Chapter 17

THE KING AMONG PEASANTS

Every day the king and Hugo went out to beg. One day Hugo stole some money from the pocket of a man who was passing by. The man caught him by the hand and soon a crowd gathered around them. The king saw his chance to run away. Soon the village was far behind him.

He walked on and on until night came and he was so tired and hungry that he could not go on any longer. He was in the street of a village. He entered the first barn he saw. He lay down on the floor and soon fell asleep.

In the morning he woke up because he heard children's voices. The barn door opened and two little girls came in. They looked at him in surprise. One of them said:

" He has a nice face. "

" And very nice hair too, " said the other.

" But his clothes are terrible. "

" And how hungry he looks. "

They came nearer, and the first girl asked:

" Who are you, boy? "

" I am the king, " was his answer.

With wide open eyes they stood silent for a minute.

'The king? What king? "

" The king of England. "

The girls looked at each other and then at him, then at each other again, and one said:

" Did you hear him, Margery? He says he is the king. Can that be true? "

" Yes, Prissy. I believe him, he is the king. "

Then they began to ask him questions. They asked him why he was so badly clothed and where he was going. He told them his story, forgetting even his hunger for the time. But when they heard how long he had been without food, they took him away to the farmhouse to find him something to eat. The girls' mother received the king very kindly. She allowed him to sit at the family table and eat with them, so he decided that he also must allow the woman and her daughters to sit in the presence of their king.

When breakfast was over, the woman told the king to wash up the dishes. He thought that to wash wooden spoons was very easy. But it was not, and he did it very badly. He did everything the woman ordered him to do very badly. He could not do anything well, and he did not want to stay with the peasant family.

So early one morning he left the farmhouse and took the first road out of the village. He tried to find his way to London, but soon he fell into the hands of John Canty again.

1. Answer the questions.

1) What did the king and Hugo do every day?

2) Did the king have a chance to run away from Hugo?

3) Where did he find himself?

4) In the morning he met two little girls, didn’t he?

5) How did their Mother receive the king?

6) Did the king want to stay with the peasant family?

7) What happened when Edward tried to find his way to London?

2. Give a plan of the chapter.

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