Le Mystérieux Cercle Benedict, Tome 4 : L'enfance extraordinaire de Mr Benedict

Nicholas simply didn't have it in him to give in to bullies. He never had. If they wanted to humiliate him, they were going to have to work for it.

Nicholas got shakily to his feet. He felt as if he had been taken apart and put back together again with all his parts in the wrong places. Everything seemed to hurt. Nothing seemed right.

“That’s perfectly draconian,” Nicholas said.
“I’m sure it is,” John agreed. “But listen, Nick, if you’re going to keep using words like that, you’ll have to start giving the definitions.”

It was plain by now that Mr. Pileus was neither an especially handy handyman nor a mechanically minded mechanic. He did have a knack for noticing problems, but their solutions generally evaded him.

In fact, you would do well to model yourself after John—makes himself useful (…) Indeed, much of the time one would not even know he’s here. » Mr. Collum said this last part with special emphasis, as if there were no greater virtue in a child than appearing to be absent.

“Nine,” John repeated, and he shook his head. “You don’t sound it. I’m twelve, you know, and I’m ‘fairly certain’ I’ve never heard a kid use the word ‘induce’.”