against my lips. I had clearly seen who had propelled it. In a moment, I was on my feet and, raising with my two hands as high as I could the petticoats which impeded my progress, rushed towards the authoress of the insult. For it was a girl, though all, girls and boys alike, were in petticoats. I did not reflect that I ouhgt to have been able to. feel only contempt for my agressor. I had, however, not reckoned with the horrid heels of my hateful boots. At the moment when I reached my foe, who, for her part, was so terrified that she made no attempt to escape and contented herself by manifesting her fear in heartrending shrieks, my heels slipped beneath me and I fell down headlong on the floor. I nevertheless had time to seize and cling fast to the girl whom I thus dragged with me from her seat in my fall. By a vigorous twist of my body, I got on top of her holding her down while dealing at the same time several sound blows with my fist upon her face. Meantime she shrieked 'Help! Help! Murder!' with all her might.
The thin wiry arms of Mrs. Stuart came and rescued the little girl from my terrible grip.
The lean mistress, without a moment's hesitation, had rushed down the steps of her desk, covering at a gallop the few yards which separated her from the writhing mass on the floor, while the boys clapped their hands with delight at each blow I gave. The girls wept with fear.
Mrs. Stuart pinched and twisted my ears between her crooked fingers. I at once released my victim and rose to my feet. My enemy lay motionless on the ground, her legs stretched out. One would have imagined she was dead, had not her deep breathing and the rise and fall of her bosom proved her to still belong to the land of the living. The mistress, still holding my ear, led me back to, my place, which I reached after several stumbles due to my heels and in a very crestfallen state of mind.
Mrs. Stuart stood before me as I sat at my desk. She haughtily surveyed me with her arms crossed upon her breast, then, touching me here and there she examined the damage done to my costume. The beautiful azureblue silk sash was tumbled about out of recog-nition. With my right hand, I had split the fine, glazed, black kid glove which covered my arm up to the elbow and above it. And in my exceedingly short white muslin skirt was a rent. The mistress pointed out a rip here and a thear there in a hard, calm voice as through she were making an inventory.
Her tones were the same when she estimated the damage I had occasioned to the toilet of my enemy. I had indeed, in vigorously rolling the little girl on the ground, caused great disorder in her dress. One of her tine black gloves had been pulled inside out and the buttons dragged off, while the other, torn open, showed the palm of the hand.
Having finished her examination, the mistress went back to her high desh with great dignity. She announced that the lesson would stop for the time being, and that in consideration of the gravity of what had happened, she intended asking Lady Flayskin to come into the class-room to decide upon the punishment to be given after a rapid investigation had shown the relative guilt of each culprit.
In fact, she immediately despatched one of the pupils to the directress.
I did not know what was going to follow, and anyhow I little cared. I was filled with a sense of the justice ot my cause and my combative instinct had not yet subsided. I only regretted that the time had not been long enough to enable me to give my enemy much more severe punishment. I said to myself, she should lose nothing through having to wait.
Nevertheless, the profound silence which reigned in the class-room ought to have given me matter for reflection. Everyone seemed overwhelmed. It looked as if something heavy weighed upon all these young
sters; as if, in fact, things were going to happen, for ray fellow-pupils had had more experience than I.
To begin with, Lady Flayskin made a majestic entry. She was accompanied by Mr. Gostock, the austere American Puritan whose pale, cold eyes had already so strongly impressed me a short time before. As these august visitors entered, all the pupils rose in their places. I myself imitating the others. Mrs. Stuart her desk and went respectfully to meet the head-mistress.
All this ceremonial began to make me uneasy. I felt a vague apprehension that it, portended no good for me. I had a shrewd notion that the head-mistress, this haughty member of the aristocracy, was not a person who cared to be disturbed without reason.
I was right.
Mrs. Stuart began by explaining the incident in a sufficient impartial way. It was a question of laughter and balls of paper. She said that she was herself upon the point of intervening when I, in my unreasonable impatience, had taken justice into my own hands. So far she only spoke the truth. Matters took another turn when she added that I had perhaps been mistaken, for it was quite uncertain if Clara Weecock had been the culprit who had propelled the little missile, and that possibly she had paid for the offence of another. She added that Clara had, in any case, paid already, as I had rushed upon her with a storm of blows from my fists on her face. The conclusion to be established was that I was a perfect little savage who must be civilised as soon as possible or more serious results would follow.
It was in vain that I had tried to attract the kind attention of the head-mistress by adopting the usage I had learnt at the parish school. That is to say, in order to gain permission to speak, I had, with the object of correcting a mistake upon the part of the mistress, energetically rubbed my middle finger against my thumb; the finger then struck the palm and produced a loud clack. The directress turned round at this noise and looked at me. Hitherto she had not glanced in my direction. I made my signal with renewed energy, thinking I was about to obtain that permission to speak for which I was so impatient. She turned, however, to the mistress and said quietly:
'Make himp stop, please.'
There was no need to tell me to stop. I had immediately become quite still with, as it were, a heavy weight upon my heart, feeling crushed by the injustice of my treatment.
Lady Flayskin asked Mr. Gostock
What is your opinion?
he replied witkout hesitation:
'They should both be whipped.'
'That is also my opinion.'
Little Clara began to cry out, declaring that she had done nothing. This lie kindled my anger anew. I declared that it was entirely her fault ant that I had clearly seen her take aim and propel the disgusting pellet all saturated with saliva, making it strike me in the mouth.
The directress harshly told us to be quiet. She had removed her glazed, black kid glove and exhibited alarge arm very plump and white. Its appearance of strength boded ill for the unfortunate little posteriors doomed to be whipped.
Mr. Gostock interrupted her:
I beg you, my lady, don't take this trouble yourself.
The lady smiled graciously:
'Ah! I read your mind! You wish your protegee, Miss Sinclair, to administer the punishment. '
'I beg you to allow her.'
'The permission is granted. Miss Sinclair, have the kindness to apply the birch with all the energy of which you are capable. Begin with Miss Clara, so that this lout Alice may see what awaits her.'
Miss Sinclair immediately stepped forward. She was a really pretty girl of from fifteen to sixteen years of age, very slender, but with firm, rounded arms which gave redoubtable promise of that rigorous action to which Lady Flayskin had appealed.
At this moment I saw the American's dull eyes light up. There passed over them aflame,
as it were, a blaze which immediately died away again. A little colour came to his cheeks, also disappearing immediately. Doubtless he experienced pleasure in seeing this pretty girl whip naked posteriors, but he did not think it fitting to display his feelings.
Miss Sinclair had already seized hold of Clara who shrieked to her to spare her, while again declaring her innocence.
As for me, I bit my lips till they almost bled, and clenched my fists, promising myself that I would strangle hateful Miss Sinclair if she should dare to lay a hand on me. But those ridiculous gloves in which they had rigged me out, prevented me from doubling my fists as I should have liked and I felt myself insecure upon those hateful heels which made me sway even when I was not walking.
Miss Sinclair had laid a hand on Clara's shoulder who walked sobbing to receive her punishment.
She was told to lean over the big table at the foot of the high desk where the mistress sat enthroned. To speak
