somewhat of the true gush, for the poor fellow s instinct taught him
that there was a mystery here that could not well bear the light,
perhaps; it was simply preposterous that this boy had warehoused two
thousand sheaves of Scriptural wisdom on his premises a dozen would
strain his capacity, without a doubt.
Amy Lawrence was proud and glad, and she tried to make Tom see it in
her face but he wouldn t look. She wondered; then she was just a grain
troubled; next a dim suspicion came and went came again; she watched;
a furtive glance told her worlds and then her heart broke, and she was
jealous, and angry, and the tears came and she hated everybody. Tom most
of all (she thought).
Tom was introduced to the Judge; but his tongue was tied, his breath
would hardly come, his heart quaked partly because of the awful
greatness of the man, but mainly because he was her parent. He would
have liked to fall down and worship him, if it were in the dark. The
Judge put his hand on Tom s head and called him a fine little man, and
asked him what his name was. The boy stammered, gasped, and got it out:
Tom.
Oh, no, not Tom it is
Thomas.
Ah, that s it. I thought there was more to it, maybe. That s very well.
But you ve another one I daresay, and you ll tell it to me, won t you?
Tell the gentleman your other name, Thomas, said Walters, and say
sir. You mustn t forget your manners.
Thomas Sawyer sir.
That s it! That s a good boy. Fine boy. Fine, manly little fellow. Two
thousand verses is a great many very, very great many. And you never can
be sorry for the trouble you took to learn them; for knowledge is worth
more than anything there is in the world; it s what makes great men
and good men; you ll be a great man and a good man yourself, some
day, Thomas, and then you ll look back and say, It s all owing to the
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