第7章

类别:其他 作者:Mark Twain字数:30507更新时间:19/01/07 09:36:03
\"What’stherowthere?Who’sbanging?Whatdoyouwant?\" \"Letmein——quick!I’lltelleverything。\" \"Why,whoareyou?\" \"HuckleberryFinn——quick,letmein!\" \"HuckleberryFinn,indeed!Itain’tanametoopenmanydoors,Ijudge!Butlethimin,lads,andlet’sseewhat’sthetrouble。\" \"Pleasedon’tevertellItoldyou,\"wereHuck’sfirstwordswhenhegotin。\"Pleasedon’t——I’dbekilled,sure——butthewidow’sbeengoodfriendstomesometimes,andIwanttotell——Iwilltellifyou’llpromiseyouwon’teversayitwasme。\" \"ByGeorge,hehasgotsomethingtotell,orhewouldn’tactso!\"exclaimedtheoldman;\"outwithitandnobodyhere’llevertell,lad。\" Threeminuteslatertheoldmanandhissons,wellarmed,wereupthehill,andjustenteringthesumachpathontiptoe,theirweaponsintheirhands。Huckaccompaniedthemnofurther。Hehidbehindagreatbowlderandfelltolistening。Therewasalagging,anxioussilence,andthenallofasuddentherewasanexplosionoffirearmsandacry。 Huckwaitedfornoparticulars。Hesprangawayandspeddownthehillasfastashislegscouldcarryhim。 TheAdventuresofTomSawyer:Chapter30CHAPTERXXXAStheearliestsuspicionofdawnappearedonSundaymorning,HuckcamegropingupthehillandrappedgentlyattheoldWelshman’sdoor。Theinmateswereasleep,butitwasasleepthatwassetonahair—trigger,onaccountoftheexcitingepisodeofthenight。Acallcamefromawindow: \"Who’sthere!\" Huck’sscaredvoiceansweredinalowtone: \"Pleaseletmein!It’sonlyHuckFinn!\" \"It’sanamethatcanopenthisdoornightorday,lad!——andwelcome!\" Thesewerestrangewordstothevagabondboy’sears,andthepleasantesthehadeverheard。Hecouldnotrecollectthattheclosingwordhadeverbeenappliedinhiscasebefore。Thedoorwasquicklyunlocked,andheentered。Huckwasgivenaseatandtheoldmanandhisbraceoftallsonsspeedilydressedthemselves。 \"Now,myboy,Ihopeyou’regoodandhungry,becausebreakfastwillbereadyassoonasthesun’sup,andwe’llhaveapipinghotone,too——makeyourselfeasyaboutthat!Iandtheboyshopedyou’dturnupandstopherelastnight。\" \"Iwasawfulscared,\"saidHuck,\"andIrun。Itookoutwhenthepistolswentoff,andIdidn’tstopforthreemile。I’vecomenowbecuzIwantedtoknowaboutit,youknow;andIcomebeforedaylightbecuzI didn’twanttorunacrossthemdevils,eveniftheywasdead。\" \"Well,poorchap,youdolookasifyou’dhadahardnightofit——butthere’sabedhereforyouwhenyou’vehadyourbreakfast。No,theyain’tdead,lad——wearesorryenoughforthat。Youseeweknewrightwheretoputourhandsonthem,byyourdescription;sowecreptalongontiptoetillwegotwithinfifteenfeetofthem——darkasacellarthatsumachpathwas——andjustthenIfoundIwasgoingtosneeze。Itwasthemeanestkindofluck!Itriedtokeepitback,butnouse——’twasboundtocome,anditdidcome!Iwasintheleadwithmypistolraised,andwhenthesneezestartedthosescoundrelsa—rustlingtogetoutofthepath,Isungout,’Fireboys!’andblazedawayattheplacewheretherustlingwas。Sodidtheboys。Buttheywereoffinajiffy,thosevillains,andweafterthem,downthroughthewoods。Ijudgewenevertouchedthem。Theyfiredashotapieceastheystarted,buttheirbulletswhizzedbyanddidn’tdousanyharm。Assoonaswelostthesoundoftheirfeetwequitchasing,andwentdownandstirreduptheconstables。Theygotapossetogether,andwentofftoguardtheriverbank,andassoonasitislightthesheriffandagangaregoingtobeatupthewoods。Myboyswillbewiththempresently。 Iwishwehadsomesortofdescriptionofthoserascals——’twouldhelpagooddeal。Butyoucouldn’tseewhattheywerelike,inthedark,lad,Isuppose?\" \"Ohyes;Isawthemdown—townandfolleredthem。\" \"Splendid!Describethem——describethem,myboy!\" \"One’stheolddeafanddumbSpaniardthat’sbenaroundhereonceortwice,andt’other’samean—looking,ragged——\" \"That’senough,lad,weknowthemen!Happenedontheminthewoodsbackofthewidow’soneday,andtheyslunkaway。Offwithyou,boys,andtellthesheriff——getyourbreakfastto—morrowmorning!\" TheWelshman’ssonsdepartedatonce。AstheywereleavingtheroomHucksprangupandexclaimed: \"Oh,pleasedon’ttellANYbodyitwasmethatblowedonthem! Oh,please!\" \"Allrightifyousayit,Huck,butyououghttohavethecreditofwhatyoudid。\" \"Ohno,no!Pleasedon’ttell!\" Whentheyoungmenweregone,theoldWelshmansaid: \"Theywon’ttell——andIwon’t。Butwhydon’tyouwantitknown?\" Huckwouldnotexplain,furtherthantosaythathealreadyknewtoomuchaboutoneofthosemenandwouldnothavethemanknowthatheknewanythingagainsthimforthewholeworld——hewouldbekilledforknowingit,sure。 Theoldmanpromisedsecrecyoncemore,andsaid: \"Howdidyoucometofollowthesefellows,lad?Weretheylookingsuspicious?\" Huckwassilentwhileheframedadulycautiousreply。Thenhesaid: \"Well,yousee,I’makindofahardlot,——leasteverybodysaysso,andIdon’tseenothingaginit——andsometimesIcan’tsleepmuch,onaccountofthinkingaboutitandsortoftryingtostrikeoutanewwayofdoing。Thatwasthewayofitlastnight。Icouldn’tsleep,andsoIcomealongup—street’boutmidnight,a—turningitallover,andwhenIgottothatoldshacklybrickstorebytheTemperanceTavern,Ibackedupaginthewalltohaveanotherthink。Well,justthenalongcomesthesetwochapsslippingalongclosebyme,withsomethingundertheirarm,andIreckonedthey’dstoleit。Onewasa—smoking,andt’otheronewantedalight;sotheystoppedrightbeforemeandthecigarslituptheirfacesandIseethatthebigonewasthedeafanddumbSpaniard,byhiswhitewhiskersandthepatchonhiseye,andt’otheronewasarusty,ragged—lookingdevil。\" \"Couldyouseetheragsbythelightofthecigars?\" ThisstaggeredHuckforamoment。Thenhesaid: \"Well,Idon’tknow——butsomehowitseemsasifIdid。\" \"Thentheywenton,andyou——\" \"Follered’em——yes。Thatwasit。Iwantedtoseewhatwasup——theysneakedalongso。Idogged’emtothewidder’sstile,andstoodinthedarkandheardtheraggedonebegforthewidder,andtheSpaniardswearhe’dspileherlooksjustasItoldyouandyourtwo——\" \"What!TheDEAFANDDUMBmansaidallthat!\" Huckhadmadeanotherterriblemistake!HewastryinghisbesttokeeptheoldmanfromgettingthefaintesthintofwhotheSpaniardmightbe,andyethistongueseemeddeterminedtogethimintotroubleinspiteofallhecoulddo。Hemadeseveraleffortstocreepoutofhisscrape,buttheoldman’seyewasuponhimandhemadeblunderafterblunder。 PresentlytheWelshmansaid: \"Myboy,don’tbeafraidofme。Iwouldn’thurtahairofyourheadforalltheworld。No——I’dprotectyou——I’dprotectyou。ThisSpaniardisnotdeafanddumb;you’veletthatslipwithoutintendingit; youcan’tcoverthatupnow。YouknowsomethingaboutthatSpaniardthatyouwanttokeepdark。Nowtrustme——tellmewhatitis,andtrustme——Iwon’tbetrayyou。\" Hucklookedintotheoldman’shonesteyesamoment,thenbentoverandwhisperedinhisear: \"’Tain’taSpaniard——it’sInjunJoe!\" TheWelshmanalmostjumpedoutofhischair。Inamomenthesaid: \"It’sallplainenough,now。WhenyoutalkedaboutnotchingearsandslittingnosesIjudgedthatthatwasyourownembellishment,becausewhitemendon’ttakethatsortofrevenge。ButanInjun!That’sadifferentmatteraltogether。\" Duringbreakfastthetalkwenton,andinthecourseofittheoldmansaidthatthelastthingwhichheandhissonshaddone,beforegoingtobed,wastogetalanternandexaminethestileanditsvicinityformarksofblood。Theyfoundnone,butcapturedabulkybundleof—— \"OfWHAT?\" IfthewordshadbeenlightningtheycouldnothaveleapedwithamorestunningsuddennessfromHuck’sblanchedlips。Hiseyeswerestaringwide,now,andhisbreathsuspended——waitingfortheanswer。TheWelshmanstarted——staredinreturn——threeseconds——fiveseconds——ten—— thenreplied: \"Ofburglar’stools。Why,what’stheMATTERwithyou?\" Hucksankback,pantinggently,butdeeply,unutterablygrateful。 TheWelshmaneyedhimgravely,curiously——andpresentlysaid: \"Yes,burglar’stools。Thatappearstorelieveyouagooddeal。 Butwhatdidgiveyouthatturn?WhatwereYOUexpectingwe’dfound?\" Huckwasinacloseplace——theinquiringeyewasuponhim—— hewouldhavegivenanythingformaterialforaplausibleanswer——nothingsuggesteditself——theinquiringeyewasboringdeeperanddeeper——asenselessreplyoffered——therewasnotimetoweighit,soataventureheutteredit——feebly: \"Sunday—schoolbooks,maybe。\" PoorHuckwastoodistressedtosmile,buttheoldmanlaughedloudandjoyously,shookupthedetailsofhisanatomyfromheadtofoot,andendedbysayingthatsuchalaughwasmoneyina—man’spocket,becauseitcutdownthedoctor’sbilllikeeverything。Thenheadded: \"Pooroldchap,you’rewhiteandjaded——youain’twellabit——nowonderyou’realittleflightyandoffyourbalance。Butyou’llcomeoutofit。Restandsleepwillfetchyououtallright,Ihope。\" Huckwasirritatedtothinkhehadbeensuchagooseandbetrayedsuchasuspiciousexcitement,forhehaddroppedtheideathattheparcelbroughtfromthetavernwasthetreasure,assoonashehadheardthetalkatthewidow’sstile。Hehadonlythoughtitwasnotthetreasure,however——hehadnotknownthatitwasn’t——andsothesuggestionofacapturedbundlewastoomuchforhisself—possession。Butonthewholehefeltgladthelittleepisodehadhappened,fornowheknewbeyondallquestionthatthatbundlewasnotTHEbundle,andsohismindwasatrestandexceedinglycomfortable。Infact,everythingseemedtobedriftingjustintherightdirection,now;thetreasuremustbestillinNo。2,themenwouldbecapturedandjailedthatday,andheandTomcouldseizethegoldthatnightwithoutanytroubleoranyfearofinterruption。 Justasbreakfastwascompletedtherewasaknockatthedoor。 Huckjumpedforahiding—place,forhehadnomindtobeconnectedevenremotelywiththelateevent。TheWelshmanadmittedseveralladiesandgentlemen,amongthemtheWidowDouglas,andnoticedthatgroupsofcitizenswereclimbingupthehill——tostareatthestile。Sothenewshadspread。 TheWelshmanhadtotellthestoryofthenighttothevisitors。Thewidow’sgratitudeforherpreservationwasoutspoken。 \"Don’tsayawordaboutit,madam。There’sanotherthatyou’remorebeholdentothanyouaretomeandmyboys,maybe,buthedon’tallowmetotellhisname。Wewouldn’thavebeentherebutforhim。\" Ofcoursethisexcitedacuriositysovastthatitalmostbelittledthemainmatter——buttheWelshmanallowedittoeatintothevitalsofhisvisitors,andthroughthembetransmittedtothewholetown,forherefusedtopartwithhissecret。Whenallelsehadbeenlearned,thewidowsaid: \"Iwenttosleepreadinginbedandsleptstraightthroughallthatnoise。Whydidn’tyoucomeandwakeme?\" \"Wejudgeditwarn’tworthwhile。Thosefellowswarn’tlikelytocomeagain——theyhadn’tanytoolslefttoworkwith,andwhatwastheuseofwakingyouupandscaringyoutodeath?Mythreenegromenstoodguardatyourhousealltherestofthenight。They’vejustcomeback。\" Morevisitorscame,andthestoryhadtobetoldandretoldforacoupleofhoursmore。 TherewasnoSabbath—schoolduringday—schoolvacation,buteverybodywasearlyatchurch。Thestirringeventwaswellcanvassed。Newscamethatnotasignofthetwovillainshadbeenyetdiscovered。Whenthesermonwasfinished,JudgeThatcher’swifedroppedalongsideofMrs。Harperasshemoveddowntheaislewiththecrowdandsaid: \"IsmyBeckygoingtosleepallday?Ijustexpectedshewouldbetiredtodeath。\" \"YourBecky?\" \"Yes,\"withastartledlook——\"didn’tshestaywithyoulastnight?\" \"Why,no。\" Mrs。Thatcherturnedpale,andsankintoapew,justasAuntPolly,talkingbrisklywithafriend,passedby。AuntPollysaid: \"Good—morning,Mrs。Thatcher。Good—morning,Mrs。Harper。I’vegotaboythat’sturnedupmissing。IreckonmyTomstayedatyourhouselastnight——oneofyou。Andnowhe’safraidtocometochurch。I’vegottosettlewithhim。\" Mrs。Thatchershookherheadfeeblyandturnedpalerthanever。 \"Hedidn’tstaywithus,\"saidMrs。Harper,beginningtolookuneasy。AmarkedanxietycameintoAuntPolly’sface。 \"JoeHarper,haveyouseenmyTomthismorning?\" \"No’m。\" \"Whendidyouseehimlast?\" Joetriedtoremember,butwasnotsurehecouldsay。Thepeoplehadstoppedmovingoutofchurch。Whisperspassedalong,andabodinguneasinesstookpossessionofeverycountenance。Childrenwereanxiouslyquestioned,andyoungteachers。TheyallsaidtheyhadnotnoticedwhetherTomandBeckywereonboardtheferryboatonthehomewardtrip;itwasdark;noonethoughtofinquiringifanyonewasmissing。Oneyoungmanfinallyblurtedouthisfearthattheywerestillinthecave!Mrs。Thatcherswoonedaway。AuntPollyfelltocryingandwringingherhands。 Thealarmsweptfromliptolip,fromgrouptogroup,fromstreettostreet,andwithinfiveminutesthebellswerewildlyclangingandthewholetownwasup!TheCardiffHillepisodesankintoinstantinsignificance,theburglarswereforgotten,horsesweresaddled,skiffsweremanned,theferryboatorderedout,andbeforethehorrorwashalfanhourold,twohundredmenwerepouringdownhighroadandrivertowardthecave。 Allthelongafternoonthevillageseemedemptyanddead。ManywomenvisitedAuntPollyandMrs。Thatcherandtriedtocomfortthem。Theycriedwiththem,too,andthatwasstillbetterthanwords。Allthetediousnightthetownwaitedfornews;butwhenthemorningdawnedatlast,allthewordthatcamewas,\"Sendmorecandles——andsendfood。\"Mrs。Thatcherwasalmostcrazed;andAuntPolly,also。JudgeThatchersentmessagesofhopeandencouragementfromthecave,buttheyconveyednorealcheer。 TheoldWelshmancamehometowarddaylight,spatteredwithcandle—grease,smearedwithclay,andalmostwornout。HefoundHuckstillinthebedthathadbeenprovidedforhim,anddeliriouswithfever。Thephysicianswereallatthecave,sotheWidowDouglascameandtookchargeofthepatient。Shesaidshewoulddoherbestbyhim,because,whetherhewasgood,bad,orindifferent,hewastheLord’s,andnothingthatwastheLord’swasathingtobeneglected。TheWelshmansaidHuckhadgoodspotsinhim,andthewidowsaid: \"Youcandependonit。That’stheLord’smark。Hedon’tleaveitoff。Heneverdoes。Putsitsomewhereoneverycreaturethatcomesfromhishands。\" Earlyintheforenoonpartiesofjadedmenbegantostraggleintothevillage,butthestrongestofthecitizenscontinuedsearching。Allthenewsthatcouldbegainedwasthatremotenessesofthecavernwerebeingransackedthathadneverbeenvisitedbefore;thateverycornerandcrevicewasgoingtobethoroughlysearched;thatwhereveronewanderedthroughthemazeofpassages,lightsweretobeseenflittinghitherandthitherinthedistance,andshoutingsandpistol—shotssenttheirhollowreverberationstotheeardownthesombreaisles。Inoneplace,farfromthesectionusuallytraversedbytourists,thenames\"BECKY&;TOM\" hadbeenfoundtracedupontherockywallwithcandle—smoke,andnearathandagrease—soiledbitofribbon。Mrs。Thatcherrecognizedtheribbonandcriedoverit。Shesaiditwasthelastrelicsheshouldeverhaveofherchild;andthatnoothermemorialofhercouldeverbesoprecious,becausethisonepartedlatestfromthelivingbodybeforetheawfuldeathcame。Somesaidthatnowandthen,inthecave,afar—awayspeckoflightwouldglimmer,andthenagloriousshoutwouldburstforthandascoreofmengotroopingdowntheechoingaisle——andthenasickeningdisappointmentalwaysfollowed;thechildrenwerenotthere;itwasonlyasearcher’slight。 Threedreadfuldaysandnightsdraggedtheirtedioushoursalong,andthevillagesankintoahopelessstupor。Noonehadheartforanything。 Theaccidentaldiscovery,justmade,thattheproprietoroftheTemperanceTavernkeptliquoronhispremises,scarcelyflutteredthepublicpulse,tremendousasthefactwas。Inalucidinterval,Huckfeeblyleduptothesubjectoftaverns,andfinallyasked——dimlydreadingtheworst—— ifanythinghadbeendiscoveredattheTemperanceTavernsincehehadbeenill。 \"Yes,\"saidthewidow。 Huckstartedupinbed,wild—eyed: \"What?Whatwasit?\" \"Liquor!——andtheplacehasbeenshutup。Liedown,child—— whataturnyoudidgiveme!\" \"Onlytellmejustonething——onlyjustone——please!WasitTomSawyerthatfoundit?\" Thewidowburstintotears。\"Hush,hush,child,hush!I’vetoldyoubefore,youmustnottalk。Youarevery,verysick!\" Thennothingbutliquorhadbeenfound;therewouldhavebeenagreatpowwowifithadbeenthegold。Sothetreasurewasgoneforever——goneforever!Butwhatcouldshebecryingabout?Curiousthatsheshouldcry。 ThesethoughtsworkedtheirdimwaythroughHuck’smind,andunderthewearinesstheygavehimhefellasleep。Thewidowsaidtoherself: \"There——he’sasleep,poorwreck。TomSawyerfindit!PitybutsomebodycouldfindTomSawyer!Ah,thereain’tmanyleft,now,that’sgothopeenough,orstrengthenough,either,togoonsearching。\" TheAdventuresofTomSawyer:Chapter31CHAPTERXXXINOWtoreturntoTomandBecky’sshareinthepicnic。Theytrippedalongthemurkyaisleswiththerestofthecompany,visitingthefamiliarwondersofthecave——wondersdubbedwithratherover—descriptivenames,suchas\"TheDrawing—Room,\"\"TheCathedral,\"\"Aladdin’sPalace,\"andsoon。 Presentlythehide—and—seekfrolickingbegan,andTomandBeckyengagedinitwithzealuntiltheexertionbegantogrowatriflewearisome;thentheywandereddownasinuousavenueholdingtheircandlesaloftandreadingthetangledweb—workofnames,dates,post—officeaddresses,andmottoeswithwhichtherockywallshadbeenfrescoed(incandle—smoke)。Stilldriftingalongandtalking,theyscarcelynoticedthattheywerenowinapartofthecavewhosewallswerenotfrescoed。Theysmokedtheirownnamesunderanoverhangingshelfandmovedon。Presentlytheycametoaplacewherealittlestreamofwater,tricklingoveraledgeandcarryingalimestonesedimentwithit,had,intheslow—draggingages,formedalacedandruffledNiagaraingleamingandimperishablestone。TomsqueezedhissmallbodybehinditinordertoilluminateitforBecky’sgratification。Hefoundthatitcurtainedasortofsteepnaturalstairwaywhichwasenclosedbetweennarrowwalls,andatoncetheambitiontobeadiscovererseizedhim。Beckyrespondedtohiscall,andtheymadeasmoke—markforfutureguidance,andstartedupontheirquest。Theywoundthiswayandthat,fardownintothesecretdepthsofthecave,madeanothermark,andbranchedoffinsearchofnoveltiestotelltheupperworldabout。Inoneplacetheyfoundaspaciouscavern,fromwhoseceilingdependedamultitudeofshiningstalactitesofthelengthandcircumferenceofaman’sleg;theywalkedallaboutit,wonderingandadmiring,andpresentlyleftitbyoneofthenumerouspassagesthatopenedintoit。Thisshortlybroughtthemtoabewitchingspring,whosebasinwasincrustedwithafrostworkofglitteringcrystals;itwasinthemidstofacavernwhosewallsweresupportedbymanyfantasticpillarswhichhadbeenformedbythejoiningofgreatstalactitesandstalagmitestogether,theresultoftheceaselesswater—dripofcenturies。Undertheroofvastknotsofbatshadpackedthemselvestogether,thousandsinabunch;thelightsdisturbedthecreaturesandtheycameflockingdownbyhundreds,squeakinganddartingfuriouslyatthecandles。Tomknewtheirwaysandthedangerofthissortofconduct。HeseizedBecky’shandandhurriedherintothefirstcorridorthatoffered;andnonetoosoon,forabatstruckBecky’slightoutwithitswingwhileshewaspassingoutofthecavern。Thebatschasedthechildrenagooddistance;butthefugitivesplungedintoeverynewpassagethatoffered,andatlastgotridoftheperilousthings。Tomfoundasubterraneanlake,shortly,whichstretcheditsdimlengthawayuntilitsshapewaslostintheshadows。Hewantedtoexploreitsborders,butconcludedthatitwouldbebesttositdownandrestawhile,first。Now,forthefirsttime,thedeepstillnessoftheplacelaidaclammyhanduponthespiritsofthechildren。Beckysaid: \"Why,Ididn’tnotice,butitseemseversolongsinceIheardanyoftheothers。\" \"Cometothink,Becky,weareawaydownbelowthem——andIdon’tknowhowfarawaynorth,orsouth,oreast,orwhicheveritis。Wecouldn’thearthemhere。\" Beckygrewapprehensive。 \"Iwonderhowlongwe’vebeendownhere,Tom?Webetterstartback。\" \"Yes,Ireckonwebetter。P’rapswebetter。\" \"Canyoufindtheway,Tom?It’sallamixed—upcrookednesstome。\" \"IreckonIcouldfindit——butthenthebats。Iftheyputourcandlesoutitwillbeanawfulfix。Let’strysomeotherway,soasnottogothroughthere。\" \"Well。ButIhopewewon’tgetlost。Itwouldbesoawful!\"andthegirlshudderedatthethoughtofthedreadfulpossibilities。 Theystartedthroughacorridor,andtraverseditinsilencealongway,glancingateachnewopening,toseeiftherewasanythingfamiliaraboutthelookofit;buttheywereallstrange。EverytimeTommadeanexamination,Beckywouldwatchhisfaceforanencouragingsign,andhewouldsaycheerily: \"Oh,it’sallright。Thisain’ttheone,butwe’llcometoitrightaway!\" Buthefeltlessandlesshopefulwitheachfailure,andpresentlybegantoturnoffintodivergingavenuesatsheerrandom,indesperatehopeoffindingtheonethatwaswanted。Hestillsaiditwas\"allright,\" buttherewassuchaleadendreadathisheartthatthewordshadlosttheirringandsoundedjustasifhehadsaid,\"Allislost!\"Beckyclungtohissideinananguishoffear,andtriedhardtokeepbackthetears,buttheywouldcome。Atlastshesaid: \"Oh,Tom,nevermindthebats,let’sgobackthatway!Weseemtogetworseandworseoffallthetime。\" \"Listen!\"saidhe。 Profoundsilence;silencesodeepthateventheirbreathingswereconspicuousinthehush。Tomshouted。Thecallwentechoingdowntheemptyaislesanddiedoutinthedistanceinafaintsoundthatresembledarippleofmockinglaughter。 \"Oh,don’tdoitagain,Tom,itistoohorrid,\"saidBecky。 \"Itishorrid,butIbetter,Becky;theymighthearus,youknow,\" andheshoutedagain。 The\"might\"wasevenachillierhorrorthantheghostlylaughter,itsoconfessedaperishinghope。Thechildrenstoodstillandlistened; buttherewasnoresult。Tomturneduponthebacktrackatonce,andhurriedhissteps。ItwasbutalittlewhilebeforeacertainindecisioninhismannerrevealedanotherfearfulfacttoBecky——hecouldnotfindhiswayback! \"Oh,Tom,youdidn’tmakeanymarks!\" \"Becky,Iwassuchafool!Suchafool!Ineverthoughtwemightwanttocomeback!No——Ican’tfindtheway。It’sallmixedup。\" \"Tom,Tom,we’relost!we’relost!Wenevercangetoutofthisawfulplace!Oh,whyDIDweeverleavetheothers!\" ShesanktothegroundandburstintosuchafrenzyofcryingthatTomwasappalledwiththeideathatshemightdie,orloseherreason。 Hesatdownbyherandputhisarmsaroundher;sheburiedherfaceinhisbosom,sheclungtohim,shepouredoutherterrors,herunavailingregrets,andthefarechoesturnedthemalltojeeringlaughter。Tombeggedhertopluckuphopeagain,andshesaidshecouldnot。Hefelltoblamingandabusinghimselfforgettingherintothismiserablesituation;thishadabettereffect。Shesaidshewouldtrytohopeagain,shewouldgetupandfollowwhereverhemightleadifonlyhewouldnottalklikethatanymore。Forhewasnomoretoblamethanshe,shesaid。 Sotheymovedonagain——aimlessly——simplyatrandom——alltheycoulddowastomove,keepmoving。Foralittlewhile,hopemadeashowofreviving——notwithanyreasontobackit,butonlybecauseitisitsnaturetorevivewhenthespringhasnotbeentakenoutofitbyageandfamiliaritywithfailure。 By—and—byTomtookBecky’scandleandblewitout。Thiseconomymeantsomuch!Wordswerenotneeded。Beckyunderstood,andherhopediedagain。SheknewthatTomhadawholecandleandthreeorfourpiecesinhispockets——yethemusteconomize。 By—and—by,fatiguebegantoassertitsclaims;thechildrentriedtopayattention,foritwasdreadfultothinkofsittingdownwhentimewasgrowntobesoprecious,moving,insomedirection,inanydirection,wasatleastprogressandmightbearfruit;buttositdownwastoinvitedeathandshortenitspursuit。 AtlastBecky’sfraillimbsrefusedtocarryherfarther。Shesatdown。Tomrestedwithher,andtheytalkedofhome,andthefriendsthere,andthecomfortablebedsand,aboveall,thelight!Beckycried,andTomtriedtothinkofsomewayofcomfortingher,butallhisencouragementsweregrownthreadbarewithuse,andsoundedlikesarcasms。FatigueboresoheavilyuponBeckythatshedrowsedofftosleep。Tomwasgrateful。 Hesatlookingintoherdrawnfaceandsawitgrowsmoothandnaturalundertheinfluenceofpleasantdreams;andby—and—byasmiledawnedandrestedthere。Thepeacefulfacereflectedsomewhatofpeaceandhealingintohisownspirit,andhisthoughtswanderedawaytobygonetimesanddreamymemories。 Whilehewasdeepinhismusings,Beckywokeupwithabreezylittlelaugh——butitwasstrickendeaduponherlips,andagroanfollowedit。 \"Oh,howcould!Isleep!IwishInever,neverhadwaked! No!No,Idon’t,Tom!Don’tlookso!Iwon’tsayitagain。\" \"I’mgladyou’veslept,Becky;you’llfeelrested,now,andwe’llfindthewayout。\" \"Wecantry,Tom;butI’veseensuchabeautifulcountryinmydream。Ireckonwearegoingthere。\" \"Maybenot,maybenot。Cheerup,Becky,andlet’sgoontrying。\" Theyroseupandwanderedalong,handinhandandhopeless。Theytriedtoestimatehowlongtheyhadbeeninthecave,butalltheyknewwasthatitseemeddaysandweeks,andyetitwasplainthatthiscouldnotbe,fortheircandleswerenotgoneyet。Alongtimeafterthis—— theycouldnottellhowlong——Tomsaidtheymustgosoftlyandlistenfordrippingwater——theymustfindaspring。Theyfoundonepresently,andTomsaiditwastimetorestagain。Bothwerecruellytired,yetBeckysaidshethoughtshecouldgoalittlefarther。ShewassurprisedtohearTomdissent。Shecouldnotunderstandit。Theysatdown,andTomfastenedhiscandletothewallinfrontofthemwithsomeclay。Thoughtwassoonbusy;nothingwassaidforsometime。ThenBeckybrokethesilence: \"Tom,Iamsohungry!\" Tomtooksomethingoutofhispocket。 \"Doyourememberthis?\"saidhe。 Beckyalmostsmiled。 \"It’sourwedding—cake,Tom。\" \"Yes——Iwishitwasasbigasabarrel,forit’sallwe’vegot。\" \"Isaveditfromthepicnicforustodreamon,Tom,thewaygrown—uppeopledowithwedding—cake——butit’llbeour——\" Shedroppedthesentencewhereitwas。TomdividedthecakeandBeckyatewithgoodappetite,whileTomnibbledathismoiety。Therewasabundanceofcoldwatertofinishthefeastwith。By—and—byBeckysuggestedthattheymoveonagain。Tomwassilentamoment。Thenhesaid: \"Becky,canyoubearitifItellyousomething?\" Becky’sfacepaled,butshethoughtshecould。 \"Well,then,Becky,wemuststayhere,wherethere’swatertodrink。Thatlittlepieceisourlastcandle!\" Beckygaveloosetotearsandwailings。Tomdidwhathecouldtocomforther,butwithlittleeffect。AtlengthBeckysaid: \"Tom!\" \"Well,Becky?\" \"They’llmissusandhuntforus!\" \"Yes,theywill!Certainlytheywill!\" \"Maybethey’rehuntingforusnow,Tom。\" \"Why,Ireckonmaybetheyare。Ihopetheyare。\" \"Whenwouldtheymissus,Tom?\" \"Whentheygetbacktotheboat,Ireckon。\" \"Tom,itmightbedarkthen——wouldtheynoticewehadn’tcome?\" \"Idon’tknow。Butanyway,yourmotherwouldmissyouassoonastheygothome。\" AfrightenedlookinBecky’sfacebroughtTomtohissensesandhesawthathehadmadeablunder。Beckywasnottohavegonehomethatnight!Thechildrenbecamesilentandthoughtful。InamomentanewburstofgrieffromBeckyshowedTomthatthethinginhismindhadstruckhersalso——thattheSabbathmorningmightbehalfspentbeforeMrs。ThatcherdiscoveredthatBeckywasnotatMrs。Harper’s。 Thechildrenfastenedtheireyesupontheirbitofcandleandwatcheditmeltslowlyandpitilesslyaway;sawthehalfinchofwickstandaloneatlast;sawthefeebleflameriseandfall,climbthethincolumnofsmoke,lingeratitstopamoment,andthen——thehorrorofutterdarknessreigned! HowlongafterwarditwasthatBeckycametoaslowconsciousnessthatshewascryinginTom’sarms,neithercouldtell。Allthattheyknewwas,thatafterwhatseemedamightystretchoftime,bothawokeoutofadeadstuporofsleepandresumedtheirmiseriesoncemore。TomsaiditmightbeSunday,now——maybeMonday。HetriedtogetBeckytotalk,buthersorrowsweretoooppressive,allherhopesweregone。Tomsaidthattheymusthavebeenmissedlongago,andnodoubtthesearchwasgoingon。Hewouldshoutandmaybesomeonewouldcome。Hetriedit;butinthedarknessthedistantechoessoundedsohideouslythathetrieditnomore。 Thehourswastedaway,andhungercametotormentthecaptivesagain。AportionofTom’shalfofthecakewasleft;theydividedandateit。Buttheyseemedhungrierthanbefore。Thepoormorseloffoodonlywhetteddesire。 By—and—byTomsaid: \"Sh!Didyouhearthat?\" Bothheldtheirbreathandlistened。Therewasasoundlikethefaintest,far—offshout。InstantlyTomansweredit,andleadingBeckybythehand,startedgropingdownthecorridorinitsdirection。Presentlyhelistenedagain;againthesoundwasheard,andapparentlyalittlenearer。 \"It’sthem!\"saidTom;\"they’recoming!Comealong,Becky——we’reallrightnow!\" Thejoyoftheprisonerswasalmostoverwhelming。Theirspeedwasslow,however,becausepitfallsweresomewhatcommon,andhadtobeguardedagainst。Theyshortlycametooneandhadtostop。Itmightbethreefeetdeep,itmightbeahundred——therewasnopassingitatanyrate。Tomgotdownonhisbreastandreachedasfardownashecould。Nobottom。Theymuststaythereandwaituntilthesearcherscame。Theylistened; evidentlythedistantshoutingsweregrowingmoredistant!amomentortwomoreandtheyhadgonealtogether。Theheart—sinkingmiseryofit! Tomwhoopeduntilhewashoarse,butitwasofnouse。HetalkedhopefullytoBecky;butanageofanxiouswaitingpassedandnosoundscameagain。 Thechildrengropedtheirwaybacktothespring。Thewearytimedraggedon;theysleptagain,andawokefamishedandwoe—stricken。TombelieveditmustbeTuesdaybythistime。 Nowanideastruckhim。Thereweresomesidepassagesnearathand。Itwouldbebettertoexploresomeofthesethanbeartheweightoftheheavytimeinidleness。Hetookakite—linefromhispocket,tiedittoaprojection,andheandBeckystarted,Tominthelead,unwindingthelineashegropedalong。Attheendoftwentystepsthecorridorendedina\"jumping—offplace。\"Tomgotdownonhiskneesandfeltbelow,andthenasfararoundthecornerashecouldreachwithhishandsconveniently; hemadeanefforttostretchyetalittlefarthertotheright,andatthatmoment,nottwentyyardsaway,ahumanhand,holdingacandle,appearedfrombehindarock!Tomliftedupagloriousshout,andinstantlythathandwasfollowedbythebodyitbelongedto——InjunJoe’s!Tomwasparalyzed; hecouldnotmove。Hewasvastlygratifiedthenextmoment,toseethe\"Spaniard\"taketohisheelsandgethimselfoutofsight。TomwonderedthatJoehadnotrecognizedhisvoiceandcomeoverandkilledhimfortestifyingincourt。Buttheechoesmusthavedisguisedthevoice。Withoutdoubt,thatwasit,hereasoned。Tom’sfrightweakenedeverymuscleinhisbody。Hesaidtohimselfthatifhehadstrengthenoughtogetbacktothespringhewouldstaythere,andnothingshouldtempthimtoruntheriskofmeetingInjunJoeagain。HewascarefultokeepfromBeckywhatitwashehadseen。Hetoldherhehadonlyshouted\"forluck。\" Buthungerandwretchednessrisesuperiortofearsinthelongrun。Anothertediouswaitatthespringandanotherlongsleepbroughtchanges。Thechildrenawoketorturedwitharaginghunger。TombelievedthatitmustbeWednesdayorThursdayorevenFridayorSaturday,now,andthatthesearchhadbeengivenover。Heproposedtoexploreanotherpassage。HefeltwillingtoriskInjunJoeandallotherterrors。ButBeckywasveryweak。Shehadsunkintoadrearyapathyandwouldnotberoused。 Shesaidshewouldwait,now,whereshewas,anddie——itwouldnotbelong。ShetoldTomtogowiththekite—lineandexploreifhechose;butsheimploredhimtocomebackeverylittlewhileandspeaktoher;andshemadehimpromisethatwhentheawfultimecame,hewouldstaybyherandholdherhanduntilallwasover。 Tomkissedher,withachokingsensationinhisthroat,andmadeashowofbeingconfidentoffindingthesearchersoranescapefromthecave;thenhetookthekite—lineinhishandandwentgropingdownoneofthepassagesonhishandsandknees,distressedwithhungerandsickwithbodingsofcomingdoom。 TheAdventuresofTomSawyer:Chapter32CHAPTERXXXIITUESDAYafternooncame,andwanedtothetwilight。ThevillageofSt。Petersburgstillmourned。Thelostchildrenhadnotbeenfound。Publicprayershadbeenofferedupforthem,andmanyandmanyaprivateprayerthathadthepetitioner’swholeheartinit;butstillnogoodnewscamefromthecave。 Themajorityofthesearchershadgivenupthequestandgonebacktotheirdailyavocations,sayingthatitwasplainthechildrencouldneverbefound。Mrs。Thatcherwasveryill,andagreatpartofthetimedelirious。 Peoplesaiditwasheartbreakingtohearhercallherchild,andraiseherheadandlistenawholeminuteatatime,thenlayitwearilydownagainwithamoan。AuntPollyhaddroopedintoasettledmelancholy,andhergrayhairhadgrownalmostwhite。ThevillagewenttoitsrestonTuesdaynight,sadandforlorn。 Awayinthemiddleofthenightawildpealburstfromthevillagebells,andinamomentthestreetswereswarmingwithfrantichalf—cladpeople,whoshouted,\"Turnout!turnout!they’refound!they’refound!\" Tinpansandhornswereaddedtothedin,thepopulationmasseditselfandmovedtowardtheriver,metthechildrencominginanopencarriagedrawnbyshoutingcitizens,throngedaroundit,joineditshomewardmarch,andsweptmagnificentlyupthemainstreetroaringhuzzahafterhuzzah! Thevillagewasilluminated;nobodywenttobedagain;itwasthegreatestnightthelittletownhadeverseen。Duringthefirsthalf—houraprocessionofvillagersfiledthroughJudgeThatcher’shouse,seizedthesavedonesandkissedthem,squeezedMrs。Thatcher’shand,triedtospeakbutcouldn’t——anddriftedoutrainingtearsallovertheplace。 AuntPolly’shappinesswascomplete,andMrs。Thatcher’snearlyso。Itwouldbecomplete,however,assoonasthemessengerdispatchedwiththegreatnewstothecaveshouldgetthewordtoherhusband。Tomlayuponasofawithaneagerauditoryabouthimandtoldthehistoryofthewonderfuladventure,puttinginmanystrikingadditionstoadornitwithal;andclosedwithadescriptionofhowheleftBeckyandwentonanexploringexpedition;howhefollowedtwoavenuesasfarashiskite—linewouldreach;howhefollowedathirdtothefulleststretchofthekite—line,andwasabouttoturnbackwhenheglimpsedafar—offspeckthatlookedlikedaylight;droppedthelineandgropedtowardit,pushedhisheadandshouldersthroughasmallhole,andsawthebroadMississippirollingby! Andifithadonlyhappenedtobenighthewouldnothaveseenthatspeckofdaylightandwouldnothaveexploredthatpassageanymore!HetoldhowhewentbackforBeckyandbrokethegoodnewsandshetoldhimnottofretherwithsuchstuff,forshewastired,andknewshewasgoingtodie,andwantedto。Hedescribedhowhelaboredwithherandconvincedher;andhowshealmostdiedforjoywhenshehadgropedtowheresheactuallysawthebluespeckofdaylight;howhepushedhiswayoutattheholeandthenhelpedherout;howtheysatthereandcriedforgladness;howsomemencamealonginaskiffandTomhailedthemandtoldthemtheirsituationandtheirfamishedcondition;howthemendidn’tbelievethewildtaleatfirst,\"because,\"saidthey,\"youarefivemilesdowntheriverbelowthevalleythecaveisin\"——thentookthemaboard,rowedtoahouse,gavethemsupper,madethemresttilltwoorthreehoursafterdarkandthenbroughtthemhome。 Beforeday—dawn,JudgeThatcherandthehandfulofsearcherswithhimweretrackedout,inthecave,bythetwineclewstheyhadstrungbehindthem,andinformedofthegreatnews。 Threedaysandnightsoftoilandhungerinthecavewerenottobeshakenoffatonce,asTomandBeckysoondiscovered。TheywerebedriddenallofWednesdayandThursday,andseemedtogrowmoreandmoretiredandworn,allthetime。Tomgotabout,alittle,onThursday,wasdown—townFriday,andnearlyaswholeaseverSaturday;butBeckydidnotleaveherroomuntilSunday,andthenshelookedasifshehadpassedthroughawastingillness。 TomlearnedofHuck’ssicknessandwenttoseehimonFriday,butcouldnotbeadmittedtothebedroom;neithercouldheonSaturdayorSunday。Hewasadmitteddailyafterthat,butwaswarnedtokeepstillabouthisadventureandintroducenoexcitingtopic。TheWidowDouglasstayedbytoseethatheobeyed。AthomeTomlearnedoftheCardiffHillevent;alsothatthe\"raggedman’s\"bodyhadeventuallybeenfoundintheriverneartheferrylanding;hehadbeendrownedwhiletryingtoescape,perhaps。 AboutafortnightafterTom’srescuefromthecave,hestartedofftovisitHuck,whohadgrownplentystrongenough,now,tohearexcitingtalk,andTomhadsomethatwouldinteresthim,hethought。JudgeThatcher’shousewasonTom’sway,andhestoppedtoseeBecky。TheJudgeandsomefriendssetTomtotalking,andsomeoneaskedhimironicallyifhewouldn’tliketogotothecaveagain。Tomsaidhethoughthewouldn’tmindit。 TheJudgesaid: \"Well,thereareothersjustlikeyou,Tom,I’venottheleastdoubt。Butwehavetakencareofthat。Nobodywillgetlostinthatcaveanymore。\" \"Why?\" \"BecauseIhaditsbigdoorsheathedwithboilerirontwoweeksago,andtriple—locked——andI’vegotthekeys。\" Tomturnedaswhiteasasheet。 \"What’sthematter,boy!Here,run,somebody!Fetchaglassofwater!\" ThewaterwasbroughtandthrownintoTom’sface。 \"Ah,nowyou’reallright。Whatwasthematterwithyou,Tom?\" \"Oh,Judge,InjunJoe’sinthecave!\" TheAdventuresofTomSawyer:Chapter33CHAPTERXXXIIIWITHINafewminutesthenewshadspread,andadozenskiff—loadsofmenwereontheirwaytoMcDougal’scave,andtheferry—boat,wellfilledwithpassengers,soonfollowed。TomSawyerwasintheskiffthatboreJudgeThatcher。 Whenthecavedoorwasunlocked,asorrowfulsightpresenteditselfinthedimtwilightoftheplace。InjunJoelaystretchedupontheground,dead,withhisfaceclosetothecrackofthedoor,asifhislongingeyeshadbeenfixed,tothelatestmoment,uponthelightandthecheerofthefreeworldoutside。Tomwastouched,forheknewbyhisownexperiencehowthiswretchhadsuffered。Hispitywasmoved,butneverthelesshefeltanaboundingsenseofreliefandsecurity,now,whichrevealedtohiminadegreewhichhehadnotfullyappreciatedbeforehowvastaweightofdreadhadbeenlyinguponhimsincethedayheliftedhisvoiceagainstthisbloody—mindedoutcast。 InjunJoe’sbowie—knifelaycloseby,itsbladebrokenintwo。 Thegreatfoundation—beamofthedoorhadbeenchippedandhackedthrough,withtediouslabor;uselesslabor,too,itwas,forthenativerockformedasilloutsideit,anduponthatstubbornmaterialtheknifehadwroughtnoeffect;theonlydamagedonewastotheknifeitself。Butiftherehadbeennostonyobstructiontherethelaborwouldhavebeenuselessstill,forifthebeamhadbeenwhollycutawayInjunJoecouldnothavesqueezedhisbodyunderthedoor,andheknewit。Sohehadonlyhackedthatplaceinordertobedoingsomething——inordertopassthewearytime——inordertoemployhistorturedfaculties。Ordinarilyonecouldfindhalfadozenbitsofcandlestuckaroundinthecrevicesofthisvestibule,lefttherebytourists;buttherewerenonenow。Theprisonerhadsearchedthemoutandeatenthem。Hehadalsocontrivedtocatchafewbats,andthese,also,hehadeaten,leavingonlytheirclaws。Thepoorunfortunatehadstarvedtodeath。Inoneplace,nearathand,astalagmitehadbeenslowlygrowingupfromthegroundforages,buildedbythewater—dripfromastalactiteoverhead。Thecaptivehadbrokenoffthestalagmite,anduponthestumphadplacedastone,whereinhehadscoopedashallowhollowtocatchthepreciousdropthatfellonceineverythreeminuteswiththedrearyregularityofaclock—tick——adessertspoonfulonceinfourandtwentyhours。ThatdropwasfallingwhenthePyramidswerenew;whenTroyfell;whenthefoundationsofRomewerelaidwhenChristwascrucified; whentheConquerorcreatedtheBritishempire;whenColumbussailed;whenthemassacreatLexingtonwas\"news。\"Itisfallingnow;itwillstillbefallingwhenallthesethingsshallhavesunkdowntheafternoonofhistory,andthetwilightoftradition,andbeenswallowedupinthethicknightofoblivion。Haseverythingapurposeandamission?Didthisdropfallpatientlyduringfivethousandyearstobereadyforthisflittinghumaninsect’sneed?andhasitanotherimportantobjecttoaccomplishtenthousandyearstocome?Nomatter。Itismanyandmanyayearsincethehaplesshalf—breedscoopedoutthestonetocatchthepricelessdrops,buttothisdaythetouriststareslongestatthatpatheticstoneandthatslow—droppingwaterwhenhecomestoseethewondersofMcDougal’scave。 InjunJoe’scupstandsfirstinthelistofthecavern’smarvels;even\"Aladdin’sPalace\"cannotrivalit。 InjunJoewasburiednearthemouthofthecave;andpeopleflockedthereinboatsandwagonsfromthetownsandfromallthefarmsandhamletsforsevenmilesaround;theybroughttheirchildren,andallsortsofprovisions,andconfessedthattheyhadhadalmostassatisfactoryatimeatthefuneralastheycouldhavehadatthehanging。 Thisfuneralstoppedthefurthergrowthofonething——thepetitiontothegovernorforInjunJoe’spardon。Thepetitionhadbeenlargelysigned; manytearfulandeloquentmeetingshadbeenheld,andacommitteeofsappywomenbeenappointedtogoindeepmourningandwailaroundthegovernor,andimplorehimtobeamercifulassandtramplehisdutyunderfoot。InjunJoewasbelievedtohavekilledfivecitizensofthevillage,butwhatofthat?IfhehadbeenSatanhimselftherewouldhavebeenplentyofweaklingsreadytoscribbletheirnamestoapardon—petition,anddripatearonitfromtheirpermanentlyimpairedandleakywater—works。 ThemorningafterthefuneralTomtookHucktoaprivateplacetohaveanimportanttalk。HuckhadlearnedallaboutTom’sadventurefromtheWelshmanandtheWidowDouglas,bythistime,butTomsaidhereckonedtherewasonethingtheyhadnottoldhim;thatthingwaswhathewantedtotalkaboutnow。Huck’sfacesaddened。Hesaid: \"Iknowwhatitis。YougotintoNo。2andneverfoundanythingbutwhiskey。Nobodytoldmeitwasyou;butIjustknoweditmust’a’benyou,soonasIheard’boutthatwhiskeybusiness;andIknowedyouhadn’tgotthemoneybecuzyou’d’a’gotatmesomewayorotherandtoldmeevenifyouwasmumtoeverybodyelse。Tom,something’salwaystoldmewe’dnevergetholtofthatswag。\" \"Why,Huck,Inevertoldonthattavern—keeper。YOUknowhistavernwasallrighttheSaturdayIwenttothepicnic。Don’tyourememberyouwastowatchtherethatnight?\" \"Ohyes!Why,itseems’boutayearago。ItwasthatverynightthatIfolleredInjunJoetothewidder’s。\" \"YOUfollowedhim?\" \"Yes——butyoukeepmum。IreckonInjunJoe’sleftfriendsbehindhim,andIdon’twant’emsouringonmeanddoingmemeantricks。Ifithadn’tbenformehe’dbedowninTexasnow,allright。\" ThenHucktoldhisentireadventureinconfidencetoTom,whohadonlyheardoftheWelshman’spartofitbefore。 \"Well,\"saidHuck,presently,comingbacktothemainquestion,\"whoevernippedthewhiskeyinNo。2,nippedthemoney,too,Ireckon—— anywaysit’sagonerforus,Tom。\" \"Huck,thatmoneywasn’teverinNo。2!\" \"What!\"Hucksearchedhiscomrade’sfacekeenly。\"Tom,haveyougotonthetrackofthatmoneyagain?\" \"Huck,it’sinthecave!\" Huck’seyesblazed。 \"Sayitagain,Tom。\" \"Themoney’sinthecave!\" \"Tom——honestinjun,now——isitfun,orearnest?\" \"Earnest,Huck——justasearnestaseverIwasinmylife。Willyougointherewithmeandhelpgetitout?\" \"IbetIwill!Iwillifit’swherewecanblazeourwaytoitandnotgetlost。\" \"Huck,wecandothatwithouttheleastlittlebitoftroubleintheworld。\" \"Goodaswheat!Whatmakesyouthinkthemoney’s——\" \"Huck,youjustwaittillwegetinthere。Ifwedon’tfinditI’llagreetogiveyoumydrumandeverythingI’vegotintheworld。I will,byjings。\" \"Allright——it’sawhiz。Whendoyousay?\" \"Rightnow,ifyousayit。Areyoustrongenough?\" \"Isitfarinthecave?Ibenonmypinsalittle,threeorfourdays,now,butIcan’twalkmore’namile,Tom——leastIdon’tthinkI could。\" \"It’saboutfivemileintotherethewayanybodybutmewouldgo,Huck,butthere’samightyshortcutthattheydon’tanybodybutmeknowabout。Huck,I’lltakeyourighttoitinaskiff。I’llfloattheskiffdownthere,andI’llpullitbackagainallbymyself。Youneedn’teverturnyourhandover。\" \"Lessstartrightoff,Tom。\" \"Allright。Wewantsomebreadandmeat,andourpipes,andalittlebagortwo,andtwoorthreekite—strings,andsomeofthesenew—fangledthingstheycalllucifermatches。Itellyou,many’sthetimeIwishedIhadsomewhenIwasintherebefore。\" Atrifleafternoontheboysborrowedasmallskifffromacitizenwhowasabsent,andgotunderwayatonce。Whentheywereseveralmilesbelow\"CaveHollow,\"Tomsaid: \"Nowyouseethisbluffherelooksallalikeallthewaydownfromthecavehollow——nohouses,nowoodyards,bushesallalike。Butdoyouseethatwhiteplaceupyonderwherethere’sbeenalandslide?Well,that’soneofmymarks。We’llgetashore,now。\" Theylanded。 \"Now,Huck,wherewe’rea—standingyoucouldtouchthatholeI gotoutofwithafishing—pole。Seeifyoucanfindit。\" Hucksearchedalltheplaceabout,andfoundnothing。Tomproudlymarchedintoathickclumpofsumachbushesandsaid: \"Hereyouare!Lookatit,Huck;it’sthesnuggestholeinthiscountry。Youjustkeepmumaboutit。AllalongI’vebeenwantingtobearobber,butIknewI’dgottohaveathinglikethis,andwheretorunacrossitwasthebother。We’vegotitnow,andwe’llkeepitquiet,onlywe’llletJoeHarperandBenRogersin——becauseofcoursethere’sgottobeaGang,orelsetherewouldn’tbeanystyleaboutit。TomSawyer’sGang——itsoundssplendid,don’tit,Huck?\" \"Well,itjustdoes,Tom。Andwho’llwerob?\" \"Oh,mostanybody。Waylaypeople——that’smostlytheway。\" \"Andkillthem?\" \"No,notalways。Hivetheminthecavetilltheyraisearansom。\" \"What’saransom?\" \"Money。Youmakethemraisealltheycan,off’ntheirfriends; andafteryou’vekeptthemayear,ifitain’traisedthenyoukillthem。 That’sthegeneralway。Onlyyoudon’tkillthewomen。Youshutupthewomen,butyoudon’tkillthem。They’realwaysbeautifulandrich,andawfullyscared。Youtaketheirwatchesandthings,butyoualwaystakeyourhatoffandtalkpolite。Theyain’tanybodyaspoliteasrobbers—— you’llseethatinanybook。Well,thewomengettolovingyou,andafterthey’vebeeninthecaveaweekortwoweekstheystopcryingandafterthatyoucouldn’tgetthemtoleave。Ifyoudrovethemoutthey’dturnrightaroundandcomeback。It’ssoinallthebooks。\" \"Why,it’srealbully,Tom。Ibelieveit’sbetter’ntobeapirate。\" \"Yes,it’sbetterinsomeways,becauseit’sclosetohomeandcircusesandallthat。\" Bythistimeeverythingwasreadyandtheboysenteredthehole,Tominthelead。Theytoiledtheirwaytothefartherendofthetunnel,thenmadetheirsplicedkite—stringsfastandmovedon。Afewstepsbroughtthemtothespring,andTomfeltashudderquiverallthroughhim。HeshowedHuckthefragmentofcandle—wickperchedonalumpofclayagainstthewall,anddescribedhowheandBeckyhadwatchedtheflamestruggleandexpire。 Theboysbegantoquietdowntowhispers,now,forthestillnessandgloomoftheplaceoppressedtheirspirits。Theywenton,andpresentlyenteredandfollowedTom’sothercorridoruntiltheyreachedthe\"jumping—offplace。\"Thecandlesrevealedthefactthatitwasnotreallyaprecipice,butonlyasteepclayhilltwentyorthirtyfeethigh。Tomwhispered: \"NowI’llshowyousomething,Huck。\" Heheldhiscandlealoftandsaid: \"Lookasfararoundthecornerasyoucan。Doyouseethat?There——onthebigrockoveryonder——donewithcandle—smoke。\" \"Tom,it’sacross!\" \"NOWwhere’syourNumberTwo?’underthecross,’hey?Rightyonder’swhereIsawInjunJoepokeuphiscandle,Huck!\" Huckstaredatthemysticsignawhile,andthensaidwithashakyvoice: \"Tom,lessgitoutofhere!\" \"What!andleavethetreasure?\" \"Yes——leaveit。InjunJoe’sghostisroundaboutthere,certain。\" \"Noitain’t,Huck,noitain’t。Itwouldha’nttheplacewherehedied——awayoutatthemouthofthecave——fivemilefromhere。\" \"No,Tom,itwouldn’t。Itwouldhangroundthemoney。Iknowthewaysofghosts,andsodoyou。\" TombegantofearthatHuckwasright。Misgivingsgatheredinhismind。Butpresentlyanideaoccurredtohim—— \"Lookyhere,Huck,whatfoolswe’remakingofourselves!InjunJoe’sghostain’tagoingtocomearoundwherethere’sacross!\" Thepointwaswelltaken。Ithaditseffect。 \"Tom,Ididn’tthinkofthat。Butthat’sso。It’sluckforus,thatcrossis。Ireckonwe’llclimbdownthereandhaveahuntforthatbox。\" Tomwentfirst,cuttingrudestepsintheclayhillashedescended。 Huckfollowed。Fouravenuesopenedoutofthesmallcavernwhichthegreatrockstoodin。Theboysexaminedthreeofthemwithnoresult。Theyfoundasmallrecessintheonenearestthebaseoftherock,withapalletofblanketsspreaddowninit;alsoanoldsuspender,somebaconrind,andthewell—gnawedbonesoftwoorthreefowls。Buttherewasnomoney—box。 Theladssearchedandresearchedthisplace,butinvain。Tomsaid: \"Hesaidunderthecross。Well,thiscomesnearesttobeingunderthecross。Itcan’tbeundertherockitself,becausethatsetssolidontheground。\" Theysearchedeverywhereoncemore,andthensatdowndiscouraged。 Huckcouldsuggestnothing。By—and—byTomsaid: \"Lookyhere,Huck,there’sfootprintsandsomecandle—greaseontheclayaboutonesideofthisrock,butnotontheothersides。Now,what’sthatfor?IbetyouthemoneyISundertherock。I’mgoingtodigintheclay。\" \"Thatain’tnobadnotion,Tom!\"saidHuckwithanimation。 Tom’s\"realBarlow\"wasoutatonce,andhehadnotdugfourinchesbeforehestruckwood。 \"Hey,Huck!——youhearthat?\" Huckbegantodigandscratchnow。Someboardsweresoonuncoveredandremoved。Theyhadconcealedanaturalchasmwhichledundertherock。 Tomgotintothisandheldhiscandleasfarundertherockashecould,butsaidhecouldnotseetotheendoftherift。Heproposedtoexplore。 Hestoopedandpassedunder;thenarrowwaydescendedgradually。Hefolloweditswindingcourse,firsttotheright,thentotheleft,Huckathisheels。 Tomturnedashortcurve,by—and—by,andexclaimed: \"Mygoodness,Huck,lookyhere!\" Itwasthetreasure—box,sureenough,occupyingasnuglittlecavern,alongwithanemptypowder—keg,acoupleofgunsinleathercases,twoorthreepairsofoldmoccasins,aleatherbelt,andsomeotherrubbishwellsoakedwiththewater—drip。 \"Gotitatlast!\"saidHuck,ploughingamongthetarnishedcoinswithhishand。\"My,butwe’rerich,Tom!\" \"Huck,Ialwaysreckonedwe’dgetit。It’sjusttoogoodtobelieve,butwehavegotit,sure!Say——let’snotfoolaroundhere。Let’ssnakeitout。LemmeseeifIcanliftthebox。\" Itweighedaboutfiftypounds。Tomcouldliftit,afteranawkwardfashion,butcouldnotcarryitconveniently。 \"Ithoughtso,\"hesaid;\"Theycarrieditlikeitwasheavy,thatdayattheha’ntedhouse。Inoticedthat。IreckonIwasrighttothinkoffetchingthelittlebagsalong。\" Themoneywassooninthebagsandtheboystookituptothecrossrock。 \"Nowlessfetchthegunsandthings,\"saidHuck。 \"No,Huck——leavethemthere。They’rejustthetrickstohavewhenwegotorobbing。We’llkeepthemthereallthetime,andwe’llholdourorgiesthere,too。It’sanawfulsnugplacefororgies。\" \"Whatorgies?\" \"Idono。Butrobbersalwayshaveorgies,andofcoursewe’vegottohavethem,too。Comealong,Huck,we’vebeeninherealongtime。It’sgettinglate,Ireckon。I’mhungry,too。We’lleatandsmokewhenwegettotheskiff。\" Theypresentlyemergedintotheclumpofsumachbushes,lookedwarilyout,foundthecoastclear,andweresoonlunchingandsmokingintheskiff。Asthesundippedtowardthehorizontheypushedoutandgotunderway。Tomskimmeduptheshorethroughthelongtwilight,chattingcheerilywithHuck,andlandedshortlyafterdark。 \"Now,Huck,\"saidTom,\"we’llhidethemoneyintheloftofthewidow’swoodshed,andI’llcomeupinthemorningandwe’llcountitanddivide,andthenwe’llhuntupaplaceoutinthewoodsforitwhereitwillbesafe。JustyoulayquiethereandwatchthestufftillIrunandhookBennyTaylor’slittlewagon;Iwon’tbegoneaminute。\" Hedisappeared,andpresentlyreturnedwiththewagon,putthetwosmallsacksintoit,threwsomeoldragsontopofthem,andstartedoff,dragginghiscargobehindhim。WhentheboysreachedtheWelshman’shouse,theystoppedtorest。Justastheywereabouttomoveon,theWelshmansteppedoutandsaid: \"Hallo,who’sthat?\" \"HuckandTomSawyer。\" \"Good!Comealongwithme,boys,youarekeepingeverybodywaiting。 Here——hurryup,trotahead——I’llhaulthewagonforyou。Why,it’snotaslightasitmightbe。Gotbricksinit?——oroldmetal?\" \"Oldmetal,\"saidTom。 \"Ijudgedso;theboysinthistownwilltakemoretroubleandfoolawaymoretimehuntingupsixbits’worthofoldirontoselltothefoundrythantheywouldtomaketwicethemoneyatregularwork。Butthat’shumannature——hurryalong,hurryalong!\" Theboyswantedtoknowwhatthehurrywasabout。 \"Nevermind;you’llsee,whenwegettotheWidowDouglas’。\" Hucksaidwithsomeapprehension——forhewaslongusedtobeingfalselyaccused: \"Mr。Jones,wehaven’tbeendoingnothing。\" TheWelshmanlaughed。 \"Well,Idon’tknow,Huck,myboy。Idon’tknowaboutthat。Ain’tyouandthewidowgoodfriends?\" \"Yes。Well,she’sbengoodfriendstome,anyway。\" \"Allright,then。Whatdoyouwanttobeafraidfor?\" ThisquestionwasnotentirelyansweredinHuck’sslowmindbeforehefoundhimselfpushed,alongwithTom,intoMrs。Douglas’drawing—room。 Mr。Jonesleftthewagonnearthedoorandfollowed。 Theplacewasgrandlylighted,andeverybodythatwasofanyconsequenceinthevillagewasthere。TheThatcherswerethere,theHarpers,theRogerses,AuntPolly,Sid,Mary,theminister,theeditor,andagreatmanymore,andalldressedintheirbest。Thewidowreceivedtheboysasheartilyasanyonecouldwellreceivetwosuchlookingbeings。Theywerecoveredwithclayandcandle—grease。AuntPollyblushedcrimsonwithhumiliation,andfrownedandshookherheadatTom。Nobodysufferedhalfasmuchasthetwoboysdid,however。Mr。Jonessaid: \"Tomwasn’tathome,yet,soIgavehimup;butIstumbledonhimandHuckrightatmydoor,andsoIjustbroughtthemalonginahurry。\" \"Andyoudidjustright,\"saidthewidow。\"Comewithme,boys。\" Shetookthemtoabedchamberandsaid: \"Nowwashanddressyourselves。Herearetwonewsuitsofclothes——shirts,socks,everythingcomplete。They’reHuck’s——no,nothanks,Huck——Mr。JonesboughtoneandItheother。Butthey’llfitbothofyou。 Getintothem。We’llwait——comedownwhenyouareslickedupenough。\" Thensheleft。 TheAdventuresofTomSawyer:Chapter34CHAPTERXXXIVHUCKsaid:\"Tom,wecanslope,ifwecanfindarope。Thewindowain’thighfromtheground。\" \"Shucks!whatdoyouwanttoslopefor?\" \"Well,Iain’tusedtothatkindofacrowd。Ican’tstandit。 Iain’tgoingdownthere,Tom。\" \"Oh,bother!Itain’tanything。Idon’tminditabit。I’lltakecareofyou。\" Sidappeared。 \"Tom,\"saidhe,\"auntiehasbeenwaitingforyoualltheafternoon。 MarygotyourSundayclothesready,andeverybody’sbeenfrettingaboutyou。Say——ain’tthisgreaseandclay,onyourclothes?\" \"Now,Mr。Siddy,youjist’tendtoyourownbusiness。What’sallthisblow—outabout,anyway?\" \"It’soneofthewidow’spartiesthatshe’salwayshaving。Thistimeit’sfortheWelshmanandhissons,onaccountofthatscrapetheyhelpedheroutoftheothernight。Andsay——Icantellyousomething,ifyouwanttoknow。\" \"Well,what?\" \"Why,oldMr。Jonesisgoingtotrytospringsomethingonthepeoplehereto—night,butIoverheardhimtellauntieto—dayaboutit,asasecret,butIreckonit’snotmuchofasecretnow。Everybodyknows——thewidow,too,forallshetriestoletonshedon’t。Mr。JoneswasboundHuckshouldbehere——couldn’tgetalongwithhisgrandsecretwithoutHuck,youknow!\" \"Secretaboutwhat,Sid?\" \"AboutHucktrackingtherobberstothewidow’s。IreckonMr。 Joneswasgoingtomakeagrandtimeoverhissurprise,butIbetyouitwilldropprettyflat。\" Sidchuckledinaverycontentedandsatisfiedway。 \"Sid,wasityouthattold?\" \"Oh,nevermindwhoitwas。Somebodytold——that’senough。\" \"Sid,there’sonlyonepersoninthistownmeanenoughtodothat,andthat’syou。IfyouhadbeeninHuck’splaceyou’d’a’sneakeddownthehillandnevertoldanybodyontherobbers。Youcan’tdoanybutmeanthings,andyoucan’tbeartoseeanybodypraisedfordoinggoodones。 There——nothanks,asthewidowsays\"——andTomcuffedSid’searsandhelpedhimtothedoorwithseveralkicks。\"Nowgoandtellauntieifyoudare——andto—morrowyou’llcatchit!\" Someminuteslaterthewidow’sguestswereatthesupper—table,andadozenchildrenwereproppedupatlittleside—tablesinthesameroom,afterthefashionofthatcountryandthatday。AtthepropertimeMr。Jonesmadehislittlespeech,inwhichhethankedthewidowforthehonorshewasdoinghimselfandhissons,butsaidthattherewasanotherpersonwhosemodesty—— Andsoforthandsoon。HesprunghissecretaboutHuck’sshareintheadventureinthefinestdramaticmannerhewasmasterof,butthesurpriseitoccasionedwaslargelycounterfeitandnotasclamorousandeffusiveasitmighthavebeenunderhappiercircumstances。However,thewidowmadeaprettyfairshowofastonishment,andheapedsomanycomplimentsandsomuchgratitudeuponHuckthathealmostforgotthenearlyintolerablediscomfortofhisnewclothesintheentirelyintolerablediscomfortofbeingsetupasatargetforeverybody’sgazeandeverybody’slaudations。 ThewidowsaidshemeanttogiveHuckahomeunderherroofandhavehimeducated;andthatwhenshecouldsparethemoneyshewouldstarthiminbusinessinamodestway。Tom’schancewascome。Hesaid: \"Huckdon’tneedit。Huck’srich。\" Nothingbutaheavystrainuponthegoodmannersofthecompanykeptbackthedueandpropercomplimentarylaughatthispleasantjoke。 Butthesilencewasalittleawkward。Tombrokeit: \"Huck’sgotmoney。Maybeyoudon’tbelieveit,buthe’sgotlotsofit。Oh,youneedn’tsmile——IreckonIcanshowyou。Youjustwaitaminute。\" Tomranoutofdoors。Thecompanylookedateachotherwithaperplexedinterest——andinquiringlyatHuck,whowastongue—tied。 \"Sid,whatailsTom?\"saidAuntPolly。\"He——well,thereain’teveranymakingofthatboyout。Inever——\" Tomentered,strugglingwiththeweightofhissacks,andAuntPollydidnotfinishhersentence。Tompouredthemassofyellowcoinuponthetableandsaid: \"There——whatdidItellyou?Halfofit’sHuck’sandhalfofit’smine!\" Thespectacletookthegeneralbreathaway。Allgazed,nobodyspokeforamoment。Thentherewasaunanimouscallforanexplanation。 Tomsaidhecouldfurnishit,andhedid。Thetalewaslong,butbrimfulofinterest。Therewasscarcelyaninterruptionfromanyonetobreakthecharmofitsflow。Whenhehadfinished,Mr。Jonessaid: \"IthoughtIhadfixedupalittlesurpriseforthisoccasion,butitdon’tamounttoanythingnow。Thisonemakesitsingmightysmall,I’mwillingtoallow。\" Themoneywascounted。Thesumamountedtoalittleovertwelvethousanddollars。Itwasmorethananyonepresenthadeverseenatonetimebefore,thoughseveralpersonsweretherewhowereworthconsiderablymorethanthatinproperty。 TheAdventuresofTomSawyer:Chapter35CHAPTERXXXVTHEreadermayrestsatisfiedthatTom’sandHuck’swindfallmadeamightystirinthepoorlittlevillageofSt。Petersburg。Sovastasum,allinactualcash,seemednexttoincredible。Itwastalkedabout,gloatedover,glorified,untilthereasonofmanyofthecitizenstotteredunderthestrainoftheunhealthyexcitement。Every\"haunted\"houseinSt。Petersburgandtheneighboringvillageswasdissected,plankbyplank,anditsfoundationsdugupandransackedforhiddentreasure——andnotbyboys,butmen—— prettygrave,unromanticmen,too,someofthem。WhereverTomandHuckappearedtheywerecourted,admired,staredat。Theboyswerenotabletorememberthattheirremarkshadpossessedweightbefore;butnowtheirsayingsweretreasuredandrepeated;everythingtheydidseemedsomehowtoberegardedasremarkable;theyhadevidentlylostthepowerofdoingandsayingcommonplacethings;moreover,theirpasthistorywasrakedupanddiscoveredtobearmarksofconspicuousoriginality。Thevillagepaperpublishedbiographicalsketchesoftheboys。 TheWidowDouglasputHuck’smoneyoutatsixpercent。,andJudgeThatcherdidthesamewithTom’satAuntPolly’srequest。Eachladhadanincome,now,thatwassimplyprodigious——adollarforeveryweek—dayintheyearandhalfoftheSundays。Itwasjustwhattheministergot——no,itwaswhathewaspromised——hegenerallycouldn’tcollectit。 Adollarandaquarteraweekwouldboard,lodge,andschoolaboyinthoseoldsimpledays——andclothehimandwashhim,too,forthatmatter。 JudgeThatcherhadconceivedagreatopinionofTom。Hesaidthatnocommonplaceboywouldeverhavegothisdaughteroutofthecave。WhenBeckytoldherfather,instrictconfidence,howTomhadtakenherwhippingatschool,theJudgewasvisiblymoved;andwhenshepleadedgraceforthemightyliewhichTomhadtoldinordertoshiftthatwhippingfromhershoulderstohisown,theJudgesaidwithafineoutburstthatitwasanoble,agenerous,amagnanimouslie——aliethatwasworthytoholdupitsheadandmarchdownthroughhistorybreasttobreastwithGeorgeWashington’slaudedTruthaboutthehatchet!Beckythoughtherfatherhadneverlookedsotallandsosuperbaswhenhewalkedthefloorandstampedhisfootandsaidthat。ShewentstraightoffandtoldTomaboutit。 JudgeThatcherhopedtoseeTomagreatlawyeroragreatsoldiersomeday。HesaidhemeanttolooktoitthatTomshouldbeadmittedtotheNationalMilitaryAcademyandafterwardtrainedinthebestlawschoolinthecountry,inorderthathemightbereadyforeithercareerorboth。 HuckFinn’swealthandthefactthathewasnowundertheWidowDouglas’protectionintroducedhimintosociety——no,draggedhimintoit,hurledhimintoit——andhissufferingswerealmostmorethanhecouldbear。Thewidow’sservantskepthimcleanandneat,combedandbrushed,andtheybeddedhimnightlyinunsympatheticsheetsthathadnotonelittlespotorstainwhichhecouldpresstohisheartandknowforafriend。 Hehadtoeatwithaknifeandfork;hehadtousenapkin,cup,andplate; hehadtolearnhisbook,hehadtogotochurch;hehadtotalksoproperlythatspeechwasbecomeinsipidinhismouth;whithersoeverheturned,thebarsandshacklesofcivilizationshuthiminandboundhimhandandfoot。 Hebravelyborehismiseriesthreeweeks,andthenonedayturnedupmissing。Forforty—eighthoursthewidowhuntedforhimeverywhereingreatdistress。Thepublicwereprofoundlyconcerned;theysearchedhighandlow,theydraggedtheriverforhisbody。EarlythethirdmorningTomSawyerwiselywentpokingamongsomeoldemptyhogsheadsdownbehindtheabandonedslaughter—house,andinoneofthemhefoundtherefugee。Huckhadsleptthere;hehadjustbreakfasteduponsomestolenoddsandendsoffood,andwaslyingoff,now,incomfort,withhispipe。Hewasunkempt,uncombed,andcladinthesameoldruinofragsthathadmadehimpicturesqueinthedayswhenhewasfreeandhappy。Tomroutedhimout,toldhimthetroublehehadbeencausing,andurgedhimtogohome。Huck’sfacelostitstranquilcontent,andtookamelancholycast。Hesaid: \"Don’ttalkaboutit,Tom。I’vetriedit,anditdon’twork;itdon’twork,Tom。Itain’tforme;Iain’tusedtoit。Thewidder’sgoodtome,andfriendly;butIcan’tstandthemways。Shemakesmegetupjustatthesametimeeverymorning;shemakesmewash,theycombmealltothunder;shewon’tletmesleepinthewoodshed;Igottowearthemblamedclothesthatjustsmothersme,Tom;theydon’tseemtoanyairgitthrough’em,somehow;andthey’resorottennicethatIcan’tsetdown,norlaydown,norrollaroundanywher’s;Ihain’tslidonacellar—doorfor—— well,it’pearstobeyears;Igottogotochurchandsweatandsweat——Ihatethemornerysermons!Ican’tketchaflyinthere,Ican’tchaw。 IgottowearshoesallSunday。Thewiddereatsbyabell;shegoestobedbyabell;shegitsupbyabell——everything’ssoawfulreg’larabodycan’tstandit。\" \"Well,everybodydoesthatway,Huck。\" \"Tom,itdon’tmakenodifference。Iain’teverybody,andIcan’tstandit。It’sawfultobetiedupso。Andgrubcomestooeasy—— Idon’ttakenointerestinvittles,thatway。Igottoasktogoa—fishing; Igottoasktogoina—swimming——dern’difIhain’tgottoasktodoeverything。Well,I’dgottotalksoniceitwasn’tnocomfort——I’dgottogoupintheatticandripoutawhile,everyday,togitatasteinmymouth,orI’dadied,Tom。Thewidderwouldn’tletmesmoke;shewouldn’tletmeyell,shewouldn’tletmegape,norstretch,norscratch,beforefolks——\"[Thenwithaspasmofspecialirritationandinjury]——\"Anddadfetchit,sheprayedallthetime!Ineverseesuchawoman!IHAD toshove,Tom——Ijusthadto。Andbesides,thatschool’sgoingtoopen,andI’dahadtogotoit——well,Iwouldn’tstandTHAT,Tom。Looky—here,Tom,beingrichain’twhatit’scrackeduptobe。It’sjustworryandworry,andsweatandsweat,anda—wishingyouwasdeadallthetime。Nowtheseclothessuitsme,andthisbar’lsuitsme,andIain’tevergoingtoshake’emanymore。Tom,Iwouldn’tevergotintoallthistroubleifithadn’t’a’benforthatmoney;nowyoujusttakemysheerofitalongwithyour’n,andgimmeaten—centersometimes——notmanytimes,becuzIdon’tgiveadernforathing’thoutit’stollablehardtogit——andyougoandbegoffformewiththewidder。\" \"Oh,Huck,youknowIcan’tdothat。’Tain’tfair;andbesidesifyou’lltrythisthingjustawhilelongeryou’llcometolikeit。\" \"Likeit!Yes——thewayI’dlikeahotstoveifIwastosetonitlongenough。No,Tom,Iwon’tberich,andIwon’tliveinthemcussedsmotheryhouses。Ilikethewoods,andtheriver,andhogsheads,andI’llstickto’em,too。Blameitall!justaswe’dgotguns,andacave,andalljustfixedtorob,herethisdernfoolishnesshasgottocomeupandspileitall!\" Tomsawhisopportunity—— \"Lookyhere,Huck,beingrichain’tgoingtokeepmebackfromturningrobber。\" \"No!Oh,good—licks;areyouinrealdead—woodearnest,Tom?\" \"JustasdeadearnestasI’msittinghere。ButHuck,wecan’tletyouintothegangifyouain’trespectable,youknow。\" Huck’sjoywasquenched。 \"Can’tletmein,Tom?Didn’tyouletmegoforapirate?\" \"Yes,butthat’sdifferent。Arobberismorehigh—tonedthanwhatapirateis——asageneralthing。Inmostcountriesthey’reawfulhighupinthenobility——dukesandsuch。\" \"Now,Tom,hain’tyoualwaysbenfriendlytome?Youwouldn’tshetmeout,wouldyou,Tom?Youwouldn’tdothat,now,wouldyou,Tom?\" \"Huck,Iwouldn’twantto,andIdon’twantto——butwhatwouldpeoplesay?Why,they’dsay,’Mph!TomSawyer’sGang!prettylowcharactersinit!’They’dmeanyou,Huck。Youwouldn’tlikethat,andI wouldn’t。\" Huckwassilentforsometime,engagedinamentalstruggle。Finallyhesaid: \"Well,I’llgobacktothewidderforamonthandtackleitandseeifIcancometostandit,ifyou’llletmeb’longtothegang,Tom。\" \"Allright,Huck,it’sawhiz!Comealong,oldchap,andI’llaskthewidowtoletuponyoualittle,Huck。\" \"Willyou,Tom——nowwillyou?That’sgood。Ifshe’llletuponsomeoftheroughestthings,I’llsmokeprivateandcussprivate,andcrowdthroughorbust。Whenyougoingtostartthegangandturnrobbers?\" \"Oh,rightoff。We’llgettheboystogetherandhavetheinitiationto—night,maybe。\" \"Havethewhich?\" \"Havetheinitiation。\" \"What’sthat?\" \"It’stosweartostandbyoneanother,andnevertellthegang’ssecrets,evenifyou’rechoppedalltoflinders,andkillanybodyandallhisfamilythathurtsoneofthegang。\" \"That’sgay——that’smightygay,Tom,Itellyou。\" \"Well,Ibetitis。Andallthatswearing’sgottobedoneatmidnight,inthelonesomest,awfulestplaceyoucanfind——aha’ntedhouseisthebest,butthey’reallrippedupnow。\" \"Well,midnight’sgood,anyway,Tom。\" \"Yes,soitis。Andyou’vegottoswearonacoffin,andsignitwithblood。\" \"Now,that’ssomethinglike!Why,it’samilliontimesbullierthanpirating。I’llsticktothewiddertillIrot,Tom;andifIgittobeareg’larripperofarobber,andeverybodytalking’boutit,Ireckonshe’llbeproudshesnakedmeinoutofthewet。\" CONCLUSIONSOendeththischronicle。Itbeingstrictlyahistoryofaboy,itmuststophere;thestorycouldnotgomuchfurtherwithoutbecomingthehistoryofaman。Whenonewritesanovelaboutgrownpeople,heknowsexactlywheretostop——thatis,withamarriage;butwhenhewritesofjuveniles,hemuststopwherehebestcan。 Mostofthecharactersthatperforminthisbookstilllive,andareprosperousandhappy。Somedayitmayseemworthwhiletotakeupthestoryoftheyoungeronesagainandseewhatsortofmenandwomentheyturnedouttobe;thereforeitwillbewisestnottorevealanyofthatpartoftheirlivesatpresent。