class pretended to be willing that I should know all
the affair. You pretended to be willing to tell me the whole, but when I
call upon you for the information, instead of telling me honestly, you
attempt to amuse me by little trifles, which in reality made no
disturbance, and you omit the things which you know were the real
objects of my inquiries. Am I right in my supposition?"

They were silent. After a moment's pause, one perhaps raised her hand,
and began now to confess something, which she had before concealed.

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 anything 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."

"Why, don't you remember that you got me a new baize?"

"No; I ordered a dozen new baizes at that time, but I do not remember
who they were for."

There was a pause; the disappointed complainants seemed not to know what
to do.

"I will tell you what to do. Bring the case into court and I will try
it, regularly."

"Why, Mr. B.!