The Prince and the Pauper, Chapter 7 summary

What happens

1. Tom changes clothes and enters an ornate dining room, where numerous attendants supervise his meal.
2. The servants respond respectfully when Tom eats with his fingers, rejects his napkin, and asks about unfamiliar vegetables.
3. Tom pockets nuts, then suffers an itching nose because neither he nor the attendants know the proper response.
4. He finally scratches his nose, drinks the washing water, and leaves before the chaplain’s closing blessing.
5. Alone in the study, Tom tries on armor, eats his nuts, and begins studying court etiquette.

What to notice

A basic physical need defeats the ceremony that makes everyone hesitate. Tom’s fear of breaking rules turns an ordinary action into a crisis.

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