The girls went vivaciously chattering away, eager to get home and tell of the wondersⒶalteration in the MS they had seen; but outside of the schoolhouse the boys grouped themselves together and waited; silent, expectant, and nervous. They paid but little attention to the bitter weather, they were apparently under the spell of a more absorbing interest. Henry Bascom stood apart from the others, in the neigh- [begin page 186] borhood of the door. The new boy had not come out, yet. Tom Sawyer had halted him to give him a warning.

“Look out for him—he'll be waiting. The bully, I mean—Hen Bascom. He's treacherous and low down.”

“Waiting?”

“Yes—for you.”

“What for?”

“To lick you—whip you.”

“On what account?”

“Why, he's the bully this year, and you're a fresh.”

“Is that a reason?”

“Plenty—yes. He's got to take your measure, and do it to-day—he knows that.”

“It's a custom, then?”

“Yes. He's got to fight you, whether he wants to or not. But he wants to. You've knocked his Latin layout galley-west.”

“Galley west? Je ne—”

“It's just a word, you know. Means you've knocked his props from under him.”

“Knocked his props from under him?”

“Yes—trumped his ace.”

“Trumped his—”

“Ace. That's it—pulled his leg.”

“I assure youⒶalteration in the MS thisⒶemendation is an error. I have not pulled his leg.”

“But you don't understand. Don't you see? You've graveled him, and he's disgruntled.”

The new boy's face expressed his despair. Tom reflected a moment, then his eye lighted with hope, and he said, with confidence—

“Now you'll get the idea. You see, he held the ageⒺexplanatory note on Latin—just a lone hand, don't you know, and it made him Grand Turk and WhoopjamboreehooⒶalteration in the MS of the whole school, and he went in procession all by himself, like Parker's hog. Well, you've walked up to the captain's office with your Latin, now, and pulled in high, low, jack and the game, and it's taken the curl out of his tail. There—that's the idea.”

[begin page 187]

The new boy hesitated, passed his hand over his forehead, and began, haltingly—

“It is still a little vague. It was but a poor dictionary—that French-English—Ⓐalteration in the MSand over-rich in omissions. Do you perhaps mean that he is jealous?”

“Score one! That's it. Jealous—the very word. Now then, there'll be a ring, and you'll fight. Can you box? do you know the trick of it?”

“No.”

“I'll show you. You'llⒶalteration in the MS learn in two minutes and less; it don't begin with grammarⒶalteration in the MS for difficulties. Put up your fists—so. Now then, hit me . . . . . You notice how I turned that off with my left? Again . . . . . . SeeⒶalteration in the MS?—turned it with my right. Dance around; caper—like this. Now I'm coming for you—look sharp . . . . . . That's the ticket—I didn't arrive. Once more . . . . . . Good! You're all right. Come on. It's a cold day for Henry.”

They stepped outside, now. As they walked past Bascom he suddenly thrust out his footⒶalteration in the MS, to trip Forty-fourⒶalteration in the MS. But the foot was no obstruction, it did not interrupt Forty-four's stride. Necessarily, then, Bascom was himself tripped. He fell heavily, and everybody laughed privately. He got up, all a-quiver with passion, and cried out—

“OffⒶemendation with your coat, Know-it-allⒶalteration in the MS—you're going to fight or eat dirt, one or t'otherⒶemendation. Form a ring, fellows!”

He threw offⒶemendation his coat. The ring was formed.

“May I keep my coat on? Do the rules allow it?”

“Don't!” said Tom; “it's a disadvantage. Pull it off.”

“Keep it on, you wax doll, if you want to,” said Henry, “it won't do you any good either way. Time!”

Forty-four took position, with his fists up, and stood without moving, while the lithe and active Bascom danced about him, danced up toward him, feinted with his right, feinted with his left, danced away again, danced forward again—and so-on and so-on, TomⒶalteration in the MS and others putting in frequent warnings for Forty-four: “Look out for him—look o-u-t!” At last Forty-four opened his guard for an instant, and in that instant Henry plunged, and let drive with all [begin page 188] his force; but Forty-four stepped lightly aside, and Henry's impulse and a slip on the ice carried him to the ground. He got up lame but eager, and began his dance again; he presently lunged again, hit vacancyⒶalteration in the MS and got another fall. After that he respected the slippery ground, and lunged no more, and danced cautiously; he fought with energy, interest and smart judgment, and delivered a sparkling rain of blows, but none of them got home—some were dodged by a sideward tilt of the head, the others were neatly warded. He was getting winded with his violent exercise, but the other boy was still fresh, for he had done no dancingⒶalteration in the MS, he had struck no blows, and had had no exercise of consequence. Henry stopped to rest and pant, and Forty-four said—

“Let us not go on with it. What good can come of it?”

The boys murmured dissent; this was an election for Bully; they were personally interested, they had hopes, and their hopes were getting the color of certainties. Henry said—

“You'll stay where you are, Miss Nancy. You don't leave this ground till I know who wears the belt.”

“Ah, but you already know—or ought to; therefore, where is the use of going on? You have not struck me, and I have no wish to strike you.”

“Oh, you haven't, haven't you? How kind! Keep your benevolences to yourself till somebody asks you for them. Time!”

The new boy began to strike out, now; and every time he struck, Henry went down. Five times. There was great excitement among the boys. They recognisedⒶalteration in the MS that they were going to lose a tyrant and perhaps get a protector in his place. In their happiness they lost their fears and began to shout—

“Give it him, Forty-four! Let him have it! Land him again! Another one! Give it him good!”

Henry was pluck. He went down time after time, but got patiently up and went at his work again, and did not give up until his strength was all gone. Then he said—

“The belt's yours—but I'll get even with you, yet, girly, you see if I don't.” Then he looked around upon the crowd, and called eight of them by name, ending with Huck Finn, and said: “You're [begin page 189] spotted, you see. I heard you. To-morrow I'll begin on you, and I'll lam the daylights out of you.”

For the first time, a flash of temper showed in the new boy's eye. It was only a flash; it was gone in a moment; then he said, without passion—

“I will not allow that.”

“You won't allow it! Who's asking you? Who cares what you allow and what you don't allow? To show you how much I care, I'll begin on them now.”

“I cannot have it. You must not be foolish. I have spared you, till now; I have struck you only lightly. If you touch one of the boys, I will hit you hard.”

But Henry's temper was beyond his control. He jumped at the nearest boy on his black-list, but he did not reach him; he went down under a sounding slap from the flat of the new boy's hand, and lay motionless where he fell.

“I saw it! I saw that!” This shout was from Henry's father, the nigger-trader—an unloved man, but respected for his muscle and his temper. He came running from his sleigh, with his whip in his hand and raised to strike. The boys fell back out of his way, and as he reached Forty-four he brought down the whip with an angry “I'll learn you!” Forty-four dodged deftly out of its course and seizedⒶemendation the trader's wrist with his right hand. There was a sound of crackling bones and a groan, and the trader staggered away, saying—

“Name of God, my wrist is crushed!”

Henry's mamma arrived from the sleigh, now and broke into frenzies of lamentation over her collapsed son and her crippled husband, while the schoolboys looked on, dazed, and ratherⒶemendation frightened at the woman's spectacular distress, but fascinated with the show and gladⒶalteration in the MS to be there and see it. It absorbed their attention so entirely that when Mrs. Bascom presently turned and demanded the extradition of Forty-four so that she might square accounts with him they found that he had disappeared without their having noticed it.Ⓐtextual note