[Sidenote: Quiet Manners]
After three weeks’ work following the holidays, Miss Herbert found
school-room conditions in Farmerstown gradually declining. A series of
annoyances was instituted; certain troubles seemed to become the
fashion, then die and give place to new ones, none very serious but all
disconcerting. Awaking finally to the situation, she decided to watch
for the next outbreak and deal with it severely.
“Louis Fischer, you dropped your pencil on purpose, I just believe!” and
before she was done with the sentence another and another went
clattering on the floor.
Her eye fell next on Arthur Boyd. “Now, Arthur, I’ve stood this just as
long as I can. You two can just as well begin behaving properly at once.
Get up, both of you! Stand on your seats until I give you permission to
get down.”
With open-mouthed wonder, the two mounted their seats as ordered and
watched with glee the complete absorption of the other pupils in this
novel sight. Some pretence of work was maintained for fifteen minutes
until the two were ordered down from their seats.
The results were not satisfactory. The children felt somewhat insulted
at this form of punishment, at the same time some of them wanted to star
as the object of general attention.