graceful but convenient, he reached the
. cupboard where he kept his toys, and looked
everywhere for his travelling-cloak.
Alas! it was not there.
While he was ill of the doldrums, his
nurse, thinking it a good opportunity for put-
ting things to rights, had made a grand clear-
ance of all his “rubbish,†as she considered it:
his beloved headless horses, broken carts, sheep
without feet, and birds without wings —all the
treasures of. his baby days, which he could not
bear to part with. Though he seldom played
with them now, he liked just to feel they were
there.
They were all gone! and with them the
travelling-cloak. He sat down on the floor,
Sy Zs a eS eee
eG BSCE ek cee ae a
80 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
looking at the empty shelves, so beautifully
clean and tidy, then burst out sobbing as if
his heart would break.
Nk ii :
i
Mh
Hy)
But quietly —always quietly. He never let
his nurse hear him cry. She only laughed at
him, as he felt she would laugh now.
“And it is all my own fault,†he cried. “I
we
Roe 5 0 SEED ste Madan, BLN Tamm es ge UNH
Beles gS er a le ey eg
IB n7 Veo
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 81
ought to have taken better care of my god-
mother’s gift. O, godmother, forgive me!
I ‘ll never be so careless again. I don’t know
what the cloak is exactly, but I am sure it is
something precious. Help me to find it again.
Oh, do n’t let it be stolen from me—do n't,
please!â€
“Ha, ha, ha!†laughed a _ silvery voice.
“Why, that travelling-cloak is the one thing
in the world which nobody can steal. It is
of no use to anybody except the owner. Open
your eyes, my prince, and see what you shall
Seem:
His dear old godmother, he thought, and
turned eagerly round. But no; he only be-
held, lying in a corner of the room, all dust
and cobwebs, his precious travelling-cloak.
Prince Dolor darted towards it, tumbling
several times on the way,—as he often did
tumble, poor boy! and pick himself up again,
never complaining. Snatching it to his breast,
82 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
he hugged and kissed it, cobwebs and all, as if
it had been something alive. Then he began
unrolling it, wondering each minute what
would happen. But what did happen was so
curious that I must leave it for another
chapter.
CHAPTER V.
Ir any reader, big or little, should wonder
whether there is a meaning in this story, deeper
than that of an ordinary fairy tale, I will own
that there is. But I have hidden it so carefully
that the smaller people, and many larger folk,
will never find it out, and meantime the book
may be read straight on, like “Cinderella,†or
“ Blue- Beard,†or “Hop-o’-my Thumb,†for
what interest it has, or what amusement it may
bring.
Having said this, I return to Prince Dolor,
that little lame boy whom many may think so
exceedingly to be pitied. But if you had seen
him as he sat patiently untying his wonderful
cloak, which was done up in a very tight and
‘
yg 2
7
i
We
een . = RS
o †ae Sis A
Bs BES Be not
84 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
perplexing parcel, using skilfully his deft
little hands, and knitting his brows with firm
determination, while his eyes glistened with
pleasure, and energy, and eager anticipation
—if you had beheld him thus, you might have
changed your opinion.
When we see people suffering or unfortu-
nate, we feel very sorry for them; but when
we see them bravely bearing their sufferings,
and making the best of their misfortunes, it
is quite a different feeling. We respect, we
admire them. One can respect and admire
even a little child.
When Prince Dolor had patiently untied all
the knots, a remarkable thing happened. The
cloak began to undo itself. Slowly unfolding,
it laid itself down on the carpet, as flat as if
it had been ironed; the split joined with a
little sharp crick-crack, and the rim turned up
all round till it was breast-high ; for meantime
the cloak had grown and grown, and become
hes a Ao ( eae Ve ae
sg Mer ea Holoe, BO Tee IE
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 85
quite large enough for one person to sit in it,
as comfortable as if in a boat.
The Prince watched it rather anxiously; it
was such an extraordinary, not to say a fright-
ening thing. However, he was no coward,
but a thorough boy, who, if he had been like
other boys, would doubtless have grown up
daring and adventurous—a soldier, a sailor,
or the like. As it was, he could only show his
courage morally, not physically, by being afraid
of nothing, and by doing boldly all that it was
in his narrow powers to do. ‘And I am not
sure but that in this way he showed more real
valor than if he had had six pairs of proper legs.
He said to himself, ‘What a goose I am!
As if my dear godmother would ever have
given me anything to hurt me. Here goes!â€
So, with one of his active leaps, he sprang
right into the middle of the cloak, where he
squatted down, wrapping his arms tight round
his knees, for they shook a little and his heart
86 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
beat fast. But there he sat, steady and silent,
a © He d
Se ; waiting for what might happen next.
PA S Nothing did happen, and he began to think
nothing would, and to feel rather disappointed,
when he recollected the words he had been
told to repeat — “Abracadabra, dum, dum,
dum !â€
He repeated them, laughing all the while,
they seemed such nonsense. And then —and
then —
Now, I do n’t expect anybody to believe
what I am going to relate, though a good
many wise people have believed a good many
sillier things. And as seeing ’s believing, and
I never saw it, I cannot be expected implicitly
to believe it myself, except in a sort of a way;
and yet there is truth in it—for some people.
The cloak rose, slowly and steadily, at first
only a few inches, then gradually higher and
higher, till it nearly touched the skylight.
Prince Dolor’s head actually bumped against
| oe
Res anit Ma oe oh te Molo, Bie Tae HY
see Steere Seat Nee, exe ea A
“Prince Dolor’s head actually bumped against
the glass.â€
88 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
the glass, or would have done so, had he not
crouched down, crying, “Oh, please do n’t hurt
me!†in a most melancholy voice.
Then he suddenly remembered his godmoth-
er’s express command —“ Open the skylight !â€â€
Regaining his courage at once, without a
moment’s delay, he lifted up his head and be-
gan searching for the bolt, the cloak mean-
while remaining perfectly still, balanced in air.
But the minute the window was opened, out
it sailed—right out into the clear fresh air,
with nothing between it and the cloudless
blue.
Prince Dolor had never felt any such deli-
cious sensation before! I can understand it.
Can not you? Did you never think, in watch-
ing the rooks going home singly or in pairs,
SAS
a St
oaring their way across the calm evening sky,
IS
(Xs
3
ENE
Heil isis
a
ae
till they vanish like black dots in the misty
gray, how pleasant it must feel to be up there,
ait
quite out of the noise and din of the world,
VRS \ wae © : u “ BS a L { aS eos We 4 Y {
ee ee ea leg, OE
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 89
able to hear and see everything down below,
yet troubled by nothing and teased by no one
a ail alone, but perfectly content.
Something like this was the happiness of
the little lame Prince when he got out of
Hopeless Tower, and found himself for the
first time in the pure open air, with the sky
above him and the earth below.
True, there was nothing but earth and sky;
no houses, no trees, no rivers, mountains, seas
—not a beast on the ground, or a bird in the
air. But to him even the level plain looked
beautiful ; and then there was the glorious arch
of the sky, with a little young moon sitting in
the west like a baby queen. And the evening
breeze was so sweet and fresh, it kissed him
like his godmother’s kisses; and by-and-by a
few stars came out, first two or three, and then
quantities — quantities ! so that, when he began
to count them, he was utterly bewildered.
By this time, however, the cool breeze had
= SSE es ee
OLY ode ake QO,
Ee So, oe, wa ees 3
90 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
become cold, the mist gathered, and as he had,
as he said, no outdoor clothes, poor Prince
Dolor was not very comfortable. The dews
fell damp on his curls—he began to shiver.
“Perhaps I had better go home,†thought he.
But how?— For in his excitement the other
words which his godmother had told him to
use had slipped his memory. They were only a
little different from the first, but in that slight
difference all the importance lay. As he
repeated his “Abracadabra,†trying ever so
many other syllables after it, the cloak only
went faster and faster, skimming on through
the dusky empty air.
The poor little Prince began to feel fright-
ened. What if his wonderful travelling-cloak
should keep on thus travelling, perhaps to the
world’s end, carrying with it a poor, tired,
hungry boy, who, after all, was beginning to
think there was something very pleasant in
supper and bed?
wegen
: = - os | WARN We
x Sy. s r AWA FOAL AR, Ste
mr
Ay ) THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. gl
“Dear godmother,†he cried pitifully, “do
help me! Tell me just this once and I’ll never
forget again.â€
Instantly the words came rushing into his
head — “Abracadabra, tum, tum, ti!†Was
that it? Ah, yes!—for the cloak began to
turn slowly, He repeated the charm again,
more distinctly and firmly, when it gave a
gentle dip, like a nod of satisfaction, and
immediately started back, as fast as ever, in
the direction of the tower.
He reached the skylight, which he found
exactly as he had left it, and slipped in, cloak
and all, as easily as he had got out. He had
scarcely reached the floor, and was still sitting
in the middle of his travelling-cloak —like a
frog on a water-lily leaf, as his godmother had
expressed it — when he heard his nurse’s voice
outside.
“Bless us! what has become of your Royal
Highness all this time? To sit stupidly here
tAQ-s
bags AS
BEC ete Oe
ee
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
at the window till it is quite dark, and leave
the skylight open too. Prince! what can you
be thinking of? You are the silliest boy I
ever knew.â€
“Am I?†said he absently, and never heed-
ing her crossness; for his only anxiety was
lest she might find out anything.
She would have been a very clever person
to have done so. The instant Prince Dolor
got off it, the cloak folded itself up .into the
tiniest possible parcel, tied all its own knots,
and rolled itself of its own accord into the .
farthest and tlarkest corner of the room. If
the nurse had seen it, which she did n’t, she
would have taken it for a mere bundle of
rubbish not worth noticing.
Shutting the skylight with an angry bang,
she brought in the supper and lit the candles,
with her usual unhappy expression of counte-
nance. But Prince Dolor hardly saw it; he
only saw, hid in the corner where nobody else
“RRM Fam 8g So EY,
ae
53
\y , ae ’
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 93
would’ see it, his wonderful travelling-cloak.
And though his supper was not particularly
nice, he ate it heartily, scarcely hearing a word
of his nurse’s grumbling, which to-night seemed
to have taken the place of her sullen silence.
«Poor woman!†he thought, when he paused
a minute to listen and look at her, with those
quiet, happy eyes, so like his mother’s. “ Poor
woman ! se has n’t got a travelling-cloak!â€
And when he was left alone at last, and crept
into his little bed, where he lay awake a good
while, watching what he called his “sky-gar-
den,†all planted with stars, like flowers, his
chief thought was, “I must be up very early
to-morrow morning and get my lessons done, —
and then I ’ll go travelling all over the world on
my beautiful cloak.â€
So, next day, he opened his eyes with ‘the
sun, and went with a good heart to his lessons.
They had hitherto been the chief amusement of
his dull life; now, I am afraid, he found them
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
also a little dull. But he tried to be good —I
do n’t say Prince Dolor always was good, but he
generally tried to be—and when his mind
went wandering after the dark dusty corner
where lay his precious treasure, he resolutely
called it back again.
“For,†he said, “how ashamed my godmother
would be of me if I grew up a stupid boy.â€
But the instant lessons were done, and he
was alone in the empty room, he crept across
the floor, undid the shabby little bundle, his
fingers trembling with eagerness, climbed on
the chair, and thence to the table, so as to
unbar the skylight — he forgot nothing now —
said his magic charm, and was away out of the
window, as children say, “in a few minutes less
than no time!â€
Nobody missed him. He was accustomed to
sit so quietly always, that his nurse, though
only in the next room, perceived no difference.
And besides, she might have gone in and out a
3
1s = y Oe ate ~ AZ
a aloo, pare soe me
S
‘ HK
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 95
dozen times, and it would have been just the
same; she never: could have found out his
absence.
For what do you think the clever godmother
did? She took a quantity of moonshine, or
some equally convenient material, and made an
image, which she set on the window-sill reading,
or by the table drawing, where it looked so like
Prince Dolor, that any common observer would
never have guessed the deception; and even
the boy would have been puzzled to know which
was the image and which was himself. .
And all this while the happy little fellow was
away, floating in the air on his magic cloak, and
seeing all sorts of wonderful things — or they
seemed wonderful to him, who had hitherto
seen nothing at all.
First, there were the flowers that grew on
the plain, which, whenever the cloak came near
enough, he strained his eyes to look at; they
were very tiny, but very beautiful — white saxi-
96 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
frage, and yellow lotus, and ground-thistles,
purple and bright, with many others the names
of which I do not know. No more did Prince
Dolor, though he tried to find them out by
recalling any pictures he had seen of them.
But he was too far off; and though it was
pleasant enough to admire them as brilliant
patches of color, still he would have liked to
examine them all. He was, as a little girl I
know once said of a playfellow, “a very examin-
ang boy.â€
“T wonder,†he thought, “whether I could
see better through a pair of glasses like those
my nurse reads with, and takes such care of.
How I would take care of them too! if only I
had a pair!â€
Immediately he felt something queer and
hard fixing itself on to the bridge of his nose.
It was a pair of the prettiest gold spectacles
ever seen; and looking downwards, he found
that, though ever so high above the ground, he
2
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 97
could see every minute blade of grass, every
tiny bud and flower—nay, even the insects
that walked over them.
(?
“Thank you, thank you!†he cried in a gush
of gratitude —to anybody or everybody, but
especially to his dear godmother, whom he felt
sure had given him this new present. He
amused himself with it for ever so long, with
his chin pressed on the rim of the cloak, gazing
down upon the grass, every square foot of
which was a mine of wonders,
Then, just to rest his eyes, he turned them
up to the sky—the blue, bright, empty sky,
which he had looked at so often and seen
nothing.
Now, surely there was something. A long,
d black, wavy line, moving on in the distance, not
ly by chance, as the clouds move apparently, but
deliberately, as if it were alive. He might have
sg seen it before —he almost thought he had; but:
“sf then he could not tell what it was. Looking
a y at oe oe es ist ee aR Le aS)
5.
ce
98 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
at it through his spectacles, he discovered that
it really was alive ; being a long string of birds,
flying one after the other, their wings moving
steadily and their heads pointed in one direc-
tion, as steadily as if each were a little ship,
guided invisibly by an unerring helm.
“They must be the passage-birds flying
seawards!†cried the boy, who had read a
little about them, and had a great talent for
putting two and two together and finding
out all he could. “Oh, how I should like to
see them quite close, and to know where they
come from, and whither they are going! How
I wish I knew everything in all the world!â€
A silly speech for even an “ examining â€
little boy to make; because, as we grow older,
the more we know, the more we find out there
is to know. And Prince Dolor blushed when
he had said it, and hoped nobody had heard
him.
Apparently somebody had, however ; for the
Ca “Thank you, thank you!’ he cried in a gush of
og gratitude.â€
oo
SIS oy
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
cloak gave a sudden bound forward, and
presently he found himself high. up in air,
in the very middle of that band of aerial trav-
ellers, who had no magic cloak to travel on —
nothing except their wings. Yet there they
were, making their fearless way through the
sky.
Prince Dolor looked at them, as one after
the other they glided past him; and they looked
at him—those pretty. swallows, with their
changing necks and bright eyes—as if won-
dering to meet in mid-air such an extraordinary
sort of a bird.
“Oh, I wish I were going with you, you
lovely creatures!’’ cried the boy. “I’m get-
ting so tired of this dull plain, and the dreary
and lonely tower. I do so want to see the
world! Pretty swallows, dear swallows! tell
me what it looks like—the beautiful, won-
derful world!â€
But the swallows flew past him — steadily,
Ae ae, GOES oo LH, PRR
oN ET Oe EE
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE, IOI
slowly, ayant a their course as if inside each
little head had been a mariner’s compass, to
guide them safe over land and sea, direct to
the place where they desired. to go.
The boy looked after them with envy. For
a long time he followed with his eyes the faint
wavy black line as it floated away, sometimes
changing its curves a little, but never deviating
from its settled course, till it vanished entirely
out of sight.
Then he settled himself down in the centre
of the cloak, feeling quite sad and lonely.
“T think Ill go home,†said he, and repeated
his ‘ Abracadabra, tum, tum, ti!†with a rather
ay heavy heart. The more he had, the more he
wanted; and it is not always one can have
waive everything one wants—at least, at the exact
= minute one craves for it; not even though one
° is a prince, and has a powerful and beneficent
ah godmother. .
He did not like to vex her by calling for her,
102 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE,
and telling her how unhappy he was, in spite
of all her goodness; so he just kept his trouble
to himself, went back to his lonely tower, and
spent three days in silent melancholy without
even attempting another journey on his trav-
elling-cloak.
le
oy
as RS 70 PEP Se Oe
gre NEE SiS TS
vad pia a BN. 6 jak ee SNE GS Set eS
Ets Se
Exe CEY
— Saad
ete
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CLEARER Vale
Tue fourth day it happened that the deaf-
mute paid his accustomed visit, after which
Prince Dolor’s spirits rose. They always did,
when he got the new books, which, just to
relieve his conscience, the King of Nomans-
land regularly sent to his nephew; with many
new toys also, though the latter were disre-
garded now.
“Toys indeed! when I ’m a big boy,†said
the Prince with disdain, and would scarcely
condescend to mount a rocking-horse, which
had come, somehow or other—I can’t be ex-
pected to explain things very exactly — packed
on the back of the other, the great black horse,
which stood and fed contentedly at the bottom
of the tower.
x ‘ = 2 SH Lal: < a ye Ke
Dye) fo. Paes Sse aie sce Ee
104, THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
Prince Dolor leaned over and looked at it,
and thought how grand it must be to get
upon its back—this grand live steed—and
ride away, like the pictures of knights. :
“ Suppose I was a knight,†he said to him-
self; “then I should be obliged to ride out
and see the world.â€
But he kept all these thoughts to himself,
and just sat still, devouring his new books till
he had come to the end of them all. It was
a repast not unlike the Barmecide’s feast which
you read of in the “Arabian Nights,†which
consisted of very elegant but empty dishes, or
that supper of Sancho Panza in “ Don Quixote,â€
where, the minute the smoking dishes came on
the table, the physician waved his hand and
they were all taken away.
Thus, almost all the ordinary delights of
boy-life had been taken away from, or rather
never given to, this poor little Prince.
“JT wonder,’ he would sometimes think —
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 105
“I wonder what it feels like to be on the
back of a horse, galloping away, or holding
the reins in a carriage, and tearing across the
country, or jumping a ditch, or running a race,
such as I read of or see in pictures. What a
lot of things there are that I should like to
do! But first, I should like to go and see the
world. I ll try.â€
Apparently it was his godmother’s plan
always to let him try, and try hard, before he
gained anything. This day the knots that tied
up his travelling-cloak were more than usually
troublesome, and he was a full half hour before
he got out into the open air, and found him-
self floating merrily over the top of the tower.
Hitherto, in all his journeys he had never
let himself go out of sight of home, for the
dreary building, after all, was home—he re-
membered no other; but now he felt sick of
the very look of his tower, with its round
smooth walls and level battlements.
106 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
“Off we go!†cried he, when the cloak
stirred itself with a slight slow motion, as if
waiting his orders. ‘Anywhere — anywhere,
so that I am away from here, and out into
the world.†:
As he spoke, the cloak, as if seized suddenly
with a new idea, bounded forward and went
skimming through the air, faster than the very
fastest railway train.
“Gee-up, gee-up!â€â€™ cried Prince Dolor in great
excitement. “This is as good as riding a race.â€
And he patted the cloak as if it had been
a horse—that is, in the way he supposed
horses ought to be patted; and tossed his
head back to meet the fresh breeze, and
pulled his coat-collar up and his hat down,
as he felt the wind grow keener and colder,
colder than anything he had ever known.
“What does it matter though?†said he.
“TI ’m a boy, and boys ought not to mind any-
thing.â€
Wh 1
WA WI i
/
le
KG) iff
“This day the knots that tied up his travelling-cloak
were more than usually troublesome.â€
DAS .
108 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
Still, for all his good-will, by-and-by he
began to shiver exceedingly ; also, he had
come away without his dinner, and he grew
frightfully hungry. And to add to everything,
the sunshiny day changed into rain, and being
high up, in the very midst of the clouds, he
got soaked through and through in a very few
minutes.
“Shall I turn back?†meditated he. “ Sup-
pose I say ‘ Abracadabra’ ?â€â€™
Here he stopped, for already the cloak gave
an obedient lurch, as if it were expecting to be
sent home immediately.
“No—I can’t —I can’t go back! I must go
forward and see the world. But oh! if I had
but the shabbiest old rug to shelter me from
the rain, or the driest Aforsel of bread and
cheese, just to keep me from starving! Still, I
do n’t much mind; I’m a prince, and ought to
be able to stand anything. Hold on, cloak,
we ’ll make the best of it.â€
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 109
It was a most curious circumstance, but no
sooner had he said this than he felt stealing
over his knees something warm and soft; in
fact, a most beautiful bearskin, which folded
itself round him quite naturally, and cuddled
him up as closely as if he had been the cub of
the kind old mother-bear that once owned it. °
Then feeling in his pocket, which suddenly
stuck out in a marvellous way, he found, not
exactly bread ane cheese, nor even sandwiches,
but a packet of the most delicious food he had
ever tasted. It was not meat, nor pudding, but
a combination of both, and it served him ex-
cellently for both. ~ He ate his dinner with
the greatest gusto imaginable, till he grew so
thirsty he did not know what to do.
“Couldn’t I have just one drop of water, if
it did n’t trouble you too much, kindest of god-
mothers?â€
For he really thought this want was beyond
her power to supply. All the water which ©
Tw
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
supplied Hopeless Tower was pumped up with
difficulty, from a deep artesian well — there
were such things known in Nomansland —
which had been made at the foot of it. But
around, for miles upon miles, the desolate plain
was perfectly dry. And above it, high in air,
‘how could he expect to find a well, or to get
even a drop of water?
He forgot one thing —the rain. While he
spoke, it came on in another wild burst, as if
the clouds had poured themselves out in a
passion of crying, wetting him certainly, but
leaving behind, in a large glass vessel which
he had never noticed before, enough water to
quench the thirst of two or three boys at least.
And it was so fresh, so pure—as water from
the clouds always is, when it does not catch
the soot from city chimneys and other defile-
ments —that he drank it, every drop, with the
greatest delight and content.
Also, as soon as it was empty, the rain filled
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. eren
it again, so that he was able to wash his face
and hands and refresh himself exceedingly.
Then the sun came out and dried him in no
time. After that he curled himself up under
the bearskin rug, and though he determined to
be the most wide-awake boy imaginable, being
so exceedingly snug and warm and comfortable,
Prince Dolor condescended to shut his eyes,
just for one minute. The next minute he was
sound asleep.
When he awoke, he found himself floating
over a country quite unlike anything he had
ever seen before.
Yet it was nothing but what most of you
children see every day and never notice it—a
pretty country landscape, like England, Scot-
land, France, or any other land you choose to
name. It had no particular features — nothing
in it grand or lovely — was simply pretty, noth-
ing more; yet to Prince Dolor, who had never
gone beyond his lonely tower and level plain,
112 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
it appeared the most charming sight imagi-
nable.
First, there was a river. It came tumbling
down the hillside, frothing and foaming, play-
ing at hide-and-seek among rocks, then burst-
ing out in noisy fun like a child, to bury itself
in deep still pools. Afterwards it went steadily
on for a while, like a good grown-up person, till
it came to another big rock, where it misbe-
haved It
cataract and went tumbling
itself extremely. turned into a
over and over,
after a fashion that made the Prince —— who
had never seen water before, except in his
bath or his drinking-cup— clap his hands with
delight.
“It is so active,, so alive! I like things
active and alive!†cried he, and watched it .
shimmering and dancing, whirling and leaping,
till, after a few windings and vagaries, it settled
into a respectable stream. After that it went
along, deep and quiet, but flowing steadily on,
Se. : Ue a ' Un
tog, Bee ES,
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 113
till it reached a large lake, into which it slipped,
and so ended its course.
All this the boy saw, either with his own
naked eye, or through his gold spectacles. He
saw also as in a picture, beautiful but silent,
many other things, which struck him with
wonder, especially a grove of trees.
Only think, to have lived to his age (which
he himself did not know, as he did not know
his own birthday) and never to have seen trees!
As he floated over these oaks, they seemed to
fee rine branches, and leaves —the most
curious sight imaginable. 2
“Tf I could only get nearer, so as to touch
them,†said he, and immediately the obedient
cloak ducked down; Prince Dolor made a
snatch at the topmost twig of the tallest tree,
and caught a bunch of leaves in his hand.
Just a bunch of green leaves—such as we
“3 see in myriads; watching them bud, grow, fall,
a and then kicking them along on the ground as
Il4 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
if they were worth nothing. Yet, how wonder-
ful they are —every one of them a little dif-
ferent. I don’t suppose you could ever find
two leaves exactly alike, in form, color, and size
—no more than you could find two faces alike,
or two characters exactly the same. The plan
of this world is infinite similarity and yet infi-
nite variety.
Prince Dolor examined his leaves with the
greatest curiosity —and also a little caterpillar
that he found walking over one of them. He
coaxed it to take an additional walk over his
finger, which it did with the greatest dignity
and decorum, as if it, Mr. Caterpillar, were the
most important individual in existence. It
amused him for a long time; ‘and when a
sudden gust of wind blew it overboard, leaves
and all, he felt quite disconsolate.
“ Still, there must be many live creatures in
the world besides caterpillars. I should like
to see a few of them.â€
WS DIGS
aS Se 2 fe
We a fot Nb PSTN Y sia e's:
re fF Se PSO LG, Ho 3
CEN
i rey ve
Me
yy i) fs
= a
wy
“Prince Dolor made a snatch at the topmost twig
of the tallest tree.â€
yh ser eae
Ee Se rGae ee Oe wee ee ic I
116 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
The cloak gave a little dip down, as if to say
«All right, my Prince,’ and bore him across
the oak forest to a long fertile valley — called
in Scotland a strath, and in England a weald
— but what they call it in the tongue of No-
mansland I donot know. It was made up of
cornfields, pasturefields, lanes, hedges, brooks,
and ponds. Also, in it were what the Prince
_had desired to see, a quantity of living creat-
ures, wild and tame. Cows and horses, lambs
and sheep, fed in the meadows; pigs and fowls
walked about the farmyards; and, in lonelier
places, hares scudded, rabbits burrowed, and
pheasants and partridges, with many other
smaller birds, inhabited the fields and woods.
Through his wonderful spectacles the Prince
could see everything; but, as I said, it was a
silent picture; he was too high up to catch
anything except a faint murmur, which only
aroused his anxiety to hear more.
“JT have as good as two pairs of eyes,†he
go LES BR Me BEES
EEN
_ give me a second pair of ears.â€
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. LL 7
thought. “I wonder if my godmother would
Scarcely had he spoken, than he found lying
on his lap the most curious little parcel, all
done up in silvery paper. And it contained —
what do you think? Actually, a pair of silver
ears, which, when he tried them on, fitted so
exactly over his own, that he hardly felt them,
except for the difference they made in his
hearing.
There is something which we listen to daily
and never notice. I mean the sounds of the
visible world, animate and inanimate. Winds
blowing, waters flowing, trees stirring, insects
whirring (dear me! I am quite unconsciously
writing rhyme), with the various cries of birds
and beasts — lowing cattle, bleating sheep,
grunting pigs, and cackling hens —all the in-
finite discords that somehow or other make a
beautiful harmony.
We hear this, and are so accustomed to it
x
118 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
that we think nothing of it; but Prince Dolor,
who had lived all his days in the dead silence
of Hopeless Tower, heard it for the first time.
And oh! if you had seen his face.
He listened, listened, as if he could never
have done listening. And he looked and
looked, as if he could not gaze enough. Above
all, the motion of the animals delighted him:
cows walking, horses galloping, little lambs
and calves running races across the meadows,.
were such a treat for him to watch—he that
was always so quiet. But, thése creatures
having four legs, and he only two, the differ-
ence did not strike him painfully.
Still, by-and-by, after the fashion of children
—and, I fear, of many big people tooe=te
began to want something more than he had,
something that would be quite fresh and new.
“Godmother,†he said, having now begun
to believe that, whether he saw her or not, he
could always speak to her with full confidence
BS CBS og BOS
med |
es shag, BO ee SEN
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. I1Q
that she would hear him —“ Godmother, all
these creatures I like exceedingly—but I
should like better to see a creature like myself.
Could n’t you show me just one little boy?â€
There was a sigh behind him—it might
have been only the wind—and the cloak re-
mained so long balanced motionless in air,
that he was half afraid his godmother had
forgotten him, or was offended with him for
asking too much, Suddenly, a shrill whistle
startled him, even through his silver ears,
and looking downwards, he saw start up from
behind a bush on a common, something —
Neither a sheep, nor a horse, nor a cow —
nothing upon four legs. This creature had
only two; but they were long, straight, and
strong. And it had a lithe active body, and
a curly head of black hair set upon its shoul-
ders. It was a boy, a shepherdboy, about the
Prince’s own age — but, oh! so different.
Not that he was an ugly boy —though his
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
face was almost as red as his hands, and his
shaggy hair matted like the backs of his own
sheep. He was a rather nice-looking lad; and
seemed so bright, and healthy, and good-tem-
?
pered — “jolly� would be the word, only I am
not sure if they have such an one in the ele-
gant language of Nomansland —that the little
Prince watched him with great admiration.
“Might he come and play with me? I
would drop down to the ground to him, or fetch
him up to me here. Oh, how nice it would be
if I only had a little boy to play with me!â€
But the cloak, usually so obedient to his
wishes, disobeyed him now. There were evi-
dently some things which his godmother either
could not or would not give. The cloak hung
stationary, high in air, never attempting to
descend. The shepherd-lad evidently took it
for a large bird, and shading his eyes, looked
up at it, making the Prince’s heart beat fast.
However, nothing ensued. The boy turned
“The shepherd lad evidently took it for a large bird and
shading his eyes, looked up at it.â€
BS OSLER URE BEG
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 121
round, with a long, loud whistle —seemingly his
usual and only way of expressing his feelings.
He could not make the thing out exactly —it
was a rather mysterious affair, but it did not
trouble him much—4e was not an “examin-
ing†boy.
Then, stretching himself, for he had been
evidently half asleep, he began flopping his
shoulders with his arms, to wake and warm
himself; while his dog, a rough collie, who had
been guarding the sheep meanwhile, began to
jump upon him, barking with delight.
“Down Snap, down! Stop that, or I ‘Il
thrash you,†the Prince heard him say; though
with such a rough hard voice and queer pro-
nunciation that it was difficult to make the
words out. “Hollo! Let ’s warm ourselves
by a race.â€
They started off together, boy and dog —
barking and shouting, till it was doubtful which
made the most noise or ran the fastest. A
122 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
regular steeple-chase it was: first across the
level common, greatly disturbing the quiet
sheep; and then tearing away across country,
scrambling through hedges, and leaping ditches,
and tumbling up and down over ploughed fields.
They did not seem to have anything to run for
—but as if they did it, both of them, for the
mere pleasure of motion.
And what a pleasure that seemed! To the
dog of course, but scarcely less so to the boy.
How he skimmed along over the ground — his
cheeks glowing, and his hair flying, and his legs
— oh, what a pair of legs he had !
Prince Dolor watched him with great intent-
ness, and in a state of excitement almost equal
to that of the runner himself —for a while.
Then the sweet pale face grew a trifle paler,
the lips began to quiver and the eyes to fill.
“How nice it must be to run like that!†he
said softly, thinking that never — no, never in
this world — would he be able to do the same.
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 123
- Now he understood what his godmother had
meant when she gave him his travelling-cloak,
and why he had heard that sigh — he was sure
it was hers—when he had asked to see ‘just
one little boy.â€
“T think I had rather not look at him again,â€
said the poor little Prince, drawing himself back
into the centre of his cloak, and resuming his
favorite posture, sitting like a Turk, with his
arms wrapped round his feeble, useless legs.
“You’re no good to me,†he said, patting
them mournfully. ‘You never will be any
good to me. I wonder why I had you at
all; I wonder why I was born at all, since I
was not to grow up like other little boys.
Why not?â€
A question, so strange, So sad, yet so often
occurring in some form or other, in this world
—as you will find, my children, when you are
older —that even if he had put it to his mother
she could only have answered it, as we have to
GK YZ Ss 2
p eB a ABBE kh oe ee ONE
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
124
answer many as difficult things, by simply say-
ing “I don’t know.†There is much that we
do not know, and can not understand — we big
folks, no more than you little ones. We have
to accept it all just as you have to accept
anything which your parents may tell you,
~even though you don’t as yet see the reason
of it. You may some time, if you do exactly
as they tell you, and are content to wait.
Prince Dolor sat a good while thus, or it
appeared to him a good while, so many
thoughts came and went through his poor
young mind— thoughts of great bitterness,
which, little though he was, seemed to make
him grow years older in a few minutes.
Then he fancied the cloak began to rock
gently to and fro, with a soothing kind of
motion, as if he were in somebody’s arms;
somebody who did not speak, but loved him
and comforted him without need of words; not
by deceiving him with false encouragement
Sp Wry
: oe ae
Br OES BA, BAS rey
FS :
q
Sy
i THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE, 125
or hope, but by making him see the plain hard
truth, in all its hardness, and thus letting him
quietly face it, till it grew softened down, and
did not seem nearly so dreadful after all.
Through the dreary silence and blankness,
for he had placed himself so that he could see
nothing but the sky, and had taken off his
silver ears, as well as his gold spectacles — what
was the use of either when he had no legs to
walk or run?—up from below there rose a
delicious sound.
You have heard it hundreds of times, my
children, and so have I. When I was a child
I thought there was nothing so sweet; and
I think so still. It was just the song of a
skylark, mounting higher and higher from the
ground, till it came so close that Prince Dolor
could distinguish its quivering wings and tiny
body, almost too tiny to contain such a gush
of music.
“©, you beautiful, beautiful bird!†cried he;
126 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
“T should dearly like to take you in and cuddle
you. That is, if I could—if I dared.â€
But he hesitated. The little brown creature
with its loud heavenly voice almost made him
afraid. Nevertheless, it also made him happy;
and he watched and listened —so absorbed
that he forgot all regret and pain, forgot
everything in the world except the little
lark.
It soared and soared, and he was just won-
dering if it would soar out of sight, and what
in the world he should do when it was gone,
when it suddenly closed its wings, as larks do,
when they mean to drop to the ground. But,
instead of dropping to the ground, it dropped
right into the little boy’s breast.
What felicity! If it would only stay! A
tiny soft thing to fondle and kiss, to sing to
him all day long, and be his playfellow and
companion, tame and tender, while to the rest
of the world it was a wild bird of the air.
THE LITTLE ‘LAME PRINCE. 127
What a pride, what a delight! To have
something that nobody else had — something
all his own. As the travelling-cloak travelled
on, he little heeded where, and the lark still
stayed, nestled. down in his bosom, hopped -
from his hand to his shoulder, and kissed
him with his dainty beak, as if it loved him,
Prince Dolor forgot all his grief, and was
entirely happy.
But when he got in sight of Hopeless Tower,
a painful thought struck him.
“ My pretty bird, what am I to do with you?
If I take you into my room and shut you up
there, you, a wild skylark of the air, what will
become of you? I am used to this, but you
are not. You will be so miserable, and sup-
pose my nurse should find you—she who
can’t bear the sound of singing? Besides,
I remember her once telling me that: the
nicest thing she ever ate in her life was lark
128 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
The little boy shivered all over at the
thought. And, though the merry lark imme-
diately broke into the loudest carol, as if saying
derisively that he defied anybody to eat /zm, —
still Prince Dolor was very uneasy. In another
minute he had made up his mind.
“No, my bird, nothing so dreadful shall
happen to you if I can help it; I would rather
do without you altogether. Yes, I’ll try. Fly
away, my darling, my beautiful! Good-bye,
my merry, merry bird.â€
Opening his two caressing hands, in which,
as if for protection, he had folded it, he let
the lark go. It lingered a minute, perching
on the rim of the cloak, and looking at him
with eyes of almost human tenderness; then
away it flew, far up into the blue sky. It was
only a bird.
But, sometime after, when Prince Dolor
had eaten his supper—somewhat drearily,
except for the thought that he could not
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 129
possibly sup off lark pie now—and gone qui-
etly to bed, the old familiar little bed, where
he was accustomed to sleep, or lie awake con-
tentedly thinking — suddenly he heard outside
the window a little faint carol—faint but
cheerful — cheerful, even though it was the
middle of the night.
The dear little lark! it had not flown away
after all. And it was truly the most extraor-
dinary bird, for, unlike ordinary larks, it kept
hovering about the tower in the silence and
darkness of the night, outside the window
or over the roof. Whenever he listened for
a moment, he heard it singing still.
He went to sleep as happy as a king.
CHAPTER VII.
“Happy as a king.†How far kings are
happy I can not say, no more than could Prince
Dolor, though he had once been a king himself.
But he remembered nothing about it, and there
was nobody to tell him, except his nurse, who
had been forbidden upon pain of death to let
him know anything about his dead parents,
or the king his uncle, or, indeed, any part of
his own history.
Sometimes he speculated about himself,
whether he had had a father and mother as
other little boys had, what they had been like,
and why he had never seen them. But, know-
ing nothing about them, he did not miss them
—only once or twice, reading pretty stories
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 131
about little children and their mothers, who
helped them when they were in difficulty, and
comforted them when they were sick, he,
feeling ill and dull and lonely, wondered what
had become of his mother, and why she never
came to see him.
Then, in his history lessons, of course, he
read about kings and princes, and the govern-
ments of different countries, and the events
that happened there. And though he but
faintly took in all this, still he did take it in,
a little, and worried his young brain about it,
and perplexed his nurse with questions, to
which she returned sharp and mysterious an-
swers, which only set him thinking the more.
He had plenty of time for thinking. After
his last journey in the travelling-cloak, the jour-
ney which had given him so much pain, his de-
sire to see the world had somehow faded away.
He contented. himself with reading his books,
and looking out of the tower windows, and lis-
}
Ms
132 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
tening to his beloved little lark, which had come
home with him that day, and never left him again.
True, it kept out of the way; and though
his nurse sometimes dimly heard it, and said,
“What is that horrid noise outside?†she
never got the faintest chance of making it into
a lark pie. Prince Dolor had his pet all to
himself, and though he seldom saw it, he knew
it was near him, and he caught continually, at
odd hours of the day, and even in the night,
fragments of its delicious song.
All during the winter— so far as there ever
was any difference between summer and winter
in Hopeless Tower —the little bird cheered
and amused him. He scarcely needed any-
thing more—not even his travelling-cloak,
which lay bundled up unnoticed in a corner,
tied up in its innumerable knots. Nor did his
godmother come near him. It seemed as if
she had given these treasures and left him
alone —to use them, or lose them, apply them,
ie | ae ee eee
SE ORGS
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 133
or misapply them, according to his own -choice.
That is all we can do with children, when they
grow into big children, old enough to distin-
guish between right and wrong, and too old
to be forced to do either.
Prince Dolor was now quite a big boy. Not
tall—alas! he never could be that, with his
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poor little shrunken legs; which were of no
use, only an encumbrance. But he was stout
and strong, with great sturdy shoulders, and
muscular arms, upon which he could swing
himself about almost like a monkey. As if in
compensation for his useless lower limbs, nature
had given to these extra strength and activity.
His face, too, was very handsome ; thinner,
firmer, more manly; but still the sweet face of |
his childhood — his mother’s own face.
How his mother would have liked to look
at him! Perhaps she did —who knows!
The boy was not a stupid boy either. He
could learn almost everything he chose —and
134 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
he did choose, which was more than half the
‘battle. He never gave up his lessons till he
had learnt them all—never thought it a pun-
ishment that he had to work at them, and that:
they cost him a deal of trouble sometimes.
“But,†thought he, ‘men work, and it must
be so grand to be a man ;—a prince too; and
I fancy princes work harder than anybody —
except kings. The princes I read about gen-
erally turn into kings. I wonder†— the boy
was always wondering — “Nurse†—and one
day he startled her with a sudden question —
“tell me — shall I ever be a king?â€
The woman stood, perplexed beyond expres-
sion. So long a time had passed by since her
crime — if it was a crime—and her sentence,
that she now seldom thought of either. Even
her punishment—to be shut up for life in
Hopeless Tower—she had gradually got used
to. Used also to the little lame prince, her
charge — whom at first she had hated, though
Pee gee hig, BO eS
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 135
she carefully did everything to keep him alive,
since upon him her. own life hung. But latterly .
she had ceased to hate him, and, in a sort of
way, almost loved him —at least, enough to
be sorry for him—an innocent child, impris-
2
i
,
,
=
i
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oned here till he grew into an old man-——and
became a dull, worn-out creature like herself.
Sometimes, watching him, she felt more sorry
for him than even for herself ; and then, seeing
she looked a less miserable and ugly woman,
he did not shrink from her as usual.
136 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
He did not now. “Nurse—dear nurse,â€
said he, “I don’t mean to vex you, but tell
me — what is a king? shall I ever be one?â€
When she began to think less of herself
and more of the child, the woman’s courage
increased. The idea came to her—what harm
would it be, even if he did know his own
history? Perhaps he ought to know it —for
there had been various ups and downs, usurpa-
tions, revolutions, and restorations in Nomans-
land, as in most other countries. Something
might happen—who could tell? Changes
might occur. Possibly a crown would even
yet be set upon those pretty, fair curls —
which she began to think prettier than ever
when she saw the imaginary coronet upon
them.
She sat down, considering whether her oath,
never to “say a word†to Prince Dolor about
himself, would be broken, if she were to take
a pencil and write what was to be told. A
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 137
mere quibble—a mean, miserable quibble.
But then she was a miserable woman, more
to be pitied than scorned.
After long doubt, and with great trepidation,
she put her finger to her lips, and taking the
Prince’s slate—with the sponge tied to it,
ready to rub out the writing in a minute —
she wrote —
«“ You are a king.â€
Prince Dolor started. His face grew pale,
and then flushed all over; his eyes glistened ;
he held himself erect. Lame as he was,
anybody could see he was born to be a king.
“Hush!†said his nurse, as he was begin-
ning to speak. And then, terribly frightened
all the while—people who have done wrong
always are frightened — she wrote down in a
few hurried sentences his history. How his
parents had died —his uncle had usurped -his
throne, and sent him to end his days in this
lonely tower.
138 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
“T, too,†added she, bursting into tears.
“Unless, indeed, you could get out into the
world, and fight for your rights like a man.
And fight for me also, my prince, that I may
not die in this desolate place.†:
“Poor old nurse!†said the boy compassion-
ately. For somehow, boy as he was, when he
heard he was born to be a king, he felt like a
man —like a king— who could afford to be
tender because he was strong.
He scarcely slept that night, and even though
he heard his little lark singing in the sunrise,
he barely listened to it. Things more serious
and important had taken possession of his
mind.
“ Suppose,†thought he, “I were to do as she
says, and go out into the world, no matter how
it hurts me — the world of people, active people,
as active as that boy I saw. They might only
Jaugh at me—poor helpless creature that I
am; but still I might show them I could do
FEE, cok peli 9 Se 2
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 139
something. At any rate, I might go and see if
there was anything for me to do. Godmother,
help me!â€
It was so long since he had asked her help,
that he was hardly surprised when he got no
answer, — only the little lark outside the win-
dow sang louder and louder, and the sun rose,
flooding the room with light.
Prince Dolor sprang out of bed, and began
dressing himself, which was hard work, for he
was not used to it— he had always been accus-
tomed to depend upon his nurse for everything.
“But I must now learn to be independent,â€
thought he. “Fancy a king being dressed like
a baby!â€
So he did the best he could — awkwardly but
cheerily— and then he leaped to the corner
where lay his travelling-cloak, untied it as
before, and watched it unrolling itself — which
it did rapidly, with a hearty good-will, as if
quite tired of idleness. So was Prince Dolor —
140 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
or felt as if he was. He jumped into the
middle of it, said his charm, and was out
through the skylight immediately.
“Good-bye, pretty lark!†he shouted, as he
passed it on the wing, still warbling its carol
to the newly-risen sun. “You have been my
pleasure, my delight; now I must go and
work. Sing to old nurse till I come back
again. Perhaps she ll hear you — perhaps she
won't — but it will do her good all the same.
Good-bye!â€
But, as the cloak hung irresolute in air, he
suddenly remembered that he had not deter-
mined where to go — indeed, he did not know,
and there was nobody to tell him.
“Godmother,†he cried, in much perplexity,
“you know what I want —at least, I hope you
do, for I hardly do myself —take me where I
ought to go; show me whatever I ought to see
—never mind what I like to see,†as a sudden
idea came into his mind that he might see
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THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE, I4I
many painful and disagreeable things. But
this journey was not for pleasure —as before.
He was not a baby now, to do nothing but play
—hbig boys do not always play. Nor men
neither —they work. Thus much Prince Dolor
knew — though very little more. And as the
cloak started off, travelling faster than he had
ever known it to do—through sky-land and
cloud-land, over freezing mountain-tops, and
desolate stretches of forest, and smiling culti-
vated plains, and great lakes that seemed to
him almost as shoreless as the sea—he was
often rather frightened. But he crouched
down, silent and quiet; what was the use of
making a fuss? and, wrapping himself up in
his bear-skin, waited for what was to happen.
After some time he heard a murmur in the
distance, increasing more and more till it grew
like the hum of a gigantic hive of bees. And,
ef stretching his chin over the rim of his cloak,
NY i Prince Dolor saw —far, far below him, yet with
142 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
his gold spectacles and silver ears on, he could
distinctly hear and see— What?
Most of us have sometime or other visited a
great metropolis — have wandered through its
network of streets— lost ourselves in its crowds
of people — looked up at its tall rows of houses,
its grand public buildings, churches, and
squares. Also, perhaps, we have peeped into
its miserable little back alleys, where dirty
children play in gutters all day and half the
night — or where men reel tipsy and women
fight — where even young boys go about pick-
ing pockets, with nobody to tell them it is
wrong, except the policeman; and he simply
takes them off to prison. And all this wretch-
edness is close behind thé grandeur — like the
two sides of the leaf of a book.
An awful sight is a large city, seen anyhow,
from anywhere. But, suppose you were to see it
from the upper air; where, with your eyes and
ears open, you could take in everything at once?
fe theo, Fee
oe
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 143
What would it look like? How would you feel
about it? I hardly know myself. Do you?
Prince Dolor had need to bea king —that
is, a boy with a kingly nature—to be able to
stand such a sight without being utterly over-
come. But he was very much bewildered —as
bewildered as a blind person who is suddenly
made to see.
He gazed down on the city below him, and
then put his hand over his eyes.
“TJ can’t bear to look at it, it is so beautiful
—so dreadful. And I don’t understand it —
not one bit. There is nobody to tell me about
it. I wish I had somebody to speak to.â€
“Do you? Then pray speak to me. I was
always considered good at conversation.â€
The voice that squeaked out this reply was
an excellent imitation of the human one, though
it came only from a bird. No. lark this time,
however, but a great black and white creature
that flew into the cloak, and began walking
Ay ey sue SIP. Nl 2S onto IK ey, ste 5h
nae’, SEE Be ee
144 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
round and round on the edge of it with a dig-
nified stride, one foot before the other, like any
unfeathered biped you could name.
“T have n’t the honor of your acquaintance,
sir,†said the boy politely.
“Ma’am, if you please. JI am a mother pee
and my name is Mag, and I shall be happy to
tell you everything you want to know. For I
know a great deal; and I enjoy talking. My
family is of great antiquity ; we have built in
this palace for hundreds — that is to say, dozens
of years. Jam intimately acquainted with the
King, the Queen, and the little princes and
princesses — also the maids of honor, and all
the inhabitants of the city. I talk a good deal,
but I always talk sense, and I dare say I should
be exceedingly useful to a poor little ignorant
boy like you.â€
“T am a prince,†said the other gently.
“All right. And I amamagpie. You will
find me a most respectable bird.â€
Ge gE or aa le BEE
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. - 145
“T have no doubt of it,’ was the polite
answer — though he thought in his own mind
that Mag must have a very good opinion of
herself. But she was a lady and a stranger,
so, of course, he was civil to her.
She settled herself at his elbow, and began
to chatter away, pointing out with one skinny
claw while she balanced herself. on the other,
every object of interest, — evidently believing,
as no doubt all its inhabitants did, that there
was no capital in the world like the great
metropolis of Nomansland.
I have not seen it, and therefore can not de-
scribe it, so we will just take it upon trust, and
suppose it to be, like every other fine city, the
finest city that ever was built. “Mag†said
so—and of course she knew.
Nevertheless, there were a few things in
it which surprised Prince Dolor—and, as he
had said, he could not understand them at all.
One half the people seemed so happy and. busy
146 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
—hurrying up and down the full streets, or
driving lazily along the parks in their grand
carriages, while the other half were so wretched
and miserable.
“ Can’t the world be made a little more level?
I would try to do it if I were the king.â€
“But you’re not the king: only a little
goose of a boy,†returned the magpie loftily.
«And I’m here not to explain things, only
to show them. Shall I show you the royal
palace?â€
It was a very magnificent palace. It had
terraces and gardens, battlements and towers.
It extended over acres of ground, and had in it
rooms enough to accommodate half the city.
Its windows looked in all directions, but none
of them had any particular view— except a
small one, high up towards the roof, which
looked on to the Beautiful Mountains. But
since the Queen died there, it had been closed,
boarded up, indeed, the magpie said. It was
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
so little and inconvenient, that nobody cared
to live in it. Besides, the lower apartments,
which had no view, were magnificent — worthy
of being inhabited by his Majesty the King.
“JT should like to see the King,†said Prince
Dolor.
But what followed was so important that I
must take another chapter to tell it in.
CHAPTER VIII.
Wuat, I wonder, would be most people s
idea of a king?) What was Prince Dolor’s?
Perhaps a very splendid personage, with a
crown on his head, and a sceptre in his hand,
sitting on a throne, and judging the people.
Always doing right, and never wrong — “The
king can do no wrong†was a law laid down in
olden times. Never cross, or tired, or sick, or
suffering ; perfectly handsome and well-dressed,
calm and good-tempered, ready to see and hear
everybody, and discourteous to nobody; all
things always going well with him, and noth-
ing unpleasant ever happening.
This, probably, was what Prince Dolor ex-
pected to see.. And what did he see? But I
must tell you how he saw it.
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE,
“Ah,†said the magpie, “no levée to-day.
The King is ill, though his Majesty does not
wish it to be generally known —it would be
so very inconvenient. He can’t see you, but
perhaps you might like to go and take a look
at him, in a way I often do? It is so very
amusing.â€
Amusing, indeed!
The Prince was just now too much excited
to talk much. Was he not going to see the
King his uncle, who had succeeded his father,
and dethroned himself; had stepped into all
the pleasant things that he, Prince Dolor,
ought to have had, and shut him up in a
desolate tower? What was he like, this great,
bad, clever man? Had he got all the things
he wanted, which another ought to have had?
And did he enjoy them?
“ Nobody knows,†answered the magpie, just
as if she had been sitting inside the Prince’s
heart, instead of on the top of his shoulder.
150 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
“He is a king, and that’s enough. For the
rest nobody knows.â€
As she spoke Mag flew down on to the
palace roof, where the cloak had rested, set-
tling down between the great stacks of chim-
neys as comfortably as if on the ground. She
pecked at the tiles with her beak—truly she
was a wonderful bird—and immediately a lit-
tle hole opened, a sort of door, through which
could be seen distinctly the chamber below.
“Now look in, my prince. Make haste, for
I must soon shut it up again.â€
But the boy hesitated. “Isn’t it rude? —
won’t they think us —intruding?â€
“© dear no! there’s a hole like this in
every palace; dozens of holes, indeed. Every-
body knows it, but nobody speaks of it. In-
trusion! Why, though the Royal family are
supposed to live shut up behind stone walls
ever so thick, all the world knows that they
live in a glass house where everybody can
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THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. I51
see them, and throw a stone at them. Now,
pop down on your knees, and take a peep at
his Majesty.â€
His Majesty!
The Prince gazed eagerly down, into a large
room, the largest room he had ever beheld,
with furniture and hangings grander than any-
thing he could have ever imagined. A stray
sunbeam, coming through a crevice of the dark-
ened windows, struck across the carpet, and it
was the loveliest carpet ever woven —just like
a bed of flowers to: walk over; only nobody
walked over it; the room being perfectly empty
and silent.
“Where is the King?†asked the puzzled
Se BDO.
x it “There,†said Mag, pointing with one wrin-
Cay kled claw to a magnificent bed, large enough
3 to contain six people. In the centre of it,
just visible under the silken counterpane —
<4 quite straight and still—with its head on the
152 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
lacé pillow —lay a small figure, something like
waxwork, fast asleep—very fast asleep! There
were a quantity of sparkling rings on the tiny
yellow hands, that were curled a little, help-
lessly, like a baby’s, outside the coverlet; the
eyes were shut, the nose looked sharp and
thin, and the long gray beard hid the mouth,
and lay over the breast. A sight not ugly,
nor frightening, only solemn and quiet. And
so very silent —two little flies buzzing. about
the curtains of the bed, being the only audi-
ble sound.
“Ts that the King?†whispered Prince Dolor.
“Yes,†replied the bird.
He had been angry —furiously angry; ever
since he knew how his uncle had taken the
crown, and sent him, a poor little helpless
child, to be shut up for life, just as if he had
been dead. Many times the boy had felt as
if, king as he was, he should like to strike
him, this great, strong, wicked man.
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154 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE,
Why, you might as well have struck a baby!
How helpless he lay! with his eyes shut, and
his idle hands folded: they had ‘no more work
to do, bad or good.
“What is the matter with him?†asked the
Prince again.
“He is dead,†said the magpie with a croak.
No, there was not the least use in being
angry with him now. On the contrary, the
Prince felt almost sorry for him, except that he
looked so peaceful, with all his cares at rest.
And this was being dead? So, even kings died?
“Well, well, he had n’t an easy life, folk say,
for all his grandeur. Perhaps he is glad it is
over. Good-bye, your Majesty.â€
With another cheerful tap of her beak, Mis-
tress Mag shut down the little door in the tiles,
and Prince Dolor’s first and last sight of his
uncle was ended.
He sat in the centre of his travelling-cloak
silent and thoughtful.
Se
SROs Melon, Beton cv
“Bet EB Is BA ee
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 155
gf What shall we do now?†said the magpie.
“There’s nothing much more to be done with
his Majesty, except a fine funeral, which I shall:
certainly go and see. All the world will. He
interested the world exceedingly when he was
alive. and he ought to do it now he’s dead —
just once more. And since he can’t hear me,.
I may as well say that, on the whole, his
Majesty is much better dead than alive — if we
can only get somebody in his place. There ’ll
be such a row in the city presently. Suppose
we float up again, and see it all. At a safe
distance, though. It will be such fun.â€
““What will be fun?â€
“A revolution.â€
Whether anybody except a magpie would
have called it “fun,†I don’t know, but it
certainly was a remarkable scene.
As soon as the Cathedrai bell began to toll,
and the minute guns to fire, announcing to the
kingdom that it was without a king, the people
156 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
"gathered in crowds, stopping at street cones
to talk together. The murmur now and then
‘rose into a shout, and the shout into a roar.
When Prince Dolor, quietly floating in upper
air, caught the sound of their different and
opposite cries, it seemed to him as if the whole
.city had gone mad together.
“Long live the King!†“The King is dead
—down with the King!†“Down with the
crown, and the King too!†“Hurrah for the
Republic!†“Hurrah for no Government at all.â€
Such were the shouts which travelled up to
the travelling-cloak. And then began — oh,
what a scene!
When you children are grown men and
women — or before — you will hear and read
in books about what are called revolutions —
earnestly I trust that neither I nor you may
ever see one. But they have happened, and
may happen again, in other countries beside
Nomansland, when wicked kings have helped
oe
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THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE, 157
to make their people wicked too, or out of an
unrighteous nation have sprung rulers equally
bad; or, without either of these causes, when
a restless country has fancied any change
better than no change at all.
For me, I don’t like changes, unless pretty
sure that they are for good. And how good
can come out of absolute evil — the horrible
evil that went on this night under Prince D ae )
fee 5
a NTH.
Dolor’s very eyes — soldiers shooting people
down by hundreds in the streets, scaffolds’
158 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
erected, and heads dropping off — houses burnt,
and women and children murdered — this is
more than I can understand.
But all these things you will find in history,
my children, and must by-and-by judge for
yourselves the right and wrong of them, as far
as anybody ever can judge.
Prince Dolor saw it all. Things happened so
fast after one another that they quite confused
his faculties.
“Ohi vets me 720 home,†he cried at last,
stopping his ears and shutting his eyes; “only
let me go home!†for even his lonely tower
seemed. home, and its dreariness and silence
absolute paradise after all this.
“ Good-bye, then,†said the magpie, flapping
her wings. She had been chatting incessantly
all day and all night, for it was actually thus
long that Prince Dolor had been hovering over
the city, neither eating nor sleeping, with all
these terrible things happening under his very
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 159
eyes. “You’ve had enough, I suppose, of
seeing the world?â€
“Oh, I have—I have!†cried the Prince
with a shudder.
“That is, till next time. All right, your
Royal Highness. You don’t know me, but
I know you. We may meet again sometime.â€
She looked at him with her clear piercing
eyes, sharp enough to see through everything,
and it seemed as if they changed from bird’s
eyes to human eyes, the very eyes of his god-
mother, whom he had.-not seen for ever so long.
But the minute afterwards she became only
a bird, and with a screech and a chatter spread
her wings and flew away.
Prince Dolor fell into a kind of swoon, of utter
misery, bewilderment, and exhaustion, and when
he awoke he found himself in his own room —
alone and quiet — with the dawn just breaking,
and the long rim of yellow light in the horizon
glimmering through the window panes.
OTE AY
ae
CHAPTER IX.
WueEwn Prince Dolor sat up in bed, trying to
remember where he was, whither he had been,
and what he had seen the day before, he per-
ceived that his room was empty.
Generally, his nurse rather worried him by
breaking his slumbers, coming in and “setting
things to rights,’ as she called it. Now, the
dust lay thick upon chairs and tables; there
was no harsh voice heard to scold him for not
getting up immediately — which, I am sorry to
say, this boy did not always do. For he so
enjoyed lying still, and thinking lazily, about
everything or nothing, that, if he had not tried
hard against it, he would certainly have become
like those celebrated
‘* Two little men
Who lay in their bed till the clock struck ten.â€
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE, 161
It was striking ten now, and still no nurse was
to be seen. He was rather relieved at first. for
he felt so tired; and besides, when he stretched
out his arm, he found to his dismay that he had
gone to bed in his clothes.
Very uncomfortable he felt, of course; and
just a little frightened. Especially when he
began to call and call again, but nobody an-
swered. Often he used to think how nice it
would be to get rid of his nurse and live in this
tower all by himself —like a sort of monarch,
able to do everything he liked, and leave un-
done all that he did not want to do; but now
that this seemed really to have happened, he
did not like it at all.
“ Nurse —.dear. nurse — please come back!â€â€™
he called'out. “Come back, and I will be the
best boy in all the land.â€
And when’ she did not come back, and noth-
ing but silence answered his lamentable call,
he very nearly began to cry.
162 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
“This won’t do,†he said at last, dashing
the tears from his eyes. “It’s just like a baby,
and I’m a big boy — shall be a man some day.
What has happened, I wonder? I’ll go and
He sprang out of bed —not to his feet, alas!
but to his poor little weak knees, and crawled
on them from room ‘to room. All the four
chambers were deserted—not forlorn or un-
tidy, for everything seemed to have been done
for his comfort—the breakfast and dinner-
things were laid, the food spread in order. He
might live “like a prince,’ as the proverb is,
for several days. But the place was entirely
forsaken —there was evidently not a creature
but himself in the solitary tower.
A great fear came upon the poor boy.
Lonely as his life had been, he had never
known what it was to be absolutely alone.
A kind of despair seized him —no violent anger
or terror, but a sort of patient desolation.
‘{ >
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THE LITTLE LAME. PRINCE. 163
“What in the world am I to do?†thought
he, and sat down in the middle of the floor,
half inclined to believe that it would be better
to give up entirely, lay himself down and die.
This feeling, however, did not last long,
for he was young and strong, and I said
before, by nature a very courageous boy.
There came into his head, somehow or other,
a proverb that his nurse had taught him —
the people of Nomansland were very fond of
proverbs : —
“For every evil under the sun
There is a remedy, or there ’s none;
If there is one, try to find it —
If there is n’t, never mind it.â€
“TI wonder—is there a remedy now, and
could I find it?†cried the Prince, jumping
up and looking out of the window.
No help there. He only saw the broad
bleak sunshiny plain — that iSpeat rst... but,
by-and-by, in the circle of mud that surrounded
164 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
the base of the tower he perceived distinctly
the marks of a horse’s, feet, and just in the
spot where the deaf-mute was accustomed to
tie up his great black charger, while he him-
self ascended, there lay the remains of a bundle
of hay and a feed of corn.
“Yes, that’s it. He has come and gone,
taking nurse away with him. Poor nurse!
how glad she would be to go!â€
That was Prince Dolor’s first thought. His
second — was n’t it natural ?— was a passionate
indignation at her cruelty—at the cruelty of
. all the world towards him—a poor little help-
less boy. Then he determined —forsaken as
he was—to try and hold on to*the last, and
not to die as long as he could possibly help it.
Anyhow, it would be easier to die here than
out in the world, among the terrible doings
which he had just beheld. From the midst of
which, it suddenly struck him, the deaf-mute
had come—contrived somehow to make the
9
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THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 165
nurse understand that the king was dead, and
she need have no fear in going back to the
capital, where there was a grand revolution,
and everything turned upside down. So, of
course she had gone.
“T hope she ’ll enjoy it, miserable woman —
if they don’t cut off her head too.â€
And then a kind of remorse smote him for
feeling so bitterly towards her, after all the
years she had taken care of him — grudgingly,
perhaps, and coldly; still, she had taken care
of him, and that even to the last: for, as I have
said, all his four rooms were as tidy as possible,
and his meals laid out, that he might have no
a more trouble than could be helped.
« “Possibly she did not mean to be cruel. I
all : won’t judge her,†said he. And afterwards he
was very glad that he had so determined.
For the second time he tried to dress him-
av) self, and then to do everything he could for
himself — even to sweeping up the hearth and
oN
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166 THE LITTLE LAME. PRINCE.
putting on more coals. “It’s a funny thing
for a prince to have to do,†said he laughing.
“But my godmother once said princes need
never mind doing anything.â€
And then he thought a little of his god-
mother. Not of summoning her, or asking
her to help him—she had evidently left him
to help himself, and he was determined to try
his best to do it, being a very proud and inde-
pendent boy—but he remembered her, ten-
derly and regretfully, as if even she had been
a little hard upon him — poor, forlorn boy that
he was! But he seemed to have seen and
learned so much within the last few days, that.
he scarcely felt like a boy, but a man — until
he went to bed at night.
When I was a child, I used often to think
how nice it would be to live in a little house all
by my own self—a house built high up in a
tree, or far away in a forest, or half way up
a hillside, —so deliciously alone and indepen-
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 167
dent. Not a lesson to learn—but no! I
always liked learning my lessons. Anyhow,
to choose the lessons I liked best, to have as
many books to read and dolls to play with as
ever I wanted: above all, to be free and at
rest, with nobody to tease, or trouble, or scold
me, would be charming. For I was a lonely
little thing, who liked quietness ——as many
children do; which other children, and some-
times grown-up people even, can not always
understand. And so I can understand Prince
Dolor.
After his first despair, he was not merely
comfortable, but actually happy in his solitude,
doing everything for himself, and enjoying
everything by himself — until bedtime.
Svat Then, he did not like it ‘at all. No more,
Bore I suppose, than other children would have liked
my imaginary house in a tree, when they had
0
ayy had sufficient of their own company.
SUP
oo But the prince had to bear it—and he did
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168
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE,
bear it—like a prince: for fully five days.
All that time he got up in the morning and
went to bed at night, without having spoken
‘to a creature, or, indeed, heard a single sound.
For even his little lark was silent : and as for
his travelling-cloak, either he never thought
about it, or else it had been spirited away —
for he made no use of it, nor attempted to do
so.
A very strange existence it was, those five
lonely days. He never entirely forgot it. It
threw him back upon himself, and into himself
—in away that all of us have to learn when
we grow up, and are the better for it — but it
is somewhat hard learning.
On the sixth day, Prince Dolor had a strange
composure in his look, but he was very grave,
and thin, and white. He had nearly come to
the end of his provisions —and what was to
happen next? Get out of the tower he could
not; the ladder the deaf-mute used was always
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 169
carried away again; and if it had not been, how
could the poor boy have used it? And even
if he slung or flung himself down, and by
miraculous chance came alive to the foot of
the tower, how could le run away?
Fate had been very hard to him, or so it
seemed.
He made up his mind to die. Not that he
wished to die; on the contrary, there was a
great deal that he wished to live to do; but if
he must die, he must. Dying did not seem so
very dreadful ; not even to lie quiet like his
uncle, whom he had entirely forgiven now, and
neither be miserable nor naughty any more,
and escape all those horrible things that he
had seen going on outside the palace, in that
awful place which was called “the world.â€
“Tt’s a great deal nicer here,†said the poor
little Prince, and collected all his pretty things
round him: his favorite pictures, which he
thought he should like to have near him when
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
170
he died; his books and toys—no, he had
ceased to care for toys now; he only liked
them because he had done so as a child, And
there he sat very calm and patient, like a king
in his castle, waiting for the end.
“ Still, I wish I had done something first —
something worth doing, that somebody might
remember me by,†thought he. “Suppose I
had grown a man, and had had work to do, and
people to care for, and was so useful and busy
that they liked me, and perhaps even forgot I
was lame. Then, it would have been nice to
live, I think.â€
A tear came into the little fellow’s eyes, and
he listened intently through the dead silence
for some hopeful sound.
Was there one — was it his little lark, whom
he had almost forgotten? No, nothing half so
sweet. But it really was something — some-
thing which came nearer and nearer, so that
there was no mistaking it. It was the sound
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
of a trumpet, one of the great silver trum-
pets so admired in Nomansland. Not pleasant
music, but very bold, grand, and inspiring.
As he listened to it the boy seemed to recall
many things which had slipped his memory for
years, and to nerve himself for whatever might
be going to happen.
What had happened was this.
The poor condemned woman had not been
such a wicked woman after all. Perhaps her
courage was not wholly disinterested, but she
had done a very heroic thing. As soon as
she heard of the death and burial of the King,
and of the changes that were taking place in
the country, a daring idea came into her head
—to set upon the throne of Nomansland its
rightful heir. Thereupon she persuaded the
deaf-mute to take her away with him, and
they galloped like the wind from city to city,
spreading everywhere the news that Prince
Dolor’s death and burial had been an inven-
172 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
tion concocted by his wicked uncle —that he
was alive and well, and the noblest young
Prince that ever was born.
It was a bold stroke, but it succeeded. The
country, weary, perhaps, of the late King’s
harsh rule, and yet glad to save itself from
the horrors of the last few days, and the still
further horrors of no rule at all, and having no
particular interest in the other young princes,
jumped at the idea of this Prince, who was the
son of their late good King and the beloved
Queen Dolorez.
“Hurrah for Prince Dolor! Let Prince
Dolor be our sovereign!†rang from end to
end of the kingdom. Everybody tried to re-
member what a dear baby he once was — how
like his mother, who had been so sweet and
kind, and his father, the finest looking king
that ever reigned. Nobody remembered his
lameness — or, if they did, they passed it over
as a matter of no consequence. They were
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THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 173
determined to have him to reign over them,
boy as he was—perhaps just because he was
a boy, since in that case the great nobles
thought they should be able to do as they
liked with the country.
Accordingly, with a fickleness not confined
to the people of Nomansland, no sooner was
the late King laid in his grave than they pro-
nounced him to have been a usurper; turned
all his family out of the palace, and left it
empty for the reception of the new sovereign,
whom they went to fetch with great rejoicing ;
a select body of lords, gentlemen, and soldiers,
travelling night and day in solemn procession
through the country, until they reached Hope-
less Tower.
There they found the Prince, sitting calmly
on the floor—deadly pale indeed, for he ex-
pected a quite different end from this, and was
resolved if he had to die, to die courageously,
like a prince and a king.
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
But when they hailed him as prince and
king, and explained to him how matters stood,
and went down on their knees before him,
offering the crown (on a velvet cushion, with
four golden tassels, each nearly as big as his
head) —small though he was and lame, which
lameness the courtiers pretended not to notice
—there came such a glow into his face, such
a dignity into his demeanor, that he became
beautiful, king-like.
“Yes,†he said, “if you desire it, I will be
your king. And I will do my best to make my
people happy.â€
Then there arose, from inside and outside the
tower, such a shout as never yet was heard
across the lonely plain.
Prince Dolor shrank a little from the deafen-
ing sound. ‘How shall I be able to rule all
this great people? You forget, my lords, that
I am only a little boy still.â€
“Not so very little,’ was the respectful
y I
‘‘ They went down on their knees before him, offering
him the crown on a velvet cushion,â€â€™
THE LITTLE LAME :PRINCE. 175
answer. “We have searched in the records,
and found that your Royal Highness — your
Majesty, I mean —is precisely fifteen years
old.â€
“Am I?†said Prince Dolor; and his first
thought was a thoroughly childish pleasure that
he should now have a birthday, with a whole
nation to keep it. Then he remembered that
his childish days were done. He was a mon-
arch now. Even his nurse, to whom, the mo-
ment he saw her, he had held out his hand,
kissed it reverently, and called him ceremoni-
ously “his Majesty the King.â€
“A king must be always a king, I suppose,â€
said he half sadly, when, the ceremonies over,
he had been left to himself for just ten minutes,
to put off his boy’s clothes and be re-attired
in magnificent robes, before he was conveyed
away from his tower to the Royal Palace.
He could take nothing with him; indeed, he
soon saw that, however politely they spoke,
QW ew
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176 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
they would not allow him to take anything.
If he was to be their king, he must give up
his old life forever. So he looked with tender
farewell on his old books, old toys, the furniture
he knew so well, and the familiar plain in all its
levelness, ugly yet pleasant, simply because it
was familiar.
“Tt will be a new life in a new world,†said
he to himself: “but T’ll remember the old
things still. And, oh! if before I go, I could
but once see my dear old godmother.â€
While he spoke, he had laid himself down on
the bed for a minute or two, rather tired with
his grandeur, and confused by the noise of the
trumpets which kept playing incessantly down
below. He gazed, half sadly, up to the sky-
light, whence there came pouring a stream of
sun-rays, with innumerable motes floating there,
like a bridge thrown between heaven and earth.
Sliding down it, as if she had been made of air,
came the little old woman in gray.
BS PTS ORE See
: ey THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 177
So beautiful looked she-—old as she was —
that Prince Dolor was at first quite startled by
the apparition. Then he held out his arms in
eager delight.
“OQ, godmother, you have not forsaken me!â€
“Not at all, my son. You may not have
seen me, but I have seen you, many a time.â€
«How ?â€â€™-
“OQ, never mind. I can turn into anything I
please, you know. And I have been a bear-
skin rug, and a crystal goblet —and sometimes
I have changed from inanimate to animate
nature, put on feathers, and made myself very
comfortable as a bird.â€
“Ha!†laughed the Prince, a new light
breaking in upon him, as he caught the infec-
tion of her tone, lively and mischievous. “ Ha,
ha! a lark, for instance?â€
“Or a magpie,†answered she, with a capi-
tal imitation of Mistress Mag’s croaky voice-
sy) “Do you suppose I am always sentimental and
178 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
never funny ?— If anything makes you happy,
gay or grave, don’t you think it is more than
likely to come through your old godmother?â€
“T believe that,’ said the boy tenderly,
holding out his arms. They clasped one an-
other in a close embrace.
Suddenly Prince Dolor looked very anxious.
“You will not leave me now that Iam a king?
Otherwise, I had rather not be a king at all.
Promise never to forsake me?â€
The little old woman laughed gaily. ‘ For-
sake you? that is impossible. But it is just
possible you may forsake me. Not probable
though. Your mother never did, and she
was a queen. The sweetest queen in all the
world was the Lady Dolorez.â€
“Tell me about her,†said the boy eagerly.
“ As I get older I think I can understand more.
Do tell me.â€
“Not now. You couldn’t hear me for the
trumpets and the shouting. But when you are
x s ° 4 j : ; 1G Ly sr
Aes es ea ee, ae eR
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 179
come to the palace, ask for a long-closed upper
room, which looks out upon the Beautiful Moun-
tains; open it and take it for yourown. When-
ever you go there, you will always find me, and
we will talk together about all sorts of things.â€
“And about my mother?†*
The little old woman nodded—and kept
nodding and smiling to herself many times,
as the boy repeated over and over again the
sweet words he had never known or under-
stood — “my mother —my mother.â€
“ Now I must go,†said she, as the trumpets
blared louder and louder, and the shouts of
the people showed that they would not endure
any delay. ‘Good-bye, Good-bye! Open the
window and out I fly.â€
Prince Dolor repeated gaily the musical
rhyme —but all the while tried to hold his
godmother fast.
Vain, vain!—for the moment that a knock-
ing was heard at his door, the sun went behind
Beatie
ie HOSS A
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
a cloud, the bright stream of dancing motes
- vanished, and the little old woman with them
—he knew not where.
So Prince Dolor quitted his tower —which
he had entered so mournfully and ignomini-
ously, as a little helpless baby carried in the
deaf-mute’s arms—dquitted it as the great
King of Nomansland.
The only thing he took away with him was
something so insignificant, that none of the lords,
gentlemen, and soldiers who escorted him with
such triumphant splendor, could possibly notice .
it—a tiny bundle, which he had found lying
on the floor just where the bridge of sunbeams
had rested. At once he had pounced upon
it, and thrust it secretly into his bosom, where
it dwindled into such small proportions, that
it might have been taken for a mere chest-
comforter —a bit of flannel — or an old pocket-
handkerchief !
It was his travelling-cloak.
CHAPTER X.
Dip Prince Dolor become a great king?
Was he, though little more than a boy, “the
father of his people,†as all kings ought to be?
Did his reign last long —long and happy ? —
and what were the principal events of it, as
chronicled in the history of Nomansland?
Why, if I were to answer all these questions,
I should have to write another book. And —
I’m tired, children, tired — as grown-up people
sometimes are; though not always with, play.
(Besides, I have a small person belonging to
me, who, though she likes extremely to listen
to the word-of-mouth story of this book, grum-
bles much at the writing of it, and has run
about the house clapping her hands with joy
(181)
182 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
when mamma told her that it was nearly fin-
ished. But that is neither here nor there.)
I have related, as well as I could, the history
of Prince Dolor, but with the history of No-
mansland I am as yet unacquainted. If any-
body knows it, perhaps he or she will kindly
write it all down in another book. But mine
is done.
However, of this I am sure, that Prince
Dolor made an excellent king. Nobody ever
does anything less well, not even the com-
monest duty of common daily life, for having
such a godmother as the little old woman
clothed in gray, whose name is —well, I leave
you to guess. Nor, I think, is anybody less
good, less capable of both work and enjoyment
in after life, for having been a little unhappy in
his youth, as the Prince had been.
I cannot take upon myself to say that he was
always happy now— who is? —or that he had
no cares; just show me the person who is quite
eeu : Pie tolag Oe po Wey
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 183
free from them! But, whenever people worried
and bothered him—as they did sometimes,
with state etiquette, state squabbles, and the
like, setting up themselves and pulling down.
their neighbors — he would take refuge in
that upper room which looked out on the
Beautiful Mountains, and laying his head on
his godmother’s shoulder, become calmed and
at rest. 3
Also, she helped him out of any difficulty
which now and then occurred—for there
never was such a wise old woman. When
the people of Nomansland raised the alarm —
as sometimes they did—for what people can
exist without a little fault-finding ?— and
began to cry out, “ Unhappy is the nation
whose king is a child,†she would say to him
gently, “You are a child. Accept the fact.
Be humble —be teachable. Lean upon the
&i¢ wisdom of others till you have gained your
oi own.â€
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184 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
He did so. He learned how to take advice
before attempting to give it, to obey before he
could righteously command. He assembled
round him all the good and wise of his king-
dom — laid all its affairs before them, and was
guided by their opinions until he had maturely
formed his own.
This he did, sooner than anybody would have
imagined, who did not know of his godmother
and his travelling-cloak — two secret blessings,
which, though many guessed at, nobody quite
understood. Nor did they understand why he
loved so the little upper room, except that it
had been his mother’s room, from the window
of which, as people remembered now, she had
used to sit for hours watching the Beautiful
Mountains.
Out of that window he used to fly — not very
often; as he grew older, the labors of state
prevented the frequent use of his travelling-
cloak; still he did use it sometimes. Only
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
now it was less for his own pleasure and
amusement than to see something, or investi-
gate something, for the good of the country.
But he prized his godmother’s gift as dearly as
ever. It was acomfort to him in all his vexa-
tions ; an enhancement of all his joys. It made
him almost forget his lameness — which was
never cured.
However, the cruel things which had been
once foreboded of him did not happen. His
misfortune was not such a heavy one after all.
It proved to be much less inconvenience, even
to himself, than had been feared. A council
of eminent surgeons and mechanicians invented
for him a wonderful pair of crutches, with the
help of which, though he never walked easily or
gracefully, he did manage to walk, so as to be
quite independent. And such was the love his
people bore him, that they never heard the
sound of his crutch on the marble palace-floors
without a leap of the heart, for they knew
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186 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
that good was coming to them whenever he
approached them.
Thus, though he never walked in proces-
sions, never reviewed his troops mounted on a
magnificent charger, nor did any of the things
which make a show monarch so much appreci-
ated, he was able for all the duties and a great
many of the pleasures of his rank. When he
held his levées, not standing, but seated on a
throne, ingeniously contrived to hide his in-
firmity, the people thronged to greet him ; when
he drove out through the city streets, shouts
followed him wherever he went — every coun-
tenance brightened as he passed, and his own,
perhaps, was the brightest of all.
First, because, accepting his affliction as
inevitable, he took it patiently; second, be-
cause, being a brave man, he bore it bravely;
trying to forget himself, and live out of him-
self, and in and for other people. Therefore
other people grew to love him so well, that I
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“They knew that good was coming to them whenever
he approached them.â€
a
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
think hundreds of his subjects might have
been found who were almost ready to die for
their poor lame King.
He never gave them a queen. When they
implored him to choose one, he replied that his
country was his bride, and he desired no other.
But, perhaps, the real reason was that he
shrank from any change; and that no wife in
all the world would have been found so perfect,
so lovable, so tender to him in all his weakness,
as his beautiful old godmother.
His four-and-twenty other godfathers and
godmothers, or as many of them as were still
alive, crowded round him as soon as he as-
cended the throne. He was very civil to them
all, but adopted none of the names they had
given him, keeping to the one by which he had
been always known, though it had now almost
lost its meaning; for King Dolor was one of
the happiest and cheerfullest men alive.
He did a good many things, however, unlike
Qq
ADJ
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 189
most men and most kings, which a little aston-
ished his subjects. First, he pardoned the con-
demned woman, who had been his nurse, and
ordained that from henceforward there should
be no such thing as the punishment of death in
Nomansland. All capital criminals were to
be sent to perpetual imprisonment in Hopeless
Tower, and the plain round about it, where they
could do no harm to anybody, and might in
time do a little good, as the woman had
done.
Another surprise he shortly afterwards gave
the nation. He recalled his uncle’s family,
who had fled away in terror to another country,
and restored them to all their honors in their
own. By-and-by he chose the eldest son of
his eldest cousin (who had been dead a year),
and had him educated in the royal palace, as
the heir to the throne. This little prince was
a quiet, unobtrusive boy, so that everybody
wondered at the King’s choosing him, when
Vy Uy,
7
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
there were so many more; but as he grew
into a fine young fellow, good and brave, they
agreed that the King judged more wisely than
they.
“Not a lame prince neither,’ his Majesty
observed one day, watching him affectionately ;
for he was the best runner, the highest leaper,
the keenest and most active sportsman in the
country. ‘One cannot make oneself, but one
can sometimes help a little in the making of
somebody else. It is well.â€
This was said, not to any of his great lords
and ladies, but to a good old woman — his first
homely nurse—whom he had sought for far
and wide, and at last found, in her cottage
among the Beautiful Mountains. He sent for
her to visit him once a year, and treated her
with great honor until she died. He was
equally kind, though somewhat less tender, to
.
his other nurse, who, after receiving her paxdon,
returned to her native town and grew into a
THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. I9gt
great lady, and I hope a good one. But as she
was so grand a personage now, any little faults
she had did not show.
Thus King Dolor’s reign passed, year after
year, long and prosperous. Whether he was
happy — “as happy as a king’ — is a question
no human being can decide. But I think he
was, because he had the power of making every-
body about him happy, and did it too; also
because he was his godmother’s godson, and
could shut himself up with her whenever he
liked, in that quiet little room, in view of the
Beautiful Mountains, which nobody else ever
saw or cared to see. They were too far off,
and the city lay so low. But there they were,
all the time. No change ever came to them;
and I think, at any day throughout his long
reign, the King would sooner have lost his
crown. than have lost sight of the Beautiful
Mofintains.
In course of time, when the little prince, his
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THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
cousin, was grown into a tall young man, capa-
ble of all the duties of a man, his Majesty did
one of the most extraordinary acts ever known
in a sovereign beloved by his people and pros-
perous in his reign. He announced that he
wished to invest his heir with the royal purple
—at any rate, for a time—while he himself
went away on a distant journey, whither he
had long desired to go.
Everybody marvelled, but nobody opposed
him. Who could oppose the good King, who
was not a young king now? And, besides, the
nation had a great admiration for the young
Regent—and, possibly, a lurking pleasure in
change.
So there was fixed a day, when all the people
whom it would hold, assembled in the great
square of the capital, to see the young Prince
installed solemnly in his new duties, and under-
taking his new vows. He was a very fine
young fellow; tall and straight as a poplar
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THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 193
tree, with a frank handsome face —a great
deal handsomer than the King, some people
said, but others thought differently. However,
as his Majesty sat on his throne, with his gray
hair falling from underneath his crown, and a
few wrinkles showing in spite of his smile, there
was something about his countenance which
made his people, even while they shouted, re-
gard him with a tenderness mixed with awe.
He lifted up his thin, slender hand, and
there came a silence over the vast crowd
immediately. Then he spoke, in his own
accustomed way, using no grand words, but
saying what he had to say in the simplest _
fashion, though with a clearness that struck
their ears like the first song of a bird in the
dusk of the morning.
“My people, I am tired: I want to rest. I
have had a long reign, and done much work —
at least, as much as I was able to do. Many
might have done it better than I—but none
194 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
with a better will. Now I leave it to others.
I am tired, very tired. Let me go home.â€
There rose a murmur—of content or dis-
content none could well tell; then it died
down again, and the assembly listened silently
once more.
“T am not anxious about you—my people
—my children,†continued the king. ‘“ You
-are prosperous and at peace. I leave you in
good hands. The ‘Prince Regent will be a
fitter king for you than I.â€
“No, no, no!†rose the universal shout —
and those who had sometimes found fault with
him shouted louder than anybody. But he
seemed as if he heard them not.
“Yes, yes,†said he, as soon as the tumult
had a little subsided: and his voice sounded
firm and clear; and some very old people, who
boasted of having seen him as a child, declared
that his face took a sudden change, and grew
as young and sweet as that of the little Prince
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“He lifted up his thin, slender hand, and there came
a silence over the vast crowd immediately.â€
196° THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
Dolor. ‘Yes, I must go. It is time for me
to go. Remember me sometimes, my people,
for I have loved you well. And I am going
a long way, and I do not think I shall come
back any more.â€
He drew a little, bundle out of his breast
pocket —a bundle that nobody had ever seen
before. It was small and shabby-looking, and
tied up with many knots, which untied them-
selves in an instant. With a joyful counte-
‘nance, he muttered over it a few half-intelligible
words. Then, so suddenly that even those
nearest to his Majesty could not tell how it
came about, the King was away —away —
floating right up in the air — upon something,
they knew not what, except that it appeared to
be as safe and pleasant as the wings of a bird.
And after him sprang ‘a bird —a dear little
lark, rising from whence no one could say,
since larks do not usually build their nests in
the pavement of city squares. But there it
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THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. 197
was, a real lark, singing far over their heads,
louder, and clearer, and more joyful, as it
vanished further into the blue sky.
Shading their eyes, and straining their ears,
the astonished people stood, until the whole
vision disappeared like a speck in the clouds —
the rosy clouds that overhung the Beautiful
Mountains. 3
Then they guessed that they should see
their beloved king no more. Well-beloved as
he was, he had always been somewhat of a
mystery to them, and such he remained. But
they went home, and, accepting their new
monarch, obeyed him faithfully for his cousin’s
sake.
King Dolor was never again beheld or heard
of in his own country. But the good he had
done there lasted for years and years; he was
long missed and deeply mourned —at least, so
far as anybody could mourn one who was gone
on such a happy journey.
198 THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE.
Whither he went, or who went with him, it
is impossible to say. But I myself believe
that his godmother took him, on his travelling-
cloak, to the Beautiful Mountains. What he
did there, or where he is now, who can tell?
I cannot. But one thing I am quite sure of,
that, wherever he is, he is perfectly happy.
And so, when I think of him, am I.
THE END.
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