Honesty pays in the end ( A story)
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We shall call him Mr. X. He was a
brilliant young man, an all- rounder and was popular. No wonder he chose to
become a teacher and he did become one. He put himself to his tasks with
heart and soul and no wonder he became popular very soon. He could be seen in
the field, he would be called to address a students' audience, and he would
be the foremost in organizing any school function. Thus he became the
favorite of the Headmaster, and the envy of some of his seniors.
To mar his reputation something
serious happened. It was the annual examination and the question papers were
being set. Naturally, Mr. X being the confidant of the Headmaster was helping
the latter in collecting the question papers and sending them to the press.
But suddenly like a bolt from the
blue, two days before the Mathematics examination, the question paper was out
and it was in the hands of every boy. At first the news was a whisper and
then it became public. There was commotion in the school and the matter
reached the ears of the Headmaster. Indeed it was a shock to him and he could
not rush into any conclusion. He was a mature person but the teachers began
to view Mr. X with suspicion and though they never blamed him openly they
spread rumors that Mr. X had a hand in the pilfering of the question papers.
The rumor reached the ears of the
Headmaster. Formally he spoke to Mr. X about the leakage of the question
papers and secretly arranged for a fresh set of papers to be also printed
through Mr. X. So on the day of the examination the new set of papers was
given to the surprise and shock of all.
Mr. X had been worried when his
colleagues looked upon him with suspicion and the boys too began talking
about his alleged complicity in the leakage. The matter didn't stop there. It
had reached the ears of the management and so the Secretary wanted the
Headmaster to hold on enquiry into the conduct of Mr. X in this affair. Poor
Mr. X had been spending sleepless nights and wanted to clear his name.
Mr. X started enquiring from the
boys how they had got the paper. But the clue was not easily forthcoming as
the boys refused to talk. Mr. X would not take defeat. After all he was
popular and there were a few boys who were devoted to him. So Mr. X caught
hold of one such boy and promised him complete secrecy and protection. The
boy was reluctant at first but at last began slowly yielding to persuasion.
He told Mr. X how he got hold of the copy of the question paper and also the
modus operandi behind the debacle.
It had all happened this way. The
question paper packets had been sent by post to the press to be printed. The
packets were sent through the peon to the post office. One of the boys who
was poor in Mathematics and who wanted to pass bought the peon with a bribe
and got the question paper packets from him. He had it copied and then
repacked the original packet and posted it.
The boy with the question paper
could not keep his secret contained. He circulated copies of it to his
intimate friends who in their turn gave it to other boys until every student
was having one copy of the Mathematics paper.
The information from the boy was
passed on discreetly to the Headmaster who enquired very tactfully. The boy
who had actually master-minded the plan refused to speak the truth, but the
peon under threat of dismissal admitted his having parted with the question
papers to the boy. When confronted by the guilty peon, the boy could not hold
his fort. He had to admit his guilt. Mr. X was relieved and now he could go
about his duties with a clear mind.
His honor was restored by the
management of the school as well as the public. Thus honesty always pays.
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