The Adventures of Tom Sawyer : Chapter 18-20

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Episode Transcript

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Chapter eighteen, Tom reveals his dreamsecret. That was Tom's great secret,
the scheme to return home with hisbrother pirates and attend their own funerals.
They had paddled over to the Missourishore in a log at dusk on Saturday,
landing five or six miles below thevillage. They had slept in the
woods at the edge of the towntill nearly daylight, and had then crept

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through back lanes and alleys and finishedtheir sleep in the gallery of the church
among a chaos of invalided benches.At breakfast Monday morning, Aunt Polly and
Mary were very loving to Tom andvery attentive to his wants. There was
an unusual amount of talk in thecourse of it. Aunt Polly said,
well, I don't say it wasn'ta fine joke, Tom, to keep

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everybody suffering most a week. Soyou boys had a good time, But
it is a pity you could beso hard hearted as to let me suffer.
So if you could have come overon a log to go to your
funeral, you could have come overand give me a hint some way that
you weren't dead, but only runoff. Yes, you could have done
that, Tom, said Mary,and I believe you would if you had

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thought of it? Would you,Tom, said Aunt Polly, her face
lightening wistfully, say, now,would you if you'd thought of it?
I well, I don't know.Twould have spoiled everything? Tom. I
hoped you loved me that much,said Aunt Polly with a grieved tone that
discomforted the boy. It would havebeen something if you'd cared enough to think
of it, even if you didn'tdo it. Now, Auntie, that

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ain't any harm, pleaded Mary.It's only Tom's giddy way. He's always
in such a rush that he neverthinks of anything. More's the pity Sid
would have thought, and Sid wouldhave come and done it too. Tom,
you'll look back some day when it'stoo late and wish you'd cared a
little more for me, when itwould have cost you so little. Now,

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Auntie, you know I do carefor you, said Tom. I'd
know it better if you acted morelike it. I wish now, I
thought, said Tom with a repentanttone. But I dreamed about you anyway.
That's something, ain't it. Itain't much A cat does that much,
but it's better than nothing. Whatdid you dream? Why? Wednesday

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night? I dreamt that you wassitting over there by the bed, and
Sid was sitting by the woodbox,and Marry next to him. Well,
so we did, so we alwaysdo. I'm glad your dreams could take
even that much trouble about us.And I dreamt that Joe Harper's mother was
here. Why she was here?Did you dream anymore? Oh? Lots?

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But it's so dim now. Well, try to recollect, can't you.
Somehow it seems to me that thewind, the wind blowed the the
try harder, Tom, the winddid blow something come. Tom pressed his
fingers to his forehead an anxious minute, and then said, I've got it.
Now, I've got it now.He'd blowed the candle. Mercy on

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us. Go on, Tom,go on. And it seems to me
that you said, why I believethat that door? Go on? Tom,
Just let me study a moment,just a moment. Oh, yes,
you said you believed the door wasopen, as I'm sitting here,
I did, didn't I Marry goon? And then and then well,

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I won't be certain, but itseems like because if you made Sid go
and and well, well, whatdid I make him do? Tom?
What did I make him? Do? You made him you, oh,
you made him shut it well,for Land's sake, I never heard the
beat of that in all my days. Don't tell me there ain't anything in

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dreams anymore. Serenity Harper shall knowof this before I'm an hour older.
I'd like to see her get aroundthis with her rubbish about superstition. Go
on, Tom, Oh, it'sall getting just as bright as day now.
Next you said I weren't bad,only mischievous and harum scarum, and
not any more responsible than than Ithink it was a or something. And

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so it was, well, goodnessgracious, go on, Tom. And
then you began to cry. SoI did so I did not the first
time neither. And then but thenmissus Harper she began to cry and said
Joe was just the same, andshe wished she hadn't whipped him for taking
cream when she'd throwed it out onher own self. Tom, the spirit

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was upon you. You was aprophesying, that's what she was a doing.
Lend alive. Go on, Tom. Well, then Sid, he
said, He said, Well,I don't think I said anything, said
Sid, Yes you did, Sidsaid, Mary, shut your heads and
let Tom go. What did hesay, Tom, he said, Oh,
I think he said he hoped Iwas better off where I was gone

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to. But if I'd been bettersometimes there do you hear that? It
was his very words? And youshut him up sharp, I lay,
I did. There must have beenan angel there. There was an angel
there somewheres. And Missus Harper toldabout Joe scary her with a firecracker,
and you told about Peter and thepainkiller, just as true as I live.

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And then there was a whole lotof talk about dragging the river for
us, and about having the funeralSunday, and then you and old miss
Harper hugged and cried, and shewent, it happened just so, it
happened, just so as sure asI'm sitting in these very tracks, Tom,
you couldn't have told it more likeif you'd have seen it. And

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then what go on? Tom?Then I thought you prayed for me,
and I could see you and hearevery word you said. And you went
to bed, and I was sosorry that I took and wrote on a
piece of sycamore bark we ain't dead, we were only off being pirates,
and put it on the table bythe candle. And then you looked so
good laying there asleep that I thoughtI went and leaned over and kissed you

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on the lips. Did you,Tom, did you? I just forgive
you everything for that. And shesees the boy in a crushing embrace that
made him feel like the guiltiest ofvillains. It was very kind, even
though it was only a dream,said soliloquized, Just audibly, shut up,
Sid. A body does just thesame in a dream as he'd do

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if he was awake. Here's abig milum apple I've been saving for you,
Tom, if you was ever foundagain. Now go long to school.
I'm thankful to the good God andfather of us all I've got you
back. That's long suffering and mercifulto them that believe on him and keep
his word, though Goodness knows I'munworthy of it. But if only the
worthy ones got his blessings and hadhis hand to help him over the rough

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places, there's few enough would smilehere or ever enter into his rest when
the long night comes. Go along, Sid, Mary, Tom, take
yourselves off. You've hindered me longenough. The children left for school,
and the old lady to call onmissus Harper and vanquish her realism with Tom's
marvelous dream. Sid had better judgmentthan to utter the thought that was in

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his mind as he left the house. It was this pretty thin, as
long as a dream as that,without any mistakes in it. What a
hero Tom was become. Now hedid not go skipping and prancing, but
moved with a dignified swagger, asbecame a pirate who felt that the public
eye was on him, and indeedit was. He tried not to seem

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to see the looks or hear theremarks as he passed along, but they
were food and drink to him.Smaller boys than himself flocked at his heels,
as proud to be seen with him, and tolerated by him, as
if he had been the drummer atthe head of a procession or the elephant
leading a menagerie into town. Boysof his own size pretended not to know
he had been away at all,but they were consuming with envy. Nevertheless,

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they would have given anything to havehad that swarthy, sun tanned skin
of his and his glittering notoriety,and Tom would not have parted with either
for a circus. At school,the children made so much of him and
of Joe, and delivered such eloquentadmiration from their eyes that the two heroes
were not long in becoming insufferably stuckup. They began to tell their adventures

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to hungry listeners, but they onlybegan it was not a thing likely to
have an end with imaginations like theirsto furnish material. And finally, when
they got out their pipes and wentserenely puffing around, the very summit of
glory was reached. Tom decided thathe could be independent of Becky Thatcher.
Now glory was sufficient. He wouldlive for glory. Now that he was

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distinguished. Maybe she would be wantingto make up. Well, let her
she should see that he could beas indifferent as some other people. Presently
she arrived, Tom pretended not tosee her. He moved away and joined
a group of boys and girls andbegan to talk. Soon he observed that
she was tripping gayly back and forth, with flushed face and dancing eyes,

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pretending to be busy chasing schoolmates,and screaming with laughter when she made a
capture. But he noticed that shealways made her captures in his vicinity,
and that she seemed to cast aconscious eye in his direction. At such
times too, it gratified all thevicious vanity that was in him, and
so instead of winning him, itonly set him up the more and made

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him the more diligent to avoid betrayingthat he knew she was about. Presently,
she gave over skylarking and moved irresolutelyabout, sighing once or twice,
and glancing furtively and wistfully towards Tom. Then she observed that now Tom was
talking more particularly to Amy Lawrence thanto anyone else. She felt a sharp

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pang and grew disturbed and uneasy.At once. She tried to go away,
but her feet were treacherous and carriedher to the group. Instead.
She said to a girl almost atTom's elbow, with sham vivacity, Why
Mary Austin, you bad girl?Why didn't you come to Sunday School?
I did come. Didn't you seeme? Why no? Did you?
Where did you sit? I wasin Miss Peter's class, where I always

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go. I saw you? Didyou? Oh it's funny I didn't see
you. I wanted to tell youabout the picnic. Oh that's jolly.
Who's going to give it? MyMa's going to let me have one?
Oh, goody. I hope she'lllet me come. Well, she will
the picnics for me. She'll letanybody come that I want, and I
want you. That's ever so nice. When is it going to be bye

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and bye? Maybe about vacation?Oh, won't it be fun? You're
going to have all the girls andboys? Yes, everyone that's friends to
me or wants to be. Andshe glanced ever so furtively at Tom,
But he talked right along to AmyLawrence about the terrible storm on the island
and how the lightning tore the greatsycamore tree all to flinders while he was

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standing within three feet of it.Oh may I come, said Gracie Miller.
Yes, and me said Sally Rogers. Yes, and me too,
said Susie Harper. And Joe Yes, and so on, with clapping of
joyful hands, till all the grouphad begged for invitations but Tom and Amy.
Then Tom turned coolly away, stilltalking, and took Amy with him.

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Becky's lips trembled and the tears cameto her eyes. She hid these
signs with a forced gaiety and wenton chattering. But the life had gone
out of the picnic now, andout of everything else. She got away
as soon as she could and hidherself and had what her sex call a
good cry. Then she sat moodywith wounded pride till the bell rang.

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She roused up now with a vindictivecast in her eye, and gave her
plaited tails a shake, and saidshe knew what she'd do. At recess.
Tom continued his flirtation with Amy withjubilant self satisfaction, and he kept
drifting about to find Becky and laceerther with a performance. At last he

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spied her, but there was asudden falling of his mercury. She was
sitting cozily on little bench behind theschoolhouse, looking at a picture book with
Alfred Temple, and so absorbed werethey, and their heads so close together
over the book, that they didnot seem to be conscious of anything in
the world Besides Jealousy ran red hotthrough Tom's veins. He began to hate
himself for throwing away the chance Beckyhad offered for a reconciliation. He called

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himself a fool, and all thehard names could think of. He wanted
to cry with vexation. Amy chattedhappily along as they walked, for her
heart was singing, but Tom's tonguehad lost its function. He did not
hear what Amy was saying, andwhenever she paused expectantly, he could only
stammer an awkward ascent, which wasas often misplaced as otherwise. He kept

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drifting to the rear of the schoolhouseagain and again to sear his eyeballs with
a hateful spectacle. There he couldnot help it, and it maddened him
to see as he thought he sawthat Becky Thatcher never once suspected that he
was even in the land of theliving. But she did see, nevertheless,
and she knew she was winning herfight, too, and was glad
to see him suffer as she hadsuffered. Amy's happy prattle became intolerable.

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Tom hinted at things he had toattend to, things that must be done,
and time was fleeting, but invain the girl chirped on. Tom
thought, oh, hang her,Ain't I ever going to get rid of
her? At last? He mustbe attending to those things. And she
said artlessly that she would be roundwhen school left out, and he hastened
away, hating her for it.Any other boy, Tom thought, grating

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his teeth, any boy in thewhole town. But that Saint Louis Smarty,
that thinks he dresses so fine andis aristocracy. Oh all right,
I licked you the first day youever saw this town, mister, and
I'll lick you again. You justwait till I catch you out. I'll
just take and and he went throughthe motions of thrashing an imaginary boy,
pummeling the air and kicking and gouging. Oh you do, do you?

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You holler enough? Do you?Now? Then let that learn you?
And so the imaginary flogging was finished. To his satisfaction. Tom fled home
at noon. His conscience could notendure any more of Amy's grateful happiness,
and his jealousy could bear no moreof the other distress. Becky resumed her
picture inspections with Alfred, but asthe minutes dragged along and no Tom came

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to suffer, her triumph began tocloud, and she lost interest. Gravity
and absent mindedness followed, and thenmelancholy. Two or three times she pricked
up her ear at a footstep,but it was a false hope. No
Tom came at last. She grewentirely miserable and wished she hadn't carried it
so far. When poor Alfred,seeing that he was losing her, he

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did not know how, kept exclaiming, Oh, here's a jolly one,
look at this. She lost patienceat last and said, oh, don't
bother me. I don't care forthem, and burst into tears and got
up and walked away. Alfred droppedalongside and was going to try to comfort
her, but she said, goaway and leave me alone, can't you?
I hate you. So the boyhalted, wondering what he could have

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done for she had said she wouldlook at pictures all through the nooning,
and she walked on crying. ThenAlfred went musing into the deserted schoolhouse.
He was humiliated and angry. Heeasily guessed his way to the truth.
The girl had simply made a convenienceof him to vent her spite upon Tom
Sawyer. He was far from hatingTom the less. When this thought occurred

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to him, he wished there wassome way to get that boy into trouble
without much risk to himself. Tom'sspelling book fell under his eye. Here
was his opportunity. He gratefully openedto the lesson for the afternoon and poured
ink upon the page. Becky glancingin at a window behind him at the
moment, saw the act and movedon without discovering herself. She started homeward,

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now intending to find Tom and tellhim Tom would be thankful and their
troubles would be healed. Before shewas half way home, however, she
had changed her mind. The thoughtof Tom's treatment of her when she was
talking about her picnic came scorching backand filled her with shame. She resolved
to let him get whipped on thedamaged spelling book's account, and to hate
him forever into the bargain. Endof chapter eighteen, Chapter nineteen, The

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cruelty of I didn't think. Tomarrived at home in a dreary mood,
and the first thing his aunt saidto him showed him that he had brought
his sorrows to an unpromising market.Tom, I've a notion to skin you
alive, Auntie. What have Idone? Well? You've done enough here.
I go over to Serenity Harper likean old softie, expecting I'm going

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to make her believe all that rubbageabout that dream. When lo and behold
you. She'd found out from Joethat you was over here, and heard
all the talk we had that night, Tom, I don't know what is
to become of a boy that willact like that. It makes me feel
so bad to think that you couldlet me go to Serenity Harper and make
such a fool of myself and neversay a word. This was a new

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aspect of the thing. His smartnessof the morning had seemed to Tom a
good joke before, and very ingenious. It merely looked mean and shabby.
Now. He hung his head andcould not think of anything to say for
a moment. Then he said,Auntie, I wished I hadn't done it,
but I didn't think. Oh child, you never think. You never

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think of anything but your own selfishness. You could think to come all the
way over here from Jackson's Island inthe night to laugh at our troubles,
and you could think to fool mewith a lie about a dream, but
you never think to pity us andsave us from sorrow. Addie, I
know now it was mean, butI didn't mean it to be mean.
I didn't honest, And besides,I didn't come over here to laugh at

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you that night. What did youcome for then? It was to tell
you not to be uneasy about usbecause we hadn't got drowned, Tom,
Tom, I would be the thankfullestsoul in this world if I could believe
you ever had this good a thoughtas that. But you know you never
did, and I know it,Tom, Indeed, indeed I did,
Addie. I wish I may neverstir if I didn't. Oh, Tom,

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don't lie. Don't do it.It only makes things a hundred times
worse. It ain't a lie,Addie, It's the truth. I wanted
to keep you from grieving. Thatwas all that made me come. I'd
give the whole world to believe thatit would cover up a power of sins.
Tom, I'd most be glad you'drun off and acted so bad.
But it ain't reasonable, because whydidn't you tell me? Child? Why

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you see? When you got totalking about the funeral, I just got
all full of the idea of ourcoming and hiding in a church, and
I couldn't somehow bear to spoil it. So I just put the bark back
in my pocket and kept mum,what bark the bark I wrote on to
tell you we'd gone pirating. Iwish now you'd waked up when I kissed
you I do, honest. Thehard lines in his aunt's face relaxed,

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and a sudden tenderness dawned in hereyes. Did you kiss me, Tom?
Why? Yes I did. Areyou sure you did, Tom?
Why yes, I did? Aunt, he's certain? Sure? What did
you kiss me for? Tom?Because I loved you so and you laid
there moaning and I was so sorry. The words sounded like truth. The
old lady could not hide a tremorin her voice when she said, kiss

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me again, Tom, and beoff with you to school now, and
don't bother me anymore. The momenthe was gone, she ran to a
closet and got out the ruin ofa jacket which Tom had gone pirating in.
Then she stopped with it in herhand and said to herself, No,
I don't dare poor boy. Ireckon he lied about it. But
it's a blessed, blessed lie.There's such a comfort come from it.

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I hope the Lord. I knowthe Lord will forgive him because it was
such good heartedness and him to tellit. But I don't want to find
out it's a lie. I won'tlook. She put the jacket away and
stood by, musing a minute.Twice She put out her hand to take
the garment again, and twice sherefrained. Once more she ventured, and
this time she fortified herself with athought, it's a good lie. It's

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a good lie. I won't letit grieve me, so she sought the
jacket pocket. A moment later,she was reading Tom's piece of bark through
the flowing tears and saying, Iforgive the boy now if he'd committed a
million sins. End of chapter nineteen. Chapter twenty, Tom takes Becky's punishment.

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There was something about Aunt Polly's mannerwhen she kissed Tom that swept away
his low spirits and made him lightheartedand happy again. He started to school
and had the luck of coming uponBecky Thatcher at the head of Meadow Lane.
His mood always determined his manner.Without a moment's hesitation, he ran
to her and said, I actedmighty mean today, Becky, and I'm
so sorry. I won't ever everdo that way again as long as I

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ever live. Please make up,won't you? The girl stopped and looked
at him, scornfully in the face. I'll thank you to keep yourself to
yourself. Mister Thomas Sawyer I'll neverspeak to you again. She tossed her
head and passed on. Tom wasso stunned that he had not even presence
of mind enough to say who caresmiss Smarty, until the right time to

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say it had gone by, sohe said nothing, But he was in
a fine rage. Nevertheless, hemoped into the schoolyard, wishing she were
a boy, and imagining how hewould trounce her if she were. He
presently encountered her and delivered a stingingremark. As he passed. She hurled
one in return, and the angrybreach was complete. It seemed to Becky,
in her hot resentment, that shecould hardly wait for school to take

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in. She was so impatient tosee Tom flogged for the injured spelling book.
If she had had any ling ringnotion of exposing to Alfred Temple,
Tom's offensive fling had driven it entirelyaway. Poor girl, she did not
know how fast she was nearing troubleherself. The master Mister Dobbins had reached
middle age with an unsatisfied ambition.The darling of his desires was to be

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a doctor, but poverty had decreedthat he should be nothing higher than a
village schoolmaster. Every day he tooka mysterious book out of his desk and
absorbed himself in it. At timeswhen no classes were reciting, he kept
that book under lock and key.There was not an urchin in school,
but was perishing to have a glimpseof it, But the chance never came.
Every boy and girl had a theoryabout the nature of that book,

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but no two theories were alike,and there was no way of getting at
the facts in the case. Now, as Becky was passing by the desk,
which stood near the door, shenoticed that the key was in the
lock. It was a precious moment. She glanced around, found herself alone,
and the next instant she had thebook in her hands. The title
page, Professor Somebody's Anatomy, carriedno information to her mind, so she

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begun to turn the leaves she cameat, once upon a handsomely engraved and
colored frontispiece a human figure stark naked. At that moment, a shadow fell
on the page, and Tom Sawyerstepped in at the door and caught the
glimpse of the picture. Becky snatchedat the book to close it, and
had the hard luck to tear thepictured plate half down the middle. She

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thrust the volumes into the desk,turned the key, and burst out,
crying with shame and vexation. TomSawyer, you are just as mean as
you can be to sneak up ona person and look at what they're looking
at. How could I know youwas looking at anything? You ought to
be ashamed of yourself, Tom Sawyer, you know you're going to tell on
me and I what shall I do? What shall I do? I'll be
whipped and I never was whipped inschool. Then she stamped her little foot

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and said, be so mean.If you want to I know something that's
going to happen you just wait andyou'll see hateful, hateful, hateful,
And she flung out of the housewith a new explosion of crying. Tom
stood still, rather flustered by this, onslaught Presently, he said to himself,
what a curious kind of a fool. A girl is never been licked

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in school? Shucks? What's alickin'? That's just like a girl.
They're so thin skinned and chicken hearted. Well, of course I ain't going
to tell Old Dobbins on this littlefool, because there's other ways of getting
even on her. That ain't somean. But what of it? Old
Dobbins will ask who it was tohis book, nobody'll answer. Then he'll
do just the way he always does. Ask first one, then tether,

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and when he comes to the rightgirl, he'll know it without any telling.
Girls faces always tell on them.They ain't got any backbone. She'll
get licked. Well, it's akind of a tight place for Becky thatcher,
because there ain't any way out ofit. Tom conned the thing a
moment longer, and then added,all right, though she'd like to see
me in such a fix, lether sweat it out. Tom joined a

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mob of skylarking scholars outside. Ina few moments, the master arrived in
school took in. Tom did notfeel a strong interest in his studies.
Every time he stole a glance atthe girl's side of the room, Becky's
face troubled him. Considering all things, he did not want to pity her,
and yet it was all he coulddo to help it. He could
get up no exaltation that was reallyworthy the name. Presently, the spelling

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book discovery was made, and Tom'smind was entirely full of his own matters
for a while. After that,Becky roused up from her lethargy of distress
and showed good interest in the proceedings. She did not expect that Tom could
get out of his trouble by denyingthat he spilt the ink on the book
himself, and she was right.The denial only seemed to make the thing
worse for Tom. Becky supposed shewould be glad of that, and she

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tried to believe she was glad ofit, but she found she was not
certain. When the worst came tothe worst, she had an impulse to
get up and tell on Alfred Temple, but she made an effort and forced
herself to keep still, because,said she to herself, he'll tell about
me tearing the boat. Sure,I wouldn't say a word, not to
save his life. Tom took hiswhipping and went back to his seat,

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not at all broken hearted, forhe thought it was possible that he had
unknowingly upset the ink on the spellingbook himself in some skylarking bout. He
had denied it for form's sake andbecause it was custom, and had stuck
to the denial from principle. Awhole hour drifted by. The Master sat
nodding in his throne. The airwas drowsy with a hum of study.
By and by. Mister Dobbins straightenedhimself up, yawned, and then unlocked

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his desk and reached for his book, but seemed undecided whether to take it
out or leave it. Most ofthe pupils glanced up languidly, but there
was two among them that watched hismovements with intent eyes. Mister Dobbins fingered
his book absently for a while,then took it out and settled himself in
his chair to read. Tom shota glance at Becky. He had seen

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a hunted and helpless rabbit look asshe did, with a gun leveled at
its head. Instantly he forgot hisquarrel with her quick Something must be done
done in a flash, too,But the very imminence of the emergency paralyzed
his invention. Good. He hadan inspiration he would run and snatch the
book, spring through the door,and fly, But his resolution shook for

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one little instant, and the chancewas lost. The Master opened the volume.
If Tom only had the wasted opportunityback again too late, there was
no help for Becky. Now hesaid. The next moment, the Master
faced the school. Every eye sankunder his gaze. There was that in
it which smote even the innocent withfear. There was silence while one might
count ten. The Master was gatheringhis wrath. Then he spoke, who

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tore this book? There was nota sound. One could have heard a
pin drop. The stillness continued.The Master searched face after face for signs
of guilt. Benjamin Rogers, didyou tear this book? A denial?
Another pause? Joseph Harper? Didyou? Another denial? Tom's uneasiness grew

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more and more intense into the slowtorture of these proceedings. The Master scanned
the ranks of boys, considered awhile, then turned to the girls.
Amy Lawrence, a shake of thehead, Gracey Miller the same sign Susan
Harper, did you do this?Another negative? The next girl was Becky
Thatcher. Tom was trembling from headto foot with excitement on a sense of

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hopelessness of the situation. Rebecca Thatcher. Tom glanced at her face. It
was white with terror. Did youtear no? Look me in the face.
Her hands rose in appeal. Didyou tear this book? A thought?
Shot like lightning through Tom's brain,he sprang to his feet and shouted,
I done it. The school staredin perplexity at this incredible folly.

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Tom stood a moment to gather hisdismembered faculties, and when he stepped forward
to go to his punishment, thesurprise, the gratitude, the adoration that
shone upon him out of poor Becky'seyes seemed pay enough for a hundred floggings.
Inspired by the splendor of his ownact, he took without an outcry,
the most merciless flaying that even misterDobbins had ever administered, and also

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received with indifference. The added crueltyof a command to remain two hours after
school should be dismissed, for heknew who would wait for him outside till
his captivity was done, and notcount the tedious time as loss either.
Tom went to bed that night planningvengeance against Alfred Temple, for with shame
and repentance Becky had told him allnot forgetting her own treachery. But even

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the longing for vengeance had to giveway soon to pleasanter musings, and he
fell asleep at last with Becky's latestwords lingering dreamily in his ear, Tom,
how could you be so noble?End of Chapter twenty