Chapter XXIX. To London. Practice Quiz — The Prince and the Pauper
by Mark Twain — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter XXIX. To London.
What punishment has Miles Hendon just completed at the start of Chapter 29?
He has served his term in the stocks. Upon release, he is ordered to leave the region permanently.
What possessions are returned to Hendon when he is released?
His sword, his mule, and his donkey.
What is Hendon's central dilemma as he rides away?
He must find powerful help to reclaim his stolen inheritance, or he will remain branded as an impostor by his brother Hugh.
What gave Hendon the idea to seek justice from the king?
He remembered old Andrews's account of the young king's goodness and his generous championship of the wronged and unfortunate.
Who is Sir Humphrey Marlow, and why does Hendon think of him?
Sir Humphrey Marlow was Hendon's father's old friend who held a position in the late king's household (kitchen or stables — Miles cannot remember which). Hendon hopes Sir Humphrey might help him.
What is the dramatic irony of Hendon's plan to petition the king?
Hendon does not realize that the boy traveling with him IS the actual King Edward. He worries about how a pauper could gain access to the monarch, not knowing the monarch rides at his side.
How does Hendon describe himself as he contemplates his plan?
He calls himself "an old campaigner, and used to inventing shifts and expedients," confident he can find a way to reach the king.
What concern does Hendon have about taking Edward to London?
He worries that the boy will be unwilling to return to a city where "during all his brief life, he had never known anything but ill-usage and pinching want."
What is Edward's reply when Hendon asks where they should go?
"To London!" — a decisive two-word command that delights and astounds Hendon.
On what date do Hendon and Edward arrive in London?
The night of February 19th, about ten o'clock.
What is the significance of February 19th in the novel's timeline?
It is the eve of Coronation Day. The festivities for the next day's coronation are already underway.
Where exactly do Hendon and Edward enter London?
They step onto London Bridge, into the midst of a crowding, struggling mass of revelers.
What macabre object falls between Hendon and Edward on London Bridge?
The decaying head of some former duke or grandee, which had been displayed on a pike on the bridge.
What is Twain's sardonic commentary about the falling head?
"So evanescent and unstable are men's works in this world!" — the late king is barely three weeks dead, and the heads he placed on the bridge as adornments are already falling.
How does the falling head lead to a riot?
A citizen stumbles over the head, bumps into someone, who knocks down another person, who is attacked by a friend — and within five to twelve minutes, the brawl covers an acre of ground.
What factors make the crowd especially volatile on this night?
The coronation festivities have already begun, and "everybody was full of strong drink and patriotism."
What happens to Hendon and Edward in the riot?
They are hopelessly separated from each other and lost in the rush and turmoil of the roaring masses.
What literary device does the chapter's ending employ?
A cliffhanger — the two companions are separated on the eve of the coronation, and Twain leaves the reader with "And so we leave them."
What theme does the decaying head on London Bridge symbolize?
The transience of power and human achievement — even the most powerful are reduced to decay, and their public displays of authority crumble quickly.
How does this chapter parallel Hendon's and Edward's situations?
Both are traveling to London to restore their true identities — Hendon to reclaim his inheritance, and Edward to reclaim his throne. Both have been declared impostors.