I don’t know whether these excuses were ever checked. Failure to do homework on time was another area where it was sometimes worth a try: “But, sir. I did my homework. Honestly, sir, I did. But I left it home. I forgot to put in in my bag.” Just once in a while that one worked, but not very often. I don’t recall anyone trying to get out of a whacking by arguing that he had been unable to revise for a test. The prospects of success would have been slim, so I don’t think people even made the attempt. It might have made things worse. I don’t think the teachers would ever have accepted such an excuse because it would not have been fair on the other boys who were being slippered for failing the same test.