midnight of the 19th of February
At first he pined for them , sorrowed for them , longed to see them , but later , the thought of their coming some day in their rags and dirt , and betraying him with their kisses , and pulling him down from his lofty place , and dragging him back to penury and degradation and the slums , made him shudder . At last they ceased to trouble his thoughts almost wholly . And he was content , even glad : for , whenever their mournful and accusing faces did rise before him now , they made him feel more despicable than the worms that crawl . At midnight of the 19th of February , Tom Canty was sinking to sleep in his rich bed in the palace , guarded by his loyal vassals , and surrounded by the pomps of royalty , a happy boy ; for tomorrow was the day appointed for his solemn crowning as King of England . At that same hour , Edward , the true king , hungry and thirsty , soiled and draggled , worn with travel , and clothed in rags and shreds -- his share of the results of the riot -- was wedged in among a crowd of people who were watching with deep interest certain hurrying gangs of workmen who streamed in and out of Westminster Abbey , busy as ants : they were making the last preparation for the royal coronation . CHAPTER XXXI . The Recognition procession .