“Well，afterall，he’sthemostwonderfullittlefellowIevercameacross。Thereain’tsuchameek，humbleboyintheschool。
HangedifIdon’tthinknow，really，Tom，thathebelieveshimselfamuchworsefellowthanyouorI，andthathedon’tthinkhehasmoreinfluenceinthehousethanDotBowles，whocamelastquarter，andisn’ttenyet。Butheturnsyouandmeroundhislittlefinger，oldboy——there’snomistakeaboutthat。“AndEastnoddedatTomsagaciously。
“Nowornever！“thoughtTom；so，shuttinghiseyesandhardeninghisheart，hewentstraightatit，repeatingallthatArthurhadsaid，asnearashecouldrememberit，intheverywords，andallhehadhimselfthought。Thelifeseemedtooozeoutofitashewenton，andseveraltimeshefeltinclinedtostop，giveitallup，andchangethesubject。Butsomehowhewasborneon；
hehadanecessityuponhimtospeakitallout，anddidso。AttheendhelookedatEastwithsomeanxiety，andwasdelightedtoseethatthatyounggentlemanwasthoughtfulandattentive。
Thefactis，thatinthestageofhisinnerlifeatwhichTomhadlatelyarrived，hisintimacywithandfriendshipforEastcouldnothavelastedifhehadnotmadehimawareof，andasharerin，thethoughtsthatwerebeginningtoexercisehim。