The teacher, however, interrupted her by saying,
"I do not wish to have the confession made now. I gave you all time to
do that, and now I should rather not hear any more about the disorder. I
gave an opportunity to have it acknowledged, but it was not honestly
improved, and now I should rather not hear. I shall probably never know.
"I wished to see whether this class would be honest--really honest, or
whether they would have the insincerity to pretend to be confessing when
they were not doing so honestly, so as to get the credit of being frank
and sincere, when in reality they are not so. Now am I not compelled to
conclude that this latter is the case?"
Such an example will make a deep and lasting impression. It will show
that the teacher is upon his guard; and there are very few so hardened
in deception that they would not wish that they had been really sincere
rather than rest under such an imputation.
8. Court.--A pupil, quite young (says a teacher), came to me one day
with a complaint that one of her companions had got her seat. There had
been some changes in the seats by my permission, and probably, from some
inconsistency in the promises which I had made, there were two claimants
for the same desk. The complainant came to me, and appealed to my
recollection of the circumstance.
"I do not recollect any thing about it," said I.
"Why, Mr. B.!" replied she, with astonishment.
"No," said I; "you forget that I have, every day, arrangements, almost
without number, of such a kind to make, and as soon as I have made one I
immediately forget all about it.
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