Aquest era el gran secret de Tom: el pla de tornar a casa amb els seus germans pirates i assistir a sos propis funerals. Havien vogat cap a la ribera del Missuri en una corredora, el dissabte, quan ja era fosc, desembarcant cinc o sis milles més avall del poblet i havien dormit al bosc, al caire del poblet, gairebé fins a trenc de dia, i aleshores haven lliscat a través de camins i carrerons on daven els darreres de les cases; i acabaren llur son a la tribuna de la l'església, entre un caos de bancs invàlids.
THAT was Tom's great secret--the scheme to return home with his brother pirates and attend their own funerals. They had paddled over to the Missouri shore on a log, at dusk on Saturday, landing five or six miles below the village; they had slept in the woods at the edge of the town till nearly daylight, and had then crept through back lanes and alleys and finished their sleep in the gallery of the church among a chaos of invalided benches.
Al desdejuni, el dilluns al matí, la tia Polly i Mary estigueren molt amoroses envers Tom, i molt atentes a tot allò que li calia. Hi hagué una quantitat de conversa inacostumada. En mig d'ella digué la tia Polly:
At breakfast, Monday morning, Aunt Polly and Mary were very loving to Tom, and very attentive to his wants. There was an unusual amount of talk. In the course of it Aunt Polly said:
-Bé, no diré que no fos una bella facècia, Tom, d'anguniar a tothom gairebé una setmana mentre vosaltres us divertíeu; però és llàstima que fóssiu tan dur de cor que em féssiu patir a mi d'aquesta manera. Si podíeu venir en una corredora per assistir al vostre funeral, hauríeu pogut deixar-vos caure aquí i dar-me una entresenya o altra que no éreu mort, sinó que us havíeu escapat només.
"Well, I don't say it wasn't a fine joke, Tom, to keep everybody suffering 'most a week so you boys had a good time, but it is a pity you could be so hard-hearted as to let me suffer so. If you could come over on a log to go to your funeral, you could have come over and give me a hint some way that you warn't dead, but only run off."
-Sí, hauríeu hagut de fer-ho, Tom- digué Mary -I em penso que ho hauríeu fet si us hagués passat pel magí.
"Yes, you could have done that, Tom," said Mary; "and I believe you would if you had thought of it."
-Ho hauríeu fet, Tom?- digué la tia Polly, amb la cara il·luminada de daler. -Digueu-ho, ara; ho hauríeu fet si us hagués passat pel magí?
"Would you, Tom?" said Aunt Polly, her face lighting wistfully. "Say, now, would you, if you'd thought of it?"
-Jo... bé, no ho sé. Això ho hauria fet malbé tot.
"I--well, I don't know. 'Twould 'a' spoiled everything."
-Tom, em pensava que m'estimàveu el que calia per a fer-ho- digué la tia Polly amb un to dolorit que angunià al minyó. -Sempre hauria estat alguna cosa que jo us hagués importat a bastament per a pensar-hi, encara que no ho haguéssiu fet.
"Tom, I hoped you loved me that much," said Aunt Polly, with a grieved tone that discomforted the boy. "It would have been something if you'd cared enough to think of it, even if you didn't do it."
-Bé, tieta, no hi ha mala intenció- pledejà Mary. -Tot ve d'aquest geni de Tom, sempre atarantat: agafa tanta embranzida que mai no pensa en res.
"Now, auntie, that ain't any harm," pleaded Mary; "it's only Tom's giddy way--he is always in such a rush that he never thinks of anything."
-Encara és més llàstima. Sid hi hauria pensat. I Sid hauria vingut i ho hauria fet, tanmateix. Tom, girareu els ulls enrera, algun dia, quan sigui massa tard, i us sabrà greu de no haver pensat una mica més en mi, quan us hauria costat tan poca cosa.
"More's the pity. Sid would have thought. And Sid would have come and done it, too. Tom, you'll look back, some day, when it's too late, and wish you'd cared a little more for me when it would have cost you so little."
-Tieta, ja ho sabeu, que penso en vós- digué Tom.
"Now, auntie, you know I do care for you," said Tom.
-Ho coneixeria millor si traspués en els vostres actes.
"I'd know it better if you acted more like it."
-Voldria que se m'hagués acudit- digué Tom amb una inflexió de penediment; -però us vaig somniar fet i fet. Això és alguna cosa: oi?
"I wish now I'd thought," said Tom, with a repentant tone; "but I dreamt about you, anyway. That's something, ain't it?"
-No gaire: un gat també ho fa ; però val més això que res. Què vau somniar?
"It ain't much--a cat does that much--but it's better than nothing. What did you dream?"
-Bé doncs: el dimecres a la nit vaig somniar que sèieu per allí, vora el llit, i Sid seia vora la caixa, i Mary al seu costat.
"Why, Wednesday night I dreamt that you was sitting over there by the bed, and Sid was sitting by the woodbox, and Mary next to him."
-Bé, així ho férem. Així ho fem sempre. Em plau que els vostres somnis puguin arribar a pendre's tot aquest mal de cap per nosaltres.
"Well, so we did. So we always do. I'm glad your dreams could take even that much trouble about us."
-I vaig somniar que la mare de Joe Harper era aquí.
"And I dreamt that Joe Harper's mother was here."
-Ves! i hi era, aquí! Vau somniar cap altra cosa?
"Why, she was here! Did you dream any more?"
-Oh! Una pila! Però ara tot plegat és tan confós!...
"Oh, lots. But it's so dim, now."
-Bé, mireu de fer memòria. No podeu?
"Well, try to recollect--can't you?"
-Em sembla, ça com lla, que el vent... el vent apagà...apagà...
"Somehow it seems to me that the wind--the wind blowed the--the--"
-Coratge, Tom! El vent va apagar una cosa! Endavant!
"Try harder, Tom! The wind did blow something. Come!"
Tom apretà els dits damunt el front durant un afanyós minut, i després digué:
Tom pressed his fingers on his forehead an anxious minute, and then said:
-Ja ho tinc! Ja ho tinc! Va apagar la candela!
"I've got it now! I've got it now! It blowed the candle!"
-Déu me val! Endavant, Tom, endavant!
"Mercy on us! Go on, Tom--go on!"
-I em sembla que vós diguéreu: «-Ves, jo diria que aquesta porta...»
"And it seems to me that you said, 'Why, I believe that that door--'"
-Endavant, Tom!
"Go on, Tom!"
-Deixeu-m'ho estudiar un moment... només un moment. Oh, sí!... Vau dir que crèieu que la porta era oberta.
"Just let me study a moment--just a moment. Oh, yes--you said you believed the door was open."
-Tan cert com que sóc aquí asseguda, ho vaig dir! Veritat, Mary? Endavant.
"As I'm sitting here, I did! Didn't I, Mary! Go on!"
-I després... i després... Bé, no n'estic cert, però em sembla com si haguéssiu manat a Sid que se n'anès i...i...i...
"And then--and then--well I won't be certain, but it seems like as if you made Sid go and--and--"
-I què? I què? Què li vaig fer fer, Tom? Què li vaig fer fer?
"Well? Well? What did I make him do, Tom? What did I make him do?"
-Li vau fer fer... li vau... Oh! El vau fer callar!
"You made him--you--Oh, you made him shut it."
-O Laudes i Matines! Mai no havia sentit una cosa així en tota la vida! No em digueu mai més que en això dels somnis no hi ha cosa vera. Sereny Harper sabrà aquesta feta abans que jo sigui més vella d'una hora. M'hauria plagut de veure-la confrontada amb això, a ella que diu tantes ximpleries sobre les supersticions. Endavant, Tom!
"Well, for the land's sake! I never heard the beat of that in all my days! Don't tell me there ain't anything in dreams, any more. Sereny Harper shall know of this before I'm an hour older. I'd like to see her get around this with her rubbage 'bout superstition. Go on, Tom!"
-Oh! Tot va tornant-se clar com el dia, ara. Després diguéreu que jo no era dolent, que només era atarantat i tabalot, i que jo no tenia més responsabilitat que... que... em penso que vau dir un cavallet o alguna cosa per l'istil.
"Oh, it's all getting just as bright as day, now. Next you said I warn't bad, only mischeevous and harum-scarum, and not any more responsible than--than--I think it was a colt, or something."
-I així fou! Bé! Senyor, Déu meu! Endavant Tom!
"And so it was! Well, goodness gracious! Go on, Tom!"
-I després començàreu de plorar.
"And then you began to cry."
-Oi, oi. No era la primera vegada, però. I després...
"So I did. So I did. Not the first time, neither. And then--"
-Després la senyora Harper començà de plorar, i digué que Joe era igual, i que li sabia greu d'haver-lo fuetejat per haver-se begut la llet que ella mateixa havia llençat...
"Then Mrs. Harper she began to cry, and said Joe was just the same, and she wished she hadn't whipped him for taking cream when she'd throwed it out her own self--"
-Tom! L'Esperit era damunt vostre! Estàveu profetitzant... Això és el que fèieu! Laudes i Matines!... Endavant, Tom!
"Tom! The sperrit was upon you! You was a prophesying--that's what you was doing! Land alive, go on, Tom!"
-Després Sid digué... digué...
"Then Sid he said--he said--"
-No crec haver dit res- va fer Sid.
"I don't think I said anything," said Sid.
-Sí, sí, que vau parlar, Sid- digué Mary.
"Yes you did, Sid," said Mary.
-Calleu vosaltres, i Tom que vagi dient! Què digué, Tom?
"Shut your heads and let Tom go on! What did he say, Tom?"
-Digué... em sembla que digué que esperava que jo em trobava millor on era, però que si m'hagués portat millor en algunes coses...
"He said--I think he said he hoped I was better off where I was gone to, but if I'd been better sometimes--"
-No ho sentiu, això? Són les seves mateixes paraules!
"There, d'you hear that! It was his very words!"
-I vós el vau fer callar amb un rebuf.
"And you shut him up sharp."
-Ja ho crec, que sí! Devia haver-hi un àngel, allí. Hi havia un àngel, en algun indret!
"I lay I did! There must 'a' been an angel there. There was an angel there, somewheres!"
-I la senyora Harper digué que Joe l'havia assenyalada amb un piula, i vós parlàreu de Pere i el mata-xacres...
"And Mrs. Harper told about Joe scaring her with a firecracker, and you told about Peter and the Pain-killer--"
-Tan cert com que ara respiro!
"Just as true as I live!"
-I després hi hagué una mala fi de conversa sobre l'escorcoll del riu causat per nosaltres, i el funeral que hi havia d'haver diumenge; i després vós i la vella senyoreta Harper us abraçàreu i ploràreu, i ella se n'anà.
"And then there was a whole lot of talk 'bout dragging the river for us, and 'bout having the funeral Sunday, and then you and old Miss Harper hugged and cried, and she went."
-D'aquesta manera va succeir! D'aquesta mateixa manera, tan cert com jo estic aquí asseguda. Tom, no podríeu dir-ne més si ho haguéssiu vist! I, en acabat, què més? Endavant, Tom.
"It happened just so! It happened just so, as sure as I'm a-sitting in these very tracks. Tom, you couldn't told it more like if you'd 'a' seen it! And then what? Go on, Tom!"
-Després vaig pensar que pregàveu per mi; i us vaig poder veure i vaig sentir totes les paraules que dèieu, i us en vau anar al llit; i jo estava tan adolorit que vaig agafar un tros d'escorça de sicomor i vaig escriure-hi: «No som pas morts; no més som lluny, fent de pirates»: I el vaig posar damunt la taula, vora la candela; i després fèieu una cara de tanta de bondat, ajaguda al llit i ben adormida, que vaig pensar que anava i em decantava damunt vostre i us besava.
"Then I thought you prayed for me--and I could see you and hear every word you said. And you went to bed, and I was so sorry that I took and wrote on a piece of sycamore bark, 'We ain't dead--we are only off being pirates,' and put it on the table by the candle; and then you looked so good, laying there asleep, that I thought I went and leaned over and kissed you on the lips."
-Això vau fer, Tom? Això, vau fer? Pèr això sol us ho perdono tot.- I agafà el minyó en una abraçada esclafadora, dins la qual ell es sentí el més abjecte dels criminals.
"Did you, Tom, did you! I just forgive you everything for that!" And she seized the boy in a crushing embrace that made him feel like the guiltiest of villains.
-Molt amorós, encara que només era que un somni- monologà Sid, oint-se'l amb prou feines.
"It was very kind, even though it was only a--dream," Sid soliloquized just audibly.
-Quietud, Sid: un hom fa allò mateix en somnis que faria estant despert. Aquí hi ha una grossa poma de Milum que us havia reservat, Tom, per si mai més éreu trobat. I ara aneu a l'escola. Estic tota agraïda al bon Déu i Pare de tots nosaltres per haver-vos recobrat; Ell és pacient i clement per als qui creuen en Ell i serven la seva paraula, encara que la Bondat divina sap que jo sóc indigna; però, si només els dignes rebessin la seva benedicció i fossin a aixopluc de la seva mà en les bandes alteroses, ben pocs somriurien aquí baix, o entrarien mai dins el seu repòs quan la llarga nit fou arribada. Aneu, Sid, Mary, Tom, eixiu: ja m'heu fet nosa massa estona.
"Shut up, Sid! A body does just the same in a dream as he'd do if he was awake. Here's a big Milum apple I've been saving for you, Tom, if you was ever found again--now go 'long to school. I'm thankful to the good God and Father of us all I've got you back, that's long-suffering and merciful to them that believe on Him and keep His word, though goodness knows I'm unworthy of it, but if only the worthy ones got His blessings and had His hand to help them over the rough places, there's few enough would smile here or ever enter into His rest when the long night comes. Go 'long Sid, Mary, Tom--take yourselves off--you've hendered me long enough."
Els minyons eixiren cap a l'escola, i la vella senyora anà a fer una visita a la senyora Harper, a triomfar de son realisme amb el somni meravellós de Tom. Sid tenia massa seny per a confegir el pensament que duia al magí en deixar la casa. El pensament era aquest:
-Això amb prou feines se sosté: un somni tan llarg com aquest, sense cap errada!
The children left for school, and the old lady to call on Mrs. Harper and vanquish her realism with Tom's marvellous dream. Sid had better judgment than to utter the thought that was in his mind as he left the house. It was this: "Pretty thin--as long a dream as that, without any mistakes in it!"
Quín heroi s'havia fet ara, Tom! Poc anava a salts i gambades, sinó que es movia amb un digne estarrufament, com esqueia a un pirata que sabia que l'esguard públic era damunt ell. I talment hi era. Ell procurà de no dar entenent que veia les mirades o sentia les dites quan passava; però li eren sucre i mel. Nois més petits ramadejaven a sos talons, tan ufanosos d'ésser vistos amb ell i d'ell tolerats com si es tractés del timbaler que obre la processó, o l'elefant que condueix una col·lecció de feres cap al poble. Els minyons de son mateix volum feien veure que no sabien que se n'hagués anat; però tanmateix l'enveja els consumia. Haurien donat qualsevol cosa per tenir la seva pell bruna, colrada, i la seva anomenada resplendent; i Tom no s'hauria privat d'una i altra per tot un circ.
What a hero Tom was become, now! He did not go skipping and prancing, but moved with a dignified swagger as became a pirate who felt that the public eye was on him. And indeed it was; he tried not to seem to see the looks or hear the remarks 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 at the head of a procession or the elephant leading a menagerie into town. Boys of his own size pretended not to know he had been away at all; but they were consuming with envy, nevertheless. They would have given anything to have that swarthy sun-tanned skin of his, and his glittering notoriety; and Tom would not have parted with either for a circus.
A l'escola, els infants feren tantes bocades d'ell i de Joe, i els lliuraren amb l'esguard una admiració tan eloqüent, que els dos herois no trigaren a esdevenir insufriblement enravents. Començaren de dir llurs aventures als oïdors famolencs... però només començaren: no era cosa que probablement tingués una fi, havent-hi imaginacions com les llurs per a proveir el material. I, finalment, quan desembutxacaren les pipes i donaren el tomb traient serenes bufades arribaren al cim mateix de la glòria.
At school the children made so much of him and of Joe, and delivered such eloquent admiration from their eyes, that the two heroes were not long in becoming insufferably "stuck-up." They began to tell their adventures to hungry listeners--but they only began; it was not a thing likely to have an end, with imaginations like theirs to furnish material. And finally, when they got out their pipes and went serenely puffing around, the very summit of glory was reached.
Tom decidí que ara es faria independent de Becky Thatcher. Amb la glòria n'hi havia prou. Viuria per a la glòria. Ara que ell era una persona assenyalada, potser voldria fer les paus. Bé, que ho provés: ja veuria com ell podia ésser tan indiferent com d'altres persones. Al cap de poc, ella arribà. Tom pretengué que no la veia. S'allunyà i es reuní a un grup de nois i noies, i començà de parlar. Aviat hagué esment que ella posava travetes d'ací d'allà amb cara encesa i ulls bellugadissos, fent veure que estava aqueferada en la percaça de companyons d'escola, i fent esgarips, de tant riure, quan aconseguia una captura; però Tom reparà que ella sempre feia les seves captures en son veïnatge, i que semblava pegar a gratcient una llambregada en direcció seva, en aquells instants, tanmateix. Això afalagà tota la ufanosa vanitat que ell arrecerava: així és que, per compte de captivar-lo això, féu sinó enravenar-lo més i augmentar la seva diligència en fer per manera de no trair que ell sabia que ella era a prop. Aviat deixà córrer, ella, el fer l'alosa, i es mogué per aquells voltants irresoluda, sospirant una o dues vegades i llambregant furtivament i dalerosament envers Tom. Després observà que ara Tom enraonava amb més privadesa a Amy Lawrence que a ningú més. Sentí una punyida dolorosa, i esdevingué inquieta i contorbada al mateix temps. Provà d'allunyar-se, però els seus peus eren traïdors, i, en lloc d'obeir-la, la portaren al grup. Becky digué a una noia, gairebé arran de Tom, amb fingida vivacitat:
Tom decided that he could be independent of Becky Thatcher now. Glory was sufficient. He would live for glory. Now that he was distinguished, maybe she would be wanting to "make up." Well, let her--she should see that he could be as indifferent as some other people. Presently she arrived. Tom pretended not to see her. He moved away and joined a group of boys and girls and began to talk. Soon he observed that she was tripping gayly back and forth with flushed face and dancing eyes, pretending to be busy chasing schoolmates, and screaming with laughter when she made a capture; but he noticed that she always made her captures in his vicinity, and that she seemed to cast a conscious eye in his direction at such times, too. It gratified all the vicious vanity that was in him; and so, instead of winning him, it only "set him up" the more and made him the more diligent to avoid betraying that he knew she was about. Presently she gave over skylarking, and moved irresolutely about, sighing once or twice and glancing furtively and wistfully toward Tom. Then she observed that now Tom was talking more particularly to Amy Lawrence than to any one else. She felt a sharp pang and grew disturbed and uneasy at once. She tried to go away, but her feet were treacherous, and carried her to the group instead. She said to a girl almost at Tom's elbow--with sham vivacity:
-I ara, Mary Austin! Dolenta! Per què no vinguéreu a l'escola del diumenge?
"Why, Mary Austin! you bad girl, why didn't you come to Sunday-school?"
-Sí, que vaig anar-hi: no em veiéreu?
"I did come--didn't you see me?"
-Ai, ai! No!... Hi éreu? On sèieu?
"Why, no! Did you? Where did you sit?"
-Era a la classe de la senyoreta Peters, on sempre vaig. Jo sí, que us vaig veure.
"I was in Miss Peters' class, where I always go. I saw you."
-Sí? Bé és estrany que no us veiés. Volia parlar-vos de la forada.
"Did you? Why, it's funny I didn't see you. I wanted to tell you about the picnic."
-Oh! És divertit, això! Quí convida?
"Oh, that's jolly. Who's going to give it?"
-La mamà me'n deixa fer una.
"My ma's going to let me have one."
-Oh! Molt bé. Espero que m'hi deixarà anar.
"Oh, goody; I hope she'll let me come."
-Oh! Ben cert. La forada es fa per a mi. Hi deixarà ésser a tothom que jo vulgui, i jo us hi vull.
"Well, she will. The picnic's for me. She'll let anybody come that I want, and I want you."
"That's ever so nice. When is it going to be?"
"By and by. Maybe about vacation."
-És tan bonic, sempre, una forada! Convidareu totes les noies i nois?
"Oh, won't it be fun! You going to have all the girls and boys?"
-Sí, a tothom que em sigui amic... o me'n vulgui ésser - I llucà d'allò més furtivament a Tom. Però ell enraonava a tot drap amb Amy Lawrence sobre la paorosa tempesta de l'illa, i li deia com el llamp esfondrà el gran sicomor «fent-ne estelles», mentre ell «n'estava a uns quants pams».
"Yes, every one that's friends to me--or wants to be"; and she glanced ever so furtively at Tom, but he talked right along to Amy Lawrence about the terrible storm on the island, and how the lightning tore the great sycamore tree "all to flinders" while he was "standing within three feet of it."
-Oh! Puc venir?- digué Gràcia Miller.
"Oh, may I come?" said Grace Miller.
-Sí.
"Yes."
-I jo?- saltà Sally Rogers.
"And me?" said Sally Rogers.
-Sí.
"Yes."
-I jo també?- féu Susy Harper. -I Joe?
"And me, too?" said Susy Harper. "And Joe?"
-Sí
"Yes."
I així d'altres, amb alegres picaments de mans, fins que tot el grup hagué demanat invitacions, fora de Tom i de Amy. Aleshores Tom es girà cap enfora fredament, enraonant encara i enduent-se'n Amy. Els llavis de Becky tremolaren i les llàgrimes entelaren sos ulls. Amagà aquests senyals amb joia forçada i continuà parlotejant; però l'animació havia fugit de la forada, aleshores, i de tota altra cosa. Becky se n'anà tan aviat com pogué, i s'amagà, i s'abandonà a allò que el seu sexe nomena «un bon plor». Després s'assegué tota consirosa, amb l'orgull ferit, fins que sonà la campana. S'alçà aleshores, amb un tret venjatiu en sos ulls, i sacsejà les seves trenes i digué que ja sabia el què li pertocava fer.
And so on, with clapping of joyful hands till all the group had begged for invitations but Tom and Amy. Then Tom turned coolly away, still talking, and took Amy with him. Becky's lips trembled and the tears came to her eyes; she hid these signs with a forced gayety and went on chattering, but the life had gone out of the picnic, now, and out of everything else; she got away as soon as she could and hid herself and had what her sex call "a good cry." Then she sat moody, with wounded pride, till the bell rang. She roused up, now, with a vindictive cast in her eye, and gave her plaited tails a shake and said she knew what she'd do.
A la suspensió de classes, Tom continuà el seu enamoriscament amb Amy, ple de joiosa ufana. I es mantingué a la deriva en aquells volts, per trobar Becky i lacerar-la amb aquella representació. A la fi va sotjar-la, però l'argent viu de son termòmetre baixà de cop i volta. Era Becky asseguda còmodament en un branquet, darrera el casal de l'escola, tot mirant un llibre d'imatges amb Alfred Temple; i tan ataleiats hi estaven, i llurs caps eren tan pròxims damunt el llibre, que no semblaven adonar-se de cap cosa del món exterior. Roent gelosia arborà les venes de Tom. Començà d'odiar-se a sí mateix per haver bandejat l'avinentesa que Becky li havia ofert per reconciliar-se. Es digué a sí mateix beneit, i tots els noms desplaents que pogué imaginar. Necessitava plorar, de despit. Amy anava parlotejant alegrement, mentre caminaven, perquè tot el seu cor cantava; però la llengua de Tom havia perdut el seu ofici. No sentí el que anava dient Amy; i cada vegada que ella s'aturava esperant què diria, ell no feia sinó tartamudejar un assentiment d'allò més matusser, tan aviat escaient com no. Anà donant voltes i més voltes amb Amy per darrera el casal de l'escola, per tal d'abrandar sos ulls amb l'odiós espectacle. No se'n sabia estar. I l'enfollia de veure, com es pensava veure, que Becky Thatcher ni una sola vegada sospités que ell es trobava en el món dels vivents. Però ella el veia, tanmateix, i sabia que guanyava en la lluita, ça com llà, i estava contenta de veure'l sofrir com ella havia sofert.
At recess Tom continued his flirtation with Amy with jubilant self-satisfaction. And he kept drifting about to find Becky and lacerate her with the performance. At last he spied her, but there was a sudden falling of his mercury. She was sitting cosily on a little bench behind the schoolhouse looking at a picture-book with Alfred Temple--and so absorbed were they, and their heads so close together over the book, that they did not seem to be conscious of anything in the world besides. Jealousy ran red-hot through Tom's veins. He began to hate himself for throwing away the chance Becky had offered for a reconciliation. He called himself a fool, and all the hard names he could think of. He wanted to cry with vexation. Amy chatted happily along, as they walked, for her heart was singing, but Tom's tongue had lost its function. He did not hear what Amy was saying, and whenever she paused expectantly he could only stammer an awkward assent, which was as often misplaced as otherwise. He kept drifting to the rear of the schoolhouse, again and again, to sear his eyeballs with the hateful spectacle there. He could not help it. And it maddened him to see, as he thought he saw, that Becky Thatcher never once suspected that he was even in the land of the living. But she did see, nevertheless; and she knew she was winning her fight, too, and was glad to see him suffer as she had suffered.
El feliç parloteig d'Amy esdevingué intolerable. Tom es referia coses de les quals havia de captenir-se, coses que calia fer; i el temps volava. Però era endebades; la noia seguia refilant. Tom va pensar:
-Oh! L'endiastrada! No me'n lliuraré mai més!
A la fi, li calgué captenir-se d'aquelles coses; i ella digué, sense artifici, que seria «per aquests volts» en plegar-se l'escola. I ell cuità a allunyar-se, odiant-la per aquella sol·licitud.
Amy's happy prattle became intolerable. Tom hinted at things he had to attend to; things that must be done; and time was fleeting. But in vain--the girl chirped on. Tom thought, "Oh, hang her, ain't I ever going to get rid of her?" At last he must be attending to those things--and she said artlessly that she would be "around" when school let out. And he hastened away, hating her for it.
-I no havia d'ésser cap altre noi!- pensà Tom, xerricant de dents. -Cap altre noi de tot el poble, sinó aquest clenxinat de Sant Lluís que es pensa vestir amb tanta d'elegància i ésser aristòcrata! Oh! Molt bé. Jo us vaig clavar una pallissa el primer dia que veiéreu aquest poble, mestre, i us en clavaré una altra! Espereu que us ensopegui fora d'aquí! Us atraparé i...
"Any other boy!" Tom thought, grating his teeth. "Any boy in the whole town but that Saint Louis smarty that thinks he dresses so fine and is aristocracy! Oh, all right, I licked you the first day you ever saw this town, mister, and I'll lick you again! You just wait till I catch you out! I'll just take and--"
I, tot caminant, feia el moviment d'apallissar un noi imaginari, dant cops de puny a l'aire i puntades de peu, traient-li un ull.
-Oh! La cosa marxa: oi? Heu cridat abastament: oi? Ara vejam si això us serveix de lliçó.
I així la pallissa imaginària acabà a satisfacció seva.
And he went through the motions of thrashing an imaginary boy--pummelling the air, and kicking and gouging. "Oh, you do, do you? You holler 'nough, do you? Now, then, let that learn you!" And so the imaginary flogging was finished to his satisfaction.
Tom fugí a casa al migdia. La seva consciència no hauria comportat una gota més de l'agraïda felicitat d'Amy, i la seva gelosia no hauria pogut sofrir més altra dissort. Becky continuà la seva inspecció de imatges amb Alfred; però, com que els minuts anaven desfilant i Tom no compareixia a sofrir, son triomf començà d'ennuvolar-se i perdé interès. Després vingué la gravetat, la ment vagarívola, i després melangia. Dues o tres vegades posà la mà a l'orella en oir una passa; però era una falsa esperança: Tom no comparegué. A la fi esdevingué tota desolada, i desitjà de no haver portat la cosa tan enllà. Quan, veient el pobre Alfred que estava per perdre-la, i no sabent còm era, anava exclamant: -Oh! Aquí n'hi ha una de bonica! Mireu aquesta!- ella perdé la paciència, a la fi, i digué:
-Oh! No em carregueu més! Tant se me'n dóna, de vós.- I esclatà en llàgrimes, i s'aixecà i emprengué sa via.
Tom fled home at noon. His conscience could not endure any more of Amy's grateful happiness, and his jealousy could bear no more of the other distress. Becky resumed her picture inspections with Alfred, but as the minutes dragged along and no Tom came to suffer, her triumph began to cloud and she lost interest; gravity and absentmindedness followed, and then melancholy; two or three times she pricked up her ear at a footstep, but it was a false hope; no Tom came. At last she grew entirely miserable and wished she hadn't carried it so far. When poor Alfred, seeing that he was losing her, he did not know how, kept exclaiming: "Oh, here's a jolly one! look at this!" she lost patience at last, and said, "Oh, don't bother me! I don't care for them!" and burst into tears, and got up and walked away.
Alfred se n'anà al seu costat, i es proposava de fer per manera de reconfortar-la; però ella digué:
Alfred dropped alongside and was going to try to comfort her, but she said:
-Aneu-vos-en: deixeu-me sola, si podeu. No us puc sofrir!
"Go away and leave me alone, can't you! I hate you!"
El minyó, doncs, s'aturà, demanant-se quína en devia haver fet (perquè ella havia dit que miraria les imatges tota la migdiada); i ella seguí son camí, plorant. Aleshores Alfred se n'anà tot pensívol cap a la escola deserta. Es sentia humiliat i enfurit. Fàcilment descobrí el tirany de la veritat: la noia l'havia fet servir de ninot per esplaiar el despit que li havia causat Tom Sawyer. Son odi contra Tom estigué lluny de minvar, en acudir-se-li aquest pensament. Desitjà que se li acudís alguna manera de crear mals de cap a aquell noi, sense arriscar-s'hi gaire ell mateix. El llibre de lectura de Tom caigué sota sos ulls. Veu's aquí una avinentesa per a ell. Obrí tot satisfet la lliçó de la tarda, i escampà tinta per la pàgina.
So the boy halted, wondering what he could have done--for she had said she would look at pictures all through the nooning--and she walked on, crying. Then Alfred went musing into the deserted schoolhouse. He was humiliated and angry. He easily guessed his way to the truth--the girl had simply made a convenience of him to vent her spite upon Tom Sawyer. He was far from hating Tom the less when this thought occurred to him. He wished there was some way to get that boy into trouble without much risk to himself. Tom's spelling-book fell under his eye. Here was his opportunity. He gratefully opened to the lesson for the afternoon and poured ink upon the page.
Becky, que dava una ullada a l'interior de l'escola en aquell moment, per una finestra del darrera d'ell, veié l'acció i passà de llarg, sense descobrir-se. Se n'anà cap a casa, aleshores, proposant-se de trobar Tom i dir-l'hi: Tom ho agrairia, i llurs encaparraments serien guarits. Abans que fos a mig camí de casa, havia canviat de parer. La memòria de com l'havia tractada Tom quan ella parlava de la seva forada vingué a coure-li de bell nou, i l'ompli de vergonya. Resolgué de deixar-lo fuetejar per compte del llibre espatllat, i, de passada, odiar-lo per sempre més.
Becky, glancing in at a window behind him at the moment, saw the act, and moved on, without discovering herself. She started homeward, now, intending to find Tom and tell him; Tom would be thankful and their troubles would be healed. Before she was half way home, however, she had changed her mind. The thought of Tom's treatment of her when she was talking about her picnic came scorching back and filled her with shame. She resolved to let him get whipped on the damaged spelling-book's account, and to hate him forever, into the bargain.