Anna ran through the front door, thinking she could end up having the slipper twice in one day if she missed the school bus, and the slipper hurt!  She just made it and sat down by Liz.

'You are coming tonight, aren't you', said Liz 'I did tell Mother you were coming.'

'Suppose so'

'What's the matter'?

'I haven't done my Maths again, and Mother won't write me a note to say I was sick, and Miss Ogilvy will send me for the slipper. I hate the slipper!'

'Oh that's cruel! You find Maths really difficult, don't you  Do you want me to write you a note, but mind I never did it.  I would rather not be caned, not even for you.'

'I would be very grateful!'

Liz started to write the note. Anna felt guilty, and yet thought, if they did get caught, would Liz be caned? She liked Liz's bottom, and senior girls were very occasionally caned on their school knickers, and it always fascinated her. Rather like a beheading, which also fascinated her. With luck she herself would only get the slipper.

*

Anna spent an odd morning.  What if she got the cane? There definitely was one, and her normally very brave brother had once admitted that a caning from his headmaster for smoking had really hurt.  Perhaps six with the slipper would be better.  Perhaps she should not use the note.

'And Jane Grey was led out of her room in the Tower, with all her attendants weeping.  Poor girl, knowing she was going to have her head chopped off, rather like having the slipper, except a bit worse, which you would know all about, wouldn't you Anna?', came the voice of Mrs Tennyson 'I hear you are probably going to the Head again after Break, so you are in much the same position as poor Jane Grey. Do you think she was frightened?'

Anna realized that everyone was listening to her.

'I don't think she would be frightened straight away', she said 'She would hope it was not really going to happen. But when she saw it was, then she would cry a bit, and then I think she would be brave, and let them chop her head off.'

Everybody laughed. Anna went even redder than before.

When the bell went Mrs Tennyson said 'Very well class, you are dismissed, but I want to see Anna Moorhouse.'

Mrs Tennyson looked at her rather quietly and gently.

'That was a very intelligent answer Anna. I know everyone laughed, but it was exactly right. Is there nothing that can be done about your Maths? I think its going to stop you matriculating.'

'I just cannot do it', said Anna desperately.

'You ought to go to college, that's all I can say', said Mrs Tennyson.

'But that's ages away', said Anna.

'But it's now that it begins to go wrong or right', observed Mrs Tennyson 'Have you tried to do your Maths?  Miss Ogilvy says you are not even handing anything in.'

Anna mumbled that she had been ill, and she had a note. Mrs Tennyson gave the faintest of smiles, as if she did not wholly believe her, but let her go.

*

Miss Ogilvy (alias 'Ug') entered the classroom.  3A stood up as 3A was supposed to, and then sat down, far from quietly. Ug told them to be quieter, set some work, came to Anna's desk and asked to see her exercise book.

'You have done nothing again, have you Anna Moorhouse! I really am ashamed of you. You will go to the Headmistress for...

'No please not that', said Anna, half wondering if she should just take her punishment.

'No ifs or buts, Anna Moorhouse. You will go to the Headmistress for the slipper, now!'

Anna reached desperately through the slit in her gym slip into the pocket in her knickers for the note.

'What are you waiting for Anna Moorhouse?'

She found the note, and handed it over.

'Oh', said Ug, 'I see', at which everyone of course burst into laughter.

But then she said: 'I shall be talking to the Head Mistress about your manners Anna Moorhouse. You need not think that this is the end of it.'

Anna shivered.

*

The second period after lunch came. Nothing had happened, and Anna began to relax. If they got through to the end of the day, surely they had got away with it.

Then the Headmistress's secretary entered and handed a note to the Geography Mistress, who announced: 'Anna Moorhouse you are to go to the Headmistress.'

Anna followed the Secretary, her heart thumping. The secretary knocked on the Head's door, and opened it for her.  Eyes blurring she walked towards what she knew was the Headmistress' desk.

'Now', said Miss Scott 'You and I Miss Moorhouse are going to have a little discussion. First, your composition for Mrs Tennyson, on the childhood of Jane Grey. Did you write it?'

'Yes, I did'

'And nobody helped you, Elizabeth Wright perhaps?'

'No of course not'.

Anna was genuinely indignant.

'Did you talk to you her about it?'

'No, I did not'

'And no one else helped you?'

'I jolly well did write it.'

Anna was weeping.

'There is no need to cry. I am not angry with you, at least about this. It is a remarkably imaginative piece of work and I am extremely pleased with you.'

'Thank you Miss', said Anna and stopped crying.

'However, there is another matter. Miss Ogilvy showed me the note that you gave her, though really she came to complain about your excruciating manners. Now, unluckily for you, we keep notes from parents for a year at a time, and the writing on this letter is ridiculously different to your mother's.  I thought that you must be the author, till I read your Jane Grey composition, but clearly it isn't you. I will not ask you to break the schoolgirl code, but you will have the cane on the seat of your knickers for deceitfulness after school today. And when I lay hands on who did write this note (which I think I can do without any great difficulty) they will have quite a caning before they are expelled. Go back to your class. I will see you again at four o'clock.'

'Please Miss', said Anna 'please don't expel anyone because of me!'.

She had got to be make Miss Scott understand, even if it meant telling on Liz. But would Liz ever forgive her? But otherwise Liz would certainly be expelled; and even if she told Miss Scott that it was not all Liz's fault, it could still happen. The cane for herself was almost minor in comparison.

*

The last two periods passed with horrible slowness. The bell went at quarter to four. There did not seem to be anything to do except to stand outside the Head's office till four o'clock, so she went there as slowly as she could. At least she thought to herself, whatever was going to happen would soon be over.   At least Jane Grey had a blindfold. She wished she could have one too!

Outside the dreaded door she found Liz, who she had not seen all day. She was crying bitterly, and clearly did not want to be talked to. Liz was in such a state that Anna wondered if she had been caned already, but she did not like to ask. Perhaps she was there just to be expelled? She remembered Jane Grey walking to the scaffold through the snow. Was this how she had felt? But Jane Grey had not been beheaded with anyone else. Had that made it better or worse?

'You are a little cow' said Liz suddenly 'I am in real trouble! You did not have to tell her who it was!'

'But she guessed who it was, and she was going to expel you.' said Anna 'I had to tell her to save you. Please believe me Liz.'

The study door opened.

'Both of you come in and stand in front of my desk with your hands behind your backs.'

Miss Scott shuffled round her desk, and sat in her chair.  The note was on the desk.

'Elizabeth Wright do you deny this note is in your writing?'

'No Miss Scott, but.'

'Anna Moorhouse do you deny that you gave this note to Miss Ogilvy?'

'No, Miss Scott'.

She could feel the tears coming into her eyes again.

'Very well, I am going to cane you both very severely. Elizabeth Wright, I almost decided to expel you. I have rarely come across such dishonourable conduct in a senior girl. Only your previous good behaviour and excellent academic work saved you, and I may add the pleading of your very brave and persuasive cousin'.

At least Liz was not going to be expelled.  She realized that a chair had been placed in the middle of the room.

'Just like the block' she thought.

'Elizabeth Wright' said Miss Scott 'You will have eight strokes of the cane on your bare bottom as the alternative to being expelled for writing this note, and leading a younger girl on. You Anna Moorhouse will have six strokes on your knickers. You will stand there, where you can see the result of your failure to accept your original punishment. Elizabeth Wright remove your outer garments, everything except your vest, knickers, brassiere and stockings, and then you will bend over the back of that chair. I will take your knickers down myself'.

Liz very shakily removed gymslip, tie, blouse, and finally a very pretty petticoat with embroidery. Her vest and knee length knickers were both brown. The triangle between her thighs was moist. After one desperate pleading glance towards Miss Scott, Liz bent over the chair. Miss Scott struggled with the buttons at the side of Liz's knickers, and then lowered them, revealing two soft round globes of flesh that were very lovely to Anna's eyes; but then she realized there was a thin brown cane in Miss Scott's hand. The cane swished. The victim gasped, and the bottom jerked, and there was a long angry red weal. Anna felt as if it was her bottom. The long red lines accumulated. Liz was in great distress. Anna wished she could take her place. She felt so guilty. At last with horrible slowness the seventh and eighth strokes descended to heart rending screams from Liz.

After a pause the victim stood up shakily, crying uncontrollably, and then very slowly put her clothes back on, which gave Anna almost as much perverse pleasure as their removal.

'I will wait for you by the loos' Liz stuttered through her tears.

She was forgiven! It was such a relief! But now it was her turn! At least she was being spared that horrible undressing!

A moment later the back of the chair was digging into her stomach, and her gym slip was being pulled up. Her knickers were pulled tight. There was a pause which seemed incredibly long. The cane descended, and seemed to go through her knickers as if they were not there. Brother did she yell! But at least after several minutes of the worst pain that she had ever known, it was over, and she was not dead; and she realized, as she stumbled through the door, her guilt had vanished.

*

'It still hurts' said Liz, as they put on their pyjamas, and prepared to get into bed.

This was despite the cold cream that Liz's mother had provided with a distinct twinkle in her eye.

'I think I could make you better', Anna offered rather tentatively.

'I doubt it', said Liz, 'but show me.'

Anna kissed her cousin on the lips for the first time, and felt herself being kissed back. Then she slipped her fingers inside her cousin's pyjamas, and began to stroke her moist throbbing lower regions.