"Well," I said cheerily, "have you decided anything?"
"Yes," said the chairman, "we have decided that----"
Joy was on her feet at once.
"I propose that we don't tell Mr. Neill what we have decided. We can
ask him at the end of the week if he notices any difference in our
behaviour."
Others objected, and the matter was put to the vote. The voting was a
draw, and Diana gave the casting vote in favour of my being told. Then
she said that the meeting had agreed that if anyone made a row in
class, he or she was to be sent to Coventry for a whole day.
"What will happen if I speak to the one that has been sent to
Coventry?" asked Wolodia.
"We'll send you to Coventry too," said Diana, and the meeting murmured
agreement.
No one was ever sent to Coventry, but I had no further complaints
against the class. One interesting feature in the affair was this:
Violet, a lively girl full of fun, one day got up and, as a joke,
proposed that Mr. Neill be sent to Coventry. The others, usually
willing to laugh with Violet, protested.
"That's just silly, Violet," they said. "If you propose silly things
like that we'll send you to Coventry."
Then someone got up and proposed that Violet be sent to Coventry for
being silly, and Diana at once took the chair. I got up and moved the
negative, pointing out that I made no charge against her, and she was
acquitted by a majority of one. I mention this to show that children
of eleven and twelve can take their responsibilities seriously.
When I told the story to Macdonald he said: "But why didn't you join in
their noise?"
"For two reasons, Mac," I said. "Firstly these children were not under
the suppression of government schools; secondly it wasn't my school."