📝 您未登录，登录后完成练习可保存成绩、查看最佳记录。
总字符
0
正确字符
0
错误字符
0
错误率
0.00%
耗时(秒)
0
速度 WPM
0
0 / 75
1At last Becky's frail limbs refused to carry her farther. She sat down. Tom rested with her, and they talked of home,
2and the friends there, and the comfortable beds and, above all, the light! Becky cried, and Tom tried to think of some
3way of comforting her, but all his encouragements were grown thread-bare with use, and sounded like sarcasms. Fatigue
4bore so heavily upon Becky that she drowsed off to sleep. Tom was grateful. He sat looking into her drawn face and saw
5it grow smooth and natural under the influence of pleasant dreams; and by-and-by a smile dawned and rested there. The
6peaceful face reflected somewhat of peace and healing into his own spirit, and his thoughts wandered away to bygone
7times and dreamy memories. While he was deep in his musings, Becky woke up with a breezy little laugh--but it was
8stricken dead upon her lips, and a groan followed it. "Oh, how could I sleep! I wish I never, never had waked! No! No, I
9don't, Tom! Don't look so! I won't say it again." "I'm glad you've slept, Becky; you'll feel rested, now, and we'll find
10the way out." "We can try, Tom; but I've seen such a beautiful country in my dream. I reckon we are going there." "Maybe
11not, maybe not. Cheer up, Becky, and let's go on trying." They rose up and wandered along, hand in hand and hopeless.
12They tried to estimate how long they had been in the cave, but all they knew was that it seemed days and weeks, and yet
13it was plain that this could not be, for their candles were not gone yet. A long time after this--they could not tell
14how long--Tom said they must go softly and listen for dripping water--they must find a spring. They found one presently,
15and Tom said it was time to rest again. Both were cruelly tired, yet Becky said she thought she could go a little
16farther. She was surprised to hear Tom dissent. She could not understand it. They sat down, and Tom fastened his candle
17to the wall in front of them with some clay. Thought was soon busy; nothing was said for some time. Then Becky broke the
18silence: "Tom, I am so hungry!" Tom took something out of his pocket. "Do you remember this?" said he. Becky almost
19smiled. "It's our wedding-cake, Tom." "Yes--I wish it was as big as a barrel, for it's all we've got." "I saved it from
20the picnic for us to dream on, Tom, the way grownup people do with wedding-cake--but it'll be our--" She dropped the
21sentence where it was. Tom divided the cake and Becky ate with good appetite, while Tom nibbled at his moiety. There was
22abundance of cold water to finish the feast with. By-and-by Becky suggested that they move on again. Tom was silent a
23moment. Then he said: "Becky, can you bear it if I tell you something?" Becky's face paled, but she thought she could.
24"Well, then, Becky, we must stay here, where there's water to drink. That little piece is our last candle!" Becky gave
25loose to tears and wailings. Tom did what he could to comfort her, but with little effect. At length Becky said: "Tom!"
26"Well, Becky?" "They'll miss us and hunt for us!" "Yes, they will! Certainly they will!" "Maybe they're hunting for us
27now, Tom." "Why, I reckon maybe they are. I hope they are." "When would they miss us, Tom?" "When they get back to the
28boat, I reckon." "Tom, it might be dark then--would they notice we hadn't come?" "I don't know. But anyway, your mother
29would miss you as soon as they got home." A frightened look in Becky's face brought Tom to his senses and he saw that he
30had made a blunder. Becky was not to have gone home that night! The children became silent and thoughtful. In a moment a
31new burst of grief from Becky showed Tom that the thing in his mind had struck hers also--that the Sabbath morning might
32be half spent before Mrs. Thatcher discovered that Becky was not at Mrs. Harper's. The children fastened their eyes upon
33their bit of candle and watched it melt slowly and pitilessly away; saw the half inch of wick stand alone at last; saw
34the feeble flame rise and fall, climb the thin column of smoke, linger at its top a moment, and then--the horror of
35utter darkness reigned! How long afterward it was that Becky came to a slow consciousness that she was crying in Tom's
36arms, neither could tell. All that they knew was, that after what seemed a mighty stretch of time, both awoke out of a
37dead stupor of sleep and resumed their miseries once more. Tom said it might be Sunday, now--maybe Monday. He tried to
38get Becky to talk, but her sorrows were too oppressive, all her hopes were gone. Tom said that they must have been
39missed long ago, and no doubt the search was going on. He would shout and maybe some one would come. He tried it; but in
40the darkness the distant echoes sounded so hideously that he tried it no more. The hours wasted away, and hunger came to
41torment the captives again. A portion of Tom's half of the cake was left; they divided and ate it. But they seemed
42hungrier than before. The poor morsel of food only whetted desire. By-and-by Tom said: "SH! Did you hear that?" Both
43held their breath and listened. There was a sound like the faintest, far-off shout. Instantly Tom answered it, and
44leading Becky by the hand, started groping down the corridor in its direction. Presently he listened again; again the
45sound was heard, and apparently a little nearer. "It's them!" said Tom; "they're coming! Come along, Becky--we're all
46right now!" The joy of the prisoners was almost overwhelming. Their speed was slow, however, because pitfalls were
47somewhat common, and had to be guarded against. They shortly came to one and had to stop. It might be three feet deep,
48it might be a hundred--there was no passing it at any rate. Tom got down on his breast and reached as far down as he
49could. No bottom. They must stay there and wait until the searchers came. They listened; evidently the distant shoutings
50were growing more distant! a moment or two more and they had gone altogether. The heart-sinking misery of it! Tom
51whooped until he was hoarse, but it was of no use. He talked hopefully to Becky; but an age of anxious waiting passed
52and no sounds came again. The children groped their way back to the spring. The weary time dragged on; they slept again,
53and awoke famished and woe-stricken. Tom believed it must be Tuesday by this time. Now an idea struck him. There were
54some side passages near at hand. It would be better to explore some of these than bear the weight of the heavy time in
55idleness. He took a kite-line from his pocket, tied it to a projection, and he and Becky started, Tom in the lead,
56unwinding the line as he groped along. At the end of twenty steps the corridor ended in a "jumping-off place." Tom got
57down on his knees and felt below, and then as far around the corner as he could reach with his hands conveniently; he
58made an effort to stretch yet a little farther to the right, and at that moment, not twenty yards away, a human hand,
59holding a candle, appeared from behind a rock! Tom lifted up a glorious shout, and instantly that hand was followed by
60the body it belonged to--Injun Joe's! Tom was paralyzed; he could not move. He was vastly gratified the next moment, to
61see the "Spaniard" take to his heels and get himself out of sight. Tom wondered that Joe had not recognized his voice
62and come over and killed him for testifying in court. But the echoes must have disguised the voice. Without doubt, that
63was it, he reasoned. Tom's fright weakened every muscle in his body. He said to himself that if he had strength enough
64to get back to the spring he would stay there, and nothing should tempt him to run the risk of meeting Injun Joe again.
65He was careful to keep from Becky what it was he had seen. He told her he had only shouted "for luck." But hunger and
66wretchedness rise superior to fears in the long run. Another tedious wait at the spring and another long sleep brought
67changes. The children awoke tortured with a raging hunger. Tom believed that it must be Wednesday or Thursday or even
68Friday or Saturday, now, and that the search had been given over. He proposed to explore another passage. He felt
69willing to risk Injun Joe and all other terrors. But Becky was very weak. She had sunk into a dreary apathy and would
70not be roused. She said she would wait, now, where she was, and die--it would not be long. She told Tom to go with the
71kite-line and explore if he chose; but she implored him to come back every little while and speak to her; and she made
72him promise that when the awful time came, he would stay by her and hold her hand until all was over. Tom kissed her,
73with a choking sensation in his throat, and made a show of being confident of finding the searchers or an escape from
74the cave; then he took the kite-line in his hand and went groping down one of the passages on his hands and knees,
75distressed with hunger and sick with bodings of coming doom.
🎉 全部完成！共 75 行