As soon, therefore, as I became aware that Obrego had been apprehended drinking alcohol on school premises by our Head of Slavonic Studies, Mr King, and that he had compounded his action by going on to attack Mr King verbally in a most insulting manner I summoned the errant boy to my office. Obrego, it must be said, appeared to tally unrepentant.

Given his hitherto largely unblemished school record, I had up until this stage, hoped to be able to reason the boy out of his wayward attitude. But it was now clear that only the most severe chastisement - and attack on his assumed bravado and machismo - would be enough to deal with the situation.