I quickly found myself entirely naked and exposed to the looks of curiosity or amusement of the whole school.
No one, however, ventured to make a remark, save Miss Virginia, who, at a moment when my hysterical sobs were becoming more con trolled, cried out disdainfully:
"Why it's a boy!"
Terrible Lady Flayskin, with wrath depicted upon her countenance, turned upon the owner of the voice:
"I beg you to be silent, Miss. No talking is permitted during school-hours."
"Ah! How curious!"
"I beg you to be quiet!"
" Certainly, madam."
The lofty young lady had risen and was pre paring to quit the room.
The directress again adressed her:
"Where are you going? "
"To my room."
"You have no room. You sleep in the dormitory, like the rest of the pupils."
"I understand perfectly, but neither of bedroom nor of dormitory shall I make any use."
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
"Would you be so kind as to inform me of the reason of this decision? I should be interested to lear it."
"Greatly interested?"
"Greatly interested."
"Very well then, I will satisfy your curiosity."
"You are indeed condescending."
"I am!"
"Speak, Miss! Speak! or if not… " said the irritable directress grinding her teeth.
"Or, if not?"
"Will you speak?"
"Drop that tone, I beg you, my lady. You appear to be ignorant of the quality of the person with whom you are speaking. I desire neither bedroom nor dormitory because I intend to leave your house. I shall not remain an instant longer than is necessary under the same roof as a person who has dared to treat me with the disrespect you are at present exhibiting towards me."
The directress, by one of those efforts of the will with which we were familiar, suddenly calmed herself. By the movement of her nostrils and her extreme pallor we knew that 120
this calm was only affected. Her wrath was increasing inwardly.
"We will renew this conversation presently with your permission, Miss. Meanwhile, will you sit down again in your place and witness the punishment of this little boy whose insolence towards you merits condign chastisement?"
Miss Virginia shrugged her shoulders dis dainfully as though to say that I was really a person of too little importance to have been capable of giving offence to so notable and distinguished a young lady as herself.
Nevertheless, without a further word she sat down again, curiosity depicted upon her face, hoping clearly to get some amusement at my expense. Cruelty finds its insidious way easily enough into the hearts of both girls and boys, men and women, when someone is about to be whipped.
That someone was myself. And I beg you to believe that all curiosity was banished from my heart. Terror alone inspired me. There was no place left for any other feeling.
Each mistress took hold of one of my arms and I was thus drawn to the table. Meantime officious Stella pushed me along with her two pretty hands on my stern. I tried to bite. I kicked. The two mistress were obliged to seize me by the ears like a calf about to be slaughtered. Nimble Stella easily avoided my kicks and pinched what she held.
In this way, they succeeded in extending me upon the table. Mrs. Eagle obtained hold of my right hand and Mrs. Stuart of the left. I was laid upon the edge of the table, my feet just touching the ground. In this position, my unfortunate behind presented an admirable target for the terrible thong which Lady Flayskin was already brandishing menacingly. In her hand, the whip appeared a living thing, a horrible animal, a loathsome reptile ready to sting and bite.
I saw the scourge by looking sideways in a confused way, for my whole preoccupation at that moment was to watch the instrument of torture arid not let it escape my view.
In vain already I had lost sight of it, as the directress placed herself behind me where I could not see anything. In accordance with her custom, she began to lecture me:
"You see that you have again merited punishment. I had hoped that the stays, high heels and tight gloves, would have sufficed to correct your naughtiness and thoughtlessness, I have been forced to have recourse to birch and whip. You have entreated for pity and you promised to be good in the future, but you have broken your promise. I have made you wear kid drawers, very tight and narrow, and I have tightened your stays in the hope of thus succeeding in curbing your unruly disposition. To-day you have failed to respect a young lady of noble family, and that upon the very day of her arrival among us. You have aggravated your guilt by your imperti nence. This proves to me that your discipline is far from being completed yet awhile and I am obliged to give you severe punishment by means of this whip which, as you will find, is no mere toy. Do you own now that you deserve to be punished?"
"Pardon, my lady!"
"I am asking you to own your guilt."
"Pardon me! I implore you, most gracious Lady Flayskin! Have pity! Pardon me!"
"This request for pardon is a confession of guilt. I command you to be precise. Yes or no, have you deserved to be pitilessly beaten?"
"Oh!"
"Will you reply by yes or by no?"
"Pity me, I entreat you!"
At this point a terrible blow cut my back parts. I struggled, foaming at the mouth, but the arms of the mistresses firmly clenched my wrists. I uttered a terrible cry and shrieked:
"Yes! Yes!"
"Yes! What?"
"Yes!… Oh! No! No! I entreat you! It is too much… It will kill me! "
A second and more violent blow made me shriek out and what I had meant to say was choked by my sobs.
"I am awaiting your confession!" again said the cruel directress.
"Yes! Oh! Yes… I have deserved… I have deserved very heavy punishment… But not… Oh! No! Pity me! I entreat you! "
"I shall pity you when you have been 124
well whipped. You shall not leave this room except with your behind streaming with blood. I give you my word, your impertinent backside shall pay for your misdeeds! Never have I seen such impertiment hindquarters! They seem to be mocking me. We shall see if they will not presently assume a more pitiful appear ance. To-day I have an irresistible desire to administer a sound flogging. You have made me angry and it is necessary that my anger shall pass off."
All the time she was speaking, I had groaned and sighed ceaselessly, for the two blows she had given me seemed the acme of suffering. Nevertheless, as I was to discover, the blows were as nothing in comparison with those which were to follow.
This cruel woman who delighted to play with her victims as a cat plays with a mouse, now asked me:
Do you promise to amend your ways and to behave better in the future?
" Yes! Certainly!… I will never… never again… "
Here a big sob cut short my words.
"Is your repentance sincere?"
"Oh, yes!… Have pity on me, my lady!
"No! I whill have no pity! It is for your good that I punish you. I have assumed a heavy responsibility in promising to curb your unruliness which seems to defy correction. But I tell you that I will correct you! I intend you to remember this day. I intend to write this date with this lash upon your back parts in letters which shall never be obliterated. It is necessary that you carry the marks of this day's punishment as long as you live."
My teeth chattered with terror and I was still imploring for mercy in faint tones when the real whipping began.
Action followed threats so speedily that mental anguish immediately disappeared, to give place to the physical sensation of unspeak able suffering.
A rump which has not been whipped by a thong of hippopotamus hide does not know what the lash really is. No words can describe this torture. The Russian knout cannot be more barbarous.
I had no strength left to cry out, but hoarse indistinct groans came from my agonised body. Each blow found its echo in my heart which seemed on the point of bursting through excess of suffering.
The directress, with a cruelty which I can only describe as infernal, struck her blows slowly, at intervals. I listened as in a dream to Stella's sweet voice. It was her task to count the blows. This gave me no comfort, for I did not know to what number the blows were destined to amount. I listened also to the dull thud of the lash on my flesh. It was a sound like a cataract of water and filled my ears with its resounding echo. I do not think that Niagara itself can make more noise than did that lash.