Irish scandal

Years ago, at school in north west England I had a left-handed friend. LHF was very shy and under confident. When she blushed, and she blushed often, she blushed well. The pink would visibly rise up her face. Years later, she told me how when she was in reception class at her Catholic convent, the headmistress nun used to smack her across the back of her left hand with the wooden ruler. Try it on yourself. It stings with a plastic ruler. The headmistress was so cross that my friend was left handed that she kept her down a year before letting her into the next infant class.

That nun accused me of 'dragon-tears', and answering back, but didn't smack me. I can't remember if she was Irish, but there were a lot of Irish Catholics in the north-west. Nuns and clergy were held in great respect, and had much power. So I'm not surprised, though I'm sad to see here how much worse it was in Ireland.

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Dragon-tears were false tears - putting it on - crying to impress a hard-hearted nun - and I didn't know what she meant