Lesson 80: English - улучшение восприятия

The news spread. In a few minutes men were in boats on their way to the cave. Tom was in the boat with Judge Thatcher.

When the door was opened, their eyes saw a sad sight. Indian Joe was on the ground, dead. Tom's experience in the cave made him understand Indian Joe's sufferings.

But a heavy weight of fear had been lifted from Tom's heart.

The next morning, Tom and Huck had an important talk.

Now Huck told Tom about following Indian Joe up the hill to Mrs. Douglas's house. This part of the story was new to Tom. "And Indian Joe came from Number Two in that public house," Huck said. "And now we shall never know any more about that box of money."

"Huck," Tom said, "That money was never in Number Two. Huck, it is in the cave!"

"Say that again, Tom."

"The money is in the cave."

"Tom, is this true?"

"It is true, Huck. Will you go there with me and help to bring it out?"

"I will if I can go into the cave and not get lost."

"Are you strong enough?" Tom asked.

"I can't walk more than a mile, Tom."

"It is five miles, Huck, for any other person. But I know a shorter way. I'll take you there in a boat. It'll be easy for you."

"I want to start now, Tom."

Tom agreed. "We want some bread and meat, and our tobacco, and two bags, and some string, and some lights."

They took a friend's boat, and about noon the boys started their journey. Tom knew where to stop. They pulled the boat up on the shore.

"Huck, the hole is near. Try to find it."

Huck tried and found nothing. Then Tom proudly took him among some trees and said:

"Here it is!"

The boys entered the hole. Tom was leading. They tied their string to a rock to guide their return. A few steps took them to the little waterfall, and Tom felt his whole body shaking. He told Huck that this was where he and Becky had been when they were lost.

The boys were quiet now. The stillness and the darkness were heavy on their hearts. They continued walking and soon they came to the place where the floor seemed to end. With the light, they could see that they were on a hill leading to another rock floor below. Tom said:

"Now I will show you something, Huck." He held his light high. "Look as far as you can around the corner. Do you see that? On the big rock?"

"Tom, it is a cross!"

"That is where I saw Indian Joe, Huck. And where is Number Two? Remember what he said? «Under the cross.»"

Huck said in a shaking voice, "Tom, I want to go away from here."

"What! And leave the money?"

"Yes. Leave it. Indian Joe's spirit is there."

"No, Huck. His spirit is near the door, where he died. That is five miles away."

"No, Tom. It would guard the money. I know about spirits, and you do also."

Tom began to think that Huck was right. But then he had a different thought. "Huck, his spirit would not be near a cross."

Huck agreed. "Tom, I did not think of that. But it is true. We must go down there and find the box."

It was not easy to go down the hill of rock to the floor below. Tom went first, and Huck followed.

Near the bottom of the great rock, the boys found where some person had been eating and sleeping. But they found no money.

Then Tom took his knife and used it to turn over the earth behind the great rock. The knife touched wood.

"Huck! You hear that?"

They pulled away some stones and some old boards. Behind these, there was an opening under the rock. With his light, Tom went down. Huck followed. Tom went around a corner and shouted:

"Huck, look there!"

It was the box of money. There were also two guns.

"We have it!" said Huck, putting his hands among the pieces of gold. "We are rich, Tom!"

"Huck, I was always sure that we would get it. And we have it. Can I lift the box?"

He could lift it, but he could not carry it. They put the money in their two bags and carried it up from the hole under the rock.

"Now we want the guns," said Huck.

"No, Huck. Leave them there. We will return and use them some other time. I think it is late. And I am hungry. We can eat and smoke outside, in the boat."

After eating and smoking, they returned up the river. It was dark when they arrived at the edge of the village.

"Huck," said Tom, "We will take the money to Mrs. Douglas's house. I know a place near there to leave it tonight. Tomorrow morning we can count it and divide it. And then we can find a place in the forest where it will be safe. You wait here now and watch it. I am going to get Benny Taylor's little wagon."

He soon returned with the wagon. They put the bags of money in the wagon and started toward Cardiff Hill.

Near Mr. Jones's house they stopped to rest. Mr. Jones came out. "Who is there?" he said.

"Huck and Tom Sawyer."

"Come with me, boys. They are all waiting for you. Let me pull your wagon. It is very heavy! What do you have in it? Nothing of value, I am sure of that. Boys will always work for things of no worth. Hurry now."

The boys wanted to know why they should hurry.

"You'll learn when you arrive."

Soon they were entering Mrs. Douglas's house, leaving the wagon near the door.

All the important people of the village were there. The Thatchers were there, the Harpers, Aunt Polly, Sid, Mary, and many more. All were dressed in their best clothes.

Tom and Huck were covered with earth from the cave. Aunt Polly's face was red when she saw Tom's face and clothes. Mrs. Douglas took the boys to a bedroom and said:

"Wash and dress now. Here are new clothes for both of you. Come and join the others when you are ready."

Huck said, "Tom, we can run away. We can go through the window."

"Why do you want to run away?"

"I can't join that crowd, Tom."

"Oh, that is nothing to be afraid of! I will take care of you."

Sid appeared.

"Sid, why are all these people here?"

"Old Mr. Jones has a surprise. But it won't surprise many people. Most of us know it already."

"What is the surprise, Sid?"

"It is about Huck following Indian Joe and the other man to this house. But it won't be a surprise. You will see." He laughed. "Some person told about it."

Tom said, "You told. There is only one person in this town who would destroy a good surprise. You! Now go away! Or I will throw you out of this room!"

Some minutes later Huck and Tom were eating at a big table with the others. Then Mr. Jones stood up to speak. He told the story about Huck. It was true that it did not seem much like a surprise. But people tried to seem surprised. Mrs. Douglas thanked Huck again and again.

She said that she would give Huck a room in her house, and send him to school and that later she would give him money to start a business.

Tom said, "Huck won't need it. He is rich."

People tried not to laugh.

Tom said, "Huck has money. Perhaps you do not believe it, but he has. I can show you." He ran outside.

"What is Tom doing now?" said Aunt Polly. "I never can understand that boy."

Tom entered, carrying the heavy bags. He opened them and let the yellow gold fall out on the table. "What did I tell you?" he said. "Half is Huck's and half is mine."

All looked. None could speak for a moment.

Then they asked Tom to explain.

It was a long story, but it was full of interest. When Tom finished, Mr. Jones said, "I planned a surprise for this evening. But this surprise makes mine seem very small."

The money was counted. There was more than twelve thousand dollars. Some of the village people owned land and were much richer than Tom and Huck. But none had ever before seen so much money at one time.

Tom's and Huck's money was a great wonder in the poor little village. You may be sure of that. It was not easy to believe that the money was real. People talked and talked about it.

People went hunting for more money. Boys went, and men went, also. They hunted in every old, lonely house.

All watched Tom and Huck and listened to them. Every word they spoke had become important. The village newspaper had a story about them.

Mrs. Douglas put Huck's money in a bank. Judge Thatcher did the same with Tom's. Each boy had money to spend now. He had almost a dollar for every day of the year. In those days, a dollar and a quarter a week was enough to buy a boy's food and clothes and to pay for his schooling.

Judge Thatcher had a good opinion of Tom. He said that only a very wise boy could have brought Becky out of the cave safely. He expected Tom to become a great man.

Huck Finn's life had changed. His sufferings were almost too great for him. Mrs. Douglas had taken him to her home. She kept him clean. He must sleep every night in a clean bed. He must eat like a gentleman. He must go to church.

He suffered for three weeks, and then the next day he was gone. Mrs. Douglas and all the people in the village tried to find him. They were afraid that he had drowned in the river.

Early on the third morning Tom Sawyer went to an old building outside the village. He found Huck. Huck had been sleeping behind the building. He was lying there now, happily smoking. He was covered with dust. His hair was wild and he was wearing his old clothes.

Tom asked him to go home to Mrs. Douglas.

Huck's face became sad. "Do not talk about it, Tom. I tried it. It is not for me. She is good to me and friendly. But I can't live with her. I must get up at the same time every morning. I must wash. I must sleep in a bed. I must wear those good clothes. I can't move in those clothes. I can't sit down, I can't lie down, I can't roll on the ground in them. I must go to church. I must wear shoes on Sunday."

"We all live like that, Huck."

"Tom, I am different. I can't live like that. It is easy to get food. Mrs. Douglas won't let me smoke. And she prays all the time. I had to leave, Tom, or I would die. And when school begins, I would have to go to school. Tom, being rich is no good. I wish I was dead all the time. I like these old clothes. I like this place to sleep. This is what I want Tom. I give you my share of the money. You can give me ten cents when I need it. But not often. I do not like what is easy to get. And you go now and explain to Mrs. Douglas."

"Oh, Huck, you know I can't do that. And if you try longer, you will like it."

"Like it! Yes, I will like it as I would like a burning coal if I sat on it. No, Tom, I won't be rich, and I won't live in a house. I like the forest, and the river, and a place like this for sleeping. But now we are rich and all our games like being pirates are destroyed."

"Listen, Huck. Being rich won't change that."

"Is that true, Tom?"

"It is true. But if you want to join me and the other boys, and belong to my club, you must live like us."

"Tom, is that friendly?"

"I want you to join us, Huck. But all the boys who join Tom Sawyer's Club must have good characters."

Huck was quiet. There was a battle in his mind. After a while, he said, "I will return to Mrs. Douglas for a month. I will try if you will let me belong to Tom Sawyer's Club."

"I agree, Huck. Come with me now. And I promise to ask Mrs. Douglas to change a little, Huck."

"Will you, Tom? That is good. When will you start your club?"

"Oh, soon. This evening, perhaps, we can have the first meeting."

"What will we do at the meeting?"

"We will promise always to help others, and promise never to tell what we plan to do, and promise to kill any person who hurts one of us."

"I like that, Tom. I like it."

"And we must make those promises in the middle of the night, in a lonely place. And sign with blood."

"This is better than being a pirate, Tom. I will stay with Mrs. Douglas. And we will have adventures that will make the whole village talk about us. And then Mrs. Douglas will be proud because she took me into her home."

So ends this story. Because it is the history of a boy, it must stop here. It could not go much further without becoming the history of a man.

Most of the people in this book are living yet, and are happy. Perhaps some day the story will be continued. Therefore, it will be wise to tell no more now.