Chapter 6 Chapter 4: Sunday School, Stealing the Show

The sun rises and shines on the peaceful world, and the quiet village seems to be bathed in holy light.After breakfast Aunt Polly said her prayers.The first prayer was entirely quoted from the Bible, with bits and pieces of novelty mixed in.The two are barely glued together, as if she were pronouncing a harsh passage from the Law of Moses from the top of Mount Sinai. Then, Tom seemed to pull himself together, and set about reciting the "Bible" paragraph by paragraph in a serious manner.Sid had memorized the passages he was supposed to memorize days before.Tom spent all his energy and went all out to memorize five passages of the Bible.He chose a portion of Christ's Sermon on the Mount because it was the shortest part of the text.Nearly half an hour later, he already had a vague impression of what he was going to recite.But that was all, because he was already absent-minded and thinking wildly, and his hands were constantly busy with some unimportant things.Mary took his book and wanted to hear him recite it, so he tried his best to recite it:

"Blessed is the...uh-uh-" "Poverty—" "Yes—poor; the blessed are the poor...uh-uh-" "mentally--" "Spiritually; blessed are the spiritually poor, for they—they—" "Their--" "Because of theirs. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is Heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, because they—they—" "Will--" "Because they...uh—" "Will--" "Because they're going to—I don't remember what's next!" "will--" "Oh! shall! for they shall--for they shall--er---------------------------------------------------------------- People, because they're going to—er—what are they going to? Mary, why don't you prompt me?—why are you being so petty?"

"Oh, Tom, you poor little fool. I'm not kidding you. I don't want to tease you. You've got to go back and do it all over again. Don't get discouraged, Tom, you'll get it—if you If you know it by heart, I will give you some fun things. Hey, by the way, this is a good boy." "Okay! Give me what, Mary? Tell me what's fun." "You don't have to ask that, Tom; I say it's fun, and it's fun." "You have to keep your word, Mary. Well, then, I'll go and recite it again." Later, he really "recited it well"-under the double temptation of curiosity and the hope of winning the prize, he studied energetically for a while, and finally won a brilliant victory.Mary gave him a brand new "Barlow" knife worth 12.5 cents.He was ecstatic and dancing.Seriously, this knife can't cut anything, but it's a "true" Barlow, which means a great deal of honor—even though kids in the West think it's There's also the possibility of being faked, which would damage its reputation, and the mystery is impressive, and probably always will be.Tom was about to carve at the cupboard with the knife, and was about to do it when he was called to change for Sunday-school.

Mary handed him a basin of water and a bar of soap.So he went outside and put the washbasin on a little stool there.Then he dipped the soap in some water and put it down again; rolling up his sleeves, splashing the water lightly on the floor, he turned and went into the kitchen, and wiped his face vigorously with a towel behind the door.But Mary removed the towel and said: "Hey, aren't you ashamed, Tom! Don't be so desperate. The water won't hurt you." Tom was a little uncomfortable.The washbasin was filled with water again. This time, he made up his mind and stood by the washbasin for a while, then took a deep breath and began to wash his face.Soon, he walked into the kitchen, closed his eyes and reached out to touch the towel. The soapy water dripped down his face, which was proof that he had washed his face honestly.However, when he removed the towel and showed his face, it was still unsatisfactory.Because the cleaned area is only limited to the cheeks and chin, it looks like a mask.Under the chin and on both sides of the cheeks, there was a large untouched, dark patch that stretched from the neck down and back.Mary pulled him over again to help him clean up.When she finished grooming and grooming him, he looked like a man, like a brother, his face was no longer white and black, his wet hair was neatly combed, and his short curls were still rumpled. A very nice symmetrical style. (He had gone to great trouble to secretly press the curly hair tightly against his head. Because he decided that curly hair was always effeminate, and he was very sorry for his natural curly hair.) Later, Mary brought out his suit, which he had worn for two years and was only worn on Sundays--"the suit" at all--from which we can see that all his clothes in terms of clothing are shared. How many.After he dressed himself, the girl "tied up" for him.She buttoned his neat coat all the way down to his chin, turned his loose shirt collar down over his shoulders, and brushed him clean. Put on his dotted straw hat.He looked terribly beautiful all at once, and terribly uncomfortable, and he didn't look at all uncomfortable.Because it is a kind of restraint for him to keep his clothes neat and tidy, so he is very upset.He hoped that Mary would not let him wear shoes, but in vain.According to the custom at the time, she first applied a layer of wax to the shoes, and then took them out.He was angry and complained that he was always being made to do things he didn't want to do, but Mary persuaded him:

"Tom—that's a good boy." So Tom yelled and put on the shoes.Mary soon got ready, too, and the three children set off to Sunday-school—a place Tom hated most; but Sid and Mary loved it. The Sunday school class time is from 9:00 to 10:30; after that, there is worship.Two of the three always stayed there voluntarily to listen to the preacher, while the other stayed there every time for a more important reason.The seats in the church have high backs and no cushions, and a total of three hundred people can be seated.The church is a simple, small-scale building.A box-like device made of pine boards was installed on the roof as a steeple.At the door, Tom slowed down a step, and greeted a companion in Sunday clothes:

"Hey Bailey, do you have a yellow ticket?" "Yes, I have." "What do you want in exchange?" "What are you going to trade for?" "A candy bar and a fishing hook." "What about things?" Tom took it out and showed him.Bailey was very satisfied with these two things, so the property of both parties was exchanged.Then Tom exchanged two white stones for three red tickets, and some other trinkets for two blue tickets.When the other children came up, Tom stopped them again and continued to buy tickets of all kinds.After changing for more than ten minutes, Tom walked into the church with a group of well-dressed and noisy boys and girls.Tom went to his seat and got into an argument with the boy who was closest to him.Their teacher, a stern, elderly man, told them to be quiet, and turned away.Tom pulled the hair of a boy on the other bench who was engrossed in his book when the boy turned his head.Then he poked another boy with a pin just to hear the other boy say "Ouch!" and was scolded by the teacher.Tom's class was all of the same pattern—noisy, fussy, non-stop.When they recite the scriptures together, none of them can remember them completely, and they all have to give reminders constantly.They managed to get through, however, and each won a prize—little blue paper tickets, each with a passage from the Bible printed on it.You have to memorize two passages from the Bible to get such a blue paper ticket.Ten blue tickets are equal to one red ticket and are also interchangeable.Ten red tickets can be exchanged for one yellow ticket.If ten yellow tickets were obtained, the principal rewarded the student with a paperback Bible (worth 40 cents in the good old days).How many of my dear readers are willing to work so hard to memorize two thousand passages of the Bible in exchange for a copy of Dolet's Bible?Yet Mary got two Bibles in this way--that was the price of two years of patient study--and a boy of German descent got four or five.He once recited 3,000 passages of the Bible at once.But by overwork of his mind he has since become almost an idiot--a great misfortune of the Sunday-school, for on grand occasions, and in the presence of many guests (according to Tom's account), the headmaster always calls the The boy came out to "show his hand".It is only the older students who persist in working hard and trying to get votes in order to get a Bible.Therefore, every time this kind of prize is awarded, it is a rare and sensational event.

The award-winning students seemed so great and glorious at that time, so that every student present had a new ambition in their hearts, and this ambition often lasted for a week or two.Tom's heart may never have really longed for the prize, but there can be no doubt that for many days his whole body and mind longed for the splendor and honor that came with it. When the due hour came, the principal stood up in front of the pulpit, holding a closed hymn book in his hand, with his forefinger between the pages, and called everyone to be still and listen to him.The Sunday-school principal begins his short prologue with a hymn in his hand, as a singer at a concert stands on the stage and begins his solo without a book of music— — although no one knows why.Because neither the hymns nor the music, the man on stage who suffered would never need them.The principal was a thin man of thirty-five with a beach-colored goatee and short sand-colored hair; He bent his neck and reached the corner of his mouth—like a wall, forcing him to only look forward, and whenever he wanted to look to the side, he had to turn his whole body around; His chin was resting on a wide cravat, as wide and long as a check, with lace around it.His boots were pointed and turned up, which was very fashionable in those days, like skates turned up under a sled--the fashion that young people sat patiently and laboriously for hours at a time. The result of desperately pressing the toes against the wall.Mr. Walter was very dignified, devout and down-to-earth.He had great respect for religious things and places, and kept them separate from secular things.And so, without realizing it, he had acquired a peculiar intonation of Sunday-school speech which he would never hear on a normal day.He began to speak in this tone:

"Now, boys, I want you all to sit up as straight as you can, and pay attention to what I have to say for a minute or two. Yes—well done. That's what good little boys do. I saw a little The girl is looking out the window - I think she must think I'm out there somewhere - maybe thinking I'm giving a speech to the birds in the trees, (There's a giggling applause.) I want to tell you to see How happy I am to see so many smart, clean little faces gathered in such a place, to be obedient and learn well.” And so on, and so on.I don't need to write down everything I'm going to say next.Anyway, it is something that everyone is familiar with.Mr. Walter's speech was interrupted a bit in the last third of the speech, when some bad boys got into fights or other little tricks, and the whole room turned away and whispered.Even Mary and Sid, who stand tall and are not easy to destroy, have been hit.With the abrupt end of Mr. Walter's voice,

All the noisy noise in the classroom also stopped abruptly, and everyone suddenly fell silent to express their gratitude for the end of the speech. The whispers of the moment had been caused chiefly by a more or less rare event—the arrival of several visitors: there was Solicitor Thatcher, accompanied by a very infirm old man; A middle-aged gentleman with iron-gray hair; and a lady, who was undoubtedly the gentleman's wife.The lady was holding a small child by the hand.Tom was always restless, full of cares and sorrows; and he was condemned by conscience--he could not meet Amy Laurence's eyes, which were too much for him to bear.But when he saw this new little girl, his heart was instantly ignited with happiness.Then he showed off with all his might--slapping people's ears, pulling hair, making faces--in short, anything that might attract the girl's attention and gain her favor and admiration.Thinking of the inhuman treatment he received in the garden of the little angel's house, his joy froze for a while, but it was as fast as imprints left on the beach, washed away by the wave of happiness Two clean.

These visitors were invited to sit at the top table, and Mr. Walter introduced these distinguished guests to the teachers and students of the school just after finishing his speech.The middle-aged man turned out to be a great man--a county judge--he was the most imposing figure these boys had ever seen--they wondered what he was made of--they all On the one hand, I really want to hear him roar twice, but on the other hand, I am quite afraid of his roaring.He was from the town of Constantinople, twelve miles from here--so he was a man who had traveled and seen the world--his eyes had seen the county court--the roof of the house, it was said It's made of tin.He was awe-inspiring to think about, as evidenced by his haunting silence and row upon row of staring eyes.This was the great Lord Thatcher, brother of the lawyer in their town.Jeff Thatcher immediately stepped forward and got close to this great man, which really made the teachers and students in the school envious and jealous.Listening to everyone's whispers, he was in a good mood as if he heard music.

"Look, Jim! He's up on stage. Hey--look! He's shaking his hand--he's shaking his hand! Why, don't you wish you were Jeff?" Mr. Walter began to "show the limelight". He acted like an official, giving orders, expressing opinions, and giving guidance everywhere, which made him extremely busy.As long as he finds the target, he will inevitably chatter a few words.The librarian also "showed off"-he held many books in his hands, muttered, ran around, and kept busy.At least the little authority figure was happy with his behavior.The young female teachers also "show off"--bending affectionately to look at the students who have just been slapped, extending a beautiful finger to the disobedient children as a warning, or amiably patting Those good boys.The young male teachers also "made a splash" with whispered insults and other signs of authority and respect for school rules—all the teachers, male and female, were at the pulpit. Find something to do in the library.This kind of thing can only be done once, but they did it two or three times (on the surface pretending to be very anxious).The little girls also "showed off" in various ways, and the boys "showed off" even more vigorously. As a result, the air was full of balls of paper flying randomly, and the sound of scuffling each other continued in the classroom.In particular, the adult sitting on the stage, with a solemn smile on his face, looked at the audience with a high-ranking look. This sense of superiority made him intoxicated - because he was also "showing off". There was only one thing short of Mr. Walter's ecstasy at this time, and that was that he wanted very much to have a chance to show himself by presenting a Bible to some student.A few students had some yellow tickets, but none of them were enough—he walked around among the star students and asked.If, at this time, the student of German descent who had been outstanding can be sounded up, and he can perform again, he is willing to give everything. Hopes were about to fail when Tom Sawyer stepped forward with nine yellow, nine red, and ten blue tickets in his hand, begging for a Bible.It was a bolt from the blue.In another ten years, Mr. Walter would not have guessed that it was this baby who made the application.But there is no way to evade it—the face of the paper is not fake, and it should be valid according to the regulations.So, Tom had the honor to sit with the judge and several other distinguished guests, and the important news was announced from the summit.It was the most astonishing event in ten years, and it was a sensation, raising the new hero to the level of Lord Judge.Now the people at the school were staring at two rather than one remarkable figure.The boys gnashed their teeth with envy—but the ones who regretted the most were the ones who traded the notes from the Bible to Tom for the treasure he had accumulated when he sold the privilege of painting walls.They gave Tom these notes for these darlings, and it did him a great favor to get him this infuriating honour.However, it is only now that I realize that it is too late to regret.The children realized now that their opponent was a scheming liar, a cunning snake in the grass, and that they themselves were fools, and they felt ashamed. When the headmaster gave Tom the award, he tried to find something to say in praise of the occasion in order to cope with it.But there seemed little enthusiasm in his words, for the poor man's instinct told him that there might be some shady secret lurking in it.That boy could really hold two thousand passages from the Holy Book in his head, and it would be laughable--for no doubt a dozen passages would be enough for him. Amy Lawrence was proud and proud, and she tried to make Tom see it—but Tom didn't look her way.She couldn't quite figure out what was going on, and then she panicked, then vaguely doubted, and quickly dispelled--and doubted again.She watched him for a while, and when she caught Tom stealing a glance at the new girl, it dawned on her--and she was heartbroken, jealous, and very annoyed, with tears in her eyes.She hated them all, but Tom (she thought) most of all. Tom was introduced to your Honour by the headmaster, but his tongue was tied, his breath was out of breath, and his heart was beating wildly--partly from the majesty of the great man, and partly from being her father.If it were night, in the dark, he would almost kneel down and worship him.The chancellor put his hand on Tom's head, and said he was a good boy, and asked his name.The boy stammered and gasped for breath, and reluctantly replied: "Tom." "Oh, no, it's not Tom—it should be—" "Thomas." "Oh, that's right. I think there's half of it, maybe, and that's good. But I'm sure you have a last name, so tell me, okay?" "Thomas, tell your honor What!" Mr. Walter said hastily, "You still have to address Mr., don't forget to be polite." "Thomas Sawyer—sir." "That's right! That's a good boy. Very nice lad. Not bad. Promising. Two thousand passages from the Bible is quite a lot--really, quite a lot. You've put so much effort into it." Come and recite these scriptures, you will never regret it in your life, because knowledge is precious, more valuable than all the wealth in the world. With knowledge, you can become a great man and a good man; Thomas, wait for the day in the future when you Looking back, you will say, it was all due to the Sunday school I went to when I was a boy--to what my dear teachers taught me--to my good headmaster who encouraged me and urged me on Me, and I was given a beautiful Bible--a beautiful and fine Bible--for myself to keep forever--all thanks to my teachers! You will be so Say it, Thomas—you wouldn't sell your two thousand passages, no matter how much they offered you!—surely you wouldn't. Now tell me and this lady what you've learned , you don’t mind—no, I know you don’t care—because we appreciate children who are knowledgeable and learned. Then, don’t ask, you must know the names of all the twelve disciples, just Tell us the names of the first two disciples Jesus chose, will you?" Tom took a buttonhole and tugged, looking very shy.His face flushed red all of a sudden, and his eyelids drooped.Mr. Walter's heart also sank.The boy, he thought, couldn't possibly answer the simplest questions—why did the judge ask him?But he had to speak again, and said: "Thomas, answer your honor's question—don't be afraid." Tom still wouldn't speak. "Well, I know you'll tell me," said the lady. "The names of the first two disciples were—" "David and Goliath—" We can't go any further than this scene, and let's close it as a mercy.