A Day of Punishment 



caricature resemblances to all my friends 

 and relations in the lines of the cracked 

 plaster ; this last affording me some little 

 grim pleasure. 



Suddenly I caught the eye of Master 

 Blocker, and in sheer bravado I grinned at 

 him. Up went his hand to hail his father's 

 attention, " Please sir, Master Hyde's a 

 larfin," piped the mean imp, and roused 

 the master, who, what with irritation at the 

 second interruption of his morning's read- 

 ing, and an overwhelming certainty that I 

 must have been laughing at him, flew into 

 a very fine rage, dragged me down from the 

 stool and shook me till I could hardly see. 

 *' I'll mend your manners for you, you 

 young cub," he said ; and then followed 

 such a thrashing as I hope no child may 

 ever again endure ; beginning with flash 

 upon flash of stinging pain, growing by 

 repetition to a steady flame of agony ; 

 while every cut that he gave me lashed the 

 man himself into a blinder fury, and made 

 the room for me spin round and round like a 

 tee-to-tum, until utterly unable to stand I 

 curled up and fell at his feet. Even then, 

 swish, swish came the cane over my arms 

 and neck until his own arm must have fairly 

 ached. Bending over me with the palsy 

 of rage in his every limb and a breathless 



