Mr. Midshipman Easy | Page 9

teeth closed, and lips compressed, as much as to say, "If I only
dared, would not I, that's all!" and then walked out of the room,
repaired to the carriage at the front door, when he showed his hands to
the coachman, who looked down from his box in great commiseration,
at the same time fully sharing his fellow-servant's indignation. But we
must repair to the parlour. Dr Middleton ran over a newspaper, while
Johnny sat on the chair all of a heap, looking like a lump of sulks, with
his feet on the upper front bar, and his knees almost up to his nose. He
was a promising pupil, Jack.
Mr Bonnycastle made his appearance-a tall, well-built, handsome, fair
man, with a fine powdered head, dressed in solemn black and knee
buckles; his linen beautifully clean, and with a peculiar bland
expression of countenance. When he smiled he showed a row of teeth
white as ivory, and his mild blue eye was the ne plus ultra of
beneficence. He was the beau-ideal of a preceptor, and it was
impossible to see him and hear his mild pleasing voice, without
wishing that all your sons were under his protection. He was a ripe
scholar, and a good one, and at the time we speak of, had the care of
upwards of one hundred boys. He was celebrated for turning them out
well, and many of his pupils were rising fast in the senate, as well as
distinguishing themselves in the higher Professions.
Dr Middleton, who was on intimate terms with Bonnycastle, rose as he
entered the room, and they shook hands. Middleton then turned to
where Jack sat, and pointing to him, said, "Look there."

Bonnycastle smiled. "I cannot say that I have had worse, but I have
almost as bad. I will apply the Promethean torch, and soon vivify that
rude mass. Come, sit down, Middleton."
"But," said the Doctor, as he resumed his chair, "tell me, Bonnycastle,
how you will possibly manage to lick such a cub into shape, when you
do not resort to flogging?"
"I have no opinion of flogging, and therefore I do not resort to it. The
fact is, I was at Harrow myself, and was rather a pickle. I was called up
as often as most boys in the school, and I perfectly recollect, that
eventually I cared nothing for a flogging. I had become case-hardened.
It is the least effective part that you can touch a boy upon. It leaves
nothing behind to refresh their memories."
"I should have thought otherwise."
"My dear Middleton, I can produce more effect by one caning than
twenty floggings. Observe, you flog upon a part the most quiescent; but
you cane upon all parts, from the head to the heels. Now, when once
the first sting of the birch is over, then a dull sensation comes over the
part, and the pain after that is nothing; whereas a good sound caning
leaves sores and bruises in every part, and on all the parts which are
required for muscular action. After a flogging, a boy may run out in the
hours of recreation, and join his playmates as well as ever, but a good
caning tells a very different tale; he cannot move one part of his body
without being reminded for days by the pain of the punishment he has
undergone, and he is very careful how he is called up again."
"My dear sir, I really had an idea that you were excessively lenient,"
replied Middleton, laughing; "I am glad that I am under a mistake."
"Look at that cub, Doctor, sitting there more like a brute than a
reasonable being; do you imagine that I could ever lick it into shape
without strong measures? At the same time, allow me to say, that I
consider my system by far the best. At the public schools, punishment
is no check; it is so trifling that it is derided: with me punishment is
punishment in the true sense of the word, and the consequence is, that it

is much more seldom resorted to."
"You are a terrorist, Bonnycastle."
"The two strongest impulses in our nature are fear and love. In theory,
acting upon the latter is very beautiful; but in practice, I never found it
to answer,-and for the best of reasons, our self-love is stronger than our
love for others. Now I never yet found fear to fail, for the very same
reason that the other does, because with fear we act upon self-love, and
nothing else."
"And yet we have many now who would introduce a system of
schooling without correction; and who maintain that the present system
is degrading."
"There are a great many fools in this world, Doctor."
"That reminds me of this boy's