The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Complete — Page 4
While Tom was eating his supper, and stealing sugar as opportunity offered, Aunt Polly asked him questions that were full of guile, and very deep—for she wanted to trap him into damaging revealments.
Enquanto Tom jantava e furtava açúcar sempre que a oportunidade se apresentava, a Tia Polly lhe fazia perguntas cheias de astúcia e muito perspicazes — pois queria fazê-lo cair em revelações comprometedoras.
Like many other simple-hearted souls, it was her pet vanity to believe she was endowed with a talent for dark and mysterious diplomacy, and she loved to contemplate her most transparent devices as marvels of low cunning.
Como tantas outras almas ingênuas, era sua vaidade predileta acreditar que fora dotada de um talento para a diplomacia sombria e misteriosa, e adorava contemplar seus artifícios mais transparentes como maravilhas de astúcia refinada.
Said she:
Disse ela:
"Tom, it was middling warm in school, warn't it?"
"Tom, estava um calor razoável na escola, não estava?"
"Yes'm."
"Sim, senhora."
"Powerful warm, warn't it?"
"Muito calor, não estava?"
"Yes'm."
"Sim, senhora."
"Didn't you want to go in a-swimming, Tom?"
"Você não quis ir nadar, Tom?"
A bit of a scare shot through Tom—a touch of uncomfortable suspicion.
Um leve susto atravessou Tom — uma pontada de suspeita incômoda.
He searched Aunt Polly's face, but it told him nothing.
Ele examinou o rosto da Tia Polly, mas não conseguiu ler nada nele.
So he said:
Então disse:
"No'm—well, not very much."
"Não, senhora — bem, não muito."
The old lady reached out her hand and felt Tom's shirt, and said:
A velha senhora estendeu a mão e apalhou a camisa de Tom, e disse:
"But you ain't too warm now, though."
"Mas você não está com muito calor agora, porém."
And it flattered her to reflect that she had discovered that the shirt was dry without anybody knowing that that was what she had in her mind.
E lisonjeou-a perceber que havia descoberto que a camisa estava seca sem que ninguém soubesse que era isso o que ela tinha em mente.
But in spite of her, Tom knew where the wind lay, now.
Mas, apesar dela, Tom sabia de onde vinha o vento agora.
So he forestalled what might be the next move:
Então ele se antecipou ao que poderia ser o próximo passo:
"Some of us pumped on our heads—mine's damp yet. See?"
"Alguns de nós jogamos água na cabeça com a bomba — a minha ainda está úmida. Está vendo?"
Aunt Polly was vexed to think she had overlooked that bit of circumstantial evidence, and missed a trick.
A Tia Polly ficou aborrecida ao pensar que havia ignorado aquele indício circunstancial e deixado escapar uma jogada.
Vocabulary
- Enquanto
- While; during the time that something happens.
- jantava
- Was having dinner; past imperfect tense of jantar.
- furtava
- Was stealing; past imperfect tense of furtar.
- açúcar
- Sugar; sweet crystalline substance.
- sempre
- Always; at all times.
- que
- That; which; relative pronoun.
- oportunidade
- Opportunity; favorable time or circumstance.
- se
- Oneself; reflexive pronoun.
- apresentava
- Was presenting; past imperfect tense of apresentar.
- Tia
- Aunt; female parent's sister.
- lhe
- To him/her/it; indirect object pronoun.
- fazia
- Was making; past imperfect tense of fazer.
- perguntas
- Questions; inquiries.
- cheias
- Full of; filled with.
- de
- Of; from; preposition.
- astúcia
- Cunning; cleverness and deceitfulness.
- muito
- Very; much; greatly.
- perspicazes
- Shrewd; having keen insight.
- pois
- Because; for; since.
- queria
- Wanted; past imperfect tense of querer.
- fazê-lo
- To make him; to cause him to.
- cair
- To fall; to drop.
- em
- In; into; preposition.
- revelações
- Revelations; disclosures of truth.
- comprometedoras
- Compromising; damaging to reputation.
- Como
- How; like; in what way.
- tantas
- So many; such a large number.
- outras
- Other; different ones.
- almas
- Souls; spiritual essences.
- ingênuas
- Naive; innocent; artless.
- era
- Was; past tense of ser.
- sua
- Her; his; possessive pronoun.
- vaidade
- Vanity; excessive pride in appearance.
- predileta
- Favorite; preferred above others.
- acreditar
- To believe; to accept as true.
- fora
- Was; had been; past participle.
- dotada
- Gifted; endowed with talent.
- um
- A; one; indefinite article.
- talento
- Talent; natural ability or skill.
- para
- For; in order to; preposition.
- diplomacia
- Diplomacy; skill in managing relations.
- sombria
- Dark; gloomy; shadowy.
- misteriosa
- Mysterious; full of mystery.
- adorava
- Adored; past imperfect of adorar.
- contemplar
- To contemplate; to observe thoughtfully.
- seus
- His; her; possessive pronoun.
- artifícios
- Artifices; clever tricks or devices.
- mais
- More; greater in amount.
- transparentes
- Transparent; clear; obvious.
- maravilhas
- Wonders; miracles; amazing things.
- refinada
- Refined; sophisticated; elegant.
- Disse
- Said; past tense of dizer.
- ela
- She; female pronoun.
- estava
- Was; past imperfect of estar.
- calor
- Heat; warmth; temperature.
- razoável
- Reasonable; moderate; acceptable.
- na
- In the; at the; preposition.
- escola
- School; institution of learning.
- não
- No; not; negation.
- Sim
- Yes; affirmative response.
- senhora
- Lady; madam; woman.
- Muito
- Very; much; a great deal.
- Você
- You; second person singular pronoun.
- quis
- Wanted; past tense of querer.
- ir
- To go; to travel.
- nadar
- To swim; to move through water.
- Um
- A; one; indefinite article.
- leve
- Light; slight; gentle.
- susto
- Fright; sudden scare.
- atravessou
- Crossed; passed through.
- uma
- A; one; feminine indefinite article.
- pontada
- Pang; sharp feeling or emotion.
- suspeita
- Suspicion; doubt about someone.
- incômoda
- Uncomfortable; annoying; bothersome.
- Ele
- He; male pronoun.
- examinou
- Examined; looked at carefully.
- rosto
- Face; countenance.
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →