leave. I would stand no more. If in all the wide world and the whole
of life this was the only use for me, then I would die--take my own life
if necessary.

Things progressed as usual next morning. I attended to my duties and
marched my scholars into the schoolroom at the accustomed hour. There was
no decided insubordination during the morning, but I felt Jimmy was
waiting for an opportunity to defy me. It was a fearful day, possessed by
a blasting wind laden with red dust from Riverina, which filled the air
like a fog. The crockery ware became so hot in the kitchen that when
taking it into the dining-room we had to handle it with cloths. During
the dinner-hour! slipped away unnoticed to where some quince-trees were
growing and procured a sharp rod, which I secreted among the flour-bags
in the schoolroom. At half-past one I brought my scholars in and ordered
them to their work with a confident air. Things went without a ripple
until three o'clock, when the writing lesson began. Jimmy struck his pen
on the bottom of the bottle every time he replenished it with ink.

"Jimmy," I gently remonstrated, "don't jab your pen like that--it will
spoil it. There is no necessity to shove it right to the bottom."

Jab, jab, went Jimmy's pen.

"Jimmy, did you hear me speak to you?"

Jab went the pen.

"James, I am speaking to you!"

Jab went the pen again.

"James," I said sternly, "I give you one more chance."

He deliberately defied me by stabbing into the ink-bottle with increased
vigour. Liza giggled triumphantly, and the little ones strove to emulate
her. I calmly produced my switch and brought it smartly over the
shoulders of my refractory pupil in a way that sent the dust in a cloud
from his dirty coat, knocked the pen from his fingers, and upset the ink.

He acted as before--yelled ear-drum-breakingly, letting the saliva from
his distended mouth run on his copy-book. His brothers and sisters also
started to roar, but bringing the rod down on the table, I threatened to
thrash every one of them if they so much as whimpered; and they were so
dumbfounded that they sat silent in terrified surprise.
Jimmy continued to bawl. I hit him again.

"Cease instantly, sir."

Through the cracks Mrs M'Swat could be seen approaching. Seeing her,
Jimmy hollered anew. I expected her to attack me. She stood five feet
nine inches, and weighed about sixteen stones; I measured five feet one
inch, and turned the scale at eight stones--sc