\"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。