7 Brave Tom

CHAPTER 7 Brave Tom At recess time, Tom liked nothing better than to head home for one of Aunt Polly's tasty lunches. Today, however, he barely touched his food. Finally, Tom decided once and for all to make things right with Becky, and he felt his spirits began to lift. A half hour later, he was headed back to school when he came across Becky walking down Meadow Lane. Without a moment's hesitation, he ran over to her. "I acted mighty mean today, Becky, and I'm so sorry. I won't ever, ever act that way again as long as I ever live. Please, make up

with me, won't you?" The girl stopped and looked at him with her eyes full of scorn. "I'll thank you to keep to yourself, Mr.Thomas Sawyer. I'll never speak to you again." She then tossed her head and walked on. Tom was so stunned that he didn't even think to say, "Who cares, Miss Smarty?" until long after she had left him. Instead, he moped into the schoolyard feeling angrier and angrier and even wishing she were a boy, and how he would trounce her in a fight if she were. But Becky would soon enough find herself in trouble. Every day, their schoolmaster, Mr.Dobbins, would take a mysterious book out of his desk. The book was his prize possession, and he kept it under lock and key and read it when the class was busy. Every

child in the school had a different theory about the book, and all of them were dying to get a glimpse at it. Now, as Becky was passing Dobbins' desk, she noticed that the key was in the lock! The next instant she had the book in her hands. The title page—Professor Somebody's History of Old England—meant nothing to her, so she began to turn the pages. The first thing she saw was a handsomely engraved color image of a knight in armor sitting on his horse. Just then, a shadow fell on the page. Tom Sawyer was behind her. Becky quickly grabbed the book to close it. In doing so, she tore the picture half down the middle. She put the book back into Dobbins' desk, turned the key, and burst out crying with anger. "Tom Sawyer, you are just as mean as can be, to sneak up on a person and look at what they're looking at."

"How could I know you was looking at anything?" "You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Tom Sawyer; now you're going to tell on me. Oh, what shall I do, what shall I do! I've never been punished in school." And with that she ran out of the room. Tom, however, stood still. Feeling rather flustered, he mumbled to himself: "What a curious kind of a fool girl she is. Well, of

course I ain't going to tell old Dobbins on this little fool, but what of it? He'll ask who tore his book. Nobody'll answer. Then he'll do just as he always does, asking one and then the 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. So let her sweat it out." Tom then joined a mob of his classmates who were chattering and playing games outside. A few moments later, schoolmaster Dobbins arrived, and all his pupils quieted down and followed him inside. Class started but Tom was too distracted by his latest fight to pay attention. He kept looking at the girls' side of the room, and Becky's worried face troubled him. He did not want to feel sorry for her, but he couldn't help it. A whole hour somehow drifted past. By and by, Mr.Dobbins yawned, unlocked his

desk, and reached for his book. As soon as he took it out of the desk, Tom shot a look at Becky. Her face reminded him of how a rabbit looks when a hound dog starts chasing it. Instantly, he forgot his fight with her. Something must be done and done quick! But what? He racked his brain but came up with nothing. There was a brief silence, long enough to count schoolmaster spoke: to ten. Then the "Who tore this book?" There wasn't a single sound as Dobbins searched face after face for signs of guilt. "Benjamin Rogers, did you tear this book?" "No sir." "Joseph Harper, did you?" Another denial. The schoolmaster scanned the ranks of the boys—thought awhile—and then turned to