Gynecocracy

Maud's turn followed. She was exposed and examined in the same way. When she had been rolled over, Lady Alfred enquired whether she had not called her a monster when she informed Agnes how she would be punished next time.

"Yes," said Maud defiantly.

"That candle, please, Mademoiselle-thank you."

"Very well, I shall insert this. That will teach you to control your tongue, I hope."

Maud threw herself about, screamed, kicked, cried, protested. Lady Alfred was much the stronger and got the candle well in; Maud yelled-she pushed it up and down.

It was quite plain she felt the punishment physically, as acutely as the degradation hurt her pride and self-respect. When it was over, she appeared to loathe herself, and to be unable to hold up her head. It was indeed a terribly humiliating ordeal for the proud immaculate Maud to have to undergo at the hands of one she deemed a man.

She cried quietly, altogether cowed as though indelibly stigmatised with disgrace. This is not the least of the effects of this horrid punishment.

In the schoolroom there was a long, narrow, but firm and heavy, four-legged table. It stood across the window.

Lady Alfred took two big sofa cushions and placed one at each end. Then, catching Agnes by the ear, she marched her to one end of the table, doubled her down across the cushions, folded her arms underneath her breast, and put a broad strap round her shoulders and the table, so as to prevent her getting up.

She next drew up her chemise at the back and afterwards in front, and wrinkled it up above her bosom round her neck. She then separated her legs by attaching one to each of the legs of the table which were quite three feet and a half asunder. A pretty picture Agnes looked. I became almost too much interested to continue my rocking.

Lady Alfred proceeded to fasten Maud in precisely the same way at the opposite end of the same table. Of course her head and Agnes' were thus close together.

It was plain though, she could not whip them both at once.

Stay, she was evidently going to try. She asked Mademoiselle for two birches, and holding one in each hand, standing at the middle of the table with her back to the window, she attempted to give alternate strokes with each hand to the culprits. She soon discovered she could not thus give them with enough force, and also that her position prevented her watching the effects of the punishment. So she made Agnes howl first. She did yell, and well she might; her bottom was soon crimson. She howled in Maud's ear to that damsel's disgust, but she, knowing that it would be her turn in a moment, endeavoured to put up with it without making any perceptible protest. I do not think Agnes had ever had such a flogging before. I thought it would cure her for a long time of her kittenish tricks. When Lady Alfred whipped in she seemed to become delirious.

Having punished Agnes, who was weeping bitterly, she next turned her attention to Maud and flogged her in the same thorough manner. She too yelled while Agnes was crying quietly; and with good reason she yelled. Her beautiful bottom was soon cut.

I wonder whether it was any consolation to her and Agnes to yell in such close proximity to each other.

The next step was to fasten the damsels face upwards. Lady Alfred did not spare their thighs in front, when she had done so, nor their pussies; as I contemplated Maud's affair, I recollected and thought of that memorable afternoon in her studio. Maud felt this mode of punishment most. Her contortions were terrible to witness.

Afterwards, they had to thank Lady Alfred for having taken the trouble of punishing them.

The bell was rung, Mademoiselle sent for the two housemaids with a clothes basket, and ordered them to take away all the clothes which Maud and Agnes had taken off, while these two young ladies were then made to stand in front of two large mirrors with their chemises pinned up about their throats. 361

"Now, Master Beatrice, it is your turn. As an Eton boy you must be so well accustomed to the birch that a cane will be a nice change for you; and as you are horsed already, we need not disturb you. Lean forward over your steed and put your arms round his neck. Julia, undo his hands. Now I am sorry, but I must take down your trousers."

Saying which, Lady Alfred encircled Beatrice's waist and took them down.

The horse was so high that a fall would have seriously hurt Beatrice. She was, however, only fixed by her hands being tied together under the horse's head, her arms being round its neck.

Her boy's drawers followed her trousers, the tail of her shirt was tucked up, and her pretty bottom exposed fully to view.

Swish, swish, swish! And the cane whistled through the air biting her bottom, and leaving angry red wales.

Beatrice writhed and choked. Her posture protected her feminine apparatus, luckily for her. The punishment was painful and ignominious, but nothing so severe as what Maud and Agnes had to undergo.