guess.”
“Oh, no, he’s just young, that’s all. Still, twenty-three is old, in one
way. A young man ought to be earning his living by that time. If Tom
were doing that, or was even trying to do it, the judge would be a heap
better satisfied with him. Tom’s always going to begin, but somehow he
can’t seem to find just the opening he likes.”
“Well, now, it’s partly the judge’s own fault. Promising the boy his
property wasn’t the way to set him to earning a fortune of his own. But
what do you think is Roweny beginning to lean any toward him, or ain’t
she?”
Aunt Patsy had a secret in her bosom; she wanted to keep it there, but
nature was too strong for her. She drew Aunt Betsy aside, and said in
her most confidential and mysterious manner:
“Don’t you breathe a syllable to a soul–I’m going to tell you something.
In my opinion Tom Driscoll’s chances were considerable better yesterday
than they are to-day.”
“Patsy Cooper, what do you mean?”
“It’s so, as sure as you’re born. I wish you could ‘a’ been at breakfast
and seen for yourself.”
“You don’t mean it!”
“Well, if I’m any judge, there’s a leaning–there’s a leaning, sure.”
“My land! Which one of ’em is it?”
“I can’t say for certain, but I think it’s the youngest one–Anjy.”
Then there were hand-shakings, and congratulations, and hopes, and so on,
and the old ladies parted, perfectly happy–the one in knowing something
which the rest of the town didn’t, and the other in having been the sole
person able to furnish that knowledge.
The visitor who had called to see the twins was the Rev. Mr. Hotchkiss,
pastor of the Baptist church. At the reception Angelo had told him he
had lately experienced a change in his religious views, and was now
desirous of becoming a Baptist, and would immediately join Mr.
Hotchkiss’s church. There was no time to say more, and the brief talk
ended at that point. The minister was much gratified, and had dropped in
for a moment now, to invite the twins to attend his Bible class at eight
that evening. Angelo accepted, and was expecting Luigi to decline, but
he did not, because he knew that the Bible class and the Freethinkers met
in the same room, and he wanted to treat his brother to the embarrassment
of being caught in free-thinking company.
CHAPTER V
GUILT AND INNOCENCE FINELY BLENT
[A long and vigorous quarrel follows, between the twins. And there is
plenty to quarrel about, for Angelo was always seeking truth, and this
obliged him to change and improve his religion with frequency, which
wearied Luigi, and annoyed him too; for he had to be present at each new
enlistment–which placed him in the false position of seeming to indorse
and approve his brother’s fickleness; moreover, he had to go to Angelo’s
prohibition meetings, and he hated them. On the other hand, when it was
his week to command the legs he gave Angelo just cause of complaint, for
he took him to circuses and horse-races and fandangoes, exposing him to
all sorts of censure and criticism; and he drank, too; and whatever he
drank went to Angelo’s head instead of his own and made him act
disgracefully. When the evening was come, the two attended the Free-
thinkers’ meeting, where Angelo was sad and silent; then came the Bible
class and looked upon him coldly, finding him in such company. Then they
went to Wilson’s house and Chapter XI of Pudd’nhead Wilson follows, which
tells of the girl seen in Tom Driscoll’s room; and closes with the
kicking of Tom by Luigi at the anti-temperance mass-meeting of the Sons
of Liberty; with the addition of some account of Roxy’s adventures as a
chamber-maid on a Mississippi boat. Her exchange of the children had
been flippantly and farcically described in an earlier chapter.
Next morning all the town was a-buzz with great news; Pudd’nhead Wilson
had a law case! The, public astonishment was so great and the public
curiosity so intense, that when the justice of the peace opened his
court, the place was packed with people and even the windows were full.