湯姆越想集中注意力看書，腦子就越亂。他只好嘆嘆氣，打了個呵欠，最後取消了看書學習的念頭。他覺得中午放學時間老是不到來。空氣死一般寂等，紋絲不動，這是最最發困的日子。教室裡有二十五位學生在用功，他們的讀書聲就像是一群蜜蜂的嗡嗡叫聲，安撫着人們的心靈，也催人入眠。遠處赤日炎炎下，卡第夫山在一層微微閃動的熱浪中，顯得青翠欲滴，紫瑩瑩的，遠看上去十分柔和；幾隻鳥兒悠閒地在高高的天空上翱翔；只有幾隻牛還算是活着的東西，可它們卻在睡覺。湯姆心急如焚，企盼着早點下課，不然弄點有趣的活計搗鼓搗鼓來打發時間也好。他七摸八摸地模到了口袋，不知不覺地，他為之一振，滿臉露出感激之情。於是他悄悄地拿出那個雷管筒子，把扁虱放出來，放在那條平平的長條書桌上。這小東西大概也有種謝天謝地的快感，可是未免高興得有些太早了，因為正當它感激萬分地要逃走時，湯姆用別針把它翻了個，讓它改變了方向。
THE harder Tom tried to fasten his mind on his book, the more his ideas wandered. So at last, with a sigh and a yawn, he gave it up. It seemed to him that the noon recess would never come. The air was utterly dead. There was not a breath stirring. It was the sleepiest of sleepy days. The drowsing murmur of the five and twenty studying scholars soothed the soul like the spell that is in the murmur of bees. Away off in the flaming sunshine, Cardiff Hill lifted its soft green sides through a shimmering veil of heat, tinted with the purple of distance; a few birds floated on lazy wing high in the air; no other living thing was visible but some cows, and they were asleep. Tom's heart ached to be free, or else to have something of interest to do to pass the dreary time. His hand wandered into his pocket and his face lit up with a glow of gratitude that was prayer, though he did not know it. Then furtively the percussion-cap box came out. He released the tick and put him on the long flat desk. The creature probably glowed with a gratitude that amounted to prayer, too, at this moment, but it was premature: for when he started thankfully to travel off, Tom turned him aside with a pin and made him take a new direction.
湯姆的至友喬·哈帕就坐在他旁邊。和湯姆一樣，喬·哈帕終於有了出頭之日。看見扁虱，他很感激，一下子對它產生了濃厚的興趣。這兩個朋友平日裡是莫逆之交，可到了星期六就成了對陣的敵人。喬從衣服的翻領上取下別針，開始幫着操練這個小俘虜。這種玩法立刻有趣多了。不久，湯姆說兩個人玩一樣東西既不方便也不過癮。因此他把喬的寫字板放到桌子上，在寫字板正中間從上到下劃了一條直線。
Tom's bosom friend sat next him, suffering just as Tom had been, and now he was deeply and gratefully interested in this entertainment in an instant. This bosom friend was Joe Harper. The two boys were sworn friends all the week, and embattled enemies on Saturdays. Joe took a pin out of his lapel and began to assist in exercising the prisoner. The sport grew in interest momently. Soon Tom said that they were interfering with each other, and neither getting the fullest benefit of the tick. So he put Joe's slate on the desk and drew a line down the middle of it from top to bottom.
他說：“現在只要扁虱在你那邊，你就可以撥弄它，我不動手；不過要是你讓它跑了，跑到我這邊，你就得讓我玩，只要我能保住它，不讓它爬過去，你就不准動手。”
"Now," said he, "as long as he is on your side you can stir him up and I'll let him alone; but if you let him get away and get on my side, you're to leave him alone as long as I can keep him from crossing over."
“行，開始吧。讓它走。”
"All right, go ahead; start him up."
扁虱很快就從湯姆這邊逃出去，爬過了界線。喬捉玩了一陣，它又逃掉，跑到湯姆那邊。這樣扁虱經常來回兩邊跑，因此當一個孩子全神貫注地擔心扁虱會逃到另一邊時，另外一個也饒有興趣地在一旁看著。兩個腦袋都湊得很近盯着寫字板，對周圍發生的一切，他倆全然不顧。後來喬好像非常走運。那扁虱這兒走走，那兒走走，然後又換一邊走走，它和兩個孩子一樣既興奮又着急。可是一次又一次，正當它好像是有把握可以獲得勝利，湯姆的手指也正在急着要去撥它的時候，喬用別針靈巧地把它撥了一下，又叫它轉回頭，還是留在他這邊。最後湯姆實在是忍無可忍，誘惑實在太大了。於是他伸出手去，用他的別針撥了一下。喬這下子也生氣了，說：
The tick escaped from Tom, presently, and crossed the equator. Joe harassed him awhile, and then he got away and crossed back again. This change of base occurred often. While one boy was worrying the tick with absorbing interest, the other would look on with interest as strong, the two heads bowed together over the slate, and the two souls dead to all things else. At last luck seemed to settle and abide with Joe. The tick tried this, that, and the other course, and got as excited and as anxious as the boys themselves, but time and again just as he would have victory in his very grasp, so to speak, and Tom's fingers would be twitching to begin, Joe's pin would deftly head him off, and keep possession. At last Tom could stand it no longer. The temptation was too strong. So he reached out and lent a hand with his pin. Joe was angry in a moment. Said he:
“湯姆，你別動它。”
"Tom, you let him alone."
“我只是想稍微動它一下，喬。”
"I only just want to stir him up a little, Joe."
“不，夥計，這不公平；你還是不要動它。”
"No, sir, it ain't fair; you just let him alone."
“去你的，我又不是使勁撥它。”
"Blame it, I ain't going to stir him much."
“告訴你，別去動它。”
"Let him alone, I tell you."
“我不願意！”
"I won't!"
“你得願意——它在我這邊。”
"You shall--he's on my side of the line."
“聽著，喬·哈帕，這扁虱是誰的？”
"Look here, Joe Harper, whose is that tick?"
“我不管是誰的——現在我這一邊，你就不得動它。”
"I don't care whose tick he is--he's on my side of the line, and you sha'n't touch him."
“哼，我就動，怎麼著？他是我的，我愛怎麼動就怎麼動，拼上性命我也不在乎！”
"Well, I'll just bet I will, though. He's my tick and I'll do what I blame please with him, or die!"
湯姆的肩膀上重重挨了一擊，喬也一樣。有兩分鐘的功夫，他倆的上衣灰塵直冒，弄得全體同學極為開心。孩子們光顧你爭我搶，沒有注意到教室裡突然變得鴉雀無聲。原來老師早已觀察了許久後，這才踮着腳走過來站到了他們跟前。
A tremendous whack came down on Tom's shoulders, and its duplicate on Joe's; and for the space of two minutes the dust continued to fly from the two jackets and the whole school to enjoy it. The boys had been too absorbed to notice the hush that had stolen upon the school awhile before when the master came tiptoeing down the room and stood over them. He had contemplated a good part of the performance before he contributed his bit of variety to it.
中午放學的時候，湯姆飛快跑到貝基·撒切爾那兒，低聲耳語道：
When school broke up at noon, Tom flew to Becky Thatcher, and whispered in her ear:
“戴上帽子，裝着要回家去；走到拐角時，你就單溜，然後從那巷子再繞回來。我走另一條路，也用同樣的辦法甩開他們。”
"Put on your bonnet and let on you're going home; and when you get to the corner, give the rest of 'em the slip, and turn down through the lane and come back. I'll go the other way and come it over 'em the same way."
於是，一個跟着一群同學走了，另一個跟着另一群走。一會兒之後，他們都到了巷子盡頭。返回學校後，一切都歸他倆支配。於是他們坐在一起，面前放著一塊寫字板，湯姆給貝基一枝鉛筆，然後手把着手教她畫，就這樣又畫了一個令人叫絶的房子。當他們對畫畫漸漸不再感興趣時，就開始說起話來。湯姆沉浸在幸福之中。他說：
So the one went off with one group of scholars, and the other with another. In a little while the two met at the bottom of the lane, and when they reached the school they had it all to themselves. Then they sat together, with a slate before them, and Tom gave Becky the pencil and held her hand in his, guiding it, and so created another surprising house. When the interest in art began to wane, the two fell to talking. Tom was swimming in bliss. He said:
“你喜歡老鼠嗎？”
"Do you love rats?"
“不！我討厭老鼠！”
"No! I hate them!"
“哼，我也討厭——活老鼠。可我是說死老鼠，用一根綫拴着，在頭上甩來甩去地玩。”
"Well, I do, too--live ones. But I mean dead ones, to swing round your head with a string."
“不，不管怎麼樣，我不大喜歡老鼠。我所喜歡的是口香糖。”
"No, I don't care for rats much, anyway. What I like is chewing-gum."
“啊，我也是。要是現在有就好了。”
"Oh, I should say so! I wish I had some now."
“是嗎？我倒有幾個。我讓你嚼一會兒，不過你要還給我。”
"Do you? I've got some. I'll let you chew it awhile, but you must give it back to me."
談好條件以後，他倆輪流嚼着口香糖，他們懸着腿，坐在長凳上，高興極了。
That was agreeable, so they chewed it turn about, and dangled their legs against the bench in excess of contentment.
湯姆問：“你看過馬戲嗎？”
"Was you ever at a circus?" said Tom.
“看過。我爸說如果我聽話的話，他以後還帶我去看哩。”
"Yes, and my pa's going to take me again some time, if I'm good."
“我看過三四次馬戲——看過好多次。做禮拜和看馬戲相比，算不了什麼。馬戲團演出時，總是不停地換着花樣。我打算長大後到馬戲團當小丑。”
"I been to the circus three or four times--lots of times. Church ain't shucks to a circus. There's things going on at a circus all the time. I'm going to be a clown in a circus when I grow up."
“啊，真的嗎！那倒不錯。小丑滿身畫着點點，真可愛。”
"Oh, are you! That will be nice. They're so lovely, all spotted up."
“是的，一點也不錯。他們能賺大把大把的鈔票——差不多一天賺一塊，本·羅傑斯說的。嘿，貝基，你訂過婚嗎？”
"Yes, that's so. And they get slathers of money--most a dollar a day, Ben Rogers says. Say, Becky, was you ever engaged?"
“訂婚是什麼？”
"What's that?"
“哦，訂婚就是快要結婚了。”
"Why, engaged to be married."
“沒有。”
"No."
“你願意訂婚嗎？”
"Would you like to?"
“我想是願意的。我不知道。訂婚究竟是怎麼回事？”
"I reckon so. I don't know. What is it like?"
“怎麼回事？說不上怎麼回事。你對一個男孩子說除了他，你將永遠永遠，永遠不和別人相好，然後你就和他接吻，就這麼回事。人人都能做到。”
"Like? Why it ain't like anything. You only just tell a boy you won't ever have anybody but him, ever ever ever, and then you kiss and that's all. Anybody can do it."
“接吻？接吻幹什麼？”
"Kiss? What do you kiss for?"
“哎，那，你知道，就是——嘿，人家都是那樣做的。”
"Why, that, you know, is to--well, they always do that."
“人人都這樣？”
"Everybody?"
“哎，對，彼此相愛的人都這樣。你還記得我在寫字板上寫的字嗎？”
"Why, yes, everybody that's in love with each other. Do you remember what I wrote on the slate?"
“記——記得。”
"Ye--yes."
“寫的是什麼？”
"What was it?"
“我不告訴你。”
"I sha'n't tell you."
“那我告訴你。”
"Shall I tell you?"
“好——好吧——還是以後再說吧。”
"Ye--yes--but some other time."
“不，現在說。”
"No, now."
“不行，現在不能說——明天再說吧。”
"No, not now--to-morrow."
“不，不行，就現在說。求求你，貝基——我小聲說，我輕輕地說。”
"Oh, no, now. Please, Becky--I'll whisper it, I'll whisper it ever so easy."
貝基正在猶豫，湯姆認為她是默許了，於是用胳膊摟住她的腰，嘴靠近她的耳朵，輕聲細語地講了那句話。接着他又補充道：
Becky hesitating, Tom took silence for consent, and passed his arm about her waist and whispered the tale ever so softly, with his mouth close to her ear. And then he added:
“現在你也輕輕地對我說——同樣的話。”
"Now you whisper it to me--just the same."
她先拒絶了一會，然後說：
She resisted, for a while, and then said:
“你把臉轉過去，別看著我，我就說。但是你千萬不要對別人說，好嗎？湯姆，你不對別人說吧！”
"You turn your face away so you can't see, and then I will. But you mustn't ever tell anybody--will you, Tom? Now you won't, will you?"
“不說，我保證，保證不說。來吧，貝基。”
"No, indeed, indeed I won't. Now, Becky."
他把臉轉過去。她膽怯地彎下腰，一直到她的呼吸吹動了湯姆的鬈髮，才悄聲地說：“我——愛——你！”
He turned his face away. She bent timidly around till her breath stirred his curls and whispered, "I--love--you!"
她說完就圍着書桌和板凳跑起來，湯姆在後面追她；最後她躲在拐角裡，用白色圍裙遮住臉。湯姆一把抱緊她的脖子，求她：
Then she sprang away and ran around and around the desks and benches, with Tom after her, and took refuge in a corner at last, with her little white apron to her face. Tom clasped her about her neck and pleaded:
“好了，貝基，現在一切都做了——就差接吻了。不要害怕——沒什麼大不了的。求你了，貝基。”他使勁拉她的圍裙和手。
"Now, Becky, it's all done--all over but the kiss. Don't you be afraid of that--it ain't anything at all. Please, Becky." And he tugged at her apron and the hands.
漸漸地她讓了步，她把手放下來。剛纔一陣折騰使她的臉都紅了，她抬起頭，順從了湯姆。湯姆吻了她紅紅的嘴唇，說道：
By and by she gave up, and let her hands drop; her face, all glowing with the struggle, came up and submitted. Tom kissed the red lips and said:
“好了，貝基，該做的都做了。要知道，從今往後你只能愛我不能跟別人好，只能嫁給我不能和別人結婚，永遠、永遠、不變，好嗎？”
"Now it's all done, Becky. And always after this, you know, you ain't ever to love anybody but me, and you ain't ever to marry anybody but me, ever never and forever. Will you?"
“好的。湯姆，我只跟你相愛，不愛別人，我只嫁給你，不和別人結婚——你也一樣除了我不能娶別人。”
"No, I'll never love anybody but you, Tom, and I'll never marry anybody but you--and you ain't to ever marry anybody but me, either."
“對對，對對。還有，通常我們在上學或放學的時候，要是沒有旁人在場的話，你就和我一塊走——開舞會的時候，你選我做伴，我選你做伴，因為訂了婚的人都是這樣的。”
"Certainly. Of course. That's part of it. And always coming to school or when we're going home, you're to walk with me, when there ain't anybody looking--and you choose me and I choose you at parties, because that's the way you do when you're engaged."
“真是太有意思了。我以前還從沒聽說過。”
"It's so nice. I never heard of it before."
“啊，這才有趣哪！嘿，我和艾美·勞倫斯——”
"Oh, it's ever so gay! Why, me and Amy Lawrence--"
貝基睜大了兩隻眼睛望着他，湯姆這才發現自己已鑄成了大錯，於是他住了口，有點不知所措的樣子。
The big eyes told Tom his blunder and he stopped, confused.
“啊，湯姆！那麼，我還不是頭一個和你訂婚的呀！”
"Oh, Tom! Then I ain't the first you've ever been engaged to!"
這小女孩開始哭了起來。湯姆說：
The child began to cry. Tom said:
“哦，貝基，不要哭，我已經不再喜歡她了。”
"Oh, don't cry, Becky, I don't care for her any more."
“哼，喜歡不喜歡她，你湯姆心中有數。”
"Yes, you do, Tom--you know you do."
湯姆想伸出胳膊去摟她的脖子，可是被她推開了。她轉臉對著牆，繼續在哭。湯姆又試了一次，嘴裡還講着好話，可是她還是不理他。這一下傷了他的面子，於是他大步流星，來到外面。他在附近站了一會兒，心裡很亂，十分着急，不時地朝門口瞅一瞅，希望她會後悔，會出來找他。可是她沒有。這樣他漸漸覺得不對勁，害怕自己真地犯了錯。經過一番激烈的思想鬥爭，他鎮定下來，走進教室去認錯。她還站在教室後面的拐角處，臉衝著牆，在抽泣。湯姆的良心受到了指責。他走到她身旁站了一會，不知道該怎麼辦才好。片刻後，他遲疑不定地說：
Tom tried to put his arm about her neck, but she pushed him away and turned her face to the wall, and went on crying. Tom tried again, with soothing words in his mouth, and was repulsed again. Then his pride was up, and he strode away and went outside. He stood about, restless and uneasy, for a while, glancing at the door, every now and then, hoping she would repent and come to find him. But she did not. Then he began to feel badly and fear that he was in the wrong. It was a hard struggle with him to make new advances, now, but he nerved himself to it and entered. She was still standing back there in the corner, sobbing, with her face to the wall. Tom's heart smote him. He went to her and stood a moment, not knowing exactly how to proceed. Then he said hesitatingly:
“貝基，我不喜歡別人，只喜歡你。”
"Becky, I--I don't care for anybody but you."
沒有應聲——只有抽泣。
No reply--but sobs.
“貝基，”——湯姆懇求道，“貝基，你說話好不好？”
"Becky"--pleadingly. "Becky, won't you say something?"
貝基抽泣得更厲害。
More sobs.
湯姆把他最珍貴的寶貝，一個壁爐柴架頂上的銅把手，拿出來從她背後繞過去給她看，說：
Tom got out his chiefest jewel, a brass knob from the top of an andiron, and passed it around her so that she could see it, and said:
“求求你了，貝基，拿着這個好不好？”
"Please, Becky, won't you take it?"
她一把把銅把手打翻在地。於是湯姆大步流星走出教室，翻過小山，走到很遠的地方，那一天他是不打算再回學校了。很快貝基就開始擔心了。她跑到門口，沒有看見他。她又飛快地跑到操場，他也不在那裡。於是，她就喊：
She struck it to the floor. Then Tom marched out of the house and over the hills and far away, to return to school no more that day. Presently Becky began to suspect. She ran to the door; he was not in sight; she flew around to the play-yard; he was not there. Then she called:
“湯姆！回來吧，湯姆！”
"Tom! Come back, Tom!"
她留神聽了聽，可是沒有回答。伴隨她的只有寂寞和孤獨。她坐下又哭起來，邊哭邊生自己的氣；這時候同學們又陸陸續續地來上學了，她雖然傷心欲絶，但只得掩而不露。周圍的陌生人中，沒有人替她分憂解愁。她只好在痛苦中熬過那漫長而令人乏味的下午。
She listened intently, but there was no answer. She had no companions but silence and loneliness. So she sat down to cry again and upbraid herself; and by this time the scholars began to gather again, and she had to hide her griefs and still her broken heart and take up the cross of a long, dreary, aching afternoon, with none among the strangers about her to exchange sorrows with.