Pudd’nhead Wilson

Luigi and Angelo arrive at Wilson’s house, and, soon after, Tom appears. Tom decides to embarrass Wilson in front of his new friends, first asking about Wilson’s law practice (when he knows Wilson has never had a client) and then poking fun at his fingerprinting hobby. Wilson takes the twins’ fingerprints for his collection. Then Tom tries to belittle Wilson’s interest in palm reading, but, to Tom’s surprise, the twins claim that palmistry is a science. They share a story about how a palm reader once saw secret truths about their past and foretold their future after looking at the lines in their hands.

Tom tests Wilson’s skills at palmistry. He tells Luigi to write down the secret that the other palm reader identified about him and then tells Wilson to inspect his palm. Wilson reads the lines on Luigi’s palm, revealing many truths about his interests and goals. Then he identifies the secret Luigi has already written down: Luigi once killed a man. Both Wilson and Tom are disconcerted, but Angelo explains that Luigi only did it to protect him. If Luigi hadn’t stepped in, the man would have killed him.

Luigi and Angelo share more details about this incident from their past. While they were visiting a palace in India, an Indian prince gave Luigi a knife encrusted with valuable jewels. A servant sneaked into the twins’ room while they were asleep to steal it. Upon securing the knife, the servant prepared to slit Angelo’s throat, but Luigi, who was awake, directed the knife into the thief’s own throat. As Tom listens to this story, he grows excited, realizing he stole this very knife that night during the raid without knowing the gems were real. At the conclusion of the twins’ tale, Wilson offers to read Tom’s palm, but Tom rudely refuses.

John Buckstone, a member of the town’s rum society, stops by to invite the twins to a society meeting, and Tom, uninvited, joins them. The rum drinkers vote to induct the twins into their society before realizing that Angelo doesn’t drink. Meanwhile, Tom gets drunk and publicly insults the twins. Luigi, enraged, kicks Tom off a stage and into a crowd of rum drinkers. In the ensuing brawl, torches get knocked over, and a fire breaks out. The fire company arrives and puts out the fire.