The Headmaster

Even as a young man, Robert Bainbridge knew that he wanted to be a Headmaster. In spite of the few times he had to present himself to the Headmaster's office to have his bottom caned, he never forgot the words of his own Headmaster, Mr. Fordyce who explained it as a rite of passage.
When Robert became a teacher and found it necessary to send a student to the Headmaster for discipline, he often observed the student's punishment and found the procedure to be effective and intoxicating.
After marrying his childhood sweetheart, the couple moved to Leedsport where Robert finally got his opportunity to be Headmaster of a mixed school in the small fishing community. The cane, the tawse, and even his hand became the messengers to his students and faculty that rules were meant to be obeyed.