CHAPTER 1　　"FULL OF MISCHIEF"　　"Tom!"　　No answer.　　"Tom!" cried Aunt Polly again.　　No answer.　　"I wonder where that boy's gone. TOM!"　　The old lady pulled her glasses down on her nose and looked over them about the room. Then she put them up and looked out under them. She seldom or never looked through them for a small thing as a child. She seemed puzzled for a moment and said:　　"Well, if I catch you, I'll---"　　She did not finish, for by this time she was bending down and pushing the sweeping-brush under the bed. She disturbed nothing but the cat. Then she went to open the door and looked out into the garden. Tom was not in sight.　　"To---o---om!" she shouted.　　There was a slight noise behind her, and she turned just in time to seize a small boy and prevent him from running away.　　"What have you been doing in that cupboard?"　　"Nothing."　　"Nothing! Look at your hands, and look at your mouth. What is that?"　　"I don't know, aunt."　　"Well, I know. It's jam. I've told you forty times that if you touched that jam I'd skin you. Hand me that stick."　　The stick was about to fall.　　"Hi! Look behind you, aunt!"　　The old lady turned round and snatched her skirt out of danger. The boy ran away, and disappeared over the high fence of the garden. His aunt stood surprised for a moment, and then gave a gentle laugh.　　"Hang that boy! Can't I ever learn anything? Hasn't he played that trick before? He's full of mischief, but he's my sister's boy, poor thing, and I hate whipping him. Every time I hit him my conscience blames me. He'll stay away from school this afternoon, and I'll have to punish him by making him work tomorrow. It's cruel to make him work on a Saturday, when all the boys are having a holiday, but he hates work more than anything else, and I must do my duty towards the child, or I'll spoil his character."　　Tom did stay away from school, and he had a very good time. He returned just in time to help Jim, the small servant boy, to cut up the next day's firewood before supper. Tom's younger brother (or rather his step-brother) Sidney, had already finished his part of the work, for he was a quiet boy, and had no adventurous, troublesome ways.　　While Tom was eating his supper and stealing sugar every time he had a chance, Aunt Polly was wondering whether Tom had disobeyed her and had been to the river. She had sewn up his shirt at the neck in order to prevent him from taking it off and swimming.　　"Tom, it was quite hot in school, wasn't it? Didn't you want to go swimming?"　　"No, auntie. Well, not much."　　"Come here. Show me your collar."　　Tom opened his shirt. The neck-hand of his shirt was tightly sewn.　　"Well, you may go out and play. I was sure that you had stayed away from school and been swimming."　　"I thought you sewed his collar with white thread," said Sidney. "Now it's black."　　"Why, I did sew it with white thread! Tom!"　　But Tom did not wait for the rest. As he went out he said, " Sid, I'll give you a beating for that."

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