for the sake of her mere private convenience, give her permission to speak or to leave her seat.  If, for example, a teacher should say to you in your class, “As soon as you have performed a certain work you may bring it to me,” you would, in bringing it, be acting under her direction, and would consequently do right.  If, however, you should want a pencil, and should ask her to give you leave to borrow it, even if she should give you leave you would do wrong to go, for you would not be acting at her direction, but simply by her consent, and she has no authority to grant consent.

2.  The second case in which you may leave your seat is when some very uncommon occurrence takes place, which is sufficient reason for suspending all rules.  If your neighbor is faint, you may speak to her, and, if necessary, lead her out.  If your mother or some other friend should come into the school-room, you can go and sit with her upon the sofa, and talk about the school.[6] And so in many other similar cases.  Be very careful not to abuse this privilege, and make slight causes the grounds of your exceptions.  It ought to be a very clear case.  If a young lady is unwell in a trifling degree, so as to need no assistance, you would evidently do wrong to talk to her.  The rule, in fact, is very similar to that which all well-bred people observe at church.  They never speak or leave their seats unless some really important cause, such as sickness, requires them to break over all rules and go out.  You have, in the same manner, in really important cases, such as serious sickness in your own case or in that of your companions, or the coming in of a stranger, or any thing else equally extraordinary, power to lay aside any rule, and to act as the emergency may require.  In using this discretion, however, be sure to be on the safe side.  In such cases, never ask permission.  You must act on your own responsibility.

[Footnote 6:  A sofa was placed against the wall, by the side of the teachers’ for the accommodation of visitors.]

Reasons for this rule.—­When the school was first established, there was no absolute prohibition of whispering.  Each scholar was allowed to whisper in relation to her studies.  They were often, very often, enjoined to be conscientious and faithful, but, as might have been anticipated, the experiment failed.  It was almost universally the practice to whisper more or less about subjects entirely foreign to the business of the school.  This all the scholars repeatedly acknowledged; and they almost unanimously admitted that the good of the school required the prohibition of all communication during certain hours.  I gave them their choice, either always to ask permission when they wished to speak, or to have a certain time allowed for the purpose, during which free intercommunication might be allowed to all the school, with the understanding, however, that, out of this time, no permission should ever be asked