Принц и нищий
In Prison
Itwouldruinthee,andyethelpbutlittleinmycause.ButIthankthee,forthouhastgivenmebacksomewhatofmylostfaithinmykind."
TheoldservantbecameveryvaluabletoHendonandtheKing;forhedroppedinseveraltimesadayto‘abuse’theformer,andalwayssmuggledinafewdelicaciestohelpouttheprisonbilloffare;healsofurnishedthecurrentnews.HendonreservedthedaintiesfortheKing;withoutthemhisMajestymightnothavesurvived,forhewasnotabletoeatthecoarseandwretchedfoodprovidedbythejailer.Andrewswasobligedtoconfinehimselftobriefvisits,inordertoavoidsuspicion;buthemanagedtoimpartafairdegreeofinformationeachtime—informationdeliveredinalowvoice,forHendon’sbenefit,andinterlardedwithinsultingepithetsdeliveredinaloudervoiceforthebenefitofotherhearers.
So,littlebylittle,thestoryofthefamilycameout.Arthurhadbeendeadsixyears.Thisloss,withtheabsenceofnewsfromHendon,impairedthefather’shealth;hebelievedhewasgoingtodie,andhewishedtoseeHughandEdithsettledinlifebeforehepassedaway;butEdithbeggedhardfordelay,hopingforMiles’sreturn;thenthelettercamewhichbroughtthenewsofMiles’sdeath;theshockprostratedSirRichard;hebelievedhisendwasverynear,andheandHughinsisteduponthemarriage;Edithbeggedforandobtainedamonth’srespite,thenanother,andfinallyathird;themarriagethentookplacebythedeath-bedofSirRichard.Ithadnotprovedahappyone.
