Another extract from Confessions and Experiences, the first memoir of the infamous Edith Cadivec, first published in 1930. Here, Cadivec describes how, as a child, she would deliberately get playmates into trouble in order to witness the punishments which inevitably followed.
At home, there was a lively traffic of families with whom my parents were friends, and they often came to visit us with their children. But, especially, the reciprocal invitations among school friends offered me an opportunity to practice my inclinations. I ran around with children of my own age, or younger, and even with small tots, whom I directed at my pleasure and ruled over.