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impressiveness being at an end; for even the gravest sentiments were constantly
being received with a smothered burst of unholy mirth, under cover of some
remote pew-back, as if the poor parson had said a rarely facetious thing. It was a
genuine relief to the whole congregation when the ordeal was over and the
benediction pronounced.

Tom Sawyer went home quite cheerful, thinking to himself that there was some
satisfaction about divine service when there was a bit of variety in it. He had but
one marring thought; he was willing that the dog should play with his pinch-
bug, but he did not think it was upright in him to carry it off.