The School Examination and Revenge on Mr. Dobbins

The students plot and execute a prank on the schoolmaster during the examination day, culminating in a gilded bald head.

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Planning the Revenge

The Tyrant's Last Days The Harsh Master Mr. Dobbins, the schoolmaster, becomes increasingly severe as Examination Day approaches. The smaller boys suffer under his rod and plot revenge. They enlist the sign-painter's boy, who boards with the master and knows his habits. The Scheme On Examination Evening, the master gets drunk, as is his custom. The sign-painter's boy arranges for a cat to be lowered through a scuttle in the ceiling, clutching the master's wig. The cat is released at the climax of the evening. The Humiliation As the master draws a map of America on the blackboard, the cat descends, grabs his wig, and is pulled back up, revealing his bald head painted gold. The audience erupts in laughter, and the examination ends in chaos. The boys are avenged.

Late in the school term