Placido bit his lips.
"What's your name ?" the professor asked him.
"Placido," was the curt reply.
"Aha! Placido Penitente, although you look more like Placido the Prompter--or the Prompted.

But, _Penitent_, I'm going to impose some _penance_ on you for your promptings." Pleased with his play on words, he ordered the youth to recite the lesson, and the latter, in the state of mind to which he was reduced, made more than three mistakes.

Shaking his head up and down, the professor slowly opened the register and slowly scanned it while he called off the names in a low voice.
"Palencia--Palomo--Panganiban--Pedraza--Pelado--Pelaez--Penitents, aha! Placido Penitente, fifteen unexcused absences--" Placido started up.

"Fifteen absences, Padre ?" "Fifteen unexcused absences," continued the professor, "so that you only lack one to be dropped from the roll." "Fifteen absences, fifteen absences," repeated Placido in amazement.

"I've never been absent more than four times, and with today, perhaps five." "Jesso, jesso, monseer," [31] replied the professor, examining the youth over his gold eye-glasses.