Swami hoped that with this his father would be made to see why he must avoid school for the day.

But Father’s behaviour took an unexpected turn.

He proposed to send a letter with Swami to the headmaster.

No amount of protest from Swami would make him change his mind.

By the time Swami was ready to leave for school, Father had composed a long letter to the headmaster.

He put it in an envelope and sealed it.

“What have you written, Father?” Swami asked apprehensively.

‘Nothing for you. Give it to your headmaster and go to your class.”

“Have you written anything about our teacher Samuel?”

“Yes. Plenty of things.”

“What has he done, Father?”

“Everything is there in the letter. Give it to your headmaster.”

Swami went to school feeling that he was the worst boy on earth.

His conscience bothered him.

He wasn’t at all sure if his description of Samuel had been accurate.

He felt he had mixed up the real and the imagined.

Swami stopped on the roadside to make up his mind about Samuel.

Samuel was not such a bad man after all.

Personally he was much more friendly than the other teachers.

Swami also felt Samuel had a special regard for him.

Swami’s head was dizzy with confusion.

He could not decide if Samuel really deserved the allegations made against him in the letter.

The more he thought of Samuel, the more Swami grieved for him.

To recall Samuel’s dark face, his thin moustache, unshaven cheek and yellow coat filled Swaminathan with sorrow.