THE old man was uptown again before breakfast, but couldn't get no track of Tom; and both of them set at the table thinking, and not saying nothing, and looking mournful, and their coffee getting cold, and not eating anything. And by and by the old man says:

"Did I give you the letter?"

"What letter?"

"The one I got yesterday out of the post-office."

"No, you didn't give me no letter."

"Well, I must a forgot it."

So he rummaged¹ his pockets, and then went off somewheres where he had laid it down, and fetched it, and give it to her. She says:

"Why, it's from St. Petersburg -- it's from Sis."

I allowed another walk would do me good; but I couldn't stir. But before she could break it open she dropped it and run -- for she see something. And so did I. It was Tom Sawyer on a mattress²; and that old doctor; and Jim, in HER calico dress, with his hands tied behind him; and a lot of people. I hid the letter behind the first thing that come handy, and rushed. She flung herself at Tom, crying, and says:

"Oh, he's dead, he's dead, I know he's dead!"

And Tom he turned his head a little, and muttered something or other, which showed he warn't in his right mind; then she flung up her hands, and says:

"He's alive, thank God! And that's enough!" and she snatched a kiss of him, and flew for the house to get the bed ready, and scattering³ orders right and left at the niggers and everybody else, as fast as her tongue could go, every jump of the way.

I followed the men to see what they was going to do with Jim; and the old doctor and Uncle Silas followed after Tom into the house. The men was very huffy, and some of them wanted to hang Jim for an example to all the other niggers around there, so they wouldn't be trying to run away like Jim done, and making such a raft of trouble, and keeping a whole family scared most to death for days and nights. But the others said, don't do it, it wouldn't answer at all; he ain't our nigger, and his owner would turn up and make us pay for him, sure. So that cooled them down a little, because the people that's always the most anxious for to hang a nigger that hain't done just right is always the very ones that ain't the most anxious to pay for him when they've got their satisfaction out of him.

They cussed Jim considerble, though, and give him a cuff⁴ or two side the head once in a while, but Jim never said nothing, and he never let on to know me, and they took him to the same cabin, and put his own clothes on him, and chained him again, and not to no bed-leg this time, but to a big

点击收听单词发音  

1 rummaged
翻找，搜寻( rummage的过去式和过去分词 )； 已经海关检查
参考例句：
I rummaged through all the boxes but still could not find it. 几个箱子都翻腾遍了也没有找到。 The customs officers rummaged the ship suspected to have contraband goods. 海关人员仔细搜查了一艘有走私嫌疑的海轮。

2 mattress
n.床垫，床褥
参考例句：
The straw mattress needs to be aired.草垫子该晾一晾了。 The new mattress I bought sags in the middle.我买的新床垫中间陷了下去。

3 scattering
n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散
参考例句：
The child felle into a rage and began scattering its toys about. 这孩子突发狂怒，把玩具扔得满地都是。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The farmers are scattering seed. 农夫们在播种。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 cuff
n.袖口；手铐；护腕；vt.用手铐铐；上袖口
参考例句：
She hoped they wouldn't cuff her hands behind her back.她希望他们不要把她反铐起来。 Would you please draw together the snag in my cuff?请你把我袖口上的裂口缝上好吗？

5 staple
n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类
参考例句：
Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。 Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。

6 auction
n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖
参考例句：
They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。 They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

7 tapering
adj.尖端细的
参考例句：
Interest in the scandal seems to be tapering off. 人们对那件丑闻的兴趣似乎越来越小了。 Nonproductive expenditures keep tapering down. 非生产性开支一直在下降。

8 runaway
n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的
参考例句：
The police have not found the runaway to date.警察迄今没抓到逃犯。 He was praised for bringing up the runaway horse.他勒住了脱缰之马受到了表扬。

9 plumb
adv.精确地，完全地；v.了解意义，测水深
参考例句：
No one could plumb the mystery.没人能看破这秘密。 It was unprofitable to plumb that sort of thing.这种事弄个水落石出没有什么好处。

10 propped
支撑，支持，维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He sat propped up in the bed by pillows. 他靠着枕头坐在床上。 This fence should be propped up. 这栅栏该用东西支一支。

11 muffled
adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己）
参考例句：
muffled voices from the next room 从隔壁房间里传来的沉闷声音 There was a muffled explosion somewhere on their right. 在他们的右面什么地方有一声沉闷的爆炸声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 oars
n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
He pulled as hard as he could on the oars. 他拼命地划桨。 The sailors are bending to the oars. 水手们在拼命地划桨。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 hitched
（免费）搭乘他人之车( hitch的过去式和过去分词 )； 搭便车； 攀上； 跃上
参考例句：
They hitched a ride in a truck. 他们搭乘了一辆路过的货车。 We hitched a ride in a truck yesterday. 我们昨天顺便搭乘了一辆卡车。

14 softened
（使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰
参考例句：
His smile softened slightly. 他的微笑稍柔和了些。 The ice cream softened and began to melt. 冰淇淋开始变软并开始融化。

15 mighty
adj.强有力的；巨大的
参考例句：
A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。 The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

16 judgment
n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见
参考例句：
The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。 He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

17 hearty
adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的
参考例句：
After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了，他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。 We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。

18 yarn
n.纱，纱线，纺线；奇闻漫谈，旅行轶事
参考例句：
I stopped to have a yarn with him.我停下来跟他聊天。 The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。

19 dodged
v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避
参考例句：
He dodged cleverly when she threw her sabot at him. 她用木底鞋砸向他时，他机敏地闪开了。 来自《简明英汉词典》 He dodged the book that I threw at him. 他躲开了我扔向他的书。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 gliding
v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的
参考例句：
Swans went gliding past. 天鹅滑行而过。 The weather forecast has put a question mark against the chance of doing any gliding tomorrow. 天气预报对明天是否能举行滑翔表示怀疑。

21 stump
n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走
参考例句：
He went on the stump in his home state.他到故乡所在的州去发表演说。 He used the stump as a table.他把树桩用作桌子。

22 joyful
adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的
参考例句：
She was joyful of her good result of the scientific experiments.她为自己的科学实验取得好成果而高兴。 They were singing and dancing to celebrate this joyful occasion.他们唱着、跳着庆祝这令人欢乐的时刻。

23 inscriptions
（作者）题词( inscription的名词复数 )； 献词； 碑文； 证劵持有人的登记
参考例句：
Centuries of wind and rain had worn away the inscriptions on the gravestones. 几个世纪的风雨已磨损了墓碑上的碑文。 The inscriptions on the stone tablet have become blurred with the passage of time. 年代久了，石碑上的字迹已经模糊了。

24 coffins
n.棺材( coffin的名词复数 )；使某人早亡[死，完蛋，垮台等]之物
参考例句：
The shop was close and hot, and the atmosphere seemed tainted with the smell of coffins. 店堂里相当闷热，空气仿佛被棺木的味儿污染了。 来自辞典例句 Donate some coffins to the temple, equal to the number of deaths. 到寺庙里，捐赠棺材盒给这些死者吧。 来自电影对白

25 apron
n.围裙；工作裙
参考例句：
We were waited on by a pretty girl in a pink apron.招待我们的是一位穿粉红色围裙的漂亮姑娘。 She stitched a pocket on the new apron.她在新围裙上缝上一只口袋。

26 bully
n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮
参考例句：
A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。 The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。

27 harry
vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼
参考例句：
Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。 Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

28 enjoyment
n.乐趣；享有；享用
参考例句：
Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。 After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。

29 meddling
v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的现在分词 )
参考例句：
He denounced all "meddling" attempts to promote a negotiation. 他斥责了一切“干预”促成谈判的企图。 来自辞典例句 They liked this field because it was never visited by meddling strangers. 她们喜欢这块田野，因为好事的陌生人从来不到那里去。 来自辞典例句

30 nostrils
鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Her nostrils flared with anger. 她气得两个鼻孔都鼓了起来。 The horse dilated its nostrils. 马张大鼻孔。

31 waded
（从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
She tucked up her skirt and waded into the river. 她撩起裙子蹚水走进河里。 He waded into the water to push the boat out. 他蹚进水里把船推出来。

32 standing
n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的
参考例句：
After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。 They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

33 contented
adj.满意的，安心的，知足的
参考例句：
He won't be contented until he's upset everyone in the office.不把办公室里的每个人弄得心烦意乱他就不会满足。 The people are making a good living and are contented,each in his station.人民安居乐业。

34 rattling
adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词
参考例句：
This book is a rattling good read. 这是一本非常好的读物。 At that same instant,a deafening explosion set the windows rattling. 正在这时，一声震耳欲聋的爆炸突然袭来，把窗玻璃震得当当地响。

35 perfectly
adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地
参考例句：
The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。 Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

36 pettish
adj.易怒的，使性子的
参考例句：
I can't act in pettish to you any further.我再也不能对你撒娇了。 He was getting more and more pettish and hysterical.他变得越来越任性，越来越歇斯底里。

37 impudent
adj.鲁莽的，卑鄙的，厚颜无耻的
参考例句：
She's tolerant toward those impudent colleagues.她对那些无礼的同事采取容忍的态度。 The teacher threatened to kick the impudent pupil out of the room.老师威胁着要把这无礼的小学生撵出教室。