She displayed a capacity for cruelty I would never have expected, gleefully slashing Mr. Straw as though he’d done her wrong. I was the opposite, making a few timid cuts and looking to Calder after every one, silently asking to be allowed back to my seat. Calder had no mercy and made me complete each lesson, despite noting the shaking of my hands and the quaver in my voice as I bade Mr. Straw to give up whichever secret we had decided to pretend that he held. Mr. Straw was singularly enduring, refusing to answer our interrogations and taking every cut without a change to his painted face. I prayed he would never be replaced with a real victim.
While I did not enjoy the content of our education, I cannot disparage its quality. Calder taught us how to wring any secret from a man. He taught
