A curious aspect of this is that there were times when I had to wait longer, knowing I was to be caned, such as a note in the register to report to the headmaster after school, or at afternoon break when you knew you were in trouble. This made for an unpleasant day and little sympathy from classmates.
On this occasion, I had no reason to think I was going to be punished, indeed, sat in the foyer I had convinced myself that I was not. However, the foyer was out of bounds to pupils, except those with business with the headmaster’s or secretary office. The only people passing through here were teachers on their way from/to the staffroom, on the floor above, to their classes. During my wait, more than one of my teachers seeing me in the foyer remarked to me “In trouble again Weston?” or words to that effect. In spite of my confident denial, I can well remember the doubts beginning to surface. It was a long and boring wait, with an (almost) unexpected conclusion