the cane a waggle when descending, which would double its nip. Item,
that Elsie Dundas offered to receive Francie Crabb's punishment for two
snaps. Item, that Master Gavin Dishart, for what he considered the honor
of his school, though aware he was imperilling his soul, fought Hendry
Dickie of Cathro's for saying Miss Ailie could not draw blood with one
stroke.

The effect on Miss Ailie of these mortifying discoveries could be read
in the paragraph headed A MOTHER'S METHOD, which was copied from a
newspaper. Mrs. E----, it seems, was the mother of four boys (residing
at D----), and she subjected them frequently to corporal chastisement
without permanent spiritual result. Mrs. E----, by the advice of another
lady, Mrs. K---- (mother of six), then had recourse to the following
interesting experiment. Instead of punishing her children physically
when they misbehaved, she now in their presence wounded herself by
striking her left hand severely with a ruler held in the right. Soon
their better natures were touched, and the four implored her to desist,
promising with tears never to offend again. From that hour Mrs.
E---- had little trouble with her boys.

It was recorded in the blue and white book how Miss Ailie gave this plan
a fair trial, but her boys must have been darker characters than Mrs.
E----'s, for it merely set them to watching each other, so that they
might cry out, "Pandy yourself quick, Miss Ailie; Gavin Dishart's
drawing the devil on his slate." Nevertheless, when Miss Ailie announced
a return to more conventional methods, Francie was put up (with threats)
to say that he suffered agonies of remorse every time she pandied
herself for him, but the thing had been organized in a hurry and Francie
was insufficiently primed, and on cross-examination he let out that he
thought remorse was a swelling of the hands.

Miss Ailie was very humble-minded, and her entries under THE TEACHER
TAUGHT were all admonitions for herself. Thus she chided herself for
cowardice because "Delicate private reasons have made me avoid all
mention of India in the geography classes. Kitty says quite calmly
that this is fair neither to our pupils nor to I---- M----. The
courage of Kitty in this matter is a constant rebuke to me." Except
on a few occasions Mr. McLean found that he was always referred to as
I---- M----.

Quite early in the volume Miss Ailie knew that her sister's hold on life
was loosening. "How bright the world suddenly se