The following morning he was absent again, and I sent another boy to know the reason, when the mother waited on me immediately, and assured me that she had sent the child to school.  I then produced the slate which I kept for that purpose, and informed her how many days and half-days her child had been absent during the last month, when she again assured me that she had never kept the child at home for a single half-day, nor had he ever told her that I wanted to see her; at the same time observing that be must have been decoyed away by some of the children in the neighbourhood.  She regretted that she could not afford to send him to school before, adding, that the Infant School was a blessed institution, and one, she thought, much wanted in the neighbourhood.  I need scarcely add, that both the father and mother lost no time in searching for their child, and after several hours, they found him in the nearest fruit-market with several children, pretty well stored with apples, &c., which they had, no doubt, stolen from the fruit-baskets continually placed there.  They brought him to the school, and informed me they had given him a good flogging, which I found to be correct from the marks that were on the child.  This, they said, they had no doubt would cure him; but he was not so soon conquered, for the very next day he was absent again; and after the parents had tried every experiment they could think of, in vain, they delivered him over to me, telling me I might do what I thought proper.  I tried every means I could devise with as little success, except keeping him at school after school hours; for I had a great disinclination to convert the school into a prison, as my object was, if possible, to cause the children to love the school, and I knew I could not take a more effectual method of causing them to dislike it than by keeping them there against their will.  At last I tried this experiment, but to as little purpose as the others, and I was about to exclude the child altogether as incorrigible; but unwilling that it should be said a child five years old had mastered us, I at last hit upon an expedient which had the desired effect.  The plan I adopted was to put him on an elevated situation within sight of all the children, so secured that he could not hurt himself.  I believe it was the force of ridicule that effected the cure.  This I had never tried before, and I must say I was extremely glad to witness it.  I never knew him absent without leave afterwards, and, what is more surprising, he appeared to be very fond of the school, and became a very good child.  Was not this, then, a brand plucked from the fire?