波莉姨媽吻湯姆的時候，態度有所變化，所以湯姆馬上感到振作起來，心情輕鬆愉快。他上學去了。半路上在草坪巷口，他有幸碰上了貝基·撒切爾，他現在情緒好了，所以態度也來了個一百八十度大拐彎。於是他毫不猶豫地跑上前去說：
THERE was something about Aunt Polly's manner, when she kissed Tom, that swept away his low spirits and made him lighthearted and happy again. He started to school and had the luck of coming upon Becky Thatcher at the head of Meadow Lane. His mood always determined his manner. Without a moment's hesitation he ran to her and said:
“貝基，我很抱歉，今天那樣做實在對不起人。你放心，就是死了，我也不會再那樣了。我們和好吧！”
"I acted mighty mean today, Becky, and I'm so sorry. I won't ever, ever do that way again, as long as ever I live--please make up, won't you?"
貝基停下腳步，一副鄙視的樣子盯着他。
The girl stopped and looked him scornfully in the face:
“托馬斯·索亞先生，你自己好自為之吧，我這先謝謝你了。我不會再跟你講話的。”
"I'll thank you to keep yourself to yourself, Mr. Thomas Sawyer. I'll never speak to you again."
說完，她昂起頭走了。湯姆一下子被說懵了，等他轉過神來要反駁一聲“去你的吧，自以為是小姐”時，為時已晚。他雖然沒說什麼，卻窩了一肚子的火。他沒精打采地走進校園，心裡想貝基要是個男孩子，他非得很很地揍她一頓不可。兩人在隨後的相遇中，湯姆說了句刺耳的話就走了，貝基也回敬了一句，這一下兩人算是徹底地決裂了。盛怒之下，貝基想起了湯姆書上的墨水，她好像急不可耐，盼望着湯姆早一點受到懲罰。她本來還有點猶豫不決，說不定還想要揭發那是阿爾弗雷德·鄧波爾干的壞事，可湯姆那句刺耳的話一下子打消了貝基的這個念頭。
She tossed her head and passed on. Tom was so stunned that he had not even presence of mind enough to say "Who cares, Miss Smarty?" until the right time to say it had gone by. So he said nothing. But he was in a fine rage, nevertheless. He moped into the schoolyard wishing she were a boy, and imagining how he would trounce her if she were. He presently encountered her and delivered a stinging remark as he passed. She hurled one in return, and the angry breach was complete. It seemed to Becky, in her hot resentment, that she could hardly wait for school to "take in," she was so impatient to see Tom flogged for the injured spelling-book. If she had had any lingering notion of exposing Alfred Temple, Tom's offensive fling had driven it entirely away.
真是個可憐的姑娘，她就要大禍臨頭，自身難保了卻一無所知。他們的老師，杜賓斯先生，雖然已到而立之年卻心願未了。他最熱衷于當醫生，可是貧窮卻注定了他當不了別的美差，只能做一名鄉村教師。他天天從講台裡拿出一本神秘的書，乘沒課要講的時候就潛心研讀。平常，他總是小心翼翼地把那本書鎖好。學校裡那些調皮的傢伙沒有一個不想看下那本神秘的書，那怕瞟一眼也好，可總沒有機會。至于那本書的內容，孩子們七嘴八舌，各抒己見，但都無法得到證實。講台離門不遠，貝基從旁邊走過時恰好看到鑰匙還在鎖孔上晃悠。這可是看一上眼的好機會，千載難逢。她環顧回周，發現沒有別的人在場，於是馬上拿起那本書，只見扉頁上寫着“無名式教授解剖學”幾個字。她沒看出什麼名堂來，於是就繼續往下翻。剛一打開下一頁，一張精製的彩色裸體圖立即映入眼帘。與此同時，湯姆·索亞從門口進來，一眼瞥見了那張圖。貝基一把抓起書想把它合上，可是不幸攔腰把那張圖撕了一半。她馬上把書扔進抽屜，鎖上鎖，又羞又惱地大哭起來。
Poor girl, she did not know how fast she was nearing trouble herself. The master, Mr. Dobbins, had reached middle age with an unsatisfied ambition. The darling of his desires was, to be a doctor, but poverty had decreed that he should be nothing higher than a village schoolmaster. Every day he took a mysterious book out of his desk and absorbed himself in it at times when 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 glimpse of it, but the chance never came. Every boy and girl had a theory about the nature of that book; 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, she noticed that the key was in the lock! It was a precious moment. She glanced around; found herself alone, and the next instant she had the book in her hands. The titlepage--Professor Somebody's Anatomy--carried no information to her mind; so she began to turn the leaves. She came at once upon a handsomely engraved and colored frontispiece--a human figure, stark naked. At that moment a shadow fell on the page and Tom Sawyer stepped in at the door and caught a glimpse of the picture. Becky snatched at the book to close it, and had the hard luck to tear the pictured page half down the middle. She thrust the volume into the desk, turned the key, and burst out crying with shame and vexation.
“湯姆·索亞，你真卑鄙，偷看別人，還偷看人家正在看的東西。”
"Tom Sawyer, you are just as mean as you can be, to sneak up on a person and look at what they're looking at."
“我怎麼知道你在看什麼東西呢？”
"How could I know you was looking at anything?"
“湯姆·索亞，你應該感到害臊。你會告發我的，這下我該怎麼辦才好呢？我要挨鞭笞了，我可從沒挨過鞭笞呀！”
"You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Tom Sawyer; you know you're going to tell on me, and oh, what shall I do, what shall I do! I'll be whipped, and I never was whipped in school."
接着她跺着小腳說：
Then she stamped her little foot and said:
“你想耍卑鄙，那就隨你的便！不過，你可要出事了。你等着瞧吧！可惡，可惡，真可惡！”接着，她一頓大哭，衝出了教室。
"Be so mean if you want to! I know something that's going to happen. You just wait and you'll see! Hateful, hateful, hateful!"--and she flung out of the house with a new explosion of crying.
湯姆被貝基劈頭蓋臉地說了一通，弄得他丈二和尚摸不着頭腦，他站在那裡不知所措。隨後，他自言自語地說：
Tom stood still, rather flustered by this onslaught. Presently he said to himself:
“女孩子真是傻得出奇。說什麼從來沒挨過鞭子打！呸！哪有這回事！挨打算不了什麼！女孩子就是這樣——臉皮薄，膽小如鼠。不過，我當然不會把這事向杜賓斯老頭講。要想和她算帳，方法有的是，用不着幹這種告密的勾當。可那又怎麼樣呢？杜賓斯老頭照樣會查出來是誰幹的。他問下書是誰撕的，沒人答應。於是他會接照老習慣挨個地問，等問到這個女孩子，他就全明白了。女孩子總是沉不住氣，表情總能說明問題。她們意志薄弱，這一回她要挨揍了。貝基呀，貝基，你這一回在劫難逃。”湯姆又仔細琢磨了一會，然後想：“得，就這樣吧，你不是想看我的笑話嗎，那你就傻等着瞧吧，有你好受的。”
"What a curious kind of a fool a girl is! Never been licked in school! Shucks! What's a licking! 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 little fool, because there's other ways of getting even on her, that ain't so mean; but what of it? Old Dobbins will ask who it was tore his book. Nobody'll answer. Then he'll do just the way he always does--ask first one and then t'other, and when he comes to the right girl 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 a kind of a tight place for Becky Thatcher, because there ain't any way out of it." Tom conned the thing a moment longer, and then added: "All right, though; she'd like to see me in just such a fix--let her sweat it out!"
湯姆跑到外面和那群嬉戲的同學們玩了不一會，老師就來上課了。湯姆並不十分想學習。他只要朝女生的那邊偷看上一眼，貝基的神情就會令他不安。他左思右想，就是不想同情她，但卻願意起點作用。他一點都激動不起來。湯姆很快發現了拼音課本上的墨跡，於是有一段時間，他一直不能自拔，老是想著自己的事，顯得鬱鬱不歡。貝基這下來了勁頭，對事態的發展表現出了強烈的興趣。她想湯姆不承認是自己弄髒了書，這也不能開脫他，她的預料果然不錯。結果湯姆反倒把事情給弄糟了。貝基想她會為此而感到確實高興，但卻吃不準。後來眼看著湯姆情形不妙時，她真想一古腦地站出來揭發那墨水是阿爾弗雷德·鄧波爾潑的。可她又竭力控制着，強迫自己保待沉默，因為她心裡想：“他會告發我，把我撕老師書的事說出去。我現在最好什麼也別說，不管他的死活。”
Tom joined the mob of skylarking scholars outside. In a few moments the master arrived and school "took in." Tom did not feel a strong interest in his studies. Every time he stole a glance at the girls' 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 could do to help it. He could get up no exultation that was really worthy the name. Presently the spelling-book discovery was made, and Tom's mind 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 denying that 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 she would be glad of that, and she tried to believe she was glad of it, but she found she was not certain. When the worst came to the 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 picture sure. I wouldn't say a word, not to save his life!"
湯姆挨了鞭笞，回到座位上，但一點也不傷心。他想在和同學們的打閙中，他有可能不知不覺地把墨水瓶碰翻，弄髒自己的書。他否認是自己幹的，一來是為了走過場；二來也是慣例；另外死也不承認自己有錯，那是為了堅持原則。
Tom took his whipping and went back to his seat not at all broken-hearted, for he thought it was possible that he had unknowingly upset the ink on the spelling-book himself, in some skylarking bout--he had denied it for form's sake and because it was custom, and had stuck to the denial from principle.
一個小時過去了，老師坐在他的座位上打盹，教室裡一片嗡嗡的讀書聲令人睏乏。漸漸地，杜賓斯先生挺直身子，打着哈欠，然後打開抽屜的鎖，可手伸出半截又停下來，猶豫不決。大多數學生都漫不經心地抬起頭看了一眼，但其中有兩個人特別關注老師的一舉一動。杜賓斯先生把手伸進抽屜隨便地摸了一會就拿出書，身體往椅子一靠看起來。湯姆瞥了貝基一眼。她就像一隻被獵人追捕的兔子，當獵槍瞄準它的頭部時，一副絶望無救的可憐相，他立刻忘掉了他們之間的爭吵。得採取行動，馬上就干，越快越好。常言說得好，急中生智，可湯姆這回卻束手無策，對，就這麼辦。他突然來了靈感：他要衝上去，一把從老師手裡搶過書，奪門而逃。可是他一走神，就這麼稍一猶豫的時候，老師翻開了書。湯姆坐失了良機，他十分後悔。這下完了，幹什麼也來不及了，想幫的忙也幫不上了。老師打開書後馬上面朝大家。見老師盯着他們，大家都低下了頭，就連沒有犯錯誤的同學也都嚇得不得了。大約有十秒鐘，教室裡一片寂靜。老師的氣是越來越大，他終於開了腔： “這書是誰撕的？”
A whole hour drifted by, the master sat nodding in his throne, the air was drowsy with the hum of study. By and by, Mr. Dobbins straightened himself up, yawned, then unlocked his desk, and reached for his book, but seemed undecided whether to take it out or leave it. Most of the pupils glanced up languidly, but there were two among them that watched his movements with intent eyes. Mr. Dobbins fingered his book absently for a while, then took it out and settled himself in his chair to read! Tom shot a glance at Becky. He had seen a hunted and helpless rabbit look as she did, with a gun levelled at its head. Instantly he forgot his quarrel with her. Quick--something must be done! done in a flash, too! But the very imminence of the emergency paralyzed his invention. Good!--he had an inspiration! He would run and snatch the book, spring through the door and fly. But his resolution shook for one little instant, and the chance was lost--the master opened the volume. If Tom only had the wasted opportunity back again! Too late. There was no help for Becky now, he said. The next moment the master faced the school. Every eye sank under his gaze. There was that in it which smote even the innocent with fear. There was silence while one might count ten--the master was gathering his wrath. Then he spoke: "Who tore this book?"
教室裡鴉雀無聲，靜的連根針掉到地上都能聽見。老師見無人應答，就挨個檢查，看到底是誰撕了書。
There was not a sound. One could have heard a pin drop. The stillness continued; the master searched face after face for signs of guilt.
“本傑明·羅傑斯，書是你撕的嗎？”
"Benjamin Rogers, did you tear this book?"
老師得到的是否定，他停了一會問道：
A denial. Another pause.
“約瑟夫·哈帕，是你干的？”
"Joseph Harper, did you?"
約瑟夫否認是他干的。老師不急不忙地問了這個又問那個。湯姆越來越緊張，顯得煩躁不安。老師問完男生，稍加思索就轉向女生。
Another denial. Tom's uneasiness grew more and more intense under the slow torture of these proceedings. The master scanned the ranks of boys--considered a while, then turned to the girls:
“艾美·勞倫斯是你嗎？”
"Amy Lawrence?"
她同樣也搖了搖頭。
A shake of the head.
“蘇珊·哈帕，是你干的嗎？”
"Gracie Miller?"
又是一個否認。
The same sign.
"Susan Harper, did you do this?"
下一個就該問到貝基·撒切爾了。湯姆十分緊張，他意識到情況不妙，嚇得他從頭到腳全身發抖。
Another negative. The next girl was Becky Thatcher. Tom was trembling from head to foot with excitement and a sense of the hopelessness of the situation.
“瑞貝卡·撒切爾”（貝基的學名），”（湯姆向她臉上瞟了一眼，見她嚇得臉色蒼白）——“是你撕……不，看著我的眼睛。”（她承認地舉起手來）——“是你撕壞了這本書嗎？”
"Rebecca Thatcher" [Tom glanced at her face--it was white with terror]--"did you tear--no, look me in the face" [her hands rose in appeal]--"did you tear this book?"
這時，湯姆的腦海裡雷電般閃出一個念頭，他猛然起身，大聲說道：“是我干的！”
A thought shot like lightning through Tom's brain. He sprang to his feet and shouted--"I done it!"
全班同學迷惑不解地盯着湯姆，覺得他行為愚蠢，令人不可思議。湯姆站了一會好像是在鎮定自己，然後走上前去接受懲罰。湯姆發現那個可憐的姑娘貝基眼裡先是流露出吃驚，然後是感激，最後是敬慕之情，他覺得為此就是挨上一百鞭也是值得的。湯姆也為自己的義舉感到臉上有光，因此在遭受杜賓斯先生有史以來最嚴酷的鞭笞時，他哼都沒哼一聲，另外放學後，他還得被罰站兩小時。對這一殘忍的做法，他也不在乎，因為他心裡有數，外面會有個人心甘情願地一直在等上他兩個小時。
The school stared in perplexity at this incredible folly. Tom stood a moment, to gather his dismembered faculties; and when he stepped forward to go to his punishment the surprise, the gratitude, the adoration that shone upon him out of poor Becky's eyes seemed pay enough for a hundred floggings. Inspired by the splendor of his own act, he took without an outcry the most merciless flaying that even Mr. Dobbins had ever administered; and also received with indifference the added cruelty of a command to remain two hours after school should be dismissed--for he knew who would wait for him outside till his captivity was done, and not count the tedious time as loss, either.
當天晚上，湯姆臨上床睡覺前合計着如何報復阿爾弗雷德·鄧波爾。貝基把自己的背叛以及潑墨水的事情全盤托出了。可是不久，湯姆的思緒轉到一些美滋滋的事情上。想著想著，湯姆耳邊朦朦朧朧地響起了貝基剛纔說過的一句話：
Tom went to bed that night planning vengeance against Alfred Temple; for with shame and repentance Becky had told him all, not forgetting her own treachery; but even the longing for vengeance had to give way, soon, to pleasanter musings, and he fell asleep at last with Becky's latest words lingering dreamily in his ear--
“湯姆，你思想怎麼會這樣高尚的呀！”就這樣，他終於進入了夢鄉。
"Tom, how could you be so noble!"