Thus I could avoid all trade and barter， so far as my food was concerned， and having a shelter already， it would only remain to get clothing and fuel.  The pantaloons which I now wear were woven in a farmer's family ―― thank Heaven there is so much virtue still in man； for I think the fall from the farmer to the operative as great and memorable as that from the man to the farmer； ―― and in a new country， fuel is an encumbrance.  As for a habitat， if I were not permitted still to squat， I might purchase one acre at the same price for which the land I cultivated was sold ―― namely， eight dollars and eight cents.  But as it was， I considered that I enhanced the value of the land by squatting on it.

　　There is a certain class of unbelievers who sometimes ask me such questions as， if I think that I can live on vegetable food alone； and to strike at the root of the matter at once ―― for the root is faith ―― I am accustomed to answer such， that I can live on board nails.  If they cannot understand that， they cannot understand much that I have to say.  For my part， I am glad to bear of experiments of this kind being tried； as that a young man tried for a fortnight to live on hard， raw corn on the ear， using his teeth for all mortar.  The squirrel tribe tried the same and succeeded. The human race is interested in these experiments， though a few old women who are incapacitated for them， or who own their thirds in mills， may be alarmed.

　　My furniture， part of which I made myself ―― and the rest cost me nothing of which I have not rendered an account ―― consisted of a bed， a table， a desk， three chairs， a looking-glass three inches in diameter， a pair of tongs and andirons， a kettle， a skillet， and a frying-pan， a dipper， a wash-bowl， two knives and forks， three plates， one cup， one spoon， a jug for oil， a jug for molasses， and a japanned lamp.  None is so poor that he need sit on a pumpkin.  That is shiftlessness.  There is a plenty of such chairs as I like best in the village garrets to be had for taking them away.  Furniture！

　　Thank God， I can sit and I can stand without the aid of a furniture warehouse.  What man but a philosopher would not be ashamed to see his furniture packed in a cart and going up country exposed to the light of heaven and the eyes of men， a beggarly account of empty boxes？  That is Spaulding's furniture.  I could never tell from inspecting such a load whether it belonged to a so-called rich man or a poor one； the owner always seemed poverty-stricken.  Indeed，the more you have of such things the poorer you are.  Each load looks as if it contained the contents of a dozen shanties； and if one shanty is poor， this is a dozen times as poor.  Pray， for what do we move ever but to get rid of our furniture， our exuvioe： at last to go from this world to another newly furnished， and leave this to be burned？  It is the same as if all these traps were buckled to a man's belt， and he could not move over the rough country where our lines are cast without dragging them ―― dragging his trap.  He was a lucky fox that left his tail in the trap.  The muskrat will gnaw his third leg off to be free.  No wonder man has lost his elasticity.  How often he is at a dead set！  "Sir， if I may be so bold， what do you mean by a dead set？"  If you are a seer，whenever you meet a man you will see all that he owns， ay， and much that he pretends to disown， behind him， even to his kitchen furniture and all the trumpery which he saves and will not burn， and he will appear to be harnessed to it and making what headway he can. I think that the man is at a dead set who has got through a knot-hole or gateway where his sledge load of furniture cannot follow him.  I cannot but feel compassion when I hear some trig，compact-looking man， seemingly free， all girded and ready， speak of his "furniture，" as whether it is insured or not.  "But what shall I do with my furniture？" ―― My gay butterfly is entangled in a spider's web then.  Even those who seem for a long while not to have any， if you inquire more narrowly you will find have some stored in somebody's barn.  I look upon England today as an old gentleman who is travelling with a great deal of baggage， trumpery which has accumulated from long housekeeping， which he has not the courage to burn； great trunk， little trunk， bandbox， and bundle.  Throw away the first three at least.  It would surpass the powers of a well man nowadays to take up his bed and walk， and I should certainly advise a sick one to lay down his bed and run.  When I have met an immigrant tottering under a bundle which contained his all ――looking like an enormous wen which had grown out of the nape of his neck ―― I have pitied him， not because that was his all， but because he had all that to carry.  If I have got to drag my trap， I will take care that it be a light one and do not nip me in a vital part. But perchance it would be wisest never to put one's paw into it.

　　這樣，我避免了一切的經營與物物交換，至少在食物這一點上是如此，而且房子已經有了，剩下來只是衣服和燃料的問題。我現在所穿的一條褲子是在一個農民的家里織成的――謝謝天，人還有這么多的美德哩；我認為一個農民降為技工，其偉大和值得紀念，正如一個人降為農民一樣；――而新到一個鄉村去，燃料可是一個大拖累。至于棲息之地呢，如果不讓我再居住在這個無人居住的地方，我可以用我耕耘過的土地價格，――就是說，八元八角，來買下一英畝地了。可是，事實是我認為我居住在這里已經使地價大大增加了。

　　有一部分不肯信服的人有時問我這樣的問題，例如我是否認為只吃蔬菜就可以生活；為了立刻說出事物的本質，――因為本質就是信心――我往往這樣口答，說我吃木板上的釘子都可以生活下去的。如果他們連這也不了解，那不管我怎么說，他們都不會了解的。在我這方面，我很愿意聽說有人在做這樣的實驗；好像有一個青年曾嘗試過半個月，只靠堅硬的連皮帶殼的玉米來生活，而且只用他的牙齒來做石臼。松鼠曾試過，很成功。

　　人類對這樣的試驗是有興趣的，雖然有少數幾個老婦人，被剝奪了這種權利，或者在面粉廠里擁有亡夫的三分之一遺產的，她們也許要嚇一跳了。

　　我的家具，一部分是我自己做的――其余的沒花多少錢，但我沒有記賬――包括一張床，一只桌子，三只凳子，一面直徑三英寸的鏡子，一把火鉗和柴架，一只壺，一只長柄平底鍋，一個煎鍋，一只勺子，一只洗臉盆，兩副刀叉，三只盤，一只杯子，一把調羹、一只油罐，和一只糖漿缸，還有一只上了日本油漆的燈。沒有人會窮得只能坐在南瓜上的。那是偷懶的辦法。在村中的閣摟上，有好些是我最喜歡的椅子；只要去拿，就屬于你了。家具！謝謝天。我可以坐，我可以站，用不到家具公司來幫忙。如果一個人看到自己的家具裝在車上，曝露在光天化日之下，睽睽眾目之前，而且只是一些極不入眼的空箱子，除了哲學家之外，誰會不害羞呢？這是斯波爾亭的家具。看了這些家具，我還無法知道是屬于一個所謂闊人的呢，還是屬于窮人的；它的主人的模樣似乎總是窮相十足的。真的，這東西越多，你越窮。每一車，都好像是十幾座棚屋里的東西；一座棚屋如果是很窮的，這就是十二倍地窮困。你說，為什么我們時常搬家，而不是丟掉一些家具，丟掉我們的蛇蛻；離開這個世界，到一個有新家具的世界去，把老家具燒掉呢？

　　這正如一個人把所有陷餅的機關都縛在他的皮帶上，他搬家經過我們放著繩子的荒野時，不能不拖動那些繩子，――拖到他自己的陷餅里去了。把斷尾巴留在陷階中的狐貍是十分幸運的。麝鼠為了逃命，寧肯咬斷它的第三條腿子。難怪人已失去了靈活性。多少回他走上了一條絕路！“先生，請您恕我唐突，你所謂的絕路是什么意思呢？”如果你是一個善于觀察的人，任何時候你遇見一個人，你都能知道他有一些什么東西，噯，還有他好些裝作沒有的東西，你甚至能知道他的廚房中的家什以及一切外觀華美麗毫不實用的東西，這些東西他卻都要留著，不愿意燒掉，他就好像是被挽駕在上面，盡是拖著它們往前走。一個人鉆過了一個繩結的口，或過了一道門，而他背面的一車子家具卻過不去，這時，我說，這個人是走上一條絕路了。當我聽到一個衣冠楚楚、外表結實的人，似乎很自由，似乎他一切都安排得很得當，卻說到了他的“家具”，不管是不是保了險，我不能不憐憫他。“我的家具怎么辦呢？”我的歡樂的蝴蝶，這就撲進了一只蜘蛛網了。

　　甚至有這樣的人，多年來好像并沒有家具牽累他似的，但是，如果你仔細地盤問他一下，你就發現在什么人家的棚子底下，也儲藏著他的幾件家具呢。我看今天的英國，就好像一個老年紳士，帶著他的許多行李在旅行著，全是住家住久了以后，積起來的許多華而不實的東西，而他是沒有勇氣來把它們燒掉的：大箱子，小箱子，手提箱，還有包裹。

　　至少把前面的三種拋掉了吧。現在，就是一個身體康健的人也不會提了他的床鋪上路的。

　　我自然要勸告一些害病的人，拋棄他們的床鋪，奔跑奔跑。當我碰到一個移民，帶著他的全部家產的大包裹，蹣跚前行，――那包裹好像他脖于后頭長出來的一個大瘤――我真可憐他，并不因為他只有那么一丁點兒，倒是因為他得帶著這一切跑路。如果我必須帶著我的陷阱跑路，至少我可以帶一個比較輕便的陷阱。機括一發，也不會咬住我最機要的部分。可是，最聰明的辦法還是千萬不要把自己的手掌放進陷阱。

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