Jude the Obsure - Page 79/318

The model wore too much of an educational aspect for the children not

to tire of it soon, and a little later in the afternoon they were all

marched back to Lumsdon, Jude returning to his work. He watched the

juvenile flock in their clean frocks and pinafores, filing down the

street towards the country beside Phillotson and Sue, and a sad,

dissatisfied sense of being out of the scheme of the latters' lives

had possession of him. Phillotson had invited him to walk out

and see them on Friday evening, when there would be no lessons to

give to Sue, and Jude had eagerly promised to avail himself of the

opportunity.

Meanwhile the scholars and teachers moved homewards, and the next

day, on looking on the blackboard in Sue's class, Phillotson was

surprised to find upon it, skilfully drawn in chalk, a perspective

view of Jerusalem, with every building shown in its place.

"I thought you took no interest in the model, and hardly looked at

it?" he said.

"I hardly did," said she, "but I remembered that much of it."

"It is more than I had remembered myself."

Her Majesty's school-inspector was at that time paying

"surprise-visits" in this neighbourhood to test the teaching

unawares; and two days later, in the middle of the morning lessons,

the latch of the door was softly lifted, and in walked my gentleman,

the king of terrors--to pupil-teachers.

To Mr. Phillotson the surprise was not great; like the lady in the

story he had been played that trick too many times to be unprepared.

But Sue's class was at the further end of the room, and her back was

towards the entrance; the inspector therefore came and stood behind

her and watched her teaching some half-minute before she became aware

of his presence. She turned, and realized that an oft-dreaded moment

had come. The effect upon her timidity was such that she uttered a

cry of fright. Phillotson, with a strange instinct of solicitude

quite beyond his control, was at her side just in time to prevent her

falling from faintness. She soon recovered herself, and laughed;

but when the inspector had gone there was a reaction, and she was

so white that Phillotson took her into his room, and gave her some

brandy to bring her round. She found him holding her hand.

"You ought to have told me," she gasped petulantly, "that one of the

inspector's surprise-visits was imminent! Oh, what shall I do! Now

he'll write and tell the managers that I am no good, and I shall be

disgraced for ever!"