u made such a noise yesterday that the teacher next door had to stop
teaching. She rightly complained. Now I want to ask you what you are
going to do about it."

"You should keep us in order," said Findlay, a boy of eleven.

"I refuse," I said; "it isn't my job."

This raised a lively discussion; the majority seemed to agree with
Findlay.

"Anyway," I said doggedly, "I refuse to be your policeman," and I sat
down.

There was much talking, and then Joy got up.

"I think we ought to settle it by a meeting, and I propose Diana as
chairman."

The idea was hailed with delight, and Diana was elected chairman and
she took my desk seat and I went and sat down in her place.

Joy jumped up again.

"I propose that Mr. Neill be put out of the room."

The motion was carried.

"Righto!" I said, as I moved to the door, "I'll go up to the staff-room
and have a smoke. Send for me if you want me."

I smoked a cigarette in the staff-room, and as I threw the stump into
the grate Nancy came in.

"You can come down now."

I went down.

"Well," I said cheerily, "have you decided anything?"

"Yes," said the chairman, "we have decided that----"

Joy was on her feet at once.

"I propose that we don't tell Mr. Neill what we have decided. We can
ask him at the end of the week if he notices any difference in our
behaviour."

Others objected, and the matter was put to the vote. The voting was a
draw, and Diana gave the casting vote in favour of my being told. Then
she said that the meeting had agreed that if anyone made a row in
class, he or she was to be sent to Coventry for a whole day.

"What will happen if I speak to the one that has been sent to
Coventry?" asked Wolodia.

"We'll send you to Coventry too," said Diana, and the meeting murmured
agreement.

No one was ever sent to Coventry, but I had no further complaints
against the class. One interesting feature in the affair was this:
Violet, a lively girl full of fun, one day got up and, as a joke,
proposed that Mr. Neill be sent to Coventry. The others, usually
willing to laugh with Violet, protested.

"That's just silly, Violet," they said. "If you propose silly things
like that we'll send you to Coventry."

Then someone got up and proposed that Violet be sent to Coventry for
being silly, and Diana at once took the chair. I got up and moved the
negative, pointing out that I made no charge against her, and she was
acquitted by a majority of one. I m