Chapter 17 Chapter Seventeen

For the next two years Philip lived, if monotonously, at ease.He was not necessarily bullied more than some other students of his size; he was disabled and could not participate in any games, so it seemed to outsiders to have him or not, and Philip was just as happy as he could be .He was unknown and alone.He spent two terms in Mr. Sleepy's class.Mr. Sleepy, with drooping eyelids and a listless look, seemed tired of everything.He was fairly conscientious, but absent-minded about what he was doing.He has a kind heart and a gentle disposition, if a little clumsy.He had great confidence in the conduct of his pupils; he believed that it was of the utmost importance for the teacher to keep the children honest and trustworthy, that he should not for a moment think that the children might lie.He also quoted a classic saying: "He who asks for beans will get beans, and he who asks for melons will get melons." In the third grade and upper class, life is really messy.For example, when it comes to explaining texts, before it is my turn, I have already figured out which lines to explain, plus the notes for cheating are passed around in the hands of students, and it takes less than two minutes to find them. what is needed.Students can spread their Latin grammar book on their laps while the teacher asks questions one by one; even if an unbelievably coincidental error is discovered in the workbooks of a dozen students at the same time, the "sleepy" teacher will never I think there is something suspicious here.He doesn't believe in exams much, because he notices that students never do as well as they usually do in class: it's frustrating, but it doesn't hurt the bigger picture.At that time, the students will still be promoted. Although they have not made much progress in their studies, they have learned the ability to act nonchalantly and brazenly, which may be more useful for them in their future life than knowing a little Latin.

They were then under Mr. "Tar" discipline.His real name was Turner, and he was the liveliest of all the old men at school.He has a dark complexion, short stature, and a big belly, and the big black beard on his chin has begun to grey.He was wearing a priest's suit, which was really reminiscent of a tar barrel.Usually, if he accidentally heard a child call his nickname, he would punish the child to copy 500 lines according to the school rules. However, at the dinner party held in the church garden, he would often make a few jokes about this nickname.Among the teachers, he was most indulged in worldly pleasures, and went out to dinner more frequently than anyone else.The people who associate with it are not limited to the circle of priests.In the eyes of the students, he was a complete scoundrel.When the holidays came, the priest took off his clerical clothes; he had been seen in Switzerland in a gaudy tweed suit.He likes things in the cup and pays attention to appetite.On one occasion, he was seen having a drink with a woman—possibly a close relative of his—in the Royal Restaurant.Since then, several generations of students have believed that this man indulged in excessive drinking and feasting, and many vivid and detailed details in this area are enough to confirm that the theory of human depravity cannot be doubted.

Mr. Turner estimated that it would take a whole semester to rehabilitate the students who had been in the upper third grade and correct their style of study.From time to time he slyly revealed in front of the students that he was fully aware of the abuses in his colleagues' classes.Faced with this situation, he was not annoyed.In his opinion, students are born rascals, only when they are sure that their lies will be exposed, they will be a little honest.They have their own sense of honor, which is totally out of place in their dealings with teachers; they will not be restrained until they know that there is nothing to be gained by mischief.Mr. Turner is quite proud of his class, and although he is now fifty-five, he is as keen as he was when he first came to the school to outperform his class in examination results.Like other fat people, he gets angry easily, but the anger comes and goes quickly. It didn't take long for the students to get hold of his temper. Beneath the surface, there is a kindness of kindness.He is very impatient with those fools who don't know how to understand, but he can be persuasive and persuasive to some naughty ghosts who are self-willed on the outside but clever on the inside.He liked to invite them to tea in his room, although the students swore that there was never cake and muffins at tea with Mr. Turner--the general opinion was that Mr. Turner was so fat that he Gluttonous gluttony, and gluttonous gluttony meant that he had a few more nematodes in his belly-but they were still sincerely willing to accept his invitation.

Philip was more at ease now: the school building was not very spacious, and the only libraries were reserved for the older students.Before that, he had been living in a large collective dormitory, where the students ate and the junior students were still doing their homework there. Philip always had an indescribable feeling when he saw it.Mixing with other people often made him restless, and he longed to be left alone.He often walks alone in the countryside.There was a little brook, gurgling through the green fields, and on both sides of the brook stood tall trees with full branches.Philip walked along the bank feeling happy all the time, but he couldn't tell why.Tired from walking, he lay down on the grass by the bank, watching the minnows and tadpoles busily shuttling in the water.A stroll in the church grounds gave him a unique sense of satisfaction.In the middle of the church grounds there is a grassy area where the students practice tennis in the summer, but in other seasons it is idyllic.Children sometimes wandered arm in arm on the grass, and occasionally a few studious children paced there slowly, with thoughtful eyes in their eyes, and repeated homework that needed to be memorized.A group of rooks perched on the towering elm trees, and their mournful wailing resounded through the sky.The church stands on one side of the meadow, its imposing central tower piercing the sky.Philip did not yet know what "beauty" was, but he always looked up at the church with an indescribable and bewildering joy.When he moved into his study (a small box room overlooking the slum, shared by four students), he bought a photograph of the cathedral and pinned it above his desk.Sometimes he stood in the fourth-grade classroom and looked out the window, and found that he could appreciate a new taste from the scenery in front of him.Opposite the classrooms are patches of quaint, well-maintained lawns interspersed with lush, leafy bushes.These sights gave Philip a strange feeling, whether it was pain or joy which he could not tell.His heart opened slightly, and for the first time a strong sense of beauty emerged.At the same time, other changes occurred.His voice also began to change, and his throat involuntarily made strange tones.

Philip began to go to the headmaster's study to listen to the headmaster's lessons for the confirmation of the children, after tea in the afternoon.Philip's devotion to God had not stood the test of time, and he had long since lost the habit of reciting the Bible at night.But now, under the influence of Mr. Perkins, and with the new changes in his body which had made him so uneasy, he relapsed; and he blamed himself for being anticlimactic.A vision of hellfire burning brightly flashed through his mind.His behavior is not much better than that of the heathen, and if he dies at this moment, he will surely die in the wrath of hell.His conviction of eternal misery far surpassed his conviction of eternal happiness; and he shuddered at the thought of the risks he had run.

After the most unbearable humiliation he had suffered in class that day, Mr. Perkins had a kind conversation with Philip, who had been pricking his heart like a needle, and from then on Philip was like a house dog. I love the principal as much as I miss my master.He racked his brains to please Mr. Principal, but there was no way.He treasures even the slightest word of praise from the headmaster's day.When he came to the principal's residence to attend those informal small gatherings, he wished he could throw himself at the principal's feet.He sat there, looking intently into Mr. Perkins' shining eyes, with his mouth half-closed and his head slightly tilted forward, lest he miss a word.The mundane environment of the school made what they were talking about all the more exciting.Sometimes, even the headmaster himself was deeply moved by his wonderful topic. He pushed the book in front of him, crossed his fingers, and pressed it against his chest, as if trying to restrain the beating of his heart, and looked at it intoxicatedly. Tells confusing religious stories.Sometimes Philip didn't understand, and he didn't want to understand, he felt vaguely that it was enough just to feel the atmosphere.In his opinion, the headmaster with shaggy black hair and pale face resembled those Israeli prophets who dared to denounce the king; and when he thought of Christ Jesus, he seemed to see Jesus with the same black eyes and pale cheeks .

Mr. Perkins undertook this part of the work with the utmost seriousness.Usually, he talks humorously and sparkles with witty remarks, which makes the school's pedant Dong Heng suspect that he is frivolous by nature, but on the above-mentioned occasions, he is always serious and serious.Mr. Perkins was busy from morning to night, and could handle all the details, and every once in a while, he could spare a quarter or twenty minutes to receive the children who were about to be confirmed.He wants them to realize that this is their first serious, self-conscious step on the road of life.He tried to explore the depths of the children's hearts, and poured his fiery dedication into the children's hearts.It seemed to him that Philip, despite his timidity, might harbor in him a passion equal to his own.In his opinion, the child's temperament basically belongs to the kind of pious and godly temperament.One day, when he was talking to Philip, he broke off the subject abruptly and asked:

"Have you considered what you want to do when you grow up?" "My uncle wants me to be a priest," said Philip. "What about yourself?" Philip looked away, and he wanted to say that he did not feel fit to serve God, but was ashamed to say it. "I know of no other life in the world so full of bliss as ours. I wish I could make you feel that it is a privilege and a great privilege. Surely all men can serve God in various capacities, But we're nearer to God. I don't mean to influence your decision, but when -- oh, once -- you make up your mind, there's a joy and a relief that never dies."

Philip did not answer, but the headmaster could see from Philip's eyes that the boy understood the meaning of his words. "If you study as hard as you are doing now, and keep at it, you'll find yourself the top student in the school before long, and you won't have to worry about getting a scholarship when you graduate. Oh, what property do you own? ?" "My uncle says I'll have a hundred pounds a year when I'm twenty-one." "Then you're pretty rich. I was empty-handed when I was my age." The headmaster pondered for a while, then picked up a pencil casually, drew lines casually on the blotting paper in front of him, and continued:

"In the future, your choice of occupation may be quite limited. Naturally, you will not be able to engage in any occupation that requires physical strength." Philip blushed down to the neck, as he always did at the slightest mention of his lameness.Mr. Perkins looked at him gravely. "I don't know if you're oversensitive to your misfortune. Did it ever occur to you to thank God for it?" Philip looked up suddenly.He pursed his lips, thinking how he had believed what other people said, and prayed for months that God would heal his lameness as he had healed the leper and the blind.

"As long as you accept this misfortune with even the slightest disobedience, it can only bring you disgrace. If you see it as a sign of God's favor, seeing that your shoulders are strong enough to bear , to give you a cross to wear, then it will no longer be the cause of your pain, but the source of your happiness." Seeing that the boy was unwilling to talk about it, he let him go. But afterwards, Philip thought carefully about every word the principal said, and suddenly he had no distracting thoughts. He was only thinking about the etiquette of faith that he was about to face, and was immersed in the mysterious and intoxicated ecstasy.His soul seemed to break free from the fetters of his body, and he seemed to have begun a new life; all his body and mind were aroused with enthusiasm, eager to enter the state of perfection.He is to consecrate his whole being to God.He has made up his mind to take the priesthood and become a priest.When the great day finally came, he was so overwhelmed with surprise that he could hardly contain himself; all the preparations he had made, all the books he had studied, and above all the compelling teachings of the headmaster, had deeply affected his soul. soul.One thought kept tormenting him.He knew that he would have to cross the altar alone, and he was afraid of showing his limp in full view, not only to the whole school attending the ceremony, but to people from the city or special visitors. Parents of students attending their son's confirmation in front of some strangers.However, at the last moment, he suddenly felt that he could bear this humiliation with joy.So, Philip limped and walked towards the altar step by step. His figure looked so small and insignificant under the majestic vault of the cathedral. God.