The little prince is ill. The little prince is going to die In all the churches of the kingdom, by night and day candles are burning, and prayers are being offered for his recovery. The streets of the old town are sad and noiseless, no clocks striking, carriages creeping softly by.
All the castle is in confusion. Chamberlains and stewards run up and down the marble staircases. In the galleries are pages and beautifully dressed courtiers, who go from one group to another, asking the news, and the ladies-in-waiting make their deep curtsies, drying their eyes all the time with their pretty lace handkerchiefs. The doctors are gathered together in a consultation, and outside the door of their room the prince"s tutor and groom are walking about. And out there by the stables rises a plaintive whinny. The stable boys have forgotten the Prince"s chestnut, and she is calling miserably for some one to give her something to eat.
And the king. Where is His Majesty the King? He is shut up alone in a room at the end of the castle. Kings do not like to be seen weeping. As for the Queen, that is different. She is seated by the pillow of the little prince, her beautiful face bathed in tears, and she sobs out loud before everybody, just as if she had been a draper"s wife.
The little prince is whiter than the laces of his bed, and he lies with closed eyes. One might think he was sleeping, but he isn"t. Presently he turns to his mother, and says :
"My queen mother, why are you crying so? Is it that you really believe I am going to die? "The queen tries to speak, and cannot.
" Don"t cry, then, my queen mother. You forget that I am a prince. Princes don"t die like this. "The queen weeps more bitterly than before, and the little prince begins to be frightened.
"Listen, " he said; "I am not going to let Death come and take me, and I know quite well how to prevent it. Let forty big soldiers come at once and stand guard round our bed. Let a hundred heavy guns watch night and day, with the fuse ready, under our windows. It will be bad for Death if he dares approach. "To humour him, the queen gives the order. Cannon roll into the courtyard, and forty huge soldiers, halberds in hand, walk into the chamber and stand by the walls. They are old campaigners, and their moustaches are grey. The little prince claps his hands when he sees them, and, recognizing one of them, he calls to him :
"Lorrain, Lorrain! "
The old soldier steps towards the bed.
"You know that I love you, dear old Lorrain. Let me see your big sword. If Death comes to take me you"ll have to kill him, won"t you? ""Yes, your Highness, " says Lorrain, and two great tears trickle down his bronzed face.
Here the chaplain comes up to the little prince and talks to him a long time, softly, and shows him the crucifix. The little prince seems very much surprised, and suddenly interrupts :
"I understand quite well what you are telling me, Sir Priest. But all the same, couldn"t my little cousin Beppo die instead of me, if I gave him a lot of money? "The chaplain goes on talking in a low voice, and the little prince seems more and more astonished. When the priest had finished, he sighs, and says :
"All you say is very sad, Sir Priest. But one thing comforts me. Up there, in the heaven among the stars, I shall still be a prince. I know that the good God is a kinsman, and will remember to treat me according to my rank. " Then he turns to his mother, and adds: " Let some one bring me my finest clothes, my ermine doublet, and my velvet shoes. I want to let the angels see me looking nice, and enter heaven dressed like a prince. "A third time, the chaplain bends over the bed and talks to the little prince in a low voice. Before he has half finished, the king"s son interrupts him angrily.
"Why, then, " he cries, "to be a prince is to be nothing at all ! "Refusing to listen to anything more, the little prince turns to the wall and weeps bitterly.
Alphonse Daudet.
General.- "Sceptre and crown must humble down, and in the dust be equal made with the poor crooked scythe and spade. " The Dauphin, heir to the French throne, was in this case a boy with an exalted opinion of his rank, his importance, his divine right. Pick out speeches that indicate it. What feeling is uppermost in your mind after reading the story? A halberd was a long-handled weapon, partly axe and partly spear; ermine is the fur of a kind of weasel found in the northern parts of Europe, Asia, and America, white on the body of the animal, and black on the tail; a doublet was a close-fitting garment, with or without sleeves, for males; it went from the neck to below the waist, somewhat like a pull-over. Find pictures of these things.
