With her long nails Dorothea pinched the bottom of her victim and laughed insolently.
"Now, this is a bottom after my own liking, one that seems ideal for receiving the whip! And this pair of panties — it's so tight on you that it's nearly like that of a slave. Bo madam likes being tight in her underclothes. Well, madam will have her wishes more than fulfilled — starting from tomorrow, she'll have to wear corsets and we'll teach her to wear discipline-drawers, well-strapped, like those worn by her friend Mabel!"
The governess, having spoken, drew back one step, took a firm hold on the tan leather horsewhip and applied a hard blow on Myriam's buttocks. It was so hard that the panties split. Mad with shame and pain, Hiss Hekings had made a great effort not to scream. With her head buried in the cushions, she let out a long moan.
"The bitch has a hard skin," Miss von Berner said. "So much the worse for your bottom. I'll stop punishing only when this slave is ready to lick my feet."
Other lashes followed, more and more violent. Through the rips in the drawers the buttocks appeared, striped with long red streaks. Soon, the material which covered the victim's bottom was reduced to a shapeless rag. There only remained a few shreds of pink silk stuck between the girl's buttocks; it was on this ultimate, target that Dorothea showered her blows, which rained down on the youthful flesh, digging each time a bleeding furrow.
Myriam, who had resisted for a long while, was now at the end of her physical resistance. Her moans had soon been succeeded by screams, then by inhuman howls.
"Are your ready to admit you're my slave?" Dorothea asked.
"Never!" the unfortunate girl sobbed.
"All right, then, I'll continue!" the governess said. "But I'm tired of hearing your screams. Bridget, sit down on this girl's face and gag her under the weight of your buttocks!"
The servant laughed. It was a real pleasure for her to carry out such orders. She lifted up her skirts, showing her bottom sheathed in, panties of a doubtful white colour. She pulled Myriam's hair, obliging her to turn her head aside, and, the while, she could not resist the impulse of giving her a very bard slap on her cheek. Then she sat heavily on the girl's head which disappeared entirely, crushed under the maid's buttocks. Bridget, smiling, let her skirt go down in order to imprison Myriam's head completely in her underclothes.
Then Dorothea resumed the punishment. For ten long minutes she whipped, without bothering about the state of her victim. The fine flesh bottom, now quite bare, was covering itself with blisters and swellings. Here and there, a bloody rivulet was running along the buttocks, losing itself in the cushions of the sofa.
Had Myriam fainted? She could not tell, for the girl, entirely covered by Bridget's bottom, could not make herself heard.
"Get up, Bridget!" Miss von Berner said at last. "I think the slave has been punished enough now!"
The maid rose, disengaging from under her skirts the red, bruised and tearful face of Mabel's friend.
"Now, bitch," the governess said in a dry tone, "have you become more docile? Are you ready to make a good slave?"
"I'll do anything you ask," Myriam murmured, vanquished.
Smiling, Dorothea sat on her victim's loins, making her gasp with her weight.
"Now, Myriam Hekings, you're a slave," she went on. "Mind you never forget it; From now on, you will have no other personality than that of your mistress, or rather your mistresses. The whip will be your only god. And let me tell you that you will never be free again, never! You will remain a slave until you die. Your father, the only member of your family alive, is now in India and I've prepared everything so that he will learn that you have died accidentally, so nobody is ever going to bother about you and you'll be able to devote your whole life to the service of your mistresses."
With a moan, Myriam had heard that terrible sentence. But what could she do about it? She was broken with weariness and humiliation, and her flesh was afire, her body tied up. Yes, she was really at the mercy of the cruel governess! And she understood that her lot would become the same as that of Mabel. Could she have imagined it only a few moments ago when she had witnessed Mabel debasing herself? Could she have dreamed that soon she would be reduced to the same bondage? It seemed impossible, like a nightmare from which she would, thank God, soon wake up.
At that moment the door opened and Eva Crimpton appeared. The fat woman, sheathed in a mack skirt and white satin bloom was, as usual, outrageously made up and bejewelled.
"Ah, you arrive just in time, dear," Dorothea told her. "I've just tamed a new slave."
With majestic steps Eva went up to the sofa upon which Myriam was lying. She viewed her through her lorgnette.
"Perfect, perfect!" she exclaimed. "This is a fine slip of a girl, indeed. When she has been well-corseted and when the whip has taught her discipline, I'm sure she'll be a very satisfying bitch. What's your name, young slave?"
Miss Hekings, in a moment of pride, did not answer. But Dorothea gave her a pair of slaps, punctuated with the words:
"Don't you answer your mistress now?"
"My name's Myriam," the girl said with an effort.
"Call this lady 'Mistress' if you don't want another whipping! Go on, say it!"
"My name's Myriam, Mistress."
"My dear Eva," the governess went on, "I intend to present this new slave to you. She will be attached to your personal service, since Mabel belongs to me. We will have one slave each and everything will be ideal!"
"Perfect!" Miss Crimpton said. "I shall teach this girl according to my liking and she will be my chamber slave."
She got near Myriam and seized the tips of her ears which she shook with force.
"Do you hear, bitch, you'll be my chambermaid, from now on! And beware you obey me perfectly, if you want to avoid the whip! Understood?"
"Yes, Mistress."
"Good! I'm going to untie you, so that you can begin at once your service with me."
The fat mistress, having spoken, went to sit on a comfortable armchair while Dorothea and Bridget untied the slave and obliged her to get up. Then, all naked, she was thrown to the feet of Eva Crimpton.
"Kiss my feet, slave, and tell me that you will belong to me always!"
She accompanied her order with a violent blow with her riding-crop on Miss Hekings' breasts. With rage in her heart, the girl had to do as she was told.
"And now, open my purse, take out a cigarette, put it in my mouth and light it!"
When that was done, Miss Crimpton smoked silently, now and then blowing the smoke into the kneeling slave's face. She had ordered her to hold the palm of her hand up to be used as an ash-tray. Miss Hekings viewed with awe this still attractive plump woman whom she did not know less than an hour before and who was already treating her like the lowest of slaves. On her knees, with her buttocks afire, subjugated by the imperious charm that emanated from Era Crimpton, she did not dare make a more.
Yet, pride was not completely quashed in Myriam's heart. When Eva ordered her to open her month to use as a spittoon, the girl gave a start of revolt.
"Never, never shall I stoop so low," she whispered, "I'd rather die."
"So you refuse to obey," Miss Crimpton said calmly. "All right, you force me to use certain methods of discipline which will make you change your mind. Bridget, go to my room and bring back a pair of discipline panties, a whip and some gags!"