And when, just after the
noonday dinner, the goodwife gave him a basket of kittens to drown, he
did resign. At least he was just going to resign- for he felt that
he must draw the line somewhere, and it seemed to him that to draw
it at kitten-drowning was about the right thing- when there was an
interruption. The interruption was John Canty- with a peddler's pack
on his back- and Hugo!
The king discovered these rascals approaching the front gate
before they had had a chance to see him; so he said nothing about
drawing the line, but took up his basket of kittens and stepped
quietly out the back way, without a word. He left the creatures in
an outhouse, and hurried on into a narrow lane at the rear.
CHAPTER XX
The Prince and the Hermit
THE high hedge hid him from the house now; and so, under the
impulse of a deadly fright, he let out all his forces and sped
toward a wood in the distance. He never looked back until he had
almost gained the shelter of the forest; then he turned and descried
two figures in the distance. That was sufficient; he did not wait to
scan them critically, but hurried on, and never abated his pace till
he was far within the twilight depths of the wood. Then he stopped;
being persuaded that he was now tolerably safe. He listened
intently, but the stillness was profound and solemn- awful, even,
and depressing to the spirits. At wide intervals his straining ear did
detect sounds, but they were so remote, and hollow, and mysterious,
that they seemed not to be real sounds, but only the moaning and
complaining ghosts of departed ones.
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