CHAPTER TWENTY

Tom Loses his Selfishness

So, feeling better now, Tom walked back to school. On his way, he saw Becky and ran over to her saying: "Listen, I'm really sorry for behaving badly this morning. Can't we just forget about it and be good friends?"

She didn't slow down, nor did she look at him when she replied: "You and I will never be friends, Thomas Sawyer. Now, leave me alone!"

Tom just watched her as she walked away. Her anger was making him angry all over again. For a moment he wished she were a boy so he could hit her.

Becky really couldn't wait to see Tom get into trouble for destroying his book. She imagined the teacher beating Tom with his stick and this made her smile.

She didn't realize at the moment that she would soon be in the same kind of trouble as Tom.

For the last month, their teacher had been bringing a book with him to the classroom, which he studied whenever he had a break. He always looked very serious when he read it; it seemed he couldn't wait for the next opportunity to read it. The children couldn't help being interested in what the book might be about, but no one had ever been brave enough to look. But this morning Becky saw the book lying on the teacher's table, and, while the teacher was away, started looking through it. When Tom walked into the room a few minutes later, she tried to put the book down quickly so he wouldn't see. But one page was torn. Now Becky became terribly frightened and began to cry.

"I hate you, Tom Sawyer. It's your fault that I broke the teacher's book! Now he's going to use his stick on me. I've never been beaten before! But you'll see ... you're going to be beaten too. And I can't wait to watch!" Then she ran outside, crying even harder than before.

"Girls are so silly," thought Tom, "I've been beaten a hundred times in school. It's nothing! And why does she think I'd tell the teacher she broke his book? I'd never do that. When the teacher asks the class, he'll know who did it just by looking at her guilty face."

Soon it was time for class to begin. The first thing the teacher noticed was Tom's book. And even though Tom told him that he hadn't torn it himself, the teacher beat him anyway. He didn't feel that he could trust a word that came out of Tom's mouth. As Becky watched the teacher hit Tom, she realized that she didn't feel as happy about it as she had planned. She very nearly shouted out the truth, but stopped herself, knowing that she would be next.

Later, during the first break, the teacher immediately picked up his book to read it. At this moment, Becky looked more frightened than a little helpless animal in the forest. Tom felt sorry for her. He didn't want to see her get beaten. Seconds later the teacher was shouting for the students to tell who had broken his book.

"Come now! I know you know who did this!"

But no one said a word.

The teacher started calling out names and watching the students' faces as they answered. When he shouted out Becky's name she turned white and couldn't speak. She kept her eyes down toward the table.

"Ms Thatcher, answer me! Did you touch my book this morning?"

Suddenly Tom stood up and shouted: "It was me, teacher!"

The students couldn't believe what Tom was doing. Did he want to be beaten a second time? Well, if he did want that ... he got it. For the teacher took out another stick and started hitting him again. But it didn't matter to Tom; the look of love and thanks on Becky's face made it impossible for him to feel anything the teacher did to him.

(end of section)