The empty place

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

On the first morning at the village school, Tom found a place beside the window. He had polished his shoes before leaving home, but now he kept one hand over a muddy mark on his sleeve. The other children were already writing. Their pencils moved quickly across the page.

Mr Ellis gave the class a sum to complete. Tom read it twice, then rubbed out his answer. A boy at the next desk finished first and turned to watch him. Tom’s face grew hot. He pushed his slate away, though he had nearly reached the end.

Mr Ellis came to stand beside him. He did not give Tom the answer. Instead, he pointed to the first line and asked which number Tom had used. Tom looked again, found his mistake and worked through the sum. When he reached the answer, he held the slate up without speaking.

The boy at the next desk had already started another sum. Tom glanced at his own muddy sleeve, then turned the slate over and began again. This time, when his pencil paused, he did not push the slate away.

“The writer successfully presents Tom’s changing feelings about being at the village school.”

Evaluate how successfully the writer presents this idea. In your response, you should consider Tom’s feelings at the beginning, how they change during the lesson, and what the ending suggests about him.