president. – 'You will have to do that under the rod; we are quite above tickling the bottoms of school children here, although it is the duty of every member to exercise proper discipline in any house or place where she may have authority.'
Lucretia is silent, but the scarlet face and nervous twichings of the corners of her mouth attest how she feels about the approaching taste of the rod; her eyes are cast down in shame, and presently with nothing but her drawers, chemise, boots, and stockings on, they lead her to the ladder, the president and ladies all rising and clustering round the victim.
president. – 'Have the ladder nearly upright, with her wrists secured high up, and let her toes only just touch the floor; woe to her bum if she dares to step on the bottom rung of the ladder without orders.'
The victim with tears of shame and apprehension protests against this disposition of her body as being too painful, and cries out for mercy as she feels her chemise rolled up and fastened under her armpits, and her unbuttoned drawers pulled down to her knees. 'Ah! Ah! Oh! You'll never be so bad as that to a novice! Oh! have mercy, dear Miss Coote.'
president. – 'Don't show the white feather, young lady; we're going to initiate you into a most delightful society. You will soon be one of the most active of the sisterhood,' taking from Jane a very elegantly tied-up rod, ornamented with blue and gold ribbons, then just lightly switching the victim's bare bottom, 'Now ask me to birch you properly, and beg pardon for your frivolous objections.'
lucretia, in a tremor of fear, and with faltering voice. – 'Oh! is there no getting off; why must I be cruelly whipped?'
president, with a smart cut across her beautiful buttocks, which at once brings the roses to the surface. – 'There, that's a slight taste, you stupid, obstinate girl, I can't waste more time, there, there, there,' giving three more sharp cuts in succession, each leaving their respective long red marks. 'Perhaps in a minute or two you will think it worth while to obey orders, and beg pardon, c.'
victim. – 'Ah! Ah – r-r – re! it is cruel, oh! oh! I am sorry for saying so! the cuts smart so it's impossible to think what one's saying. Oh! pray forgive me, and punish me properly. But – but – oh! be merciful!' as she writhes and wriggles under the painful strokes which already begin to weal her delicate, tender skin.
president. – 'Very well, you've done it after a fashion; but now as you're becoming one of our members, pray have you got a sweetheart?'
victim, just then receiving an extra sharp cut. – 'Ah – r – r – r-re! Oh! oh! I can't bear it, it's like a hot knife cutting the skin! Indeed, I have not got a lover, if that's not allowed!' putting her feet on the rungs of the ladder to ease the painful strain on her wrists.
president, with a tremendous whack across the calves of the legs, which makes Miss Lucretia fairly spring with agony. – 'How dare you alter my disposition of your body by putting your feet on the ladder?' switching her legs again and again with great heavy cuts, till the poor girl capers like a cat on hot bricks. 'Perhaps you won't do that again, but wait till I give you the order presently. Now about lovers, of course you have had one, if not just at present?'
lucretia, in smarting pain. – 'On! Oh! My poor legs! Oh! Yes! Ah – r-r – re! But I gave him up six months ago. Have mercy, or how can I speak to answer your questions?'
president, without relaxing her smarting strokes. – 'Out of order again, Sister Lucretia. Your rosy-looking bottom must be enjoying the fun, or you would never keep questioning my discretion as you do. How do you like it? Does it smart very much? Tell us a little more about your lover, if you please.'
lucretia, writhing in agony. – 'My wrists are breaking, and my bottom – oh! my bottom burns and smarts so! Ah! You want to know about my lover. I gave him up because – because he behaved improperly to me.'
president. – 'Are you speaking the truth, Sister Lucretia? as that is a most essential thing with us. We call the birch the Rod of Truth, for it is sure to bring everything out. What did he do to you? Cry out if you are in great pain, we like to hear it, and it will do you good.'
lucretia. – 'Ah, indeed! I must shriek! You cut me so dreadfully. Oh! He took liberties with me, and put his hands up my clothes, that's all. Ah! Have mercy! You don't give time for me to get my breath.'
president. – 'Are you sure that's not a bit of a fib?' slackening a little with the rod.
lucretia, thinking she is now going to be let off. – 'It's quite true, my dear Miss Coote, that's what he did,' and beginning to feel a deliciously voluptuous warmth and lubricity in her sensitive parts, she shut her eyes, Whilst a sensuous smile betrays her pleasurable emotions.
president. – 'What are you thinking of, Sister Lucretia, with that satisfied smile? How your buttocks seem to quiver with some curious emotion. Has my question about your lover revived anything in your mind of past enjoyments. Out with the truth. I believe you have been telling a lot of fibs,' cutting the astonished victim in a terrible rage with a perfect shower of blows, which weal and bring blood for the first time.
victim. – 'Oh! Oh! Ah! Ah! How cruel! Just as I thought it was all over, and began to feel a delicious warmth in my posteriors. Indeed, I was not thinking of my lover,' casting down her eyes, and blushing more than ever in a very confused manner.
president, sternly. – 'How dare you persist in telling so many fibs. We happen to know a little of your goings on with young Aubrey. Speak the truth at once, or I will cut your impudent bottom into ribbons of scarified flesh. You can't deceive us, we know the effects of the rod, and the voluptuous feelings it induces.' All the while, whack – whack – whack sound the blows of the birch, as they ruthlessly cut and weal the victim's bottom. The operator gets quite excited, and feels all the thrilling sensation; each stroke has an electrical effect on her nerves; the cries and screams of Lucretia seem most delightful to her, and all the spectators are in ecstasies of voluptuous emotions. The victim fairly shrieks in agony, she writhes her body about, displaying her lovely figure in a variety of contortions, shifting continually at every scathing touch of the birch.
The ladies at first watched the scene with rapt attention, but gradually the blood courses in warm excitement through their veins, mantling their cheeks with a flesh-like bloom; their eyes sparkle with unusual animation, and at last, by a common impulse the eight ladies, with Jane and Mary, each take a fine long light rod of green twigs; they form a circle round the President as she continues to flagellate the victim on the ladder; each raises her skirts under her arms so as to leave all exposed from the waist downwards. For a moment there is a lovely scene of plump white buttocks and thighs, fascinating legs encased in silk stockings, pretty garters and attractive elegant shoes, set off with jewelled buckles, and, above all, such an inviting collection of impudent looking cunnies, ornamented with every shade of chevelure, black, auburn, or light brown; then all is motion, the birch rods soon put a rosy polish on the pretty bums, each one doing her best to repay on the bottom in front of her the smarting cuts she feels behind. Laughter, shrieks, and ejaculations fill the apartment, and their motions are so rapid as to make quite a rainbow of excited peris round the central figures; but this luscious scene only lasts three or four minutes; the victim, under the President's rod, gets exhausted, her shrieks sink into sobs, and at last she sighs lower and lower, then fairly faints, with her head hanging helplessly back, and her limp form a picture of weals and blood, which oozes from the cuts, and slowly trickles down the white flesh of her thighs.
president, throwing aside her broken and used-up rod. – 'There ladies, stop your game and all help to bring her round, she'll soon recover; how pretty your rosy bottoms look, I shall join in the next ring that is formed.'
The victim is loosed from the ladder, and by use of a large fan, Lucretia soon shows signs of returning animation, he: eyes open, and she looks around in bewilderment. 'Where am I? What a beautiful dream!' she murmurs in a low voice, then a little more refreshed by a strong cordial poured down her throat, 'Ah! I remember, my bottom smarts so!' Putting her hand down to feel her posteriors she looks at the blood which stains her fingers, and sobs hysterically, 'What a cruel girl that Miss Coote must be, and how she seemed to gloat over my sufferings. Ah! let me only handle the tickler over her bum someday.'
At this we all burst out into a loud laugh, and thoroughly enjoyed poor Lucretia's shame and confusion.
Miss coote. – 'Cheer up, Sister Lucretia, you have only to do what we call stepping the ladder, someday you will have a chance of revenge, but you will find Louise Van Tromp quite as cruel as I am, when she uses the birch in her skilful style on your half-cooked bum. Come Jane, I think she is ready for the second edition of her punishment.'
louise van tromp. – 'Ah! trust me, Sister Rosa, to do my duty, she has not half confessed to us yet,' taking up and switching a fine birch rod, making it fairly hiss through the air, to the evident terror of the victim.
lucretia, with sobs and tears running in streams down her cheeks. – 'Oh! Oh! how horrible, will you never have mercy; my bottom is so sore I really can't bear it to be touched,' shrinking back as Jane tries to draw her to the ladder. 'Oh! No! Not again on that awful thing!'
