The secretary, to my relief and her credit, did not comment. However, it would have been impossible for her not to have heard or recognised what was happening to me inside her boss’s office. I collected the note and gave it to my teacher. My afternoon lessons were very uncomfortable, and concentrating was difficult because my bum was so sore.
My parents read the note Mrs Hamilton had written. They praised me for being brave and coming forward, and they made no mention of my punishment for being out of bounds.
Now to the contents of the letter, which I found all those years later.