“The English Vice,” by Ian Gibson, provides a scholarly overview of chastisement in Victorian England. Sadly, the book disappoints — at least if you’re a connoisseur of the correction of errant young females rather than the regular brutal flagellations of public school boys, convicts and the like. Schoolgirl thrashings — titillating though they may be [...] . . . → Read More: Interlude …

The Headmaster stared unhappily at bared behind of the girl standing in the corner. The new girl, the unexpectedly early visitor; well, he’d known the peephole was there, in fact he’d been the one who’d seen to the rumors of its presence. So in some sense he’d only himself to blame for the discovery of [...] . . . → Read More: The Bicycle (Part 3)

The chest was surprisingly light; even so, Brittany found it impossible to move quietly. Whether or not the resulting sounds carried to the other room she didn’t know; still, even the thought of being heard — unlikely as it was over the screams and the noise of the machine as it operated — filled her [...] . . . → Read More: The Bicycle (Part 2)

Since it lacked two wheels it was not strictly a bicycle. Everyone knew this, including the headmaster — who had constructed it after all — but, even with that knowledge, the term “bicycle” stuck. Or rather, The Bicycle, in capital letters, always whispered from one girl to another in hushed tones. “He says I have [...] . . . → Read More: The Bicycle