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After some hours had passed, the head teacher said to me, "The adjoining classroom needs sweeping. Take the broom and sweep it."
几个小时后，校长对我说：“隔壁的教室该打扫了。拿扫把去扫一下吧。”
It occurred to me at once that here was my chance. I swept the classroom three times. Then I got a dusting-cloth and I dusted it four times. All the woodwork around the walls, every bench, table, and desk, I went over four times with my dusting-cloth. I had the feeling that in a large measure my future depended upon the impression I made upon the teacher in the cleaning of that room. When I was through, I reported to the head teacher. She was a woman who knew just where to look for dirt. She went into the room and inspected the floor and closets; then she took her handkerchief and rubbed it on the woodwork about the walls, and over the table and benches. When she was unable to find one bit of dirt on the floor, or a particle of dust on any of the furniture, she quietly remarked, "I guess you will do to enter this institution."
我立刻意识到，机会来了。我把那间教室扫了三遍。然后找来抹布，把房间抹了四遍。墙边所有的木制部分，每一张长凳、餐桌、课桌，都用抹布擦了四遍。我有种感觉，在很大程度上，我的前途就取决于我打扫这房间给校长留下的印象。打扫完之后，我就去向校长汇报。这个女人非常清楚到哪儿去找灰尘。她走进房间，检查地板和橱柜；然后拿出手絹，在墙上的木制部分上，在餐桌和长凳上擦。她在地板上找不到一粒尘土，所有的家具上面也都找不到一点灰尘，她轻声说，“我觉得你可以进这所学院了。”
I was one of the happiest souls on earth. The sweeping of that room was my college examination, and never did any youth pass an examination for entrance into Harvard or Yale that gave him more genuine satisfaction. I have passed several examinations since then, but I have always felt that this was the best one I ever passed.
我感觉自己是全世界最幸福的人了。打扫教室就是我的大学人学考试，任何一个通过哈佛或耶鲁入学考试的年轻人，所体会到的由衷满足也不过如此吧。在那以后我通过了其他考试，但我一直觉得这是我成绩最好的一次。
