Europe and elsewhere, by Mark Twain [pseud.] [with an appreciation by Brander Matthews and an introduction by Albert Bigelow Paine]

EUROPE AND ELSEWHERE
clothes, on my office. Everybody was happy, so it
was best to seem so myself, which I did-for those
people's aim was better than their eggs.
A place had been reserved for me on a fine and
fanciful erection in St. Paul's Churchyard, and there
I waited for the procession. It seemed a long time,
but at last a dull booming sound arose in the distance,
and after a while we saw the banners and the head of
the procession come into view, and heard the muffled
roar of voices that welcomed it. The roar moved
continuously toward us, growing steadily louder and
louder, and stronger and stronger, and with it the
bray and crash of music; and presently it was right
with us, and seemed to roll over us and submerge us,
and stun us, and deafen us-and behold, there was
the hero of Agincourt passing by!
All the multitude was standing up, red-faced, frantic, bellowing, shouting, the tears running down their
faces; and through the storm of waving hats and
handkerchiefs one glimpsed the battle banners and
the drifting host of marching men as through a
dimming flurry of snow.
The king, tall, slender, handsome, rode with his
visor up, that all might see his face. He was clad in
his silver armor from head to heel, and had his great
two-handed sword at his side, his battle-ax at his
pommel, his shield upon his arm, and about his helmet waved and tossed a white mass of fluffy plumes.
On either side of him rode the captive dukes, plumed
like himself, but wearing long crimson satin gowns
over their armor; after these came the French marshal similarly habited; after him followed the fifteen
200