It worked at the time, though – at least I always believed it). I was saved by the fact that they had threatened the grade five boy – it was made clear to me that stealing to save myself wouldn’t have been considered reasonable, but stealing to save him was. And I didn’t correct my form master as to my priorities. I was in some trouble for not telling the school after the first incident, but I was let off with a warning and sent back to class – where the entire class was disappointed to discover I hadn’t been beaten to death.
My school contacted the school the other kids came from – and after lunch my form master – and I can remember his anger as he said it – told me that their school had decided to give them detention.