But I differed from the girls in having my hair cut short. I was not so very different in general appearance from the eldest and the youngest whose bodies were thin and entremely unpronounced in outline except as regards the waist. On the other hand, I in no way resembled the second sister whose bulging, enormous proportions would have filled the room had her garment given way.

The directress now examined us at length, measuring and weighing us, and noting the circumference of our waists. The result of her examination she carefully inscribed in a note book she kept fort that purpose.

Then she announced that we now had to submit to the punishment we had merited. Brandishing the horsewhip with an air of inexorable decision, she took hold of the eldest girl by the nape of the neck and thrust her down on her knees. The girl's thin hinder parts stretched the drawers so tight that not a wrinkle showed. Then the whip descended with sound and fury, the mistress paying no heed to cries, protestations, and tears of agony. It was next the turn of the second sister to bend tight her kid-covered vast posterior to the terrible whip, and then the youngest submitted to the same penalty.

My turn arrived only too quickly.

The pain of the application of the rod was even more terrible than those moral agonies I had gone through while awaiting it. Still crying out with the pain, I had then to dress again with all haste in my girlish clothes, not forgetting the boots, under penalty of receiving a supplementary dose of the birch1.

CHAPTER V

I have lately learnt that the Chinese deform their women's feet for purely voluptuous reasons.

The steps taken in walking being by this means made very short and stiff, the reaction exhibits itself in extraordinary suppleness in the swinging movements of the hips and back, excellent training, in the opinion of the Chinese, for the lists of love. The calves also become emaciated to a certain extent, but to the profit of the thighs. The latter grow fat and firm as also the spherical parts below the loins.

I was struck by this explanation because it 104

enabled me to regard the western high heel habit, from another point of view. The woman's or girl's foot is compelled by the height of a very lofty heel to take an almost vertical position. The resulting swinging of the hips and the little play given to the calves, are similar to what is noted in the case of the ladies of the Celestial Empire.

The discomfort caused by the high-heeled boots, the long tight-fitting gloves and the cruel corset, above all the terror in which we lived of the birch, all this kept us in a continual. state of nervous excitment, which easily trans formed itself into eroticism and unhealthy passions. The dormitories never echoed with, such hysterical laughter of little girls, nor such loud and pealing laughter of others, nor such deep-drawn sighs, as upon those days, when whipping had been most general.

Above all our physical distress inspired us with a religious terror of our head-mistress, and a morbid desire to be obedient which. brought us to a state of high excitement at the least order from her mouth.

On receiving an order from Lady Flayskin, 105

our nerves became highly strained and we experienced a fever of voluptuous longing with a burning desire to gratify our feelings.

Never, howerer, could I have imagined so complete an illustration of the success of Lady Flayskin's system of education as that embodied in the person of Miss Virginia Malville.

This young lady was heiress to one of the proudest titles of old England and daughter of a peer. Her education had been deplorably neglected by an indulgent mother.

Miss Virginia had reached her eighteenth year at the time of her mother's sudden death.

Lord Malville paid the proper tribute of tears and mourning to his deceased wife and then thought that it was high time to subdue the haughty temper of his daughter, otherwise the latter would give him trouble of a serious nature later on. In any case, Lord Malville, as an upright man, accounted the marriage portion which he should bestow an insufficient compensation to a future husband for the temper of the wife. A violent husband would certainly strangle her, while she would have rendered the life of a feeble mate ridiculous in a thou sand ways, and have made him the slave of every whim.

One beautiful May morning in 1896, a superb victoria and pair made a sensation at the estab lishment of Lady Flayskin. It drew up before the door and the directress went herself to meet it. We felt sure that the people in the carriage must be of very great distinction and we did not change this first impression upon seeing Lord Malville alight.

He was a man of from forty-five to fifty years of' age, tall and erect, with regular features and as carefully shaved of all moustache or whisker as an actor.

After gravely alighting, Lord Malville turned to hand his daughter out.

Miss Virginia was tall and handsome, and carried herself like a queen or a goddess. When the eyes of this divinity rested upon us, we were able to read clearly therein that we were accounted as of no importance. Never have I seen in such beautiful eyes so tranquil an expression of contempt for the generality of mankind. To the low bow ot the 107

directress, she replied politely, nothing more, and in a way which appeared to me as imper tinent as in fact it really was.

I understood Lady Flayskin's smile as she raised her head again. Such a smile was of ill augury. Doubtless she was already plan ning her revenge.

It is unnecessary to say that we were not admitted to the drawing-room during the inter view which immediately followed between Lord Malville, beautiful Virginia and the directress. Nor have I ever since heard what transpired. We were, however, able to employ our imagination to good purpose through the subsequent course of events and their apparent connection with this interview.

From what we could learn from the servants, Lord Malville did justice to the luncheon offered to him and his daughter by the directress, and on taking leave of Lady Flayskin, he remarked – his heightened complexion showing that he had drunk several generous bumpers of old claret:

'It is understood! Make my daughter into as accomplished a lady as you are 108

yourself, if possible. I give you carte blanche.'

After his departure, Lady Flayskin introduced Miss Virginia Malville to the class over which Mrs. Stuart presided.

I have hitherto omitted to state that this curious establishment had but one class. This fact did not prevent the pupils from pursuing their course of study in an otherwise normal manner, for each boy and girl was taken separately, even if only for a few minutes, in his lesson. Application and diligence did the rest. No one was idle, so genuine was the fear inspired by corset and whip.

Of the two latter incentives to good conduct, Miss Virginia had hitherto lived in ignorance, nor was it in keeping with the traditions of the establishment that Lady Flayskin should have introduced the girl to her classmates, without having previously obliged her to don the school uniform: white muslin dress with azure-blue silk sash, high-heeled, high-topped boots and the pitilessly tight corset which rob bed its wearer of the power to breathe in com fort. Clearly the directress meditated a plan.

The greatest attention was paid to the newcomer, by both the mistresses. Miss Virginia, in her rich silk frock, cut a very creditable figure among the pupils. Her waist, it is true, was not so small as theirs, but it was slender and her general bearing showed grace and health.

The directress mounted her high desk, and after a few more words in the same tone of affection to Miss Virginia, left the room.

The new girl's desk was situated near the gangway which, as I have already mentioned, divided the girls from the boys. Her seat was just facing my own, or rather, our two desks were separated from each other by the gangway.

Miss Virginia appeared at first to listen with attention to Mrs. Stuart's lecture upon the manners of good society, the necessity of men showing refinement both in their words and acts and acquiring such culture by carrefully training themselves and weighing the importance of trifles, together with the duty of women to show themselves correct in manner and pretty. This gave occasion for her to explain 110

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