The Prisoner of Zenda. Anthony Hope

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      ANTHONY HOPE

      The Prisoner of Zenda

      THE PRISONER OF ZENDA

      Rudolf Rassendyll is young, rich, and comes from an old English family. But he has the dark red hair and the long straight nose of the royal family of Ruritania – the result of a little family ‘accident’ many years before.

      Rudolf decides to visit Ruritania for the coronation of the new king. He arrives in the town of Zenda and goes for a quiet walk in the forest. By the next morning he is in the middle of adventures beyond his wildest dreams. With his new friends, Captain Sapt and Fritz von Tarlenheim, he is making plans to rescue the prisoner in the Castle of Zenda. Soon he is fighting the King’s enemies, Black Michael the Duke, and Rupert of Hentzau – and falling in love with the King’s cousin, the lovely Princess Flavia.

      And the King … But who is the King of Ruritania?

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First published in Oxford Bookworms 1993

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ISBN 978 0 19 479127 4

A complete recording of this Bookworms edition of The Prisoner of Zenda is available on audio CD ISBN 978 0 19 479099 4

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Printed in Hong Kong

Illustration on page 3 by Dave Murray

Word count (main text): 10,710 words

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e-Book ISBN 978 0 19 478665 2

e-Book first published 2012

       1

      The Rassendylls – and the Elphbergs

      ‘I wonder when you’re going to do something useful, Rudolf,’ my brother’s wife said. She looked at me crossly over the breakfast table.

      ‘But why should I do anything, Rose?’ I answered, calmly eating my egg. ‘I’ve got nearly enough money for the things I want, and my brother, Robert, is a lord – Lord Burlesdon. I’m very happy.’

      ‘You’re twenty-nine, and you’ve done nothing except …’

      ‘Play about? It’s true. We Rassendylls are a rich and famous family, and we don’t need to do anything.’

      This made Rose angry. ‘Rich and famous families usually behave worse than less important families,’ she said.

      When I heard this, I touched my dark red hair. I knew what she meant.

      ‘I’m so pleased that Robert’s hair is black!’ she cried.

      Just then my brother, Robert, came in. When he looked at Rose, he could see that there was something wrong.