汤姆索亚历险记(The Adventures of Tom Sawyer)是美国小说家马克吐温1876年发表的长篇小说。

小说的故事发生在19世纪上半世纪美国密西西比河畔的一个普通小镇上。主人公汤姆·索亚天真活泼、敢于探险、追求自由，不堪忍受束缚个性、枯燥乏味的生活，幻想干一番英雄事业。

小说的时代在南北战争前，写的虽是圣彼得堡小镇，但该镇某种程度上可以说是当时美国社会的缩影。小说通过主人公的冒险经历，对美国虚伪庸俗的社会习俗、伪善的宗教仪式和刻板陈腐的学校教育进行了讽刺和批判，以欢快的笔调描写了少年儿童自由活泼的心灵。

第二十一章 流利的口才，老师的镀金脑袋

在期末考试的考场上，大家各呈技艺。，按惯例，校长去画美国地图，但老画不好，孩子们笑话他，这时，天花板上面吊下一只猫，用它的爪子扯下了校长的假发，露出他金色的秃头，孩子们哄堂大笑。孩子们终于成功的报复了校长。

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Tom and Huck Feel Guilty

So, summer finally came and now school was closed for a few months. But surprisingly Tom didn't feel as happy as he usually did. Becky Thatcher had left town to stay with her family in another village for a while. This made the days seem very long and boring.

So, Tom had a lot of time to think, and what he thought about most was the memory of Indian Joe killing the doctor in the graveyard. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't get it out of his mind.

Soon Tom fell ill.

He stayed in bed for two weeks, where he could avoid hearing the news from the village. He didn't want to know what was happening. And for three more weeks he would often feel as though he were better and then suddenly he would become ill again.

Part of what made Tom feel so bad, was that the judge had arrived to hear the people's story about what happened. And soon he would make the final decision about what was to happen to Muff Potter. Everyone in the village was talking about it, and every time Tom heard them, his heart would jump a bit. One day he met Huckleberry in the empty building and asked him:

"So, have you said anything to anyone?"

"About what?"

"Come on. You know."

"Oh. Of course not."

"Not once?"

"Not once. Why do you ask?"

"I just worry a little."

"You know what would happen to us if we said anything. We'd be dead soon after!"

"What if someone started asking you a lot of questions ... would you tell them?"

"No way! I'm not crazy!"

"Good! I think that we're safe if we don't talk. But we should make another agreement."

So another agreement was made in blood.

"What have you heard people saying, Huck?"

"Just Muff Potter, Muff Potter, Muff Potter. It makes me want to hide."

"I've heard the same thing. You know they're going to hang him. Do you feel sorry for him?"

"Of course I feel sorry for him. He has never hurt anyone. All that he's ever done is getting drunk, but he doesn't ask other people for money. He earns his money by fishing. And I remember one day when he didn't have any money at all, he gave me one of the fish he'd caught. He's a good man who's helped me when I needed it."

"And he's done the same for me too. He taught me how to catch fish. There must be something we can do to get him out of jail."

"Forget it, Tom. There's nothing we can do, and if there was, he'd just be caught again."

"Yes. I can't stand to hear the way people talk about him now. And he shouldn't be remembered like this after he dies. He's not the killer everyone thinks he is."

Later that evening, the boys went to visit Potter. They had done this before, always going to his window and giving him some of Huck's tobacco and a little something to eat. Potter always appreciated their visits. The boys noticed this and it made them feel even sadder. Tonight, as they talked, Potter said:

"You boys haven't treated me differently since I was put in jail, but everyone else hates me now, even if I'd been friends with them before. All the people I'd tried to help in the past, they've forgotten me. They never come here to see me. You're the only people who have been good to me in these terrible times, and I want you to know I'll always remember your kindness. Now, I want to give you some advice, boys. I've done something terrible. I never thought that I could do something like that before, but ... well, I guess I was just drunk. But now I'm going to die for what I did. Anyway, I want to tell you this: Don't ever be like me. Don't let drinking control and destroy your life like it has controlled and destroyed mine. I hope you're listening very carefully. I know what I'm talking about. You two boys are good people and if you do what I tell you, you'll stay good. Can you come here closer, so I can see your faces better? Yes, those are the faces of two good boys, who've helped old Potter in his times of trouble and I know that they'd do more if they could. Now, you boys go on home; it's starting to get late."

Tom felt terrible. He couldn't sleep well at all. And he spent the following two days sitting outside the courthouse. There, the judge was listening to the village's report about how the murder happened. As much as Tom wanted to go inside to hear what was happening, he wouldn't let himself. Huck was there too, but they tried not to sit with each other or talk at all, so no one would suspect them of knowing something. Whenever Tom heard the people talk about what was happening, the information was always bad. It seemed that Indian Joe had told his story well and the judge believed it.

Tom walked around thinking all day and night. When he returned home, he found himself lying in bed thinking more about Muff Potter and the judge.

The next morning, the whole village went to the courthouse, because this was to be the day that the judge made his decision. Potter came in looking sad and without hope. Indian Joe sat in the seats with everyone else, to watch. He looked very calm. Then the judge came in.

Two men were questioned, One man had seen Potter the morning after the murder washing himself in the river. He said that when Potter had realized someone had seen him, he ran away. The other man talked about finding Potter's knife near the dead doctor's body.

Muff Potter's lawyer never asked a single question, which surprised everyone in the courtroom. They all thought: "Why is this man just sitting there listening? He should be trying to help Potter; that's what he's paid to do."

And when more men were questioned, Potter's lawyer still just sat there listening, not saying a single word. Finally, after all of the questions had been asked and stories had been told, Potter's lawyer stood and said to the judge:

"Sir, because Muff Potter cannot remember anything about that night, and because none of the people questioned today were actually there when the murder happened. I have decided to bring someone to the courtroom who could remember very clearly what happened. I'd like to bring in Thomas Sawyer."

As Tom stood up and walked to the front of the room, everyone watched him with their eyes wide and their mouths open. During the questioning, Tom looked very frightened.

The lawyer began by asking: "Mr Sawyer, could you tell the courtroom where you were the night that Doctor Robinson was killed?"

Tom could see Indian Joe looking directly at him and he quickly lost his ability to speak. He sat there silent for a moment, and finally managed to say:

"I was in the graveyard, Sir."

Suddenly everyone in the room started talking to each other. The judge had to ask them to be silent. Indian Joe didn't say anything; he just smiled.

"Where were you in the graveyard?"

"Near Hoss Williams' grave, Sir."

"When you say near, what do you mean?"

"I was about as close to the grave as I am close to you now, Sir."

"Was anyone with you?"

"Yes ... "

"OK, you needn't say his name; we may be asking him questions later. Tell us, did you have anything with you there?"

Tom looked at the ground without speaking.

"Tell the courtroom what you had with you. Remember to tell the truth."

"We had a dead cat, Sir."

The people in the courtroom started laughing so much when they heard this. The judge, once again, had to ask them to be quiet.

"We found the bones of this cat, which proves that the boy was there. Now, Mr Sawyer, tell us what you saw that night."

Tom told his story and as he did, the people's eyes got wider and wider, and Indian Joe looked more and more angry.

"So, when the doctor hit Muff Potter, Indian Joe took the knife he'd picked up and ... "

Suddenly, from the crowd, a knife came flying at Tom's head. Luckily, it missed him and flew into the wall almost cutting Tom's ear. And then Indian Joe was running to the window, hitting anyone who tried to stop him. When he reached the window he jumped out and ran into the forest.