A little green worm came crawling over a dewy leaf, lifting two-thirds of his body into the air from time to time and "sniffing around," then proceeding again--for he was measuring, Tom said; and when the worm approached him, of its own accord, he sat as still as a stone, with his hopes rising and falling, by turns, as the creature still came toward him or seemed inclined to go elsewhere; and when at last it considered a painful moment with its curved body in the air and then came decisively down upon Tom's leg and began a journey over him, his whole heart was glad--for that meant that he was going to have a new suit of clothes--without the shadow of a doubt a gaudy piratical uniform.
Mikor a kis állat feléje közeledett, kővé merevedve, mozdulatlanul ült, reménye aszerint nőtt vagy fogyott, amint a hernyó feléje vagy látszólag más irányba indult. Mikor aztán végre egy kínosan hosszú pillanatig megint a levegőbe kémlelt, és határozottan megindult Tom lába felé, hogy azon folytassa utazását, a fiú boldogan figyelte, mert ez azt jelentette, hogy új ruhát fog kapni.