to swear to stand by one another, and never tell the gang’s secrets, even if you’re chopped all to flinders, and kill anybody and all his family that hurts one of the gang.”
“That’s gay — that’s mighty gay, Tom, I tell you.”
“Well, I bet it is. And all that swearing’s got to be done at midnight, in the lonesomest, awfulest place you can find — a ha’nted house is the best, but they’re all ripped up now.”
“Well, midnight’s good, anyway, Tom.”
“Yes, so it is. And you’ve got to swear on a coffin, and sign it with blood.”
“Now, that’s something LIKE! Why, it’s a million times bullier than pirating. I’ll stick to the widder till I rot, Tom; and if I git to be a reg’lar ripper of a robber, and everybody talking ‘bout it, I reckon she’ll be proud she snaked me in out of the wet.”
CONCLUSION
SO endeth this chronicle. It being strictly a history of a BOY, it must stop here; the story could not go much further without becoming the history of a MAN. When one writes a novel about grown people, he knows exactly where to stop — that is, with a marriage; but when he writes of juveniles, he must stop where he best can.
Most of the characters that perform in this book still live, and are prosperous and happy. Some day it may seem worth while to take up the story of the younger ones again and see what sort of men and women they turned out to be; therefore it will be wisest not to reveal any of that part of their lives at present.
THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER
CONTENTS
Chapter I. The birth of the Prince and the Pauper.
Chapter III. Tom’s meeting with the Prince.
Chapter IV. The Prince’s troubles begin.
Chapter V. Tom as a patrician.
Chapter VI. Tom receives instructions.
Chapter VII. Tom’s first royal dinner.
Chapter VIII. The question of the Seal.
Chapter IX. The river pageant.
Chapter X. The Prince in the toils.
Chapter XII. The Prince and his deliverer.
Chapter XIII. The disappearance of the Prince.
Chapter XIV. ‘Le Roi est mort — vive le Roi.’
Chapter XVI. The State Dinner.
Chapter XVII. Foo-foo the First.
Chapter XVIII. The Prince with the tramps.
Chapter XIX. The Prince with the peasants.
Chapter XX. The Prince and the hermit.
Chapter XXI. Hendon to the rescue.
Chapter XXII. A victim of treachery.
Chapter XXIII. The Prince a prisoner.
Chapter XXVIII. The sacrifice.
