SO I started for town in the wagon², and when I was half-way I see a wagon coming, and sure enough it was Tom Sawyer, and I stopped and waited till he come along. I says "Hold on!" and it stopped alongside, and his mouth opened up like a trunk, and stayed so; and he swallowed two or three times like a person that's got a dry throat, and then says:

"I hain't ever done you no harm. You know that. So, then, what you want to come back and ha'nt ME for?"

I says:

"I hain't come back -- I hain't been GONE."

When he heard my voice it righted him up some, but he warn't quite satisfied yet. He says:

"Don't you play nothing on me, because I wouldn't on you. Honest injun, you ain't a ghost?"

"Honest injun, I ain't," I says.

"Well -- I -- I -- well, that ought to settle it, of course; but I can't somehow seem to understand it no way. Looky here, warn't you ever murdered AT ALL?"

"No. I warn't ever murdered at all -- I played it on them. You come in here and feel of me if you don't believe me."

So he done it; and it satisfied him; and he was that glad to see me again he didn't know what to do. And he wanted to know all about it right off, because it was a grand adventure, and mysterious, and so it hit him where he lived. But I said, leave it alone till by and by; and told his driver to wait, and we drove off a little piece, and I told him the kind of a fix I was in, and what did he reckon we better do? He said, let him alone a minute, and don't disturb him. So he thought and thought, and pretty soon he says:

"It's all right; I've got it. Take my trunk in your wagon, and let on it's your'n; and you turn back and fool along slow, so as to get to the house about the time you ought to; and I'll go towards town a piece, and take a fresh start, and get there a quarter or a half an hour after you; and you needn't let on to know me at first."

I says:

"All right; but wait a minute. There's one more thing -- a thing that NOBODY don't know but me. And that is, there's a nigger here that I'm a-trying to steal out of slavery, and his name is JIM -- old Miss Watson's Jim."

He says:

" What ! Why, Jim is --"

He stopped and went to studying. I says:

"I know what you'll say. You'll say it's dirty, lowdown business; but what if it is? I'm low down; and I'm a-going to steal him, and I want you keep mum and not let on. Will you?"

His eye lit up, and he says:

"I'll HELP you steal him!"

Well, I let go all holts then, like I was shot. It was the most astonishing speech I ever heard -- and I'm bound to say Tom Sawyer fell considerable in my estimation. Only I couldn't believe it. Tom Sawyer a NIGGER-STEALER!

"Oh, shucks!" I says; "you're joking."

"I ain't joking, either."

"Well, then," I says, "joking or no joking, if you hear anything said about a runaway³ nigger, don't forget to remember that YOU don't know nothing about him, and I don't know nothing about him."

Then we took the trunk and put it in my wagon, and he drove off his way and I drove mine. But of course I forgot all about driving slow on accounts of being glad and full of thinking; so I got home a heap too quick for that length of a trip. The old gentleman was at the door, and he says:

"Why, this is wonderful! Whoever would a thought it was in that mare⁴ to do it? I wish we'd a timed her. And she hain't sweated a hair -- not a hair. It's wonderful. Why, I wouldn't take a hundred dollars for that horse now -- I wouldn't, honest; and yet I'd a sold her for fifteen before, and thought 'twas all she was worth."

That's all he said. He was the innocentest, best old soul I ever see. But it warn't surprising; because he warn't only just a farmer, he was a preacher, too, and had a little one-horse log church down back of the plantation⁵, which he built it himself at his own expense, for a church and schoolhouse, and never charged nothing for his preaching, and it was worth it, too. There was plenty other farmer-preachers like that, and done the same way, down South.

In about half an hour Tom's wagon drove up to the front stile, and Aunt Sally she see it through the window, because it was only about fifty yards, and says:

"Why, there's somebody come! I wonder who 'tis? Why, I do believe it's a stranger. Jimmy " (that's one of the children)' "run and tell Lize to put on another plate for dinner."

Everybody made a rush for the front door, because, of course, a stranger don't come EVERY year, and so he lays over the yaller-fever, for interest, when he does come. Tom was over the stile and starting for the house; the wagon was spinning up the road for the village, and we was all bunched in the front door. Tom had his store clothes on, and an audience -- and that was always nuts for Tom Sawyer. In them circumstances it warn't no trouble to him to throw in an amount of style that was suitable. He warn't a boy to meeky along up that yard like a sheep; no, he come ca'm and important, like the ram⁶. When he got a-front of us he lifts his hat ever so gracious and dainty, like it was the lid of a box that had butterflies asleep in it and he didn't want to disturb them, and says:

"Mr. Archibald Nichols, I presume?"

"No, my boy," says the old gentleman, "I'm sorry to say 't your driver has deceived you; Nichols's place is down a matter of three mile more. Come in, come in."

Tom he took a look back over his shoulder, and says, "Too late -- he's out of !j:
??????!
QE
(砮€t缋 萫??8?
TL萤 
,?萫?萫nd eat your dinner with us; and then we'll hitch⁷ up and take you down to Nichols's."

"Oh, I CAN'T make you so much trouble; I couldn't think of it. I'll walk -- I don't mind the distance."

"But we won't LET you walk -- it wouldn't be Southern hospitality to do it. Come right in."

"Oh, DO," says Aunt Sally; "it ain't a bit of trouble to us, not a bit in the world. You must stay. It's a long, dusty three mile, and we can't let you walk. And, besides, I've already told 'em to put on another plate when I see you coming; so you mustn't disappoint us. Come right in and make yourself at home."

So Tom he thanked them very hearty⁸ and handsome, and let himself be persuaded, and come in; and when he was in he said he was a stranger from Hicksville, Ohio, and his name was William Thompson -- and he made another bow.

Well, he run on, and on, and on, making up stuff about Hicksville and everybody in it he could invent, and I getting a little nervious, and wondering how this was going to help me out of my scrape; and at last, still talking along, he reached over and kissed Aunt Sally right on the mouth, and then settled back again in his chair comfortable, and was going on talking; but she jumped up and wiped it off with the back of her hand, and says:

"You owdacious puppy!"

He looked kind of hurt, and says:

"I'm surprised at you, m'am."

"You're s'rp -- Why, what do you reckon I am? I've a good notion to take and -- Say, what do you mean by kissing me?"

He looked kind of humble⁹, and says:

"I didn't mean nothing, m'am. I didn't mean no harm. I -- I -- thought you'd like it."

"Why, you born fool!" She took up the spinning stick, and it looked like it was all she could do to keep from giving him a crack with it. "What made you think I'd like it?"

"Well, I don't know. Only, they -- they -- told me you would."

"THEY told you I would. Whoever told you's ANOTHER lunatic. I never heard the beat of it. Who's THEY?"

"Why, everybody. They all said so, m'am."

It was all she could do to hold in; and her eyes snapped, and her fingers worked like she wanted to scratch him; and she says:

"Who's 'everybody'? Out with their names, or ther'll be an idiot short."

He got up and looked distressed¹⁰, and fumbled¹¹ his hat, and says:

"I'm sorry, and I warn't expecting it. They told me to. They all told me to. They all said, kiss her; and said she'd like it. They all said it -- every one of them. But I'm sorry, m'am, and I won't do it no more -- I won't, honest."

"You won't, won't you? Well, I sh'd RECKON you won't!"

"No'm, I'm honest about it; I won't ever do it again -- till you ask me."

"Till I ASK you! Well, I never see the beat of it in my born days! I lay you'll be the Methusalem-numskull of creation before ever I ask you -- or the likes of you."

"Well," he says, "it does surprise me so. I can't make it out, somehow. They said you would, and I thought you would. But --" He stopped and looked around slow, like he wished he could run across a friendly eye somewheres, and fetched up on the old gentleman's, and says, "Didn't YOU think she'd like me to kiss her, sir?"

"Why, no; I -- I -- well, no, I b'lieve I didn't."

Then he looks on around the same way to me, and says:

"Tom, didn't YOU think Aunt Sally 'd open out her arms and say, 'Sid Sawyer --'"

"My land!" she says, breaking in and jumping for him, "you impudent¹² young rascal¹³, to fool a body so --" and was going to hug him, but he fended¹⁴ her off, and says:

"No, not till you've asked me first."

So she didn't lose no time, but asked him; and hugged him and kissed him over and over again, and then turned him over to the old man, and he took what was left. And after they got a little quiet again she says:

"Why, dear me, I never see such a surprise. We warn't looking for YOU at all, but only Tom. Sis never wrote to me about anybody coming but him."

"It's because it warn't INTENDED for any of us to come but Tom," he says; "but I begged and begged, and at the last minute she let me come, too; so, coming down the river, me and Tom thought it would be a first-rate surprise for him to come here to the house first, and for me to by and by tag along and drop in, and let on to be a stranger. But it was a mistake, Aunt Sally. This ain't no healthy place for a stranger to come."

"No -- not impudent whelps, Sid. You ought to had your jaws¹⁵ boxed; I hain't been so put out since I don't know when. But I don't care, I don't mind the terms -- I'd be willing to stand a thousand such jokes to have you here. Well, to think of that performance! I don't deny it, I was most putrified with astonishment¹⁶ when you give me that smack¹⁷."

We had dinner out in that broad open passage betwixt the house and the kitchen; and there was things enough on that table for seven families -- and all hot, too; none of your flabby, tough meat that's laid in a cupboard in a damp cellar all night and tastes like a hunk of old cold cannibal in the morning. Uncle Silas he asked a pretty long blessing¹⁸ over it, but it was worth it; and it didn't cool it a bit, neither, the way I've seen them kind of interruptions do lots of times. There was a considerable good deal of talk all the afternoon, and me and Tom was on the lookout¹⁹ all the time; but it warn't no use, they didn't happen to say nothing about any runaway nigger, and we was afraid to try to work up to it. But at supper, at night, one of the little boys says:

"Pa, mayn't Tom and Sid and me go to the show?"

"No," says the old man, "I reckon there ain't going to be any; and you couldn't go if there was; because the runaway nigger told Burton and me all about that scandalous show, and Burton said he would tell the people; so I reckon they've drove the owdacious loafers out of town before this time."

So there it was! -- but I couldn't help it. Tom and me was to sleep in the same room and bed; so, being tired, we bid good-night and went up to bed right after supper, and clumb out of the window and down the lightning-rod, and shoved for the town; for I didn't believe anybody was going to give the king and the duke a hint, and so if I didn't hurry up and give them one they'd get into trouble sure.

On the road Tom he told me all about how it was reckoned I was murdered, and how pap disappeared pretty soon, and didn't come back no more, and what a stir there was when Jim run away; and I told Tom all about our Royal Nonesuch rapscallions, and as much of the raft voyage as I had time to; and as we struck into the town and up through the -- here comes a raging rush of people with torches, and an awful whooping²⁰ and yelling, and banging tin pans and blowing horns; and we jumped to one side to let them go by; and as they went by I see they had the king and the duke astraddle of a rail -- that is, I knowed it WAS the king and the duke, though they was all over tar¹ and feathers, and didn't look like nothing in the world that was human -- just looked like a couple of monstrous²¹ big soldier-plumes. Well, it made me sick to see it; and I was sorry for them poor pitiful rascals²², it seemed like I couldn't ever feel any hardness against them any more in the world. It was a dreadful thing to see. Human beings CAN be awful cruel to one another.

We see we was too late -- couldn't do no good. We asked some stragglers about it, and they said everybody went to the show looking very innocent; and laid low and kept dark till the poor old king was in the middle of his cavortings on the stage; then somebody give a signal, and the house rose up and went for them.

So we poked²³ along back home, and I warn't feeling so brash as I was before, but kind of ornery, and humble, and to blame, somehow -- though I hadn't done nothing. But that's always the way; it don't make no difference whether you do right or wrong, a person's conscience ain't got no sense, and just goes for him anyway. If I had a yaller dog that didn't know no more than a person's conscience does I would pison him. It takes up more room than all the rest of a person's insides, and yet ain't no good, nohow. Tom Sawyer he says the same.

于是我就坐车前往镇上去。半路上我见到有一辆车迎面而来，那肯定是汤姆·索
亚无疑了。我就停下车来，等他过来。我说了声“停车”，车就停了，靠在一边。他的嘴巴
张大了半天合不拢。他咽了两三口口水，活象口渴得不行似的。他说：
    “我可从没有害过你。这你自己明白。那你为什么要还阳找我算账？”
    我说：
    “我并没有还阳啊——我根本没有到阴间去啊。”
    他一听清是我的声音，神志便镇静了些，不过还是不很放心。他说：
    “别作弄我了，我也不作弄你。你说句实话，你是不是鬼？”
    “说实话，我不是。”我说。
    “那好——我——我——那好，当然，这样就不成为问题了。不过，我实在弄不懂。听
我说，你不是已经给害死了么？”
    “不，我根本没有被害死——是我作弄了他们。你过来，摸一摸我，要是你不信我的
话。”
    他就过来，摸了摸我，这才放了心。又见到了我，他很高兴，只是他不知道下一步该做
些什么。他急于想马上知道一切的真相，因为这可是一次轰轰烈烈的冒险，又神秘兮兮，这
正合他的脾气。不过我说，这不妨暂时放一放，且待以后再说，还招呼他的车夫在边上等一
会儿。我们就把车往前赶了几步，随后我把当前为难的处境对他说了，问他该怎么办才好。
他说，让他想一会儿，别打搅他。他就左思右想起来，没多久，他便说：
    “不要紧，我有啦。把我的行李搬到你的车上去，装成是你的。你就往回转，慢吞吞地
走，挨到原该到的时候才到家。我呢，往镇上那个方向走一段路，我重新开始，在你到家后
一刻钟或者半个钟点才到。在开头，你不必装作认识我。”
    我说：
    “那行。不过等一下。还有一件事——这件事，除了我，没有一个人知道。那就是，还
有一个黑人，我想力争把他给偷出来，好不再当奴隶——他的名字是杰姆——华珍老小姐的
杰姆。”
    他说：
    “什么！怎么是杰姆——”
    他没有说下去，便思量了起来。我说：
    “我可知道你要说些什么。你会说这是一桩肮脏下流的勾当，不过那又怎么样呢？——
我是下流的，我准备把他偷出来，我要你守口如瓶，别泄漏出去。行吧？”
    他的眼睛一亮。他说：
    “我会帮你把他偷出来！”
    啊，这句话可叫我大吃一惊，仿佛一声晴天霹雳，恰好打在我身上。这可是我平生听到
的最叫人诧异的话了——我不能不说，在我眼里，汤姆·索亚的份量，大大地下降了许多。
我怎么也不相信汤姆·索亚竟然会是一个偷黑奴的人①。   

　　①诺顿版注：哈克一向把汤姆看作代表了社会上“有身份的人”和守法的人，因而
如今他答应参加搭救、解放杰姆的计划，便认为汤姆这是有失身份了。
（又，杰姆当时还并不了解他的女主人有关他命运的决定，并且他对汤姆的为人也毕竟
缺乏真正的认识。）

    “哦，去你的吧，”我说，“你这是在开玩笑吧。”
“我可不是在开玩笑。”
“那好，”我说，“开玩笑也好，不开玩笑也好，要是你听到什么有关一个逃亡黑奴的
任何什么事情，别忘了，你对这个人什么也不知道，我呢，也什么都不知道。”
随后我们把行李放到了我的车子上。他就走他的路，我赶我的车。不过我把应该慢些走
的话压根儿忘得一干二净，因为实在高兴得不得了，有一肚子的事得思量一番。这样一来，
我到家便比这段路该花的时刻快得太多了些。这时老先生正在门口。他说：
“哈，真了不起。谁想到母马会跑得这么快。可惜我们没有对准了看一下时间。它连一
根毛都没有汗淋淋的——连一根毛都没有。这多了不起。啊，如今人家出一百元这个价买我
的马我也不肯卖啦。往常我十五块钱就肯卖了，以为它只值这么个价。”
他说的就是这些话。他是我见到过的最天真最善良的老人了。这也并不奇怪，因为他不
光是一个农民，他还是一个传教士。在他农庄后边，他还有一个巴掌大的由圆木搭成的教堂
呢。那是他自己出资并亲自建成的，作为教堂兼学校。他传教从不收钱，讲也讲得好。象他
这样既是农民又兼传教士，并且干这类事的，在南方可有的是。
大约半个小时左右，汤姆的马车赶到大门的梯磴前。萨莉姨妈从窗户里就望见了，因为
相距只有五十码。她说：
“啊，有人来啦！不知道是谁哩？啊，我相信肯定是位外地来的，吉姆（这是她一个孩
子的名字），跑去对莉丝说，午餐时添一只菜盘子。”
大伙儿一个个朝大门口涌去，因为有一个外地的客人来到，这可并非每年都有的事。他
一来，比黄热病更加引人注意。汤姆跨过了门口的梯磴，正朝屋里走来。马车沿着大道回村
去了。我们都挤在大门口。汤姆身穿一套新买的现成衣服，眼前又有一伙观众——一有观
众，汤姆·索亚就来劲。在这样的情况下，不用费力，他就会表现出气派来，而且表现得很
得体。他可不是一个卑躬屈膝的孩子，象一只小绵羊那样驯服地从场院走来。不，神情镇
静，态度从容，仿佛一只大公羊那般模样。一走到我们大伙儿的面前，他把帽子往上那么提
了一提，态度高雅，分外潇洒、仿佛是一只盒子上的盖子，里面蒙着蝴蝶，他只是不愿惊动
它们似的。他说：
“是阿区鲍尔特·尼科尔斯先生吧？”
“不是的，我的孩子，”老先生说，“非常抱歉，你那个车夫把你骗了，尼科尔斯的家
在下面三英里地。请进，请进。”汤姆往身后望了一下，说，“太迟了些——他看不见了。”
“是啊，他走啦，我的孩子，你务必进来，跟我们一起吃顿中饭，随后我们会套车把你
送到下边尼科尔斯家的。”“哦，我可不能太打搅你了。这不行。我能走——这点子路我不
在乎。”
“不过我们不会让你走了去——这可不合乎我们南方人礼貌待客的规矩。请进吧。”
“哦，请进吧，”萨莉阿姨说。“这对我们谈不到什么麻烦，一点儿也谈不到。你务必
请留下来。这三英里路不短，路上灰尘又多。我们决不能让你走得去。我已吩咐添一份菜盘
子啦。见你进来的时候就吩咐下去的，可别叫人失望了。请进来吧，就象在自己家里一样。”
汤姆便热情道谢了一番，接受了邀请，进了屋里。进来时说他自己是一个外乡人，是俄
亥俄州希克斯维尔的人。说他的名字叫威灵·汤普逊——一边说，一边又鞠了一躬。
是啊，他就滔滔不绝地如此这般地讲下去，讲到希克斯维尔以及每一个人的事，只要能
编到哪里就讲到那里，可我倒有些忐忑不安，不知道这些话能否帮我摆脱目前尴尬的处境。
到后来，他一边谈下去，一边把头伸过去，对准萨莉阿姨的嘴巴吻了一下，随后又在椅子上
舒舒服服地坐了下来，准备继续高谈阔论下去。可是萨莉阿姨却猛然跳将起来，用手背抹了
抹嘴巴说：
“你这不要脸的狗崽子！”
他满脸委屈说：
“真想不到您会这样，夫人。”
“你真想不到——嘿，你把我看成什么人了？我真想好好——你说，你吻我，这是什么
意思？”
他仿佛很低声下气地说：
“没有什么意思啊，夫人。我并无坏心眼。我——我——
以为你会乐意我亲一下。”
“什么，你这天生的傻瓜！”她拿起了纺纱棒，那模样仿佛她使劲克制自己这才没有给
他一家伙似的。“你怎么会认为我乐意你亲我？”
“这我可不知道。不过，他们——他们——告诉我你会乐意的。”
“他们告诉你我会乐意。谁告诉你，谁就是又一个疯子。
我从没有听到过这样的神经病。他们是谁？”
“怎么啦——大家啊。他们全都这么说，夫人。”
她简直要忍不住了，眼睛里一闪一闪，手指头一动一动，仿佛恨不得要抓他。她说：
“谁是‘大家’？你给我说出他们的名字来——要不然，世界上就会少一个白痴。”
他站起身来，仿佛很难受似的，笨手笨脚地摸着帽子，他说：
“我非常抱歉。这不是我所料想到的。他们这样告诉我的。他们都是这么说的。他们都
说亲亲她，她会欢喜的。他们都这么说——一个个都这么说。不过我非常抱歉，夫人，下一
次不会了——我不会了，说真的。”
“你不会了，你敢么？嘿，料你也不敢！”
“不会了，说实话。决不再犯啦，除非你请我。”“除非我请你！我活了一辈子也没有
听说过这样神经病的话。我请你，你等着吧，等到你活成千年怪物——糊涂蛋——
或者这么一类活宝，我也不会请你啊。”
“唉，”他说，“我真没有想到，我实在弄不明白，他们说你会的。我呢，也认为你会
的。不过——”他说到这里，把话收住，朝四下里慢慢地扫了一眼，仿佛他但愿有什么人能
投以友好的眼色。他先是朝老先生看了一眼，并且说，“你是不是认为，她会欢迎我亲她，
先生？”
“嗯，不，我——我——，啊，不。我看她不会。”
然后他还是照他那个老法子，朝四周张望，他朝我看了一眼——随后说：
“汤姆，你难道认为萨莉姨妈不会张开双臂说‘西特·索亚’——”
“我的天啊，”她一边打断了话头，一边朝他跳了过去，“你这个顽皮的小坏蛋，这么
糊弄人啊——”她正要拥抱他，可是他把她挡住了，并且说：
“不，除非你先请我。”
她就一秒钟也不耽误地请了他。她搂住了他，亲他，亲了又亲，随后把他推给老人，他
就接着亲他。等大家稍稍定下神以后，她说：
“啊，天啊，我可从没有料想到。我们根本没有指望着你会来，只指望着汤姆。姐信上
只说他会来，没有说到会有别的人。”
“这是因为原来只打算汤姆一个人来，没有别的人。”他说。
“可是我求了又求，最后她才放我，从大河往下游来。我和汤姆商量了一下，认为由他
先到这个屋里，我呢，慢一步跟上来，装做一个陌生人撞错了门，这样好叫你们喜出望外。
不过，萨莉阿姨，我们可错了。陌生人上这儿来可不大保险哩。”
“不，——只是对顽皮的小坏蛋不保险，西特。本该给你下巴颏一个巴掌呢。我已经不
知有多少年没有冒这么大的火啦。不过我才不在乎哩。什么条件我都不在乎——就是开一千
个玩笑我也愿意承受，只要你能来。试想一想刚才的情景真叫人好笑。我不否认，你刚才那
啧的一下，真是把我给惊呆啦。”
我们在屋子和厨房间宽敞的回廊上吃了中饭。桌子上东西可丰富啦，够六家人家吃的—
—而且全都是热腾腾的，没有一道菜是那种松塌塌可又嚼不动，在潮湿的地窖的食厨里放了
一夜，明早上吃起来象冰凉的老牛肉似的。西拉斯姨夫在饭桌上做了一个很长的感恩祷告，
不过这倒是值得的，饭菜也并没有因此凉了，要热好多回才行。我曾多次遇到过这样的事。
整整一个下午，谈话谈得没完没了。我和汤姆呢，一直在留着一个心眼，可是无济于
事，没有人有一句讲到逃亡的黑奴的。我们呢，又不敢把话引到这上面去。不过到晚上吃晚
饭的时候，有一个小孩在说：
“爸爸，汤姆、西特和我可以去看戏吧？”
“不行，”老人说。“依我看，也演不起来了。就是有戏，你们也不能去。因为那个逃
亡黑奴已经把那个骗人的演戏这回事，原原本本给我和伯顿都说了。伯顿说，他要给大伙儿
公开这件事。所以啊，依我看，这时候，他们已经把两个混帐流氓给轰出这个镇子啦。”
原来如此！——而我却无能为力。汤姆和我要在一间房一张床上睡。这样，既然困了，
我们刚吃了晚饭，便道了声晚安，上楼去睡了。后来又爬出窗口，顺着电线杆滑下来，朝镇
上奔去，因为我料想，不会有谁给国王和公爵报信的。因此，要是我不能赶紧前去，给他们
报个信，他们就会出事无疑。
在路上，汤姆告诉了我，当初人家怎样以为我是被谋害了，我爸又是怎样在不久以后失
踪的，从此一去不回；杰姆逃走的时候又是怎样引起了震动的；一桩桩、一件件，原原本本
都讲了。我呢，对汤姆讲了有关两个流氓演出《王室异兽》的事以及在木筏上一路漂流等等
的全部经过。因为时间不多，只能讲到哪里就算哪里。我们到了镇上，直奔镇子的中心——
那时是八点半钟——只见有一大群人象潮水般涌来，手执火把，一路吼啊，叫啊，使劲地敲
起白铁锅，吹起号角。我们跳到了一旁，让大伙儿过去。队伍走过时，只见国王和公爵给骑
在一根单杠上——其实，那只是我认为是国王和公爵，因为他们遍身给涂了漆，粘满了羽
毛，简直已经不成人形——乍一看，简直象两根军人戴的狰狞可怕的粗翎子。啊，看到这个
模样，真叫我恶心。这两个可怜的流氓，我也真为他们难过，仿佛从今以后，我再也对他们
恨不起来了。
这景象看起来真是怕人啊。人对人真能这么残酷啊。
我们知道我们已经来迟了——已经无能为力了。我们跟在旁边看热闹的人打听了一下。
他们说，大伙儿都去看演戏，仿佛若无其事似的。大家沉住气，不露一点儿风声。后来当那
个倒霉的老头国王在台上起劲地又蹦又跳的当儿，有人发出了一声信号，全场涌上前去，把
他们给逮住了。
我们慢慢吞吞地转回家，心里也不象原来那么乱糟糟的了，只是觉得有点儿心里有愧，
对不起人，——尽管我自己并没有做过什么对不住人的事。世上的事往往如此，不论你做得
对也罢，错也罢，根本无关紧要。一个人的良心反正不知好歹。要是我有一条黄狗，也象一
个人的良心那么个样子，分不清好歹，我便会把它毒死拉倒。一个人的良心占的地方比人的
五脏六肺还多，可就是一无可取之处。汤姆·索亚呢，他也是这么个说法。