A Day of Punishment 



fair warning ! It was intolerable ; they had, 

 according to my notions of honour at that 

 time, sneaked and taken a mean advantage. 

 A dozen times he brought the buckle end 

 of the strap down on my brown paw, and 

 twice the buckle curled round and cut my 

 knuckles ; but I felt I would die rather 

 than cry. That exasperated him, I think ; 

 he pushed his spectacles on to the top of his 

 head and asked me, with the peculiar glare 

 of a short-sighted person, whether I had had 

 enough or no. I made no reply, and dis- 

 dained to withdraw my hand. 



" Have you had enough, sir ? " he thun- 

 dered. 



I longed to say no, but I could not utter 

 a sound. He again turned to his desk and 

 brought thence a long conical-shaped cap 

 made of paper ; it was ever the climax of 

 torture for sensitive children in those days, 

 and, true to its form, invariably succeeded 

 in extinguishing the last flicker of self- 

 respect and hope in the insulted little being 

 that wore it. This he placed on my head, 

 in a way that thrust my ears unnaturally 

 outwards, then he looked at me for a 

 second or so, wiped his forehead, and 

 said, " Get on the stool." Now, the stool 

 was one of repentance, and being long in 

 the legs, was yet stood upon an inverted 

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