They came to our school for a short time as evacuees. They said they were not brothers, but from the same school, and their grey woolen well-pressed -looking uniforms said that their school was a posh one.

Godfrey was quiet, staying close to Geoffrey and nodding his head as Geoffrey made clear that our school, our teachers, the meals that Mrs. Gilson cooked, and our playing field across the lane were all beneath their station.  After a few days most of our class felt the same way about them. I liked the pond, one of our favorite places to play, especially in spring, when we could find frog spawn to bring into school in a big tub. We could watch the bubbly stuff develop tiny black spots that became tadpoles week by week, grew legs and finally became miniature frogs that got tipped back into the pond, under the hawthorn bush to finish their growing.  I thought that Godfrey might like knowing about the tadpoles, but when I tried talking to him, he turned his head away. 

Geoffrey seemed to get angrier until he would stand by his desk at the start of each day just looking down, and sort of fall into his seat as our teacher came in. As his turn came to answer a question, he stayed quiet.  Miss Smith asked him to stand up and give his answer. Godfrey nudged him but he shook Godfrey away.  I was in my desk by the wall, several rows away from him but I saw him go red in the face.  He stood up and picked up his book, stood still for some moments, and then it was like some power took him. He threw the book. It sailed over the three rows in front of him and hit the blackboard.

The room was very quiet, everyone looked at Miss Smith.  Her face was calm as she walked to Geoffrey’s desk with his book in her hand.  Everyone’s face looked like I felt – stunned, wondering what could be happening in our school.  Miss Smith put the book down on Geoffrey’s desk, tapped him on the shoulder and asked if he had an answer to the question.  He said nothing, just looked down at his desk and shrugged his shoulders.  Our teacher was a kind woman but a stern teacher.  She brooked no disruption in behavior, so our classroom was peaceful.

Now she grabbed him around the knees and picked him up and put him over her shoulder.  I remember her face as she struggled with his wriggling and kicking, but she didn’t let go.  Everyone gasped with all this going on.  I felt like shouting and laughing as he thrashed about, kicking over the blackboard as Miss Smith made her way into the Big Room telling us to sit down, because some were following.  Oh! how I wanted to go and see what happened to him.  I think it was Janet, who sat across the aisle from Godfrey that leaned across to him and said something.  He leaned away from her and turned his head away. 

There was no doubt about what happened to Geoffrey, and at first I was glad because he deserved it after his behavior.  But the slapping sound of the ruler went on and the voice of shock and pain went on, and some of those in my classroom began counting and giggling.  It all changed from a naughty boy misbehaving to an ugly, cruel happening that I would hate having in my memory.

July 2023