The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

26Chapter 4titter.) I want to tell you how good it makes me feel to see so manybright, clean little faces assembled in a place like this, learning todo right and be good.” And so forth and so on. It is not necessaryto set down the rest of the oration. It was of a pattern which doesnot vary, and so it is familiar to us all.The latter third of the speech was marred by the resumptionof fights and other recreations among certain of the bad boys,and by fidgetings and whisperings that extended far and wide,washing even to the bases of isolated and incorruptible rocks likeSid and Mary. But now every sound ceased suddenly, with thesubsidence of Mr. Walters’ voice, and the conclusion of the speechwas received with a burst of silent gratitude.A good part of the whispering had been occasioned by anevent which was more or less rare—the entrance of visitors:lawyer Thatcher, accompanied by a very feeble and aged man;a fine, portly, middle-aged gentleman with iron-gray hair; anda dignified lady who was doubtless the latter’s wife. The ladywas leading a child. Tom had been restless and full of chafingsand repinings; conscience-smitten, too—he could not meet AmyLawrence’s eye, he could not brook her loving gaze. But whenhe saw this small new-comer his soul was all ablaze with blissin a moment. The next moment he was “showing off” with allhis might—cuffing boys, pulling hair, making faces—in a word,using every art that seemed likely to fascinate a girl and win herapplause. His exaltation had but one alloy—the memory of hishumiliation in this angel’s garden—and that record in sand wasfast washing out, under the waves of happiness that were sweep-ing over it now.The visitors were given the highest seat of honor, and as soonas Mr. Walters’ speech was finished, he introduced them to theschool. The middle-aged man turned out to be a prodigiouspersonage—no less a one than the county judge—altogether themost august creation these children had ever looked upon—andthey wondered what kind o...