She took a pencil out of her pocket, and wrote on a bit of paper these names; and headed them with these dreadful words: "All intolerably insolent."[2]
David C——e, Theodore S——a,
Joseph S——d, Edward R——d,
George R——s, George B——h,
Joseph H——l, Jacob J——s,
James P——y, Benny L——e.
"Oh dear!" I repeated, quite miserable to hear such a bad account, for some of these boys I had believed to be excellent children. "I will come in the school room, Miss H——, as soon as you are settled, and speak to them."
[2] Do not be in a hurry to believe this, as I think you will find it something of a mistake.
Nearly all the managers were sewing in one of the parlors; I went in and said, "I am going to frighten ten bad boys out of their wits."
The ladies all burst out laughing. "The idea of your frightening a child," they said. "Won't you let us come in and see the fun?"
"You had better take your pocket handkerchiefs out if you do, for you will be more likely to cry than laugh; but I won't let you come at all. It is too serious a matter."
They laughed at me again, and pretended to believe that I meant to give the children a stick of candy apiece; but I walked into the great school room, looking very serious, and I felt very serious too, when I saw one of the boys standing in the corner for punishment. Going up to the teacher's desk, I said, "Miss H——, don't you think it would be a good plan to take all the good children to Central Park some day?"
