第4章
Hisunclestaredathimwithamixedexpressionofamazementandshameandincredulitythatwassorrowfultosee。Atlasthesaid：
"Whichofthetwinswasit？"
"CountLuigi。"
"Youhavechallengedhim？"
"N——no，"hesitatedTom，turningpale。
"Youwillchallengehimtonight。Howardwillcarryit。"
Tombegantoturnsick，andtoshowit。Heturnedhishatroundandroundinhishand，hisunclegloweringblackerandblackeruponhimastheheavysecondsdriftedby;thenatlasthebegantostammer，andsaidpiteously：
"Oh，please，don’taskmetodoit，uncle！Heisamurderousdevil——
Inevercould——I——I’mafraidofhim！"
OldDriscoll’smouthopenedandclosedthreetimesbeforehecouldgetittoperformitsoffice;thenhestormedout：
"Acowardinmyfamily！ADriscollacoward！Oh，whathaveIdonetodeservethisinfamy！"Hetotteredtohissecretaryinthecorner，repeatedthatlamentagainandagaininheartbreakingtones，andgotoutofadrawerapaper，whichheslowlytoretobits，scatteringthebitsabsentlyinhistrackashewalkedupanddowntheroom，stillgrievingandlamenting。Atlasthesaid：
"Thereitis，shredsandfragmentsoncemore——mywill。Oncemoreyouhaveforcedmetodisinherityou，youbasesonofamostnoblefather！
Leavemysight！Go——beforeIspitonyou！"
Theyoungmandidnottarry。ThenthejudgeturnedtoHoward：
"Youwillbemysecond，oldfriend？"
"Ofcourse。"
"Thereispenandpaper。Draftthecartel，andlosenotime。"
"TheCountshallhaveitinhishandsinfifteenminutes，"saidHoward。
Tomwasveryheavyhearted。Hisappetitewasgonewithhispropertyandhisself—respect。Hewentoutthebackwayandwandereddowntheobscurelanegrieving，andwonderingifanycourseoffutureconduct，howeverdiscreetandcarefullyperfectedandwatchedover，couldwinbackhisuncle’sfavorandpersuadehimtoreconstructoncemorethatgenerouswillwhichhadjustgonetoruinbeforehiseyes。
Hefinallyconcludedthatitcould。Hesaidtohimselfthathehadaccomplishedthissortoftriumphoncealready，andthatwhathadbeendoneoncecouldbedoneagain。Hewouldsetaboutit。Hewouldbendeveryenergytothetask，andhewouldscorethattriumphoncemore，costwhatitmighttohisconvenience，limitasitmighthisfrivolousandliberty—lovinglife。
"Tobegin，"hesaystohimself，"I’llsquareupwiththeproceedsofmyraid，andthengamblinghasgottobestopped——andstoppedshortoff。
It’stheworstviceI’vegot——frommystandpoint，anyway，becauseit’stheonehecanmosteasilyfindout，throughtheimpatienceofmycreditors。Hethoughtitexpensivetohavetopaytwohundreddollarstothemformeonce。Expensive——_that！_Why，itcostmethewholeofhisfortune——but，ofcourse，heneverthoughtofthat;
somepeoplecan’tthinkofanybuttheirownsideofacase。
IfhehadknownhowdeepIaminnow，thewillwouldhavegonetopotwithoutwaitingforadueltohelp。Threehundreddollars！
It’sapile！Buthe’llneverhearofit，I’mthankfultosay。
TheminuteI’vecleareditoff，I’msafe;andI’llnevertouchacardagain。Anyway，Iwon’twhilehelives，Imakeoathtothat。
I’menteringonmylastreform——Iknowit——yes，andI’llwin;
butafterthat，ifIeverslipagainI’mgone。"
CHAPTER13
TomStaresatRuinWhenIreflectuponthenumberofdisagreeablepeoplewhoIknowhavegonetoabetterworld，Iammovedtoleadadifferentlife。
——Pudd’nheadWilson’sCalendarOctober。Thisisoneofthepeculiarlydangerousmonthstospeculateinstocksin。TheothersareJuly，January，September，April，November，May，March，June，December，August，andFebruary。
——Pudd’nheadWilson’sCalendarThusmournfullycommuningwithhimself，TommopedalongthelanepastPudd’nheadWilson’shouse，andstillonandonbetweenfencesenclosingvacantcountryoneachhandtillhenearedthehauntedhouse，thenhecamemopingbackagain，withmanysighsandheavywithtrouble。
Hesorelywantedcheerfulcompany。Rowena！Hisheartgaveaboundatthethought，butthenextthoughtquietedit——thedetestedtwinswouldbethere。
HewasontheinhabitedsideofWilson’shouse，andnowasheapproachedit，henoticedthatthesittingroomwaslighted。
Thiswoulddo;othersmadehimfeelunwelcomesometimes，butWilsonneverfailedincourtesytowardhim，andakindlycourtesydoesatleastsaveone’sfeelings，evenifitisnotprofessingtostandforawelcome。
Wilsonheardfootstepsathisthreshold，thentheclearingofathroat。
"It’sthatfickle—tempered，dissipatedyounggoose——poordevil，hefindfriendsprettyscarcetoday，likely，afterthedisgraceofcarryingapersonalassaultcaseintoalaw—court。"
Adejectedknock。"Comein！"
Tomentered，anddroppedintoachair，withoutsayinganything。
Wilsonsaidkindly：
"Why，myboy，youlookdesolate。Don’ttakeitsohard。
Tryandforgetyouhavebeenkicked。"
"Oh，dear，"saidTom，wretchedly，"it’snotthat，Pudd’nhead——
it’snotthat……It’sathousandtimesworsethanthat——oh，yes，amilliontimesworse。"
"Why，Tom，whatdoyoumean？HasRowena——"
"Flungme？_No_，buttheoldmanhas。"
Wilsonsaidtohimself，"Aha！"andthoughtofthemysteriousgirlinthebedroom。"TheDriscollshavebeenmakingdiscoveries！"
Thenhesaidaloud，gravely：
"Tom，therearesomekindsofdissipationwhich——"
"Oh，shucks，thishasn’tgotanythingtodowithdissipation。
HewantedmetochallengethatdernedItaliansavage，andIwouldn’tdoit。"
"Yes，ofcoursehewoulddothat，"saidWilsoninameditativematter—of—courseway，"butthethingthatpuzzledmewas，whyhedidn’tlooktothatlastnight，foronething，andwhyheletyoucarrysuchamatterintoacourtoflawatall，eitherbeforetheduelorafterit。It’snoplaceforit。
Itwasnotlikehim。Icouldn’tunderstandit。Howdidithappen？"
"Ithappenedbecausehedidn’tknowanythingaboutit。HewasasleepwhenIgothomelastnight。"
"Andyoudidn’twakehim？Tom，isthatpossible？"
Tomwasnotgettingmuchcomforthere。Hefidgetedamoment，thensaid：
"Ididn’tchoosetotellhim——that’sall。Hewasgoinga—fishingbeforedawn，withPembrokeHoward，andifIgotthetwinsintothecommoncalaboose——andIthoughtsureIcould——Ineverdreamedoftheirslippingoutonapaltryfineforsuchanoutrageousoffense——
well，onceinthecalaboosetheywouldbedisgraced，andunclewouldn’twantanyduelswiththatsortofcharacters，andwouldn’tallowany。
"Tom，Iamashamedofyou！Idon’tseehowyoucouldtreatyourgoodolduncleso。Iamabetterfriendofhisthanyouare;
forifIhadknownthecircumstancesIwouldhavekeptthatcaseoutofcourtuntilIgotwordtohimandlethimhavethegentleman’schance。"
"Youwould？"exclaimedTom，withlivelysurprise。"Andityourfirstcase！Andyouknowperfectlywellthereneverwouldhave_been_
anycaseifhehadgotthatchance，don’tyou？Andyou’dhavefinishedyourdaysapaupernobody，insteadofbeinganactuallylaunchedandrecognizedlawyertoday。Andyouwouldreallyhavedonethat，wouldyou？"
"Certainly。"
Tomlookedathimamomentortwo，thenshookhisheadsorrowfullyandsaid：
"Ibelieveyou——uponmywordIdo。Idon’tknowwhyIdo，butIdo。
Pudd’nheadWilson，Ithinkyou’rethebiggestfoolIeversaw。"
"Thankyou。"
"Don’tmentionit。"
"Well，hehasbeenrequiringyoutofighttheItalian，andyouhaverefused。Youdegenerateremnantofanhonorableline！
I’mthoroughlyashamedofyou，Tom！"
"Oh，that’snothing！Idon’tcareforanything，nowthatthewill’stornupagain。"
"Tom，tellmesquarely——didn’thefindanyfaultwithyouforanythingbutthosetwothings——carryingthecaseintocourtandrefusingtofight？"
Hewatchedtheyoungfellow’sfacenarrowly，butitwasentirelyreposeful，andsoalsowasthevoicethatanswered：
"No，hedidn’tfindanyotherfaultwithme。Ifhehadhadanytofind，hewouldhavebegunyesterday，forhewasjustinthehumorforit。
Hedrovethatjack—pairaroundtownandshowedthemthesights，andwhenhecamehomehecouldn’tfindhisfather’soldsilverwatchthatdon’tkeeptimeandhethinkssomuchof，andcouldn’trememberwhathedidwithitthreeorfourdaysagowhenhesawitlast，andwhenIsuggestedthatitprobablywasn’tlostbutstolen，itputhiminaregularpassion，andhesaidIwasafool——
whichconvincedme，withoutanytrouble，thatthatwasjustwhathewasafraid_had_happened，himself，butdidnotwanttobelieveit，becauselostthingsstandabetterchanceofbeingfoundagainthanstolenones。"
"Whe—ew！"whistledWilson。"Scoreanotheronethelist。"
"Anotherwhat？"
"Anothertheft！"
"Theft？"
"Yes，theft。Thatwatchisn’tlost，it’sstolen。There’sbeenanotherraidonthetown——andjustthesameoldmysterioussortofthingthathashappenedoncebefore，asyouremember。"
"Youdon’tmeanit！"
"It’sassureasyouareborn！Haveyoumissedanythingyourself？"
"No。Thatis，IdidmissasilverpencilcasethatAuntMaryPrattgavemelastbirthday——"
"You’llfinditstolen——that’swhatyou’llfind。"
"No，Isha’n’t;forwhenIsuggestedtheftaboutthewatchandgotsucharap，Iwentandexaminedmyroom，andthepencilcasewasmissing，butitwasonlymislaid，andIfounditagain。"
"Youaresureyoumissednothingelse？"
"Well，nothingofconsequence。Imissedasmallplaingoldringworthtwoorthreedollars，butthatwillturnup。I’lllookagain。"
"Inmyopinionyou’llnotfindit。There’sbeenaraid，Itellyou。
Come_in！_"
Mr。JusticeRobinsonentered，followedbyBuckstoneandthetownconstable，JimBlake。Theysatdown，andaftersomewanderingandaimlessweather—conversationWilsonsaid：
"Bytheway，We’vejustaddedanothertothelistofthefts，maybetwo。
JudgeDriscoll’soldsilverwatchisgone，andTomherehasmissedagoldring。"
"Well，itisabadbusiness，"saidthejustice，"andgetsworsethefurtheritgoes。TheHankses，theDobsons，thePilligrews，theOrtons，theGrangers，theHales，theFullers，theHolcombs，infacteverybodythatlivesaroundaboutPatsyCooper’shadbeenrobbedoflittlethingsliketrinketsandteaspoonsandsuchlikesmallvaluablesthatareeasilycarriedoff。It’sperfectlyplainthatthethieftookadvantageofthereceptionatPatsyCooper’swhenalltheneighborswereinherhouseandalltheirniggershangingaroundherfenceforalookattheshow，toraidthevacanthousesundisturbed。
Patsyismiserableaboutit;miserableonaccountoftheneighbors，andparticularlymiserableonaccountofherforeigners，ofcourse;
somiserableontheiraccountthatshehasn’tanyroomtoworryaboutherownlittlelosses。"
"It’sthesameoldraider，"saidWilson。"Isupposethereisn’tanydoubtaboutthat。"
"ConstableBlakedoesn’tthinkso。"
"No，you’rewrongthere，"saidBlake。"Theothertimesitwasaman;
therewasplentyofsignsofthat，asweknow，intheprofession，thoughtwenevergothandsonhim;butthistimeit’sawoman。"
Wilsonthoughtofthemysteriousgirlstraightoff。Shewasalwaysinhismindnow。Butshefailedhimagain。Blakecontinued：
"She’sastoop—shoulderedoldwomanwithacoveredbasketonherarm，inablackveil，dressedinmourning。Isawhergoingaboardtheferryboatyesterday。LivesinIllinois，Ireckon;butIdon’tcarewhereshelives，I’mgoingtogether——shecanmakeherselfsureofthat。"
"Whatmakesyouthinkshe’sthethief？"
"Well，thereain’tanyother，foronething;andforanother，someniggerdraymenthathappenedtobedrivingalongsawhercomingoutoforgoingintohouses，andtoldmeso——anditjusthappensthattheywas_robbed_，everytime。"
Itwasgrantedthatthiswasplentygoodenoughcircumstantialevidence。
Apensivesilencefollowed，whichlastedsomemoments，thenWilsonsaid：
"There’sonegoodthing，anyway。Shecan’teitherpawnorsellCountLuigi’scostlyIndiandagger。"
"My！"saidTom。"Is_that_gone？"
"Yes。"
"Well，thatwasahaul！Butwhycan’tshepawnitorsellit？"
"BecausewhenthetwinswenthomefromtheSonsofLibertymeetinglastnight，newsoftheraidwassiftinginfromeverywhere，andAuntPatsywasindistresstoknowiftheyhadlostanything。
Theyfoundthatthedaggerwasgone，andtheynotifiedthepoliceandpawnbrokerseverywhere。Itwasagreathaul，yes，buttheoldwomanwon’tgetanythingoutofit，becauseshe’llgetcaught。"
"Didtheyofferareward？"askedBuckstone。
"Yes，fivehundreddollarsfortheknife，andfivehundredmoreforthethief。"
"Whataleather—headedidea！"exclaimedtheconstable。
"Thethiefdas’n’tgonearthem，norsendanybody。
Whoevergoesisgoingtogethimselfnabbed，fortheirain’tanypawnbrokerthat’sgoingtolosethechanceto——"
IfanybodyhadnoticedTom’sfaceatthattime，thegray—greencolorofitmighthaveprovokedcuriosity;butnobodydid。
Hesaidtohimself："I’mgone！Inevercansquareup;therestoftheplunderwon’tpawnorsellforhalfofthebill。Oh，Iknowit——
I’mgone，I’mgone——andthistimeit’sforgood。Oh，thisisawful——
Idon’tknowwhattodo，norwhichwaytoturn！"
"Softly，softly，"saidWilsontoBlake。"Iplannedtheirschemeforthematmidnightlastnight，anditwasallfinishedupshipshapebytwothismorning。They’llgettheirdaggerback，andthenI’llexplaintoyouhowthethingwasdone。"
Therewerestrongsignsofageneralcuriosity，andBuckstonesaid：
"Well，youhavewhettedusupprettysharp。Wilson，andI’mfreetosaythatifyoudon’tmindtellingusinconfidence——"
"Oh，I’dassoontellasnot，Buckstone，butaslongasthetwinsandIagreedtosaynothingaboutit，wemustletitstandso。
Butyoucantakemywordforit，youwon’tbekeptwaitingthreedays。
Somebodywillapplyforthatrewardprettypromptly，andI’llshowyouthethiefandthedaggerbothverysoonafterward。"
Theconstablewasdisappointed，andalsoperplexed。Hesaid：
"Itmayallbe——yes，andIhopeitwill，butI’mblamedifI
canseemywaythroughit。It’stoomanyforyourstruly。"
Thesubjectseemedabouttalkedout。Nobodyseemedtohaveanythingfurthertooffer。AfterasilencethejusticeofthepeaceinformedWilsonthatheandBuckstoneandtheconstablehadcomeasacommittee，onthepartoftheDemocraticparty，toaskhimtorunformayor——forthelittletownwasabouttobecomeacityandthefirstcharterelectionwasapproaching。ItwasthefirstattentionwhichWilsonhadeverreceivedatthehandsofanyparty;
itwasasufficientlyhumbleone，butitwasarecognitionofhisdebutintothetown’slifeandactivitiesatlast;itwasastepupward，andhewasdeeplygratified。Heaccepted，andthecommitteedeparted，followedbyyoungTom。
CHAPTER14
RoxanaInsistsUponReformThetrueSouthernwatermelonisaboonapart，andnottobementionedwithcommonerthings。Itischiefofthisworld’sluxuries，kingbythegraceofGodoverallthefruitsoftheearth。
Whenonehastastedit，heknowswhattheangelseat。ItwasnotaSouthernwatermelonthatEvetook：weknowitbecausesherepented。
——Pudd’nheadWilson’sCalendarAboutthetimethatWilsonwasbowingthecommitteeout，PembrokeHowardwasenteringthenexthousetoreport。
Hefoundtheoldjudgesittinggrimandstraightinhischair，waiting。
"Well，Howard——thenews？"
"Thebestintheworld。"
"Accepts，doeshe？"andthelightofbattlegleamedjoyouslyintheJudge’seye。
"Accepts？Whyhejumpedatit。"
"Did，didhe？Nowthat’sfine——that’sveryfine。Ilikethat。
Whenisittobe？"
"Now！Straightoff！Tonight！Anadmirablefellow——admirable！"
"Admirable？He’sadarling！Why，it’sanhonoraswellasapleasuretostandupbeforesuchaman。Come——offwithyou！
Goandarrangeeverything——andgivehimmyheartiestcompliments。
Ararefellow，indeed;anadmirablefellow，asyouhavesaid！"
"I’llhavehiminthevacantstretchbetweenWilson’sandthehauntedhousewithinthehour，andI’llbringmyownpistols。"
JudgeDriscollbegantowalkthefloorinastateofpleasedexcitement;
butpresentlyhestopped，andbegantothink——begantothinkofTom。
Twicehemovedtowardthesecretary，andtwiceheturnedawayagain;
butfinallyhesaid：
"Thismaybemylastnightintheworld——Imustnottakethechance。
Heisworthlessandunworthy，butitislargelymyfault。
Hewasentrustedtomebymybrotheronhisdyingbed，andIhaveindulgedhimtohishurt，insteadoftraininghimupseverely，andmakingamanofhim，Ihaveviolatedmytrust，andImustnotaddthesinofdesertiontothat。Ihaveforgivenhimoncealready，andwouldsubjecthimtoalongandhardtrialbeforeforgivinghimagain，ifIcouldlive;butImustnotrunthatrisk。
No，Imustrestorethewill。ButifIsurvivetheduel，Iwillhideitaway，andhewillnotknow，andIwillnottellhimuntilhereforms，andIseethathisreformationisgoingtobepermanent。"
Heredrewthewill，andhisostensiblenephewwasheirtoafortuneagain。Ashewasfinishinghistask，Tom，weariedwithanotherbroodingtramp，enteredthehouseandwenttiptoeingpastthesittingroomdoor。Heglancedin，andhurriedon，forthesightofhisunclewasnothingbutterrorsforhimtonight。Buthisunclewaswriting！Thatwasunusualatthislatehour。Whatcouldhebewriting？AchillofanxietysettleddownuponTom’sheart。
Didthatwritingconcernhim？Hewasafraidso。Hereflectedthatwhenillluckbegins，itdoesnotcomeinsprinkles，butinshowers。
Hesaidhewouldgetaglimpseofthatdocumentorknowthereasonwhy。
Heheardsomeonecoming，andsteppedoutofsightandhearing。
ItwasPembrokeHoward。Whatcouldbehatching？
Howardsaid，withgreatsatisfaction：
"Everything’srightandready。He’sgonetothebattlegroundwithhissecondandthesurgeon——alsowithhisbrother。I’vearrangeditallwithWilson——Wilson’shissecond。Wearetohavethreeshotsapiece。"
"Good！Howisthemoon？"
"Brightasday，nearly。Perfect，forthedistance——fifteenyards。
Nowind——notabreath;hotandstill。"
"Allgood;allfirst—rate。Here，Pembroke，readthis，andwitnessit。"
Pembrokereadandwitnessedthewill，thengavetheoldman’shandaheartyshakeandsaid：
"Nowthat’sright，York——butIknewyouwoulddoit。Youcouldn’tleavethatpoorchaptofightalongwithoutmeansorprofession，withcertaindefeatbeforehim，andIknewyouwouldn’t，forhisfather’ssakeifnotforhisown。"
"Forhisdeadfather’ssake，Icouldn’t，Iknow;forpoorPercy——
butyouknowwhatPercywastome。Butmind——TomisnottoknowofthisunlessIfalltonight。"
"Iunderstand。I’llkeepthesecret。"
Thejudgeputthewillaway，andthetwostartedforthebattleground。
InanotherminutethewillwasinTom’shands。
Hismiseryvanished，hisfeelingsunderwentatremendousrevulsion。
Heputthewillcarefullybackinitsplace，andspreadhismouthandswunghishatonce，twice，threetimesaroundhishead，inimitationofthreerousinghuzzahs，nosoundissuingfromhislips。
Hefelltocommuningwithhimselfexcitedlyandjoyously，buteverynowandthenheletoffanothervolleyofdumbhurrahs。
Hesaidtohimself："I’vegotthefortuneagain，butI’llnotletonthatIknowaboutit。AndthistimeI’mgongtohangontoit。
Itakenomorerisks。I’llgamblenomore，I’lldrinknomore，because——well，becauseI’llnotgowherethereisanyofthatsortofthinggoingon，again。It’sthesureway，andtheonlysureway;
Imighthavethoughtofthatsooner——well，yes，ifIhadwantedto。
Butnow——dearme，I’vehadascarethistime，andI’lltakenomorechances。Notasinglechancemore。Land！IpersuadedmyselfthiseveningthatIcouldfetchhimaroundwithoutanygreatamountofeffort，butI’vebeengettingmoreandmoreheavyheartedanddoubtfulstraightalong，eversince。Ifhetellsmeaboutthisthing，allright;butifhedoesn’t，Isha’n’tleton。I——well，I’dliketotellPudd’nheadWilson，but——no，I’llthinkaboutthat;perhapsIwon’t。"
Hewhirledoffanotherdeadhuzzah，andsaid，"I’mreformed，andthistimeI’llstayso，sure！"
Hewasabouttoclosewithafinalgrandsilentdemonstration，whenhesuddenlyrecollectedthatWilsonhadputitoutofhispowertopawnorselltheIndianknife，andthathewasoncemoreinawfulperilofexposurebyhiscreditorsforthatreason。
Hisjoycollapsedutterly，andheturnedawayandmopedtowardthedoormoaningandlamentingoverthebitternessofhisluck。
Hedraggedhimselfupstairs，andbroodedinhisroomalongtime，disconsolateandforlorn，withLuigi’sIndianknifeforatext。
Atlasthesighedandsaid：
"WhenIsupposedthesestoneswereglassandthisivorybone，thethinghadn’tanyinterestformebecauseithadn’tanyvalue，andcouldn’thelpmeoutofmytrouble。Butnow——why，nowitisfullofinterest;yes，andofasorttobreakabody’sheart。
It’sabagofgoldthathasturnedtodirtandashesinmyhands。
Itcouldsaveme，andsavemesoeasily，andyetI’vegottogotoruin。
It’slikedrowningwithalifepreserverinmyreach。Allthehardluckcomestome，andallthegoodluckgoestootherpeople——
Pudd’nheadWilson，forinstance;evenhiscareerhasgotasortofalittlestartatlast，andwhathashedonetodeserveit，Ishouldliketoknow？Yes，hehasopenedhisownroad，butheisn’tcontentwiththat，butmustblockmine。
It’sasordid，selfishworld，andIwishIwasoutofit。"
Heallowedthelightofthecandletoplayuponthejewelsofthesheath，buttheflashingsandsparklingshadnocharmforhiseye;
theywereonlyjustsomanypangstohisheart。"ImustnotsayanythingtoRoxyaboutthisthing，"hesaid。"Sheistoodaring。
Shewouldbefordiggingthesestonesoutandsellingthem，andthen——
why，shewouldbearrestedandthestonestraced，andthen——"
Thethoughtmadehimquake，andhehidtheknifeaway，tremblingalloverandglancingfurtivelyabout，likeacriminalwhofanciesthattheaccuserisalreadyathand。
Shouldhetrytosleep？Oh，no，sleepwasnotforhim;histroublewastoohaunting，tooafflictingforthat。Hemusthavesomebodytomournwith。HewouldcarryhisdespairtoRoxy。
Hehadheardseveraldistantgunshots，butthatsortofthingwasnotuncommon，andtheyhadmadenoimpressionuponhim。
Hewentoutatthebackdoor，andturnedwestward。HepassedWilson’shouseandproceededalongthelane，andpresentlysawseveralfiguresapproachingWilson’splacethroughthevacantlots。
Theseweretheduelistsreturningfromthefight;hethoughtherecognizedthem，butashehadnodesireforwhitepeople’scompany，hestoopeddownbehindthefenceuntiltheywereoutofhisway。
Roxywasfeelingfine。Shesaid：
"Whahwasyou，child？Warn’tyouinit？"
"Inwhat？"
"Indeduel。"
"Duel？Hastherebeenaduel？"
"Co’sedeyhas。DeoleJedgehasbe’nhavin’aduelwidoneo’demtwins。"
"GreatScott！"Thenheaddedtohimself："That’swhatmadehimremakethewill;hethoughthemightgetkilled，anditsoftenedhimtowardme。
Andthat’swhatheandHowardweresobusyabout……
Ohdear，ifthetwinhadonlykilledhim，Ishouldbeoutofmy——"
"Whatisyoumumblin’’bout，Chambers？Whahwasyou？
Didn’tyouknowdeywasgwinetobeaduel？"
"No，Ididn’t。TheoldmantriedtogetmetofightonewithCountLuigi，buthedidn’tsucceed，soIreckonheconcludedtopatchupthefamilyhonorhimself。"
Helaughedattheidea，andwentramblingonwithadetailedaccountofhistalkwiththejudge，andhowshockedandashamedthejudgewastofindthathehadacowardinhisfamily。Heglancedupatlast，andgotashockhimself。Roxana’sbosomwasheavingwithsuppressedpassion，andshewasgloweringdownuponhimwithmeasurelesscontemptwritteninherface。
"Enyourefuse’tofightamandatkickedyou，’stido’jumpin’
atdechance！Enyouain’tgotnomo’feelin’dentocomeentellme，datfetchedsichapo’lowdownorneryrabbitintodeworl’！Pah！itmakemesick！It’sdeniggerinyou，dat’swhatitis。Thirty—onepartso’youiswhite，enon’yonepartnigger，endatpo’littleonepartisyo’_soul_。
’Tain’twuthsavin’;tain’twuthtotin’outonashovelenthrowin’
endegutter。Youhasdisgracedyo’birth。Whatwouldyo’pathinko’you？It’senoughtomakehimturninhisgrave。
ThelastthreesentencesstungTomintoafury，andhesaidtohimselfthatifhisfatherwereonlyaliveandinreachofassassinationhismotherwouldsoonfindthathehadaveryclearnotionofthesizeofhisindebtednesstothatman，andwaswillingtopayitupinfull，andwoulddoittoo，evenatriskofhislife;
buthekeptthisthoughttohimself;thatwassafestinhismother’spresentstate。
"Whateverhascomeo’yo’Essexblood？Dat’swhatIcan’tunderstan’。
Enitain’ton’yjistEssexblooddat’sinyou，notbyalongsight——
’deeditain’t！Mygreat—great—great—gran’fatherenyo’
great—great—great—great—gran’fatherwasOleCap’nJohnSmith，dehighestblooddatOleVirginnyeverturnedout，en_his_
great—great—gran’mother，orsomersalongbackdah，wasPocahontasdeInjunqueen，enherhusbun’wasaniggerkingoutenAfrica——
enyithereyouis，aslinkin’outenaduelendisgracin’ourwholelinelikeaornerylowdownhound！Yes，it’sdeniggerinyou！"
Shesatdownonhercandleboxandfellintoareverie。
Tomdidnotdisturbher;hesometimeslackedprudence，butitwasnotincircumstancesofthiskind，Roxana’sstormwentgraduallydown，butitdiedhard，andevenwhenitseemedtobequitegone，itwouldnowandthenbreakoutinadistantrumble，sotospeak，intheformofmutteredejaculations。Oneofthesewas，"Ain’tniggerenoughinhimtoshowinhisfingernails，endattakesmightylittle——
yitdey’senoughtopainhissoul。"
Presentlyshemuttered。"Yassir，enoughtopaintawholethimblefulof’em。"Atlastherramblingsceasedaltogether，andhercountenancebegantoclear——awelcomesighttoTom，whohadlearnedhermoods，andknewshewasonthethresholdofgoodhumornow。
Henoticedthatfromtimetotimesheunconsciouslycarriedherfingertotheendofhernose。Helookedcloserandsaid：
"Why，Mammy，theendofyournoseisskinned。Howdidthatcome？"
ShesentoutthesortofwholeheartedpealoflaughterwhichGodhadvouchsafedinitsperfectiontononebutthehappyangelsinheavenandthebruisedandbrokenblackslaveontheearth，andsaid：
"Dadfetchdatduel，Ibe’ninitmyself。"
"Gracious！didabullettothat？"
"Yassir，youbetitdid！"
"Well，Ideclare！Why，howdidthathappen？"
"Happeneddis—away。I’uza—sett’n’herekinderdozin’indedark，en_che—bang！_goesagun，rightoutdah。Iskipsalongouttowardst’otherendo’dehousetoseewhat’sgwineon，enstopsbydeolewinderondesidetowardsPudd’nheadWilson’shousedatain’tgotnosashinit——
butdeyain’tnoneof’emgotanysashes，forasdat’sconcerned——
enIstooddahindedarkenlookout，endarinthemoonlight，rightdownunderme’uzoneo’detwinsa—cussin’——notmuch，butjista—cussin’soft——it’uzdebrownonedat’uzcussin，’
’ca’sehe’uzhitindeshoulder。EnDoctorClaypoolhe’uza—workin’athim，enPudd’nheadWilsonhe’uza—he’pin’，enoleJedgeDriscollenPemHoward’uza—standin’outyonderalittlepiecewaitin’for’emtogetreadyagin。Entrecklydeysquaredoffengivedeword，en_bang—bang_wentdepistols，endetwinhesay，’Ouch！’——hithimondehan’distime——enIheardatsamebulletgo_spat！_ag’indelogsunderdewinder;endenex’timedeyshoot，detwinsay，’Ouch！’ag’in，enIdoneittoo，’ca’sedebulletglance’
onhischeekboneenskipuphereenglance’ondesideo’dewinderenwhizrightacrostmyfaceentuckdehideoff’nmynose——
why，ifI’d’a’;be’njistainchorainchenahalffurder’twould’a’tuckdewholenoseendisfiggeredme。Here’sdebullet;
Ihuntedherup。"
"Didyoustandthereallthetime？"
"Dat’saquestiontoask，ain’tit！WhatelsewouldIdo？
DoesIgitachancetoseeadueleveryday？"
"Why，youwererightinrange！Weren’tyouafraid？"
Thewomangaveasniffofscorn。
"’Fraid！DeSmith—Pocahontasesain’t’fraido’nothin’，letalonebullets。"
"They’vegotpluckenough，Isuppose;whattheylackisjudgment。
_I_wouldn’thavestoodthere。"
"Nobody’saccusin’you！"
"Didanybodyelsegethurt？"
"Yes，weallgothit’cep’deblon’twinendedoctorendeseconds。
DeJedgedidn’tgithurt，butIhearPudd’nheadsaydebulletsnipsomeo’hisha’roff。"
"’George！"saidTomtohimself，"tocomesonearbeingoutofmytrouble，andmissitbyaninch。Ohdear，dear，hewilllivetofindmeoutandsellmetosomeniggertraderyet——yes，andhewoulddoitinaminute。"Thenhesaidaloud，inagravetone：
"Mother，weareinanawfulfix。"
Roxanacaughtherbreathwithaspasm，andsaid：
"Chile！Whatyouhitabodysosuddenfor，likedat？
What’sbe’nengoneenhappen’？"
"Well，there’sonethingIdidn’ttellyou。WhenIwouldn’tfight，hetoreupthewillagain，and——"
Roxana’sfaceturnedadeadwhite，andshesaid：
"Nowyou’s_done！_——doneforever！Dat’sdeend。Bofeunusisgwinetostarveto——"
"Waitandhearmethrough，can’tyou！Ireckonthatwhenheresolvedtofight，himself，hethoughthemightgetkilledandnothaveachancetoforgivemeanymoreinthislife，sohemadethewillagain，andI’veseenit，andit’sallright。But——"
"Oh，thankgoodness，denwe’ssafeag’in！——safe！ensowhatdidyouwanttocomehereentalksichdreadful——"
"HoldON，Itellyou，andletmefinish。TheswagIgatheredwon’thalfsquaremeup，andthefirstthingweknow，mycreditors——
well，youknowwhat’llhappen。"
Roxanadroppedherchin，andtoldhersontoleaveheralone——
shemustthinkthismatterout。Presentlyshesaidimpressively：
"Yougottogomightykeerfulnow，Itellyou！Enhere’swhatyougottodo。Hedidn’tgitkilled，enifyougiveshimdeleastreason，he’llbustdewillag’in，endat’sde_las’_time，nowyouhearme！
So——you’sgottoshowhimwhatyoukindoindenex’fewdays。
Yougottobepisongood，enlethimseeit;yougottodoeverythingdat’llmakehimb’lieveinyou，enyougottosweetenaroun’oleAuntPratt，too——she’spow’fulstrongwithdeJedge，endebes’frien’yougot。
Nex’，you’llgo’longawaytoSentLouis，endat’ll_keep_himinyo’favor。
Denyougoenmakeabargainwiddempeople。Youtell’emheain’tgwinetolivelong——endat’sdefac’，too——entell’emyou’llpay’emintrust，enbigintrust，too——tenper——whatyoucallit？"
"Tenpercentamonth？"
"Dat’sit。Denyoutakeandsellyo’truckaroun’，alittleatatime，enpaydeintrust。Howlongwillitlas’？"
"Ithinkthere’senoughtopaytheinterestfiveorsixmonths。"
"Denyou’sallright。Ifhedon’tdieinsixmonths，datdon’tmakenodiff’rence——Providence’llprovide。You’sgwinetobesafe——
ifyoubehaves。"Shebentanaustereeyeonhimandadded，"EnyouISgwinetobehave——doesyouknowdat？"
Helaughedandsaidhewasgoingtotry，anyway。Shedidnotunbend。
Shesaidgravely：
"Tryin’ain’tdething。You’sgwineto_do_it。Youain’tgwinetostealapin——’ca’seitain’tsafenomo’;enyouain’tgwineintonobadcomp’ny——notevenonce，youunderstand;enyouain’tgwinetodrinkadrop——naryasingledrop;enyouain’tgwinetogambleonesinglegamble——notone！Disain’twhatyou’sgwinetotrytodo，it’swhatyou’sgwinetoDO。EnI’lltellyouhowIknowsit。
Disishow。I’sgwinetofolleralongtoSentLouismyownself;
enyou’sgwinetocometomeeverydayo’yourlife，enI’lllookyouover;enifyoufailsinonesingleoneo’demthings——jist_one_——
ItakemyoathI’llcomestraightdowntodistownentelldeJedgeyou’saniggerenaslave——en_prove_it！"Shepausedtoletherwordssinkhome。Thensheadded，"Chambers，doesyoub’lievemewhenIsaysdat？"
Tomwassoberenoughnow。Therewasnolevityinhisvoicewhenheanswered：
"Yes，Mother，Iknow，now，thatIamreformed——andpermanently。
Permanently——andbeyondthereachofanyhumantemptation。"
"Deng’longhomeenbegin！"
CHAPTER15
TheRobberRobbedNothingsoneedsreformingasotherpeople’shabits。
——Pudd’nheadWilson’sCalendarBehold，thefoolsaith，"Putnotallthineeggsintheonebasket"——
whichisbutamannerofsaying，"Scatteryourmoneyandyourattention";butthewisemansaith，"Putallyoureggsintheonebasketand——_watchthatbasket！_"
——Pudd’nheadWilson’sCalendarWhatatimeofitDawson’sLandingwashaving！Allitslifeithadbeenasleep，butnowithardlygotachanceforanod，soswiftlydidbigeventsandcrashingsurprisescomealonginoneanother’swake：Fridaymorning，firstglimpseofRealNobility，alsograndreceptionatAuntPatsyCooper’s，alsogreatrobberraid;
Fridayevening，dramatickickingoftheheirofthechiefcitizeninpresenceoffourhundredpeople;Saturdaymorning，emergenceaspracticinglawyerofthelong—submergedPudd’nheadWilson;
Saturdaynight，duelbetweenchiefcitizenandtitledstranger。
Thepeopletookmoreprideintheduelthaninalltheothereventsputtogether，perhaps。Itwasaglorytotheirtowntohavesuchathinghappenthere。Intheireyestheprincipalshadreachedthesummitofhumanhonor。Everybodypaidhomagetotheirnames;
theirpraiseswereinallmouths。Eventheduelists’subordinatescameinforahandsomeshareofthepublicapprobation：
whereforePudd’nheadWilsonwassuddenlybecomeamanofconsequence。
WhenaskedtorunforthemayoraltySaturdaynight，hewasriskingdefeat，butSundaymorningfoundhimamademanandhissuccessassured。
Thetwinswereprodigiouslygreatnow;thetowntookthemtoitsbosomwithenthusiasm。Dayafterday，andnightafternight，theywentdiningandvisitingfromhousetohouse，makingfriends，enlargingandsolidifyingtheirpopularity，andcharmingandsurprisingallwiththeirmusicalprodigies，andnowandthenheighteningtheeffectswithsamplesofwhattheycoulddoinotherdirections，outoftheirstockofrareandcuriousaccomplishments。Theyweresopleasedthattheygavetheregulationthirtydays’notice，therequiredpreparationforcitizenship，andresolvedtofinishtheirdaysinthispleasantplace。Thatwastheclimax。
Thedelightedcommunityroseasonemanandapplauded;andwhenthetwinswereaskedtostandforseatsintheforthcomingaldermanicboard，andconsented，thepubliccontentmentwasroundedandcomplete。
TomDriscollwasnothappyoverthesethings;theysunkdeep，andhurtallthewaydown。Hehatedtheonetwinforkickinghim，andtheotheroneforbeingthekicker’sbrother。
Nowandthenthepeoplewonderedwhynothingwasheardoftheraider，orofthestolenknifeortheotherplunder，butnobodywasabletothrowanylightonthatmatter。Nearlyaweekhaddriftedby，andstillthethingremainedavexedmystery。
OnSundayConstableBlakeandPudd’nheadWilsonmetonthestreet，andTomDriscolljoinedthemintimetoopentheirconversationforthem。
HesaidtoBlake："Youarenotlookingwell，Blake;youseemtobeannoyedaboutsomething。Hasanythinggonewronginthedetectivebusiness？Ibelieveyoufairlyandjustifiablyclaimtohaveaprettygoodreputationinthatline，isn’titso？"——
whichmadeBlakefeelgood，andlookit;butTomadded，"foracountrydetective"——whichmadeBlakefeeltheotherway，andnotonlylookit，butbetrayitinhisvoice。
"Yes，sir，I_have_gotareputation;andit’sasgoodasanybody’sintheprofession，too，countryornocountry。"
"Oh，Ibegpardon;Ididn’tmeananyoffense。WhatIstartedouttoaskwasonlyabouttheoldwomanthatraidedthetown——
thestoop—shoulderedoldwoman，youknow，thatyousaidyouweregoingtocatch;andIknewyouwould，too，becauseyouhavethereputationofneverboasting，and——well，you——you’vecaughttheoldwoman？"
"Damntheoldwoman！"
"Why，sho！youdon’tmeantosayyouhaven’tcaughther？"
"No，Ihaven’tcaughther。Ifanybodycouldhavecaughther，Icould;butnobodycouldn’t，Idon’tcarewhoheis。"
Iamsorry，realsorry——foryoursake;because，whenitgetsaroundthatadetectivehasexpressedhimselfconfidently，andthen——"
"Don’tyouworry，that’sall——don’tyouworry;andasforthetown，thetownneedn’tworryeither。She’smymeat——makeyourselfeasyaboutthat。I’monhertrack;I’vegotcluesthat——"
"That’sgood！NowifyoucouldgetanoldveterandetectivedownfromSt。Louistohelpyoufindoutwhatthecluesmean，andwheretheyleadto，andthen——"
"I’mplentyveteranenoughmyself，andIdon’tneedanybody’shelp。
I’llhaveherinsideofawe——insideofamonth。ThatI’llswearto！"
Tomsaidcarelessly：
"Isupposethatwillanswer——yes，thatwillanswer。ButIreckonsheisprettyold，andoldpeopledon’toftenoutlivethecautiouspaceoftheprofessionaldetectivewhenhehasgothiscluestogetherandisoutonhisstill—hunt。"
Blake’sdullfaceflushedunderthisgibe，butbeforehecouldsethisretortinorderTomhadturnedtoWilson，andwassaying，withplacidindifferenceofmannerandvoice：
"Whogotthereward，Pudd’nhead？"
Wilsonwincedslightly，andsawthathisownturnwascome。
"Whatreward？"
"Why，therewardforthethief，andtheotheronefortheknife。"
Wilsonanswered——andratheruncomfortably，tojudgebyhishesitatingfashionofdeliveringhimself：
"Well，the——well，inface，nobodyhasclaimedityet。"
Tomseemedsurprised。
"Why，isthatso？"
Wilsonshowedatrifleofirritationwhenhereplied：
"Yes，it’sso。Andwhatofit？"
"Oh，nothing。OnlyIthoughtyouhadstruckoutanewidea，andinventedaschemethatwasgoingtorevolutionizethetimewornandineffectualmethodsofthe——"Hestopped，andturnedtoBlake，whowashappynowthatanotherhadtakenhisplaceonthegridiron。
"Blake，didn’tyouunderstandhimtointimatethatitwouldn’tbenecessaryforyoutohunttheoldwomandown？"
’B’George，hesaidhe’dhavethiefandswagbothinsideofthreedays——
hedid，byhokey！andthat’sjustaboutaweekago。
Why，Isaidatthetimethatnothiefandnothief’spalwasgoingtotrytopawnorsellathingwhereheknowedthepawnbrokercouldgetbothrewardsbytakingHIMintocamp_with_theswag。
ItwastheblessedestideathateverIstruck！"
"You’dchangeyourmind，"saidWilson，withirritatedbluntness，"ifyouknewtheentireschemeinsteadofonlypartofit。"
"Well，"saidtheconstable，pensively，"Ihadtheideathatitwouldn’twork，anduptonowI’mrightanyway。"
"Verywell，then，letitstandatthat，andgiveitafurthershow。
Ithasworkedatleastaswellasyourownmethods，youperceive。"
Theconstablehadn’tanythinghandytohitbackwith，sohedischargedadiscontentedsniff，andsaidnothing。
AfterthenightthatWilsonhadpartlyrevealedhisschemeathishouse，Tomhadtriedforseveraldaystoguessoutthesecretoftherestofit，buthadfailed。ThenitoccurredtohimtogiveRoxana’ssmarterheadachanceatit。Hemadeupasupposititious0zHcase，andlaiditbeforeher。Shethoughtitover，anddeliveredherverdictuponit。Tomsaidtohimself，"She’shitit，sure！"Hethoughthewouldtestthatverdictnow，andwatchWilson’sface;sohesaidreflectively：
"Wilson，you’renotafool——afactofrecentdiscovery。