The Lesson

Claude Patrick

This was a most helpful young man. He behaved himself on the walk like a true friend, saying comforting things, and inquiring about this or that. He seemed to have paid no attention to whatever cruel things his sisters had said, and in fact, demonstrated complete ignorance even of their existence.

— Sisters? said he. Those are just my half-sisters. My father has nothing to do with them and neither do I. Spiteful creatures. Do you know what I caught them doing the other day? They had been denied money for one reason or another and so they were angry. They went together into that field by the house and found a turtle and when I saw them they had cracked open its shell with a hammer. They were removing the turtle completely from its shell and it was crying out in pain. It sounded like a cat being squeezed to death. I will never forget it.

Loring stared at Claude with an appalled look on her face.

— What did you do then?

— I cuffed them about a bit, and used a shovel to put the turtle out of its misery.

He wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

— Anyway, he said. You can see you got off easy if they were mean to you. That’s the least they can do.