Nobody knew where it had gone, until the Señor Maestro suddenly fished it out of [p 68] a chink in the adobe wall and held it up by the tail.
“Who brought this lizard into the schoolroom?” he asked.
Tonio didn’t have to say a word. I don’t know how they could be so sure of it, but all the children pointed their fingers at Tonio and said, “He did.”
The Maestro said very sternly to Tonio, “Go out to the willow tree and bring me a strong switch,” Tonio went.
He went very slowly and came back with the willow switch more slowly still.
I think you can guess what happened next—I hope you can, for I really cannot bear to tell you about it. When it was over Tonio was sent home, while all the other children sat straight up in their seats, looking so hard at their books that they were almost cross-eyed, and studying their lessons at the top of their lungs.
If you had asked them then, they would every one have told you that they considered it very wrong to bring lizards to [p 69] school, and that under no circumstances would they ever think of doing such a thing.
III
Tonio walked slowly down the road toward his home. He didn’t cry, but he looked as if he wished he could just come across somebody else who was doing something wrong! He’d like to teach him better.