It didn’t *have* to be something bad – it was not unknown for the Headmaster to summon someone to commend them on their behavior.
But you tended to think the worst.
And it didn’t help that I walked past a Year 7 on his way to the toilets,
who saw me looking at the slip and felt compelled to tell me not to worry because the strap didn’t hurt that much.
I arrived at the office and the secretary told me to head straight on through. And I found myself in the Headmaster’s office.
He was pleasant, even smiling.
And I thought that was a good sign – not so, as it happened.
The Headmaster was a priest and he was a very nice man, even while he punished you.
He rarely got angry (but when he did, it was terrifying) no matter what a boy had done.