Botchan by Soseki Natsume

Author:Soseki Natsume
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, azw3
ISBN: 0 8048 3703 1
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing

In a few moments, Porcupine stood up again and said, "Just now I forgot to say a little more; I left it unsaid, and I'll add it. It seems that the teacher on duty that night went out to take a bath at the hot spring. It was an act inexcusable for him to do. Was not he responsible as night watch for the care and safety of the whole school? But seeing there was nobody to stop him, he boldly went out and where do you think he went? Why, the hot spring was the destination of his deliberate choice. It was cen tainly a great blunder on his part. Although this should have nothing to do with the students' punishment, yet I hope the principal will give admonition to the one who is responsible for this neglect of duty."

Strange fellow! No sooner had he praised me than he tried to make my mistake public. I knew that my predecessor had gone out while on night duty. I thought it was the custom, and so I went out to the hot spring. Nov I saw by his remark that I was wrong and that I had no way to defend myself if attacked. Whereupon I stood up again and said that I was wrong to go out to the spring while on night watch; that I was very sorry and humbly begged pardon. On resuming my seat, I was greeted with a volley of laughter from the teachers. "You unworthy fellows!" said I to myself, "Can you frankly confess before the public that you have been wrong! You laugh because you cannot."

Then the principal said that he would take no more of our precious time as he knew that opinions had been exhaustively advanced from every viewpoint, and that he would take necessary steps after careful consideration. By the way, the punishment was that the boarders were forbidden to leave the dormitory for a week; moreover, they had to come out and apologize to me. Had they obstinately refused to do so, I would have resigned and gone home; but as it unfortunately came to pass as I had wished to have it done, a very extraordinary event ensued of which you shall hear afterward. Then the principal, saying it as a part of the meeting, added as follows: "The manners of the boys must be corrected and improved by the good influence of the teachers. As the first step, I should like to ask the teachers not to frequent restaurants save in the case of a farewell party. I should also like to have the practices of going alone to a place of suspicious nature stopped, for instance, a buckwheat, or a dumpling shop and—." He was interrupted in his speech by the teachers' bursting into a great laughter. Noda, the Clown, turning toward Porcupine said tempura and tried to get response from him by winking, but he paid no attention to his addresses. It served him right!

Having

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