CHAPTER TWELVE ·

The next planet was inhabited ~y a drunkard. This

visit was a very short one, but 1t affected the littl
prince with deep sadness. e

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 THE LITTLE PRINCE

•What are you ~o~g ~ere?' ~e said to the drunkard

whom be found s1ttmg silently m front of a collection
1

0
f bottles, some empty and some full. .
'I am drinking,' answe_ced the drunkard lugubriously.
'Why are you drinking?' the little prince asked. _
'In order to forget,' replied the drunkard.
•To forget what?' enquired the little prince, who
was already feeling sorry for him.
'To forget that I am ashamed,' the drunkard con-
fessed, hanging his head.
'Ashamed of what?' asked the little prince who
wanted to help him.
'Ashamed of drinking!' concluded the drunkard,
withdrawing into total silence.
And the little prince went away, puzzled.
'Grown-ups really are very, very odd,' he said to
himself as he continued his journey.
__ _)