The corrected order

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

Clara was closing the order book when Mr Lorne drew a heavy pencil line beneath Mrs Wren's name. He had written twelve loaves in the space where the woman had requested two. Clara remembered the request because Mrs Wren had counted the coins twice before placing them on the counter.

"Leave it as it stands," said Mr Lorne. "I have marked the orders for this morning." Clara held the book open, but the master's hand covered the entry. The delivery boy was already carrying the basket towards the door. She looked at the money beside the till and then at the number on the page.

"Mr Lorne," she said, "Mrs Wren asked for two." He told her that an assistant should not question every decision. Clara's face grew hot, yet she did not close the book. She asked him to look at the line again, explaining that the number had been written over a fainter one and that the money Mrs Wren had left could not pay for twelve.

Mr Lorne lifted his hand from the page and rubbed the entry with his sleeve. Beneath the heavy pencil was the faint shape of a two. He corrected the order and sent the basket back to the counter. Before Clara left that evening, he placed the order book in front of her and asked her to check each entry before the orders were sent out.

“The passage effectively presents the idea that doing what is right may require challenging someone with greater authority.”

Evaluate how successfully the writer presents this idea. Support your judgement with detailed references to the passage.