The Prince and the Pauper Page #4

- Keep quiet.

Are you hurt, boy?

- Are you hurt?

- No, sir, Your Highness, sir.

- What are you doing here, boy?

- It was raining, Your Highness.

I just slipped through, milord, because...

So I could sleep under the bench

where it was dry, Your Highness.

I'm not a desperate character,

Your Highness. Honest, I'm not.

I'm certain you're not.

Had you been, the Captain

would've been under the bench, not you.

- Your Highness, you don't understand.

- Keep quiet.

You annoy me enough when you're silent.

You're not thinking of beheading me,

are you, Your Majesty?

No.

I was wondering whether or not

you were too dirty to play with.

You couldn't play with me.

I'm a beggar boy.

I can play with anyone I please.

I'm the Prince.

Come along.

We'll wait for him to come out

from beneath His Highness' wing.

And when he does, we'll skin him.

I didn't think that if I were very good

all my life...

and died and went to heaven,

I'd ever see anything like this.

- Or meet a real prince, either.

- Don't bother to flatter me.

I get enough of that from the court.

I must remember to have

the Captain beheaded when I'm king.

No, you mustn't.

Not on account of me, at least.

Damnant quod non intelligunt'

- You know Latin?

- Yes. Father Andrew taught me.

Never heard of the man.

Your father has,

and he doesn't like him at all.

- He took away his house and his pension.

- Must be a priest.

Yes, he is.

- I thought so.

- You'd like him.

We Tudors hate priests.

- Why?

- Because we...

Just because we don't like them,

I suppose.

I don't think that's a very good reason.

I did hear Warwick

saying something to Uncle Thomas...

that's the Duke of Norfolk...

about Father wanting to get

a new queen...

and the priest not wanting him to.

Father must have won the argument.

Because we had two queens that year...

and another new one now, Lady Parr.

But you can't have three mothers.

Neither can you.

I haven't even got one mother.

- She died when I was a baby.

- So did mine.

But anyway, a queen is a prince's mother.

And you say there's been three.

Six.

Six queens?

Then, you'd have six mothers,

but you couldn't have six mothers.

I can't figure it out.

Neither can I.

You may have a pear if you like.

A pear? Which is the pear?

- Haven't you ever seen a pear before?

- No, but I've read about them.

- Nice, aren't they?

- Eat it, lad.

Like it?

Crikey.

It tastes so good,

I almost feel like a prince myself.

You certainly don't look like one.

Unless it would be a prince of paupers.

I will be when I get back to Offal Court...

and tell them I've been in the palace

and talked to you.

The only trouble is they won't believe me.

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