The Prince and the Pauper.-C.1.

In the ancient London, on a certain autumn day a boy was born to a poor family named Canty, who did not want to have any, On the same day, another child was born to the rich Tudor family, who want the birth of that child. And it had so longed for him and so prayed God for him, that people went nearly mad with joy.



London became a sight to see with gay colored banners waving from balconies and housetops, with no less colorful parades along the streets and great night bonfires.



Allof that was taking place while the new born, Edward Tudor, Prince of Wales, was sleeping in his crib lapped in silk sheets. Nobody was talking about the other child, Tom Canty, lapped in poor rags.




London was fifteen hundred years old and it had a hundred thousand inhabitants-some think doublé as many.


Its streets were crooked and dirty, especially in the part where Tom Canty lived, not far from London Bridge. The houses were built with Wood. The second story proyecting over the first and the third sticking its elbows out beyond the second, one would say.





The buildings had a structure like a huge skeleton, formed by strong crisscross beams.





Between then it was laid a solid material and the whole thing was coated with plaster.The beams used to be painted with colors, giving the house a very picturesque  look, something that the small Windows glazed with Little diamond shaped panes contributed, too.









A FAMILY OF BEGGARS.



The Canthy tribe lived in Offal Court, a foul that was a true hovel. Tom's fathers, the brutal John Canty and his grandmother were a couple of fiends. They were constantly drunk and they fought each other or anybody else who came in the way. Always, drunk or sober, cursed and swore.






John Canty was a thief and his mother a beggar. Tom'smother and his two sisters, the twins Bet and Nan completely sweet and submissive, were beggars, too.




They begged because the father had not managed to convince them to steal.






This fanily lived packed full in a rickery room on the third floor, in a house that seemed to fall down at any moment.The adults had a total of two beds, while the Young ones slept on some bundles of Straw and covered themselves with remains of blankets.




In the whole neighborhood, these kind of human hives inhabited by dozens of people were very common.






TOM'S FANTASIES.-





As soon as Tom had enough energy to walk, his father sent him to the streets to beg.And when he came home empty-handed, he used to receive a stream of blows.






His mother, then, comforted him and even risking to get beaten herself, would slip to Tom a crust of bread. She had been able to sabe, avolding the father's look.







Even though he was having a hard time, Tom was not conscious of it all, he did not notice it, as that was the only life he knew.





Each morning he went out begging and spent all day long going from one place to another.






In that miserable life, one of the things he liked were the visits to a priest, Father Andrew. That man lived in the same house as Tom and taught him how to read and write and some Latin.



All of that accompanied by readings of kings, fairies and princes tales. Inhis own way, Tom enjoyed the priests books and in his imagination he started picturing a wonderful Word.



A world in wich he was a prince and his life was full of confort and pleasures. As he could not share with anyone his fantasies, because they would have called him mad, he used to stay long hours daydreaming.







Those readings wrought a mark in the beggars manners.His speech was more delicate and complex than his Friends and neigghborhood he became a hero. But this appreciation was not share by his family, always too busy fighting and drinking.




A certain Winter night, cold and rainy as many others, Tom spent long time looking in at cook shop Windows, where greasy fritters and other indelicate and indigestible dishes were displayed. For him these were dainities, as he had never tried them once.





He returned home with a more forlom and sad condition as ever, and even his father was moved-so to speak, and the only gave him a brisk cutting that night before sending him to bed.




That night, as many others, Tom dreamt with a magnificent and charming royal court, where a sweet music was being played and the smells were so delicious, tan the wretchedness of his room, when he awoke, seemed to him so horrible taht he cried bitterly.








THE MEETING.






Tom got up hungry and sauntered away, wandering along the streets with his thoughts busy with the splendors of his night's dreams.



By the farthest from home he had ever traveled up to that moment. The constructions before his eyes were very beatifu.





Those mansions were surrounded by exquisite parks and gardens stretching to the river grounds.






Tom walked among them, staring them in wonder and he finally arrived at the most majestic of all of them. W Palace, crowned with small turrrets and big Golden gate showing the royal symbol.









Tom's pulse accelerated. Who knows if the desire of his dreams was going to be satisfied at last and he would see a real prince.




He approached the gilded gate, guarded by two motionless sentinels.





Many poor people crowded together at a respectul distance, looking at the splandid carriages that were arriving and departing from the magnificent gateways.