Chapter 27(2 / 3)

\"Hello, Huck!\"

\"Hello, yourself.\"

Silence, for a minute.

\"Tom, if we’d ’a’ left the blame tools at the dead tree, we’d ’a’ got the money. Oh, ain’t it awful!\"

\"’Tain’t a dream, then, ’tain’t a dream! Somehow I most wish it was. Dog’d if I don’t, Huck.\"

\"What ain’t a dream?\"

\"Oh, that thing yesterday. I been half thinking it was.\" \"Dream! If them stairs hadn’t broke down you’d ’a’seen how much dream it was! I’ve had dreams enough all night—with that patch-eyed Spanish devil going for me all through ’em—rot him!\"

\"No, not rot him. Find him! Track the money!\"

\"Tom, we’ll never find him. A feller don’t have only one chance for such a pile—and that one’s lost. I’d feel mighty shaky if I was to see him, anyway.\"

\"Well, so’d I; but I’d like to see him, anyway—and track him out—to his Number Two.\"

\"Number Two—yes, that’s it. I been thinking ’bout that. But I can’t make nothing out of it. What do you reckon it is?\"

\"I dono. It’s too deep. Say, Huck—maybe it’s the number of a house!\"

\"Goody!... No, Tom, that ain’t it. If it is, it ain’t in this one-horse town. They ain’t no numbers here.\"

\"Well, that’s so. Lemme think a minute. Here—it’s the number of a room—in a tavern, you know!\"

\"Oh, that’s the trick! They ain’t only two taverns. We can find out quick.\"

\"You stay here, Huck, till I come.\"

Tom was off at once. He did not care to have Huck’s company in public places. He was gone half an hour. He found that in the best tavern, No. 2 had long been occupied by a young lawyer, and was still so occupied. In the less ostentatious house, No. 2 was a mystery. The tavern-keeper’s young son said it was kept locked all the time, and he never saw anybody go into it or come out of it except at night; he did not know any particular reason for this state of things; had had some little curiosity, but it was rather feeble; had made the most of the mystery by entertaining himself with the idea that that room was \"ha’nted\"; had noticed that there was a light in there the night before.