WHEN I got there it was all still and Sunday-like, and hot and sunshiny; the hands was gone to the fields; and there was them kind of faint dronings of bugs and flies in the air that makes it seem so lonesome and like everybody's dead and gone; and if a breeze fans along and quivers the leaves it makes you feel mournful, because you feel like it's spirits whispering -- spirits that's been dead ever so many years -- and you always think they're talking about YOU. As a general thing it makes a body wish HE was dead, too, and done with it all.

Phelps' was one of these little one-horse cotton plantations, and they all look alike. A rail fence round a two-acre yard; a stile made out of logs sawed off and up-ended in steps, like barrels of a different length, to climb over the fence with, and for the women to stand on when they are going to jump on to a horse; some sickly grass-patches in the big yard, but mostly it was bare and smooth, like an old hat with the nap rubbed off; big double log-house for the white folks -- hewed logs, with the chinks stopped up with mud or mortar, and these mud-stripes been whitewashed some time or another; round-log kitchen, with a big broad, open but roofed passage joining it to the house; log smokehouse back of the kitchen; three little log nigger-cabins in a row t'other side the smoke-house; one little hut all by itself away down against the back fence, and some outbuildings down a piece the other side; ashhopper and big kettle to bile soap in by the little hut; bench by the kitchen door, with bucket of water and a gourd; hound asleep there in the sun; more hounds asleep round about; about three shade trees away off in a corner; some currant bushes and gooseberry bushes in one place by the fence; outside of the fence a garden and a watermelon patch; then the cotton fields begins, and after the fields the woods.

I went around and clumb over the back stile by the ash-hopper, and started for the kitchen. When I got a little ways I heard the dim hum of a spinning-wheel wailing along up and sinking along down again; and then I knowed for certain I wished I was dead -- for that IS the lonesomest sound in the whole world.

I went right along, not fixing up any particular plan, but just trusting to Providence to put the right words in my mouth when the time come; for I'd noticed that Providence always did put the right words in my mouth if I left it alone.

When I got half-way, first one hound and then another got up and went for me, and of course I stopped and faced them, and kept still. And such another powwow as they made! In a quarter of a minute I was a kind of a hub of a wheel, as you may say -- spokes made out of dogs -- circle of fifteen of them packed together around me, with their necks and noses stretched up towards me, a-barking and howling; and more a-coming; you could see them sailing over fences and around corners from everywheres.

A nigger woman come tearing out of the kitchen with a rolling-pin in her hand, singing out, "Begone YOU Tige! you Spot! begone sah!" and she fetched first one and then another of them a clip and sent them howling, and then the rest followed; and the next second half of them come back, wagging their tails around me, and making friends with me. There ain't no harm in a hound, nohow.

And behind the woman comes a little nigger girl and two little nigger boys without anything on but tow-linen shirts, and they hung on to their mother's gown, and peeped out from behind her at me, bashful, the way they always do. And here comes the white woman running from the house, about forty-five or fifty year old, bareheaded, and her spinning-stick in her hand; and behind her comes her little white children, acting the same way the little niggers was going. She was smiling all over so she could hardly stand -- and says:

"It's YOU, at last! -- AIN'T it?"

I out with a "Yes'm" before I thought.

She grabbed me and hugged me tight; and then gripped me by both hands and shook and shook; and the tears come in her eyes, and run down over; and she couldn't seem to hug and shake enough, and kept saying, "You don't look as much like your mother as I reckoned you would; but law sakes, I don't care for that, I'm so glad to see you! Dear, dear, it does seem like I could eat you up! Children, it's your cousin Tom! -- tell him howdy."

But they ducked their heads, and put their fingers in their mouths, and hid behind her. So she run on:

"Lize, hurry up and get him a hot breakfast right away -- or did you get your breakfast on the boat?"

I said I had got it on the boat. So then she started for the house, leading me by the hand, and the children tagging after. When we got there she set me down in a split-bottomed chair, and set herself down on a little low stool in front of me, holding both of my hands, and says:

"Now I can have a GOOD look at you; and, laws-ame, I've been hungry for it a many and a many a time, all these long years, and it's come at last! We been expecting you a couple of days and more. What kep' you? -- boat get aground?"

"Yes'm -- she --"

"Don't say yes'm -- say Aunt Sally. Where'd she get aground?"

I didn't rightly know what to say, because I didn't know whether the boat would be coming up the river or down. But I go a good deal on instinct; and my instinct said she would be coming up -- from down towards Orleans. That didn't help me much, though; for I didn't know the names of bars down that way. I see I'd got to invent a bar, or forget the name of the one we got aground on -- or -- Now I struck an idea, and fetched it out:

"It warn't the grounding -- that didn't keep us back but a little. We blowed out a cylinder-head."

"Good gracious! anybody hurt?"

"No'm. Killed a nigger."

"Well, it's lucky; because sometimes people do get hurt. Two years ago last Christmas your uncle Silas was coming up from Newrleans on the old Lally Rook, and she blowed out a cylinder-head and crippled a man. And I think he died afterwards. He was a Baptist. Your uncle Silas knowed a family in Baton Rouge that knowed his people very well. Yes, I remember now, he DID die. Mortification set in, and they had to amputate him. But it didn't save him. Yes, it was mortification -- that was it. He turned blue all over, and died in the hope of a glorious resurrection. They say he was a sight to look at. Your uncle's been up to the town every day to fetch you. And he's gone again, not more'n an hour ago; he'll be back any minute now. You must a met him on the road, didn't you? -- oldish man, with a --"

"No, I didn't see nobody, Aunt Sally. The boat landed just at daylight, and I left my baggage on the wharf-boat and went looking around the town and out a piece in the country, to put in the time and not get here too soon; and so I come down the back way."

"Who'd you give the baggage to?"

"Nobody."

"Why, child, it 'll be stole!"

"Not where I hid it I reckon it won't," I says.

"How'd you get your breakfast so early on the boat?"

It was kinder thin ice, but I says:

"The captain see me standing around, and told me I better have something to eat before I went ashore; so he took me in the texas to the officers' lunch, and give me all I wanted."

I was getting so uneasy I couldn't listen good. I had my mind on the children all the time; I wanted to get them out to one side and pump them a little, and find out who I was. But I couldn't get no show, Mrs. Phelps kept it up and run on so. Pretty soon she made the cold chills streak all down my back, because she says:

"But here we're a-running on this way, and you hain't told me a word about Sis, nor any of them. Now I'll rest my works a little, and you start up yourn; just tell me EVERYTHING -- tell me all about 'm all every one of 'm; and how they are, and what they're doing, and what they told you to tell me; and every last thing you can think of."

Well, I see I was up a stump -- and up it good. Providence had stood by me this fur all right, but I was hard and tight aground now. I see it warn't a bit of use to try to go ahead -- I'd got to throw up my hand. So I says to myself, here's another place where I got to resk the truth. I opened my mouth to begin; but she grabbed me and hustled me in behind the bed, and says:

"Here he comes! Stick your head down lower -- there, that'll do; you can't be seen now. Don't you let on you're here. I'll play a joke on him. Children, don't you say a word."

I see I was in a fix now. But it warn't no use to worry; there warn't nothing to do but just hold still, and try and be ready to stand from under when the lightning struck.

I had just one little glimpse of the old gentleman when he come in; then the bed hid him. Mrs. Phelps she jumps for him, and says:

"Has he come?"

"No," says her husband.

"Good-NESS gracious!" she says, "what in the warld can have become of him?"

"I can't imagine," says the old gentleman; "and I must say it makes me dreadful uneasy."

"Uneasy!" she says; "I'm ready to go distracted! He MUST a come; and you've missed him along the road. I KNOW it's so -- something tells me so."

"Why, Sally, I COULDN'T miss him along the road -- YOU know that."

"But oh, dear, dear, what WILL Sis say! He must a come! You must a missed him. He --"

"Oh, don't distress me any more'n I'm already distressed. I don't know what in the world to make of it. I'm at my wit's end, and I don't mind acknowledging 't I'm right down scared. But there's no hope that he's come; for he COULDN'T come and me miss him. Sally, it's terrible -- just terrible -- something's happened to the boat, sure!"

"Why, Silas! Look yonder! -- up the road! -- ain't that somebody coming?"

He sprung to the window at the head of the bed, and that give Mrs. Phelps the chance she wanted. She stooped down quick at the foot of the bed and give me a pull, and out I come; and when he turned back from the window there she stood, a-beaming and a-smiling like a house afire, and I standing pretty meek and sweaty alongside. The old gentleman stared, and says:

"Why, who's that?"

"Who do you reckon 't is?"

"I hain't no idea. Who IS it?"

"It's TOM SAWYER!"

By jings, I most slumped through the floor! But there warn't no time to swap knives; the old man grabbed me by the hand and shook, and kept on shaking; and all the time how the woman did dance around and laugh and cry; and then how they both did fire off questions about Sid, and Mary, and the rest of the tribe.

But if they was joyful, it warn't nothing to what I was; for it was like being born again, I was so glad to find out who I was. Well, they froze to me for two hours; and at last, when my chin was so tired it couldn't hardly go any more, I had told them more about my family -- I mean the Sawyer family -- than ever happened to any six Sawyer families. And I explained all about how we blowed out a cylinder-head at the mouth of White River, and it took us three days to fix it. Which was all right, and worked first-rate; because THEY didn't know but what it would take three days to fix it. If I'd a called it a bolthead it would a done just as well.

Now I was feeling pretty comfortable all down one side, and pretty uncomfortable all up the other. Being Tom Sawyer was easy and comfortable, and it stayed easy and comfortable till by and by I hear a steamboat coughing along down the river. Then I says to myself, s'pose Tom Sawyer comes down on that boat? And s'pose he steps in here any minute, and sings out my name before I can throw him a wink to keep quiet?

Well, I couldn't HAVE it that way; it wouldn't do at all. I must go up the road and waylay him. So I told the folks I reckoned I would go up to the town and fetch down my baggage. The old gentleman was for going along with me, but I said no, I could drive the horse myself, and I druther he wouldn't take no trouble about me.

我到了那里，但见四下里静悄悄的，象在过星期天的样子。天气又热，阳光热辣辣的—
—干活的人都到田里去了。空中隐隐约约响起了虫子或者飞蝇的嗡嗡声，格外叫人感到沉
闷，仿佛这儿的人都已离去或者死光了。偶尔一阵微风吹过，树叶簌簌作响，使人分外伤
感，因为你仿佛感到是精灵在低诉——那些死了多年的精灵——你并且觉得他们正在谈论着
你。总之，这一切叫人滋生着一种愿望，觉得自己生不如死，可以一了百了①。    ①诺顿版注：作品中这样的情绪也见于十一年以后出版的《侦探汤姆·索亚》的全书开头一段，用词也类似。

费尔贝斯家是那类巴掌大的产棉小农庄，这类小农庄到处都差不多一个样子①。两亩地一个场院，围着一个栅栏。有一排梯磴，是用锯断的圆木搭成的，好象高矮不等的木桶似的，从这儿可以跨过栅栏，妇女们可以站在上面，再跳上马去。在大些的场院里，还有些枯黄的草皮，不过大多数场院里地面光光滑滑的，活象一顶磨光的绒毛旧帽子。给白种人住的是一座二合一的大房子——全是用砍好了的圆木搭成的。圆木缝隙里，都用泥或者灰浆堵上了，这些一条条形状的泥浆，后来或先或后给刷白了。用圆圆的原木搭成的厨房，边上有一条宽敞、上有顶、下无墙的回廊，和那座房子连接起来。在厨房后边有一座圆木搭成的熏肉房。熏肉房的另一侧，有一排三间圆木搭成的小间，是给黑奴住的。离这里稍远，靠后边的栅栏，有一间小小的木屋。在另一侧，有九间小屋。小屋旁边，放着一个滤灰桶，还有一把大壶，是熬肥皂的。厨房门口有一条长凳，上面放着一桶水和一只瓢。一只狗在那里躺着晒太阳。有更多的狗分散在各处睡大觉。在一个角落，有三棵遮阴大树。栅栏旁边，有一处是醋栗树丛。栅栏外面是一座花园和西瓜地，再过去就是棉花田了。从棉花田再往前去，便是树林子了。

①这里的农庄很象马克·吐温的叔叔约翰·奎尔斯在汉尼拔附近的农庄。马克·吐温童年时常去那里。

我绕到了后面，踩着碱桶旁边的后梯磴，朝厨房走去。我走近了一点儿，就隐约听到纺纱车转动的声音，象在呜呜地哭泣，一忽儿高，一忽儿低。听了这种声音啊，我当时心里但愿我死了的好——因为这是普天之下最凄婉不过的声音了。我只管往前走，心里也并没有什么确切的打算。一旦那个时刻来到，就听凭上帝安排吧。要我这张嘴巴说些什么，我就说些什么。因为我已经体会到，只要我能听其自然，上帝总会叫我的嘴巴说出合适的话。我走到半路，先有一只狗，然后另一只狗站起身，朝我扑来。自然，我就停了下来，对着它们，一动也不动。于是狗又汪汪汪乱叫一通。一时间，我仿佛成了一个车轮子的轴心，——一群狗——一共十五只之多，把我团团围在当中，对着我伸着脖子、鼻子，乱叫乱嗥。又另有些狗往这边窜过来，只见它们纷纷跳过栅栏，从四面八方绕过拐角窜出来。一个女黑奴从厨房飞快地奔出来，手里拿着一根擀面棍，使劲喊道，“小虎，你给我滚开！小花，你给我滚开！”她给了这个一棍，又给另一个一下子，把它们赶得一边汪汪汪直叫，一边逃跑，其它的也就跟着逃跑。一会儿以后，有一半的狗又窜了回来，围着我摇尾巴，又友好起来。狗毕竟对人是无害的。在女黑奴后边有一个黑女孩和另外两个黑男孩，身上只穿了粗夏布衬衫，此外什么都没有穿。他们拽住了妈妈的衣衫，害羞地躲在她身后，偷偷地朝我张望。黑孩子一般总是这个样子的。这时只见屋子里走出来一位白种妇女，年纪在四十五到五十左右，头上没有戴女帽，手里拿着纺纱棒，在她身后是她的几个孩子，那动作、神情跟黑孩子一个样。她正笑逐颜开，高兴得几乎连站也站不稳了似的——她说：“啊，你终于到啦！——不是么？”我连想都来不及想，便应了声“是的，太太。”她一把抓住了我，紧紧地抱住了我，随后紧紧地握住我两只手，摇了又摇，眼泪夺眶而出，泪流满面，抱着我，握住我，没有个够，不停地说“你长得可不象你妈，跟我料想的不一样。不过嘛，我的天啊，这没有什么。能见到你，我是多么高兴啊。亲爱的，亲爱的，我真想把你一口吞下去！孩子们，这是你姨表兄汤姆——跟他说一声‘你好’。可是他们急忙低下头，把手指头含在嘴里，躲在她身子后面。她又接着说下去：“莉莎，快，马上给他做一顿热腾腾的早饭吃，——也许你在船上吃过了吧？”我说在船上吃过了。她就往屋子走去，握住了我的手，领着我进去，孩子们跟在后面。一进屋，她把我按在一张藤条编成的椅子上，自己坐在我对面的一张矮凳子上，握住了我的两只手说：“现在让我好好看看你，我的天啊，这么久的年月里，我多么盼着你啊，如今总算盼来啦！我们等着你来到，已经有好多天啦。再说，是什么事把你绊住——是轮船搁了浅？”“是，太太——船——”“别说，是的，太太——就叫我萨莉阿姨。船在哪里搁的浅？”我不知道怎么说的好，因为我根本不知道船是上水到的还是下水到的。不过我全凭直觉说话。我的直觉在告诉我，船是上水开到的，——是从下游奥尔良一带开来的。不过，这也帮不了我多大的忙，因为我不知道那一带的浅滩叫什么名字。我看我得发明一个浅滩的名字才行，再不然就说把搁浅的地方的名字给忘了——再不然——这时我想到了一个念头，于是脱口说了出来：“倒不是因为搁浅——这不过耽误了我们不一会儿的时间。我们船上一只汽缸盖炸了。”“天啊，伤了什么人么？”“没有，死了一个黑奴。”①

①评论家认为，这一句话真切地表明了，在蓄奴州里，在白人眼里，轮船出事，死了一个黑奴，还是可说“没有伤人”。

“啊，这真是好运气。有的时候会伤人的。两年前，圣诞节，你姨父西拉斯搭乘拉里·罗克号轮船从新奥尔良上来，一只汽缸盖爆炸，炸伤了一个男子。我看啊，他后来就死了。他是个浸礼会教徒。你的姨父西拉斯认识在巴顿·罗格的一家人，他们对他那一家人很熟悉。是啊，我记起来了，他如今确实死了。伤口烂了，长大疮，医生不得不给他截肢。不过这没能救他的命。是的，是因为伤口烂了——是这么个原因。他全身发青，临死还盼望光荣复活。人家说，他那个样子惨不忍睹。你的姨夫啊，他每天到镇上去接你的。他这会儿又去了，去了不过个把钟点，现在就快回来了。你一定在路上遇见过他的，不是么？——一个上了岁数的人，带着——”“没有啊，我没有遇见什么人啊，萨莉阿姨。船到的时候天刚亮。我把行李放在码头的小船上，到镇上四周和乡下溜达了一番，好打发时间，免得到这里来时间太早，所以我是打后街绕过来的。”“你把行李交给哪一个啦？”“没有交给哪一个啊。”“怎么啦，孩子，不是会被偷么？”“不，我藏在了一处地方，我看不会被偷走的。”“你怎么这样早就在船上吃了早饭？”这下子可要露馅啦。不过我说：“船长见我站着，对我说，上岸以前最好吃些东西。这样，他就把我带到船顶上职员饭厅上去，把我要吃的都弄了来。”我心神不定，连听人家说话也听不大清楚。我心里老是在孩子们身上打主意。我打算把他们带到一边去，套些话出来，好弄清楚我究竟是谁。可是我总是不得手。费尔贝斯太太不停地说话，滔滔不绝。没有多久，她叫我顺着脊梁骨直冒凉气。“不过我们在这儿说了半天，你可还没有跟我说起有关我姐姐，或是他们中任何哪一个人的一个字啊。现在我要把我的话头收住，由你来说。要把所有的事，一桩桩、一件件都告诉我——所有的事全对我说一说。他们的情况怎样啦，如今在干些什么啦，他们又要你对我说些什么啦，凡是你能想到的，都说给我听。”啊，我心里明白，这下子可把我难住了——毫无退路。到目前为止，老天爷帮忙，一切顺顺当当，不过如今可搁了浅，动弹不得啦。我看得清楚，企图往前闯，那是办不到了，——我只能举起双手投降了。我因此对自个儿说，这是又一次走上了非说实话不可的绝路啦。我刚想张嘴说话，可是她一把抓住了我，推到了床的背后。她说：“他来啦！把你的脑袋低下去——好，这样行了，人家看不见你了。别露出一点儿风声说你已经来了。让我开他一个玩笑。孩子们，可不许你们说一个字啊。”我知道我如今是进退两难啦。不过也不用瞎操什么心嘛。除了一声不响，你也无事可做嘛。等待雷电轰顶以后，再从下面钻将出来嘛。老先生进来时，我只能瞥了一眼，随后床把他挡住了。费尔贝斯太太呢，她跳过去问他：“他来了么？”“没有啊。”她丈夫说。“天啊，”她说，“他会出了什么事么？”“我也想不出来，”老先生说，“我得承认，这叫我心里非常不安。”“不安！”她说，“我都快发疯了。他一定是已经到了。你一定是路上把他给错过了。我知道一定是这样的——我推算得出来。”“怎么啦？萨莉。我不可能在路上错过他的——这你也明白。”“不过，啊，天啊，天啊，我姐会怎么说啊！他准定已经到啦！你准是把他错过了。他——”“哦，别再叫我难受啦。我已经难受得够啦。我真不知道该怎么办才好。我实在不知所措啦。我不能不承认，我已经吓得不知道怎样才好。他不可能已经到了，因为他到了，我却错过了他，这是根本不可能的事嘛。萨莉，这可怕——简直可怕——轮船出了什么事，肯定是的。”“啊，西拉斯！往那边看一眼——往大路上看！——看是不是有人正在走来？”他一跳，跳到床头窗口，这就给了费尔贝斯太太一个再好不过的机会。她赶紧弯下身子，一把拉住了我，我就出来了。当他从窗口转过身来，她就站在那里，红光满面，满脸笑容，仿佛房子着了火似的。而我呢，温温顺顺的，急汗直冒，站在她的身旁。老先生呆住了，说：“啊，这是哪一个啊？”“你看是哪一个？”“我可猜不出。是哪一个啊？”“这是汤姆·索亚啊！”天啊，我差点儿没栽到地板底下去。不过这时已不由人分说，老人一把抓住了我的手握个不停，在这同时，他的老伴呢，正手舞足蹈，又哭又笑。随后他们两人连珠炮似地问到茜特和玛丽以及那家子其余的人来。不过要说高兴的话，恐怕没有人能比我更高兴的了，因为我几乎象重投了一次娘胎，终于弄清楚了我原来是谁。啊，他们对我问这问那，一连问了两个钟头，最后我的下巴颏也说累了，连话也说不下去了。我讲给他们听有关我家——我是说汤姆·索亚家——的种种情况，比起实际的情况多出六倍还不止。我还讲了，我们的船怎样到了白河口，汽缸盖炸了，又怎样花了三天时间才修好。这样的解释不会有什么问题，而且效果也是头等的，因为为什么要三天才修好，他们一窍不通。要是你说是一只螺丝帽炸飞了，他们也照样会相信。现今我一方面觉得挺舒坦，另一方面又觉得挺不舒坦。作为汤姆·索亚，我是挺自在、挺舒坦的，而且始终这样自在、舒坦，直到后来我听到了一只轮船沿着河上开来时发出的气喘声——这时我对自个儿说，万一汤姆·索亚搭了这条轮船来了呢？——万一他突然走进来，在我给他递去一个眼色，示意他别声张以前，就喊出了我的名字呢？啊，决不能让这样的情况发生——这样就糟啦。我必须到路上去截住他。我便告诉他们，我得到镇上去，把行李取来。老先生本想跟我一起去，不过我说不，我自己可以骑马去，不用给他添麻烦了。