case was now desperate. Quite silent, she yet showed by her heavy breathing that she continued to struggle with all the force of her muscles. The two assistant mistresses had to support 143
one another as they pulled upon the handkerchiefs with all their strength in opposition to the violent contractions of the body of the strong young lady. The trembling movements of her thighs, the thrusting in and out of her posteriors proved the victim's violent efforts to get her legs free, to release herself from her bonds and have done with all restraint.
Lady Flayskin clearly perceived the meaning of the girl's efforts, and also their futility. Far from being annoyed, she appeared to find additional satisfaction in watching the struggles. For in truth she judged that the flicker of hope still remaining in the girl's heart would increase her victim's anguish and despair when the latter found that after all she was completely powerless. The prolonging of hope was the intensifying of subsequent suffering when the whip in its fury should descend upon that living, still fighting flesh. And in proportion as the courage slowly died, would the submission, the abject subjection of spirit which should follow, be complete.
She was therefore far from being in a hurry. In the room reigned heavy and expressive silence, broken only by the short sharp breathing of the condemned girl, continuing her useless efforts. Nor was there a pupil so bold as to dare to make a sound, so furious had the directress's glance become.
At last Lady Flayskin judged the moment opportune to begin her usual tirade.
'Miss Virginia, you have wearied the patience of your noble father. After cruelly wounding the hearts of the devoted governesses entrusted with your education, you have been judged by the noble lord as incorrigible. No matter. You have been entrusted by him to me and my task is now to reduce your ungovernable disposition to docility. I have formally promised to be successful and I would have you know that never have I failed to be as good as my word. The promise I have given I regard as sacred. I affirm to you in all solemnity that you shall not leave this room except in a tamed state, gentle as a lamb and more cringing than a dog. I am about to whip you without pity. In vain will you cry for mercy; in vain will you shriek for pity, I shall not cease to beat until my arms grows tired. I warn you 145
that my arm is strong and that you will quickly perceive its prowess for yourself. My will is that when I have finished your flogging, you grovel at my feet, that is if you still have left strength enough to move. In my opinion, more probable is it that you will be carried from this room half dead, incapable of raising so much as a finger… Ah! you play at being proud! Do you feel the shame of having your posteriors exposed to view; your petticoats,raised above your head, and of being made the bot of all your achoolmates' mockery?'
At this point, the table gave a violent lurch, for Miss Virginia made, a supreme effort to free herself. The two mistresses, however, were equal to their task and the leather straps resisted, every strain. This wild and futile effort was the sole response given by Miss Vir ginia to the objurgations of the head-mistress. After a moment's pause, she continued:
'So you intend to remain silent? Very well. You shall make a full confession presently. Do your best to free yourself. Your struggles amuse me and your bonds are strong. You are unable to escape me and are absolutely in my power. I can do with you entirely as I choose, and it is my pleasure to make you remember this day so long as you live. I intend that never hereafter shall you think of this date of the year without a tremor. I am resolved that all. your pride shall be uprooted by the whip. Not only shall I not spare you, but I shall crush you with an excess of severity. You shall scream aloud; implore for mercy, and address me in accents of agony faint and broken. You have refused to reply to my question. You are about to regret your mad obstinacy and pray for pardon with tears and cries. But I shall not pardon you. In the beating I shall give you, you will pay the total price of all your impertinence towards me. Between to-day and to-morrow, it is necessary for you to become the most docile pupil in my establishment.'
At this moment, Miss Virginia struggled with such violence that the table was upset. The mistresses, however, had not relaxed their grip. They held on to the handkerchiefs in spite of finding themselves with their legs in the air and the edge of the table on top of them. Miss Virginia had found her feet, but was as helpless as ever, for she was unable to make the straps, which bound her ankles to the table's legs, give way, or to slip the said straps away from the table.
Even had she succeeded in freeing herself, she would probably have had full weight of the table upon her, with the weight of the two mistresses added thereto and would thus have been crushed. She was none the less highly elated by this partial victory and, ignor ant of the nature of the bonds which hindered the movement of her legs, now exerted her whole strength to free herself further. The head-mistress on one side of her and Stella upon the other, managed to right the table, and this they did so speedily that a moment afterwards the young lady found herself roughly replaced in her original position. The two assistant mistresses fell back into a sitting posture, but still continued not to relax their hold upon the handkerchiefs which held the prisoner in place.
In this way, order was restored and Lady Flayskin determined to allow the victim time to meditate bitterly upon her disap pointment.
'Don't lose heart! Add fresh faults to your old ones. I shall keep account of all. Had you resigned yourself to your fate, I might have lessened the severity of your punishment. Your obstinacy shows me that all compassion would be wasted and out of place. In order that repentance may sink deeply into your heart, it is necessary that the skin be entirely stripped from your posterior. Remain quiet and I will undertake to flog it perfectly. The whip will peel your skin off like a knife. It is my will that your blood flow in streams down your thighs to your heels. Hitherto your education has been conducted with gentleness. It is fitting that in this one day, all gentleness be banished therefrom.'
The young girl kept her mouth firmly closed during this speech of Lady Flayskin, who was solemn and calm. She had decided to begin the actual flogging very shortly.
A whole minute; sixty livelong seconds had yet to pass, however, and meanwhile the whole class held their breath in suspense.
These final preparations seemed to last a litifeme.
Lady Flayskin retired a step, and advanced again. Then, in order the better to measure her distance, she extended her arm. The quivering end of the heavy scourge of hide touched and seemed to tickle the spreading expanse of Miss Virginia's hinder charms. The young lady trembled at the outrage in a new fever of fury. This time the table did not move. At last, the first blow fell!
Lady Flayskin had raised her arm on high and brought it down with a powerful sweep. Ghastly writhing was the sole response on the part of the victim, whose teeth were firmly set and who resolved to make not so much as a groan beneath the terrible whip. The pain, nevertheless, must have been indescrib ably acute, for the dull crash of the whip as it fell upon the living, writhing flesh made every ear tingle; while across the fine sphere so gloriously rounded, from one noble half to the other, stretched a livid weal which quickly turned to crimson.
Lady Flayskin had betrayed some anger on remarking that the blow had occasioned neither cries nor prayers for pity. Then she shrugged her shoulders. She knew well that the battle would end in her favour. No human courage could withstand the whip of hide. She began again.
A second blow was equally ineffectual in extorting so much as a groan from the courageous victim in spite of the torture she must have endured.
Was it possible that Lady Flayskin's cruelty was to be outdone by its victim's endurance? By her expression of astonishment, the compression of her lips, the anger in her eyes, the onlookers for a moment were of that opinion.
Yet Lady Flayskin's long experience was of a nature to give her complete confidence in her powers. It appeared, moreover, to the pupils that in spite of the terrible nature of the blows she was not employing her full strength.
What then could be her project?
Why did she put a curb upon her terrible wrath?
The pupils were soon to know. They were to learn that by a refinement of cruelty, the moment of the first cry of pain was being delayed in order that when it should be wrung from the sufferer's throat, its agony should be far more intense and poignant.
In spite of this, no blow fell which did not leave its reddish-yellow weal, and already there was traced a network of livid lines. The first cut of all had now become a raised, horrible lump of flesh upon that unique and incom parable posterior, whose white purity had already been banished by the hail of stinging blows.
Suddenly, Lady Flayskin drew back a step and lowered the end of the stiff lash to the ground. Then, with a quick movement of her forearm she dealt a deadly blow from below, striking between the separated legs.
