How
ridiculous I have made myself appear in the eyes of my aunt, and even of
the domestics!
"In less than an hour she had the satisfaction of reciting her lesson
perfectly; her aunt made no comments on the occasion, but assigned her
the next lesson, and went on sewing. Helen did not expect this; she had
anticipated a refreshing cup of tea after the long siege. She had
expected that even something nicer than usual would be necessary to
compensate her for her past sufferings. At length, worn out by
long-continued watching and fasting, she went to the closet, provided
herself with a cracker, and retired to bed to muse deliberately on the
strange character of her aunt.
"Teachers not unfrequently threaten their pupils with some proper
punishment, but, when obliged to put the threat into execution, contrive
in some indirect way to abate its rigor, and thus destroy all its
effects. For example, a mother was in the habit, when her little boy ran
beyond his prescribed play-ground, of putting him into solitary
confinement. On such occasions, she was very careful to have some
amusing book or diverting plaything in a conspicuous part of the room,
and not unfrequently a piece of gingerbread was given to solace the
runaway. The mother thought it very strange her little boy should so
often transgress, when he knew what to expect from such a course of
conduct. The boy was wiser than the mother; he knew perfectly well how
to manage the business.
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