Huck said: “Tom, we can slope, if we can find a rope. The window ain’t high from the ground.”
“Shucks! what do you want to slope for?”
“Well, I ain’t used to that kind of a crowd. I can’t stand it. I ain’t going down there, Tom.”
“Oh, bother! It ain’t anything. I don’t mind it a bit. I’ll take care of you.”
Sid appeared.
“Tom,” said he, “auntie has been waiting for you all the afternoon. Mary got your Sunday clothes ready, and everybody’s been fretting1 about you. Say—ain’t this grease and clay, on your clothes?”
“Now, Mr. Siddy, you jist ’tend to your own business. What’s all this blowout about, anyway?”
“It’s one of the widow’s parties that she’s always having. This time it’s for the Welshman and his sons, on account of that scrape they helped her out of the other night. And say—I can tell you something, if you want to know.”
“Well, what?”
“Why, old Mr. Jones is going to try to spring something on the people here tonight, but I overheard him tell auntie today about it, as a secret, but I reckon it’s not much of a secret now. Everybody knows—the widow, too, for all she tries to let on she don’t. Mr. Jones was bound Huck should be here—couldn’t get along with his grand secret without Huck, you know!”
“Secret about what, Sid?”
“About Huck tracking the robbers to the widow’s. I reckon Mr. Jones was going to make a grand time over his surprise, but I bet you it will drop pretty flat.”
Sid chuckled2 in a very contented3 and satisfied way.
“Sid, was it you that told?”
“Oh, never mind who it was. Somebody told—that’s enough.”
“Sid, there’s only one person in this town mean enough to do that, and that’s you. If you had been in Huck’s place you’d ’a’ sneaked4 down the hill and never told anybody on the robbers. You can’t do any but mean things, and you can’t bear to see anybody praised for doing good ones. There—no thanks, as the widow says”—and Tom cuffed5 Sid’s ears and helped him to the door with several kicks. “Now go and tell auntie if you dare—and tomorrow you’ll catch it!”
Some minutes later the widow’s guests were at the supper-table, and a dozen children were propped6 up at little side-tables in the same room, after the fashion of that country and that day. At the proper time Mr. Jones made his little speech, in which he thanked the widow for the honor she was doing himself and his sons, but said that there was another person whose modesty—
And so forth7 and so on. He sprung his secret about Huck’s share in the adventure in the finest dramatic manner he was master of, but the surprise it occasioned was largely counterfeit8 and not as clamorous9 and effusive10 as it might have been under happier circumstances. However, the widow made a pretty fair show of astonishment11, and heaped so many compliments and so much gratitude12 upon Huck that he almost forgot the nearly intolerable discomfort13 of his new clothes in the entirely14 intolerable discomfort of being set up as a target for everybody’s gaze and everybody’s laudations.
The widow said she meant to give Huck a home under her roof and have him educated; and that when she could spare the money she would start him in business in a modest way. Tom’s chance was come. He said:
“Huck don’t need it. Huck’s rich.”
Nothing but a heavy strain upon the good manners of the company kept back the due and proper complimentary15 laugh at this pleasant joke. But the silence was a little awkward. Tom broke it:
“Huck’s got money. Maybe you don’t believe it, but he’s got lots of it. Oh, you needn’t smile—I reckon I can show you. You just wait a minute.”
Tom ran out of doors. The company looked at each other with a perplexed16 interest—and inquiringly at Huck, who was tongue-tied.
“Sid, what ails17 Tom?” said Aunt Polly. “He—well, there ain’t ever any making of that boy out. I never—”
Tom entered, struggling with the weight of his sacks, and Aunt Polly did not finish her sentence. Tom poured the mass of yellow coin upon the table and said:
“There—what did I tell you? Half of it’s Huck’s and half of it’s mine!”
The spectacle took the general breath away. All gazed, nobody spoke18 for a moment. Then there was a unanimous call for an explanation. Tom said he could furnish it, and he did. The tale was long, but brimful of interest. There was scarcely an interruption from any one to break the charm of its flow. When he had finished, Mr. Jones said:
“I thought I had fixed19 up a little surprise for this occasion, but it don’t amount to anything now. This one makes it sing mighty20 small, I’m willing to allow.”
The money was counted. The sum amounted to a little over twelve thousand dollars. It was more than any one present had ever seen at one time before, though several persons were there who were worth considerably21 more than that in property.
1 fretting [fretɪŋ] 第9级 | |
n. 微振磨损 adj. 烦躁的, 焦虑的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2 chuckled [ˈtʃʌkld] 第9级 | |
轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3 contented [kənˈtentɪd] 第8级 | |
adj.满意的,安心的,知足的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4 sneaked [sni:kt] 第7级 | |
v.潜行( sneak的过去式和过去分词 );偷偷溜走;(儿童向成人)打小报告;告状 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5 cuffed [kʌft] 第9级 | |
v.掌打,拳打( cuff的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6 propped [prɔpt] 第7级 | |
支撑,支持,维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
7 forth [fɔ:θ] 第7级 | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
8 counterfeit [ˈkaʊntəfɪt] 第9级 | |
vt.伪造,仿造;adj.伪造的,假冒的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
9 clamorous ['klæmərəs] 第11级 | |
adj.吵闹的,喧哗的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
10 effusive [ɪˈfju:sɪv] 第9级 | |
adj.热情洋溢的;感情(过多)流露的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
11 astonishment [əˈstɒnɪʃmənt] 第8级 | |
n.惊奇,惊异 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
12 gratitude [ˈgrætɪtju:d] 第7级 | |
adj.感激,感谢 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
13 discomfort [dɪsˈkʌmfət] 第8级 | |
n.不舒服,不安,难过,困难,不方便 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
14 entirely [ɪnˈtaɪəli] 第9级 | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
15 complimentary [ˌkɒmplɪˈmentri] 第8级 | |
adj.赠送的,免费的,赞美的,恭维的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
16 perplexed [pəˈplekst] 第11级 | |
adj.不知所措的;困惑的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
17 ails [eɪlz] 第11级 | |
v.生病( ail的第三人称单数 );感到不舒服;处境困难;境况不佳 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
18 spoke [spəʊk] 第11级 | |
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
19 fixed [fɪkst] 第8级 | |
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
20 mighty [ˈmaɪti] 第7级 | |
adj.强有力的;巨大的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
21 considerably [kənˈsɪdərəbli] 第9级 | |
adv.极大地;相当大地;在很大程度上 | |
参考例句: |
|
|