him—told him everything it knowed. I never see such a head. 

 “Tom Sawyer,” I says, “I’ll say it again as I’ve said it a many a time before: I ain’t fitten to black your boots. But that’s all right—that’s neither here nor there. God Almighty made us all, and some He gives eyes that’s blind, and some He gives eyes that can see, and I reckon it ain’t none of our lookout what He done it for; it’s all right, or He’d ’a’ fixed it some other way. Go on—I see plenty plain enough, now, that them thieves didn’t get way with the di’monds. Why didn’t they, do you reckon?” 

 “Because they got chased away by them other two men before they could pull the boots off of the corpse.” 

 “That’s so! I see it now. But looky here, Tom, why ain’t we to go and tell about it?” 

 “Oh, shucks, Huck Finn, can’t you see? Look at it. What’s a-going to happen? There’s going to be an inquest in the morning. Them two men will tell how they heard the yells and rushed there just in time to not save the stranger. Then the jury’ll twaddle and twaddle and twaddle, and finally they’ll fetch in a verdict that he got shot or stuck or busted over the head with something, and come to his death by the inspiration of God. And after they’ve buried him they’ll auction off his things for to pay the expenses, and then’s our chance.” “How, Tom?” 

 “Buy the boots for two dollars!” 

 Well, it ’most took my breath. 

 “My land! Why, Tom, we’ll get the di’monds!” 

 “You bet. Some day there’ll be a big reward offered for them—a thousand dollars, sure. That’s our money! Now we’ll trot in and see the folks. And mind you we don’t know anything about any murder, or any di’monds, or any thieves—don’t you forget that.” 

 I had to sigh a little over the way he had got it fixed. I’d ’a’ sold them di’monds—yes, sir—for twelve thousand dollars; but I didn’t say anything. It wouldn’t done any good. I says: 

 “But what are we going to tell your aunt Sally has made us so long getting down here from the village, Tom?” 

 “Oh, I’ll leave that to you,” he says. “I reckon you can explain it somehow.” 

 He was always just that strict and delicate. He never would tell a lie himself. 

 We struck across the big yard, noticing this, 

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