TOM presented himself before Aunt Polly, who was sitting by an open window in a pleasant rearward apartment, which was bedroom, breakfast-room, dining-room, and library, combined. The balmy summer air, the restful quiet, the odor of the flowers, and the drowsing murmur of the bees had had their effect, and she was nodding over her knitting--for she had no company but the cat, and it was asleep in her lap. Her spectacles were propped up on her gray head for safety. She had thought that of course Tom had deserted long ago, and she wondered at seeing him place himself in her power again in this intrepid way. He said: "Mayn't I go and play now, aunt?"
湯姆來到波莉姨媽面前，她正坐在寬敞舒適的後面房間的一個敞開的窗戶旁邊。這間房既是臥室、餐廳，又是圖書館。夏日芳香的空氣，令人睏倦的幽靜，醉人的花香，還有催你入眠的嗡嗡的蜜蜂叫聲，都已產生了效應，她拿着針織物在那兒打盹——因為除了只貓沒有伴兒，而那貓又在她膝上睡着了。為了不打碎眼鏡，她把它架在灰白的頭頂上。她原以為湯姆早就溜去玩了，現在見他居然聽了她的話，毫不害怕地站在她面前，不免有些詫異。他問： “我現在可以去玩了嗎？姨媽。”
"What, a'ready? How much have you done?"
“怎麼，想去玩了？你刷了多少了？”
"It's all done, aunt."
“姨媽，都刷好了。”
"Tom, don't lie to me--I can't bear it."
“湯姆，不要再跟我撒謊了——我受不了。”
"I ain't, aunt; it is all done."
“沒有啊，姨媽，牆的確刷好了。”
Aunt Polly placed small trust in such evidence. She went out to see for herself; and she would have been content to find twenty per cent. of Tom's statement true. When she found the entire fence white-washed, and not only whitewashed but elaborately coated and recoated, and even a streak added to the ground, her astonishment was almost unspeakable. She said:
波莉姨媽對他的話不太相信。她要親自去看一看。只要湯姆講的話有百分之二十是真的，她也就心滿意足了。當她發現整個牆都已刷過了，不僅刷了而且是刷了一遍又一遍，甚至連地上還抹了一塊，她驚訝得無法形容。她說：
"Well, I never! There's no getting round it, you can work when you're a mind to, Tom." And then she diluted the compliment by adding, "But it's powerful seldom you're a mind to, I'm bound to say. Well, go 'long and play; but mind you get back some time in a week, or I'll tan you."
“哎，真是怪事！簡直叫人不可思議！湯姆，只要你想幹的時候，你是挺能幹的。”然後又補了一句，這一句可沖淡了剛纔的表揚。“我不得不說，你想幹的時候實在是太少了。好了，去玩吧，不過，別忘了到了該回來時就得回家，否則我會捶你一頓。”
She was so overcome by the splendor of his achievement that she took him into the closet and selected a choice apple and delivered it to him, along with an improving lecture upon the added value and flavor a treat took to itself when it came without sin through virtuous effort. And while she closed with a happy Scriptural flourish, he "hooked" a doughnut.
她為湯姆所取得的成績而喜出望外，於是，她把他領到貯藏室，選了一個又大又好的蘋果遞給了他。同時還教導他，如果別人對自己的款待是靠自己努力得來的，而不是靠什麼不道德的手段謀取的，那就格外有價值，有意味。在她背了《聖經》中的一句妙語格言作結束語時，湯姆順手牽羊偷了一塊油炸面圈。
Then he skipped out, and saw Sid just starting up the outside stairway that led to the back rooms on the second floor. Clods were handy and the air was full of them in a twinkling. They raged around Sid like a hail-storm; and before Aunt Polly could collect her surprised faculties and sally to the rescue, six or seven clods had taken personal effect, and Tom was over the fence and gone. There was a gate, but as a general thing he was too crowded for time to make use of it. His soul was at peace, now that he had settled with Sid for calling attention to his black thread and getting him into trouble.
然後，他就一蹦一跳地跑出來，正好看見希德在爬通向二樓後面房間的樓梯。地上的泥塊順手可得，於是湯姆撿起泥塊朝希德扔過去。這些土塊像冰雹似的，在希德周圍滿天飛舞。波莉姨媽還沒有來得及靜一靜她那吃驚的神經，趕緊跑過來解圍，這時候，已經有六七塊泥土打中了希德，而湯姆早已翻過柵欄逃之夭夭。柵欄上有大門，可是像平常一樣湯姆急着要出去，沒有時間從門那裡走。希德讓波莉姨媽注意到他的黑線，讓他吃了苦頭，受了罰，現在他已經對希德出了氣，擺平了這件事，因此他心裡覺得好受多了。
Tom skirted the block, and came round into a muddy alley that led by the back of his aunt's cow-stable. He presently got safely beyond the reach of capture and punishment, and hastened toward the public square of the village, where two "military" companies of boys had met for conflict, according to previous appointment. Tom was General of one of these armies, Joe Harper (a bosom friend) General of the other. These two great commanders did not condescend to fight in person--that being better suited to the still smaller fry--but sat together on an eminence and conducted the field operations by orders delivered through aides-de-camp. Tom's army won a great victory, after a long and hard-fought battle. Then the dead were counted, prisoners exchanged, the terms of the next disagreement agreed upon, and the day for the necessary battle appointed; after which the armies fell into line and marched away, and Tom turned homeward alone.
湯姆繞過那一排房子，來到靠着他姨媽牛圈後面的一條泥濘巷子裡。他很快就完全地溜到抓不到也罰不着他的地方，匆忙趕到村裡那塊公共場地。在那裡，兩支由孩子們組成的“軍隊”按事先的約定已集合起來，準備打仗。湯姆是其中一支部隊的將軍，他的知心好友喬·哈帕則是另一支隊伍的統帥，這兩位總指揮不屑于親自戰鬥——那更適合手下的軍官戰士去打——而他們卻在一個凸出的高地方坐在一塊，讓他們的隨從副官去發號施令，指揮打仗。經過一番長時間的艱苦奮戰，湯姆的部隊取得了輝煌的勝利。接着就是雙方清點死亡人數，交換戰俘，談妥下次交戰條件，還約定好作戰日期。一切結束之後，雙方部隊先列好隊形，然後開拔，而湯姆也就獨自回家了。
As he was passing by the house where Jeff Thatcher lived, he saw a new girl in the garden--a lovely little blue-eyed creature with yellow hair plaited into two long-tails, white summer frock and embroidered pan-talettes. The fresh-crowned hero fell without firing a shot. A certain Amy Lawrence vanished out of his heart and left not even a memory of herself behind. He had thought he loved her to distraction; he had regarded his passion as adoration; and behold it was only a poor little evanescent partiality. He had been months winning her; she had confessed hardly a week ago; he had been the happiest and the proudest boy in the world only seven short days, and here in one instant of time she had gone out of his heart like a casual stranger whose visit is done.
他走過傑夫·撒切爾家住的房子的時候，看見有一個新來的女孩子站在花園裡——一個漂亮可愛的藍眼睛的小姑娘。金黃色的頭髮梳成兩隻長長的髮辮，身上穿著白色的夏季上裝和寬鬆的長褲。這位剛戴上勝利花冠的戰鬥英雄一槍沒打就束手投降了。一個叫艾美·勞倫斯的姑娘立刻從他的心目中消失了而且不留一點痕跡，他原以為他愛她愛得發狂，而且他把自己這種愛當作深情的愛慕，不過旁人看來那不過是一種可憐渺小、變幻無常的愛戀罷了。為了獲取她的歡心，他費了好幾個月的工夫，可她答應他還不到一個星期。他只是在短短的七天內當了一次世界上最幸福、最自豪的男孩子。可現在片刻之間，她就像一位拜訪完畢，告辭離去的稀客一般，從他心裡離去了，消失了，被他忘得一乾二淨。
He worshipped this new angel with furtive eye, till he saw that she had discovered him; then he pretended he did not know she was present, and began to "show off" in all sorts of absurd boyish ways, in order to win her admiration. He kept up this grotesque foolishness for some time; but by-and-by, while he was in the midst of some dangerous gymnastic performances, he glanced aside and saw that the little girl was wending her way toward the house. Tom came up to the fence and leaned on it, grieving, and hoping she would tarry yet awhile longer. She halted a moment on the steps and then moved toward the door. Tom heaved a great sigh as she put her foot on the threshold. But his face lit up, right away, for she tossed a pansy over the fence a moment before she disappeared.
他愛慕這位新來的天使並偷眼望她，直到看到她發現他為止。然後，他裝着她好像不在的樣子，開始用各種各樣可笑的孩子氣的方法來炫耀自己，為的是贏得她的好感。他傻乎乎地耍弄一陣子，然後一面做驚險的體操動作，一面眼往旁邊瞟了一下，見那小姑娘正朝房子走去。湯姆走到柵欄那兒，靠在柵欄上傷心，希望她再多留一陣子。她在台階上稍作停留，然後又朝門口走去。當她抬腳上門檻時，湯姆長嘆了一聲。即刻他臉上又露出喜色，因為她在進去之前，向柵欄外面扔了一朵三色紫羅蘭花。
The boy ran around and stopped within a foot or two of the flower, and then shaded his eyes with his hand and began to look down street as if he had discovered something of interest going on in that direction. Presently he picked up a straw and began trying to balance it on his nose, with his head tilted far back; and as he moved from side to side, in his efforts, he edged nearer and nearer toward the pansy; finally his bare foot rested upon it, his pliant toes closed upon it, and he hopped away with the treasure and disappeared round the corner. But only for a minute--only while he could button the flower inside his jacket, next his heart--or next his stomach, possibly, for he was not much posted in anatomy, and not hypercritical, anyway.
湯姆跑過去停在離花一兩英呎的地方，然後用手罩在眼睛上方朝街上看去，彷彿發現那邊正發生了什麼有趣的事情。隨後他拎起一根草桿放在鼻子上，頭儘量往後仰着，極力保持着那草桿的平衡。於是，他吃力地左右移動着身體，慢慢地側身朝那朵三色紫羅蘭挪過去。最後，他的光腳落在花上，用靈巧的腳趾頭抓住了它，於是，他拿着他心愛的東西，在轉彎處消失得無影無蹤了。他很快就把那花別在他上衣裡面貼近他心髒的地方——也許是貼近他的胃部，因為他不太懂解剖學，好在他也無所謂。
He returned, now, and hung about the fence till nightfall, "showing off," as before; but the girl never exhibited herself again, though Tom comforted himself a little with the hope that she had been near some window, meantime, and been aware of his attentions. Finally he strode home reluctantly, with his poor head full of visions.
他不久又回到了老地方，在柵欄附近逛來逛去，還像原先那樣耍着花樣，炫耀着自己，直到天黑。雖然湯姆用一種希望安慰自己，希望她一定在窗子附近，並且已經注意到他的這番慇勤，但是，她再也沒露面。後來他終於極不情願地朝家走去，他那可憐的腦瓜子裡充滿了各種各樣的幻想。
All through supper his spirits were so high that his aunt wondered "what had got into the child." He took a good scolding about clodding Sid, and did not seem to mind it in the least. He tried to steal sugar under his aunt's very nose, and got his knuckles rapped for it. He said:
整個吃晚飯期間，他始終情緒高昂。他姨媽不禁感到有些納悶：“不知這孩子怎麼回事。”為了拿泥塊砸希德的事，他挨了一頓臭罵，不過，對此他滿不在乎。他當着姨媽的面偷糖吃，結果被她用指關節敲了一頓。他說：
"Aunt, you don't whack Sid when he takes it."
“姨媽，希德拿糖吃，您怎麼不打他呀。”
"Well, Sid don't torment a body the way you do. You'd be always into that sugar if I warn't watching you."
“噢，希德可不像你這樣磨人。要不是我看得緊，你恨不得鑽到糖堆裡不出來。”
Presently she stepped into the kitchen, and Sid, happy in his immunity, reached for the sugar-bowl--a sort of glorying over Tom which was wellnigh unbearable. But Sid's fingers slipped and the bowl dropped and broke. Tom was in ecstasies. In such ecstasies that he even controlled his tongue and was silent. He said to himself that he would not speak a word, even when his aunt came in, but would sit perfectly still till she asked who did the mischief; and then he would tell, and there would be nothing so good in the world as to see that pet model "catch it." He was so brimful of exultation that he could hardly hold himself when the old lady came back and stood above the wreck discharging lightnings of wrath from over her spectacles. He said to himself, "Now it's coming!" And the next instant he was sprawling on the floor! The potent palm was uplifted to strike again when Tom cried out:
過了一會，她走到廚房去了；希德因為得到了特權，非常高興，伸手去拿糖罐——這是故意對湯姆表示得意的一種舉動，令湯姆非常難受。可是，希德手一滑，糖罐子掉到地上摔碎了。湯姆簡直高興得要命。但他閉着嘴，一言不發。他心裡想他還是什麼不說為好，就這麼靜靜地坐著，等他姨媽進來，問這是誰闖的禍，那時他再說出來。看那個模範“寵兒”吃苦頭，那真是最大快人心的事。當老太太走進來，站在那兒望着地上的破碎的罐子，從眼鏡上面放射出憤怒的火花，他真是高興到了極點，几乎按捺不住了。他暗自想：“有好戲看了！”可是想不到自己反倒被打翻在地上！那只有力的巴掌舉起來正要再打他時，湯姆忍不住大聲叫起來：
"Hold on, now, what 'er you belting me for?--Sid broke it!"
“住手啊，你憑什麼這麼狠打我？——是希德打碎了糖罐！”
Aunt Polly paused, perplexed, and Tom looked for healing pity. But when she got her tongue again, she only said:
波莉姨媽住了手，愣了一會兒，湯姆指望她會講些好話哄他。可是，她開口只說了這麼幾句：
"Umf! Well, you didn't get a lick amiss, I reckon. You been into some other audacious mischief when I wasn't around, like enough."
“唉！我覺得你挨這下子也不屈。剛纔，我不在的時候，說不定你又幹了些別的膽大妄為的淘氣事。”
Then her conscience reproached her, and she yearned to say something kind and loving; but she judged that this would be construed into a confession that she had been in the wrong, and discipline forbade that. So she kept silence, and went about her affairs with a troubled heart. Tom sulked in a corner and exalted his woes. He knew that in her heart his aunt was on her knees to him, and he was morosely gratified by the consciousness of it. He would hang out no signals, he would take notice of none. He knew that a yearning glance fell upon him, now and then, through a film of tears, but he refused recognition of it. He pictured himself lying sick unto death and his aunt bending over him beseeching one little forgiving word, but he would turn his face to the wall, and die with that word unsaid. Ah, how would she feel then? And he pictured himself brought home from the river, dead, with his curls all wet, and his sore heart at rest. How she would throw herself upon him, and how her tears would fall like rain, and her lips pray God to give her back her boy and she would never, never abuse him any more! But he would lie there cold and white and make no sign--a poor little sufferer, whose griefs were at an end. He so worked upon his feelings with the pathos of these dreams, that he had to keep swallowing, he was so like to choke; and his eyes swam in a blur of water, which overflowed when he winked, and ran down and trickled from the end of his nose. And such a luxury to him was this petting of his sorrows, that he could not bear to have any worldly cheeriness or any grating delight intrude upon it; it was too sacred for such contact; and so, presently, when his cousin Mary danced in, all alive with the joy of seeing home again after an age-long visit of one week to the country, he got up and moved in clouds and darkness out at one door as she brought song and sunshine in at the other.
然後她就受到了良心的譴責，非常想講幾句愛撫體貼的話，可是她斷定這麼一來，就會被認為她是在認錯，這可是規矩所不容的。於是，她一聲不吭，忙這忙那，可心亂如麻。湯姆坐在角落處生着氣，心裡越想越難受，他知道在姨媽心裡，她正向他求得諒解，也就因為有這種感覺，雖然悶悶不樂但仍感到滿足。他不肯掛出求和的信號，對別的表示也不去理睬。他知道有兩道渴望的目光透過淚簾不時地落在他身上，可是他偏不肯表示他已經看出來。他想象着自己躺在那兒病了，快要不行了，他姨媽俯身彎腰看著他，懇求他講一兩句饒恕她的話，可是他轉過臉去衝著牆，沒說原諒她就死去了。啊，那時她會覺得怎麼樣呢？他又想象着自己淹死了，被人從河裡救起抬回家來，頭上的小捲髮都濕透了，他那傷透了的心得到了安息。她會多麼傷心地撲到他身上，眼淚雨點般地落下來，嘴裡不住地祈求上帝把她的孩子還給她，保證將永遠、永遠不再虐待他了！但是，他卻躺在那裡渾身冰涼，臉色慘白，毫無動靜——一個可憐的人，一個受苦受難的人，終於結束了一切煩惱。他越想就越傷心。後來，為了嗓子不哽塞住，只好把淚水往肚子裡咽。他的眼睛被淚水矇住了，只要眼睛一眨，淚水就會淌出來，順着鼻尖往下掉。他從這種悲傷中獲得了無限的安慰和快意，所以這時如果有什麼庸俗的愉快或者什麼無聊的歡樂來攪亂他的心境的話，他是絶不能忍受的。因為他這種快慰非常聖潔，不該遭到玷污。所以，一會兒之後當他的表姐瑪麗手舞足蹈地跑進來的時候，他馬上就避開了她。她到鄉下去作客，只住了一星期，彷彿時隔三秋似的，她現在又看到自己的家，真是高興極了。但是，當她唱着歌歡快地從一扇門走進來的時候，湯姆卻站起身來乘着陰雲暗影從另一扇門溜出去了。
He wandered far from the accustomed haunts of boys, and sought desolate places that were in harmony with his spirit. A log raft in the river invited him, and he seated himself on its outer edge and contemplated the dreary vastness of the stream, wishing, the while, that he could only be drowned, all at once and unconsciously, without undergoing the uncomfortable routine devised by nature. Then he thought of his flower. He got it out, rumpled and wilted, and it mightily increased his dismal felicity. He wondered if she would pity him if she knew? Would she cry, and wish that she had a right to put her arms around his neck and comfort him? Or would she turn coldly away like all the hollow world? This picture brought such an agony of pleasurable suffering that he worked it over and over again in his mind and set it up in new and varied lights, till he wore it threadbare. At last he rose up sighing and departed in the darkness.
他避開平常孩子們經常玩耍出沒的地方，專找適合他此時心情的僻靜地方。河裡的一條木筏吸引了他，於是，他就在木筏的最外邊坐下來，凝視着那單調、茫茫一片的河水，同時又希望自己不經過老天安排的那番痛苦的過程，就一下子不知不覺地淹死。接着，他又想起了他的花，他把花拿出來，那花已經揉皺了，枯萎了，這更大大增加他淒涼而又幸福的情調。他不知道，要是她瞭解此事，她會不會同情他，她會哭嗎？會希望有權抱住他的脖子安慰他嗎？還是，她會不會像這個空洞乏味的世界一樣，冷漠地掉頭不管呢？這種想象給他帶來一種苦中有甜的感受，於是，他在腦海裡一遍又一遍地重複着這種幻想，反覆地多角度地想象着，直到索然無味為止。最後，他終於嘆息着站起來，在黑暗中離去。
About half-past nine or ten o'clock he came along the deserted street to where the Adored Unknown lived; he paused a moment; no sound fell upon his listening ear; a candle was casting a dull glow upon the curtain of a second-story window. Was the sacred presence there? He climbed the fence, threaded his stealthy way through the plants, till he stood under that window; he looked up at it long, and with emotion; then he laid him down on the ground under it, disposing himself upon his back, with his hands clasped upon his breast and holding his poor wilted flower. And thus he would die--out in the cold world, with no shelter over his homeless head, no friendly hand to wipe the death-damps from his brow, no loving face to bend pityingly over him when the great agony came. And thus she would see him when she looked out upon the glad morning, and oh! would she drop one little tear upon his poor, lifeless form, would she heave one little sigh to see a bright young life so rudely blighted, so untimely cut down?
大約在９點半或１０點左右，他沿著那條沒有行人的大街走着，來到那位他“愛慕的不知姓名的人”住的地方。他停下來，豎起耳朵聽了一會兒，卻什麼聲音都沒有聽到。二樓窗戶的帘子上映出昏暗的燭光。那位聖潔的人兒在那兒嗎？他爬過柵欄，穿過花草，悄悄地一直走到窗戶下面才站住。他抬起頭來，充滿深情地望着窗子，看了很久。然後他在窗下仰臥在地上，雙手合在胸前，捧着那朵可憐的、已經枯萎了的花。他情願就這樣死去——在這冷酷無情的世界上，當死神降臨的時候，他這無家可歸的人兒頭上沒有一絲遮蓋，沒有親友的手來抹去他額上臨死的汗珠，也沒有慈愛的面孔貼近他來表示惋惜。就這樣，當她早晨心情愉快地推開窗戶，向外看時，一定會看見他的。哦！她會不會對他那可憐的、沒有氣息的身體落下哪怕是一小滴的淚珠呢？看見一位前途無量的年輕的生命這樣無情地被摧殘，這樣過早地夭折，她會輕微地長嘆一聲嗎？
The window went up, a maid-servant's discordant voice profaned the holy calm, and a deluge of water drenched the prone martyr's remains!
窗帘捲了起來，一個女仆的說話聲打破了那聖潔的寂靜，隨即就是一股洪水“嘩”地一聲潑下來，把這位躺在地上的殉情者的遺體澆得透濕！
The strangling hero sprang up with a relieving snort. There was a whiz as of a missile in the air, mingled with the murmur of a curse, a sound as of shivering glass followed, and a small, vague form went over the fence and shot away in the gloom.
這位被水澆得透不過氣來的英雄猛地從地上爬起來，噴了噴鼻子，舒服了些。隨後，只見有個什麼東西混雜着一聲輕輕的咒罵聲，嗖地一聲在空中划過，接下來就聽到一陣打碎玻璃的聲音，之後，就見一個小小的、模糊的人影翻過柵欄，在朦朧的夜色中箭一般地飛跑了。
Not long after, as Tom, all undressed for bed, was surveying his drenched garments by the light of a tallow dip, Sid woke up; but if he had any dim idea of making any "references to allusions," he thought better of it and held his peace, for there was danger in Tom's eye.
不久以後，湯姆脫光衣服上床睡覺。他正藉著蠟燭的光亮檢查那被潑得透濕的衣服時，希德醒了。他原本有點幸災樂禍的想法，想要“指桑罵槐”地說幾句俏皮話，可是他還是改變了主意，沒有出聲，因為他看到湯姆眼睛裡含有一股殺機。
Tom turned in without the added vexation of prayers, and Sid made mental note of the omission.
湯姆連睡前禱告也沒做就上床就睡覺了。希德在心裡卻記下了湯姆偷了一次懶。