Chapter 7

TOM RECEIVES INSTRUCTIONS

Tom was brought into a large room and made to sit down. There were many men around him. He asked them to sit down also, but they only bowed their heads. His " uncle", Lord Hertford, said in his ear:

" Please don't ask them to sit down, my lord, they must not sit in your presence. "

Lord St. John came up to Tom and said:

" I have come with an order from the king which I can tell only you and Lord Hertford. "

When the other men left the room, Lord St. John said:

" The king says that the prince must not ever say that he is not the true prince; that when he does not know what to do he must ask Lord Hertford, or myself, Lord St. John. "

Tom answered: " The king has said it, so I shall do it. "

" Please do not read or study today, your highness, " said Lord Hertford. " You must not be tired at the banquet. "

Tom was surprised.

" You have shown surprise, my prince, " said Lord St. John, " Lord Hertford is speaking of the city banquet which the king promised you two months ago. Do you remember it now? "

Tom's face got red. " I'm sorry to say that I have quite forgotten about it, " he said.

At this moment Lady Elizabeth and Lady Jane Grey came into the room. As the young girls passed Lord Hertford, he said in a low voice:

" Please do not show any surprise if the prince forgets anything. "

At the same time Lord St. John was saying in Tom's ear:

" Please, Sir, don't forget the king's wish. Remember all you can. Do not let them see that you have changed much. "

Many times during the talk with the ladies, Tom did not know what to say, but nobody seemed to notice it.

Then Tom said to the little ladies:

" Will you go with me to the banquet this evening? " They answered: " Yes, we will, " and he was very much pleased.

When the ladies went away, Tom said: " May I go into some corner and rest? "

Lord Hertford said: " You may do whatever you wish to, your highness. "

So Tom was taken into another room. His first wish was to have a cup of water that he saw, but a page dressed in silk fell on one knee and offered it to him on a golden plate. And so it was each time that he wanted to do something himself. At last he thought: " I'm afraid they will breathe for me also. " He lay down to rest, but he could not sleep, for his head was too full of thoughts and the room too full of people.

1. Answer the questions.

1) Who was Lord Hertford?

2) What instructions did Tom get from him?

3) It was easy for Tom to talk with Lady Elizabeth and Lady Jane, wasn’t it?

4) What did Tom ask them about?

5) Did Tom enjoy the time in the palace?

2. Make a list of things which surprised Tom.

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