Louise brings down her rod with a tremendous whack across the poor girl's bare shoulders, exclaiming, 'What are you hanging back for, look sharp, quick, or I'll cut your shoulders again,' looking with delight on the red marks her cut has left on the white flesh of the victim.
lucretia. – 'Oh! Oh! I will! I will!' holding up her wrists for Jane to secure them, which is quickly done.
louise. – 'Now, step on the rungs of the ladder one at a time, as I call out the number beginning at the bottom, if you take two at once you must do it over again. Now, one' – giving a terrible whack on the victim's bruised rump.
'Ah – r-r – r-re!' shrieks Lucretia, in terrible agony as the birch cuts into the already lacerated skin, but careful only to take one step.
louise, making her birch flourish through the air with a hissing noise. – 'Pretty well, now – now – now,' keeping her in trembling suspense. 'Two – three,' giving a couple of crashing strokes with a good interval between them, to make the victim feel the effect as much as possible.
Lucretia gives a fearful shriek at each cut, and sobs out hysterically, 'Ah! How dreadful, the skin of my bottom will burst, it's getting so tight.'
louise. – 'Glad you enjoy it so, dear, I'm sorry to hurt you much,' looking delightedly round at the other members. 'Now – now – now-' – with another flourish-'four – five,' each blow draws the blood afresh from the already crimsoned surface, and puts the spectators into a flutter of excitement.
Lucretia fairly groans, but only once makes a false step, which she corrects before Louise can find fault. 'Only two more,' she sighs, as if calculating the steps yet to be done.
louise. – 'Steady, keep your bottom well out,' switching her lightly underneath so as to tickle the exposed pussey, then another grand flourish. 'Six – seven,' these are awful crackers, but the victim keeps herself steady, and her pluck is greeted by clapping of hands all round. Jane takes advantage of the opportunity to secure the victim's ankles so that she is fixed in a most inviting attitude for further flagellation.
louise. – 'Thanks, Jane, very thoughtful of you. Now, Sister Lucretia, before you are let off you must tell us all about yourself and young Aubrey. Miss Coote did not half get it out of you,' whisking the tightly bent bottom in a playful way with her rod, but the victim is evidently so sore that even light strokes make twinges of pain pass across her scarlet face.
lucretia. – 'Oh! Oh! Pray don't begin again. I told you he took liberties with me, what more can I say? Oh! Oh! Don't touch me; the least whisk of that thing gives awful pain.'
louise. – 'Then, you silly girl, why do you persist in keeping back the truth? Did you not encourage him?' making the victim writhe under her painful touches, which, although not very heavy, seem to have great effect on the raw bottom, in such a tightly bent position.
lucretia, in great shame and confusion, and seeming to crimson all over at the thoughts of her degradation before them all. – 'Oh! Oh! Spare me! If you know all, have mercy, consider my feelings, how painful such a confession must be. Ah – r-r – rre! You are shameful girls to enjoy my pain and shame so,' sobbing as if her heart would break.
louise. – 'Come! Come! It is not so bad as that. Make a dean breast and be one of us in future. You will enjoy such scenes yourself when the next novice is admitted; but I can't play with you. There – there – there!' cutting three brisk strokes on the bent bottom.
lucretia. – 'Ah! Oh! Oh! I shall faint again. It's like burning with red hot irons. Ah! You know he seduced me, and – I must confess I did not resist as I ought. Something tempted me to taste the sweets of love, and your President's birching brought all the thrilling sensations back to me, and when I fainted my dream was all about the bliss enjoyed in my lover's arms.'
louise, still lightly using her rod. – 'A little better, and getting nearer the truth, but you still prevaricate, so in trying to excuse your own fault. Now, did you not seduce the youth instead of his taking advantage of you?'
lucretia. – 'Oh! Pity me. I saw him lying asleep on the grass in a secluded part of the garden; he was so sleepy that I failed to wake him, but I since believe he was shamming. Noticing a lump of something in his breeches, I gently pressed it with my fingers to see what it was, when it gradually swelled under my pressure and became like a hard stick throbbing under the cloth; my blood was fired; I can't tell how I did it, but presently, when he opened his eyes and laughed at me, I found myself with his exposed shaft in my hand. He jumped up, sprang upon me, and taking advantage of my confusion, I own he had an easy conquest. But something of the sort will happen to every loving girl at some time or other. Now I have told you all, have pity and let me go,' sobbing and looking dreadfully confused and distressed.
She was let down, and we all crowded round her, giving affectionate kisses and welcoming her to be a real sister of Lady Rodney's Club.
The poor girl was very sore, and sobbed over her poor bruised bottom. 'Oh! Oh! I can't sit down, it will be weeks before I can do anything with comfort. Ah! You pretend to be kind now after all that dreadful cruelty. I only wish we could get Aubrey and give him a good thrashing, it would do the impetuous boy good.' We had another laugh at this, but assured her our rules didn't provide for admitting any of the opposite sex to the stances of the Club; but in my next you shall see what happened, and how Lucretia tricked us by introducing young Aubrey as a young lady novice desirous of admission to our Society. I remain, dear Nellie,
Yours affectionately
Rosa Belinda Coote.
letter IX
My dear Nellie,I have been looking over some of my grandfather's papers, and found the following curious little bit written by his brother Dean Coote, 'Remarks on the influence of Female Beauty':I shall reverse the general practice, and instead of beginning with the head, commence with the leg, and hope to get credit for so doing. A pretty face, sparkling eyes, rosy cheeks, delicate complexion, smiles, dimples, hair dark, auburn or blonde, have all, it is acknowledged, great weight in the business of love; but still let me appeal to every impartial and unprejudiced observer, which he is most curious to behold, the legs or the face of his favourite lady.
Whether does the face or the legs of a pretty girl that is clambering over a style, or mounting a ladder, most attract our notice and regard?
What is it that causes my lord to smack his chops in that wanton lecherous manner, as he is sauntering up and down the lounge in Bond Street, with his glass in hand, to watch the ladies getting in and out of their carriages? And what is it that draws together such vast crowds of the holiday gentry at Easter and Whitsuntide, to see the merry rose-faced lasses running down the hill in Greenwich Park?
What is it causes such a roar of laughter and applause when a merry girl happens to overset in her career, and kick her heels in the air?
Lastly, as the parsons all say, what is it that makes the theatrical ballets so popular?
It has frequently been remarked by travellers that in no nation of the world are the ladies more nice and curious about their legs than in England; and to do them justice there is perhaps no nation in the world where the ladies have greater reason to show them like pretty girls in dirty weather, when the fear of passing for dragtails causes the pretty creatures to hold their petticoats up behind, and display their lovely calves and ankles above par. But I am infinitely more delighted with my muddy walk than were I making an excursion in the finest sunshiny day imaginable. There is a kind of magic in the sight of a handsome female leg, which is not in the power of language to describe, to be conceived it must be felt.
We read in the memoirs of Brantфme of a certain illustrious lady, who was so fully sensible of the vast importance of a handsome leg that once having the misfortune to break one of hers by a fall from a horse, and the surgeon by some inadvertency or other, failing to set the bone straight, she was so grieved at this accident that she actually had the fortitude to snap it across a second time on purpose and with design, then sending for a more skilful doctor, took care to have her leg carefully reset, by which means it was restored to its former grace and loveliness.
Some of my readers may, perhaps, condemn this conduct in the lady; for my part, I cannot but greatly admire both the soundness of her judgment and the amazing strength of her mind. But too well am I acquainted, from
