"Ye mannerless vagrants, is this your recognition of the royal boon I have promised?"
He said more, with angry voice and excited gesture, but it was lost in a whirlwind of laughter and mocking exclamations. "John Hobbs" made several attempts to make himself heard above the din, and at last succeeded--saying--
"Mates, he is my son, a dreamer, a fool, and stark mad--mind him not--he thinketh he _is_ the King."
"I _am_ the King," said Edward, turning toward him, "as thou shalt know to thy cost, in good time. Thou hast confessed a murder--thou shalt swing for it."
"_Thou"lt_ betray me?--_thou_? An" I get my hands upon thee--"
"Tut-tut!" said the burley Ruffler, interposing in time to save the King, and emphasising this service by knocking Hobbs down with his fist, "hast respect for neither Kings _nor_ Rufflers? An" thou insult my presence so again, I"ll hang thee up myself." Then he said to his Majesty, "Thou must make no threats against thy mates, lad; and thou must guard thy tongue from saying evil of them elsewhere. _Be king_, if it please thy mad humour, but be not harmful in it. Sink the t.i.tle thou hast uttered--"tis treason; we be bad men in some few trifling ways, but none among us is so base as to be traitor to his King; we be loving and loyal hearts, in that regard. Note if I speak truth. Now--all together: "Long live Edward, King of England!""
"LONG LIVE EDWARD, KING OF ENGLAND!"
The response came with such a thundergust from the motley crew that the crazy building vibrated to the sound. The little King"s face lighted with pleasure for an instant, and he slightly inclined his head, and said with grave simplicity--
"I thank you, my good people."
This unexpected result threw the company into convulsions of merriment.
When something like quiet was presently come again, the Ruffler said, firmly, but with an accent of good nature--
"Drop it, boy, "tis not wise, nor well. Humour thy fancy, if thou must, but choose some other t.i.tle."
A tinker shrieked out a suggestion--
"Foo-foo the First, King of the Mooncalves!"
The t.i.tle "took," at once, every throat responded, and a roaring shout went up, of--
"Long live Foo-foo the First, King of the Mooncalves!" followed by hootings, cat-calls, and peals of laughter.
"Hale him forth, and crown him!"
"Robe him!"
"Sceptre him!"
"Throne him!"
These and twenty other cries broke out at once! and almost before the poor little victim could draw a breath he was crowned with a tin basin, robed in a tattered blanket, throned upon a barrel, and sceptred with the tinker"s soldering-iron. Then all flung themselves upon their knees about him and sent up a chorus of ironical wailings, and mocking supplications, whilst they swabbed their eyes with their soiled and ragged sleeves and ap.r.o.ns--
"Be gracious to us, O sweet King!"
"Trample not upon thy beseeching worms, O n.o.ble Majesty!"
"Pity thy slaves, and comfort them with a royal kick!"
"Cheer us and warm us with thy gracious rays, O flaming sun of sovereignty!"
"Sanctify the ground with the touch of thy foot, that we may eat the dirt and be enn.o.bled!"
"Deign to spit upon us, O Sire, that our children"s children may tell of thy princely condescension, and be proud and happy for ever!"
But the humorous tinker made the "hit" of the evening and carried off the honours. Kneeling, he pretended to kiss the King"s foot, and was indignantly spurned; whereupon he went about begging for a rag to paste over the place upon his face which had been touched by the foot, saying it must be preserved from contact with the vulgar air, and that he should make his fortune by going on the highway and exposing it to view at the rate of a hundred shillings a sight. He made himself so killingly funny that he was the envy and admiration of the whole mangy rabble.
Tears of shame and indignation stood in the little monarch"s eyes; and the thought in his heart was, "Had I offered them a deep wrong they could not be more cruel--yet have I proffered nought but to do them a kindness--and it is thus they use me for it!"
CHAPTER XVIII. The Prince with the Tramps.
The troop of vagabonds turned out at early dawn, and set forward on their march. There was a lowering sky overhead, sloppy ground under foot, and a winter chill in the air. All gaiety was gone from the company; some were sullen and silent, some were irritable and petulant, none were gentle-humoured, all were thirsty.
The Ruffler put "Jack" in Hugo"s charge, with some brief instructions, and commanded John Canty to keep away from him and let him alone; he also warned Hugo not to be too rough with the lad.
After a while the weather grew milder, and the clouds lifted somewhat.
The troop ceased to shiver, and their spirits began to improve. They grew more and more cheerful, and finally began to chaff each other and insult pa.s.sengers along the highway. This showed that they were awaking to an appreciation of life and its joys once more. The dread in which their sort was held was apparent in the fact that everybody gave them the road, and took their ribald insolences meekly, without venturing to talk back. They s.n.a.t.c.hed linen from the hedges, occasionally in full view of the owners, who made no protest, but only seemed grateful that they did not take the hedges, too.
By-and-by they invaded a small farmhouse and made themselves at home while the trembling farmer and his people swept the larder clean to furnish a breakfast for them. They chucked the housewife and her daughters under the chin whilst receiving the food from their hands, and made coa.r.s.e jests about them, accompanied with insulting epithets and bursts of horse-laughter. They threw bones and vegetables at the farmer and his sons, kept them dodging all the time, and applauded uproariously when a good hit was made. They ended by b.u.t.tering the head of one of the daughters who resented some of their familiarities. When they took their leave they threatened to come back and burn the house over the heads of the family if any report of their doings got to the ears of the authorities.
About noon, after a long and weary tramp, the gang came to a halt behind a hedge on the outskirts of a considerable village. An hour was allowed for rest, then the crew scattered themselves abroad to enter the village at different points to ply their various trades--"Jack" was sent with Hugo. They wandered hither and thither for some time, Hugo watching for opportunities to do a stroke of business, but finding none--so he finally said--
"I see nought to steal; it is a paltry place. Wherefore we will beg."
"_We_, forsooth! Follow thy trade--it befits thee. But _I_ will not beg."
"Thou"lt not beg!" exclaimed Hugo, eyeing the King with surprise.
"Prithee, since when hast thou reformed?"
"What dost thou mean?"
"Mean? Hast thou not begged the streets of London all thy life?"
"I? Thou idiot!"
"Spare thy compliments--thy stock will last the longer. Thy father says thou hast begged all thy days. Mayhap he lied. Peradventure you will even make so bold as to _say_ he lied," scoffed Hugo.
"Him _you_ call my father? Yes, he lied."
"Come, play not thy merry game of madman so far, mate; use it for thy amus.e.m.e.nt, not thy hurt. An" I tell him this, he will scorch thee finely for it."
"Save thyself the trouble. I will tell him."
"I like thy spirit, I do in truth; but I do not admire thy judgment.
Bone-rackings and bastings be plenty enow in this life, without going out of one"s way to invite them. But a truce to these matters; _I_ believe your father. I doubt not he can lie; I doubt not he _doth_ lie, upon occasion, for the best of us do that; but there is no occasion here. A wise man does not waste so good a commodity as lying for nought. But come; sith it is thy humour to give over begging, wherewithal shall we busy ourselves? With robbing kitchens?"
The King said, impatiently--
"Have done with this folly--you weary me!"