My revenge was complete, so wiping my fingers on the bedclothes, for fear of any blood-stains, &c., I left my victim just as she was, to be tormented by her horrible pains and fears till some one might find it out, and release her in the morning.
This outrage was never discovered, my victim was found insensible next morning, and remained in a delirious state for three or four weeks before she recovered consciousness, and then the agony and terror she had endured on that awful night had so turned her brain that she believed it was the devil who had so grossly ill-used her, but I heard that one of the father confessors was strongly suspected of having committed the atrocity.
The Superior, with whom Olive had been a favourite, now vented her spite in every direction amongst the young lady pupils of the seminary, and I for one soon fell under her displeasure, and was ordered to be tied up to their whipping post; it was only for slightly oversleeping myself, and not dressing quickly when the bell rang for us to get up at 6 A.M.
I was suspended by my wrists being tied high up the post as I stood upon a small footstool, then it was suddenly kicked away, the jerk of the sudden strain on my wrists almost making the straps cut into the flesh. My feet were dangling some inches from the ground, “Oh! Oh! Ah—r—r—r—re!” I screamed, “How cruel! Oh! Papa! Papa! If you only knew how they are treating me in this awful place!”
Lady Superior (who seemed delighted at the sight of my pain),—“Hold your foolish noise, Mdlle. Lucille, wait till you have something to scream about, girl.” Then the old Serena, who it seemed was always in attendance at punishment time, pinned up my skirts and opened my drawers behind, and the Superior went on, “This rod shall make all the sluggards turn out quicker in the morning; what do you think, Mademoiselle, of making us all wait prayers for ten minutes? will you wake—wake—wake up sharper in future?”
She gave me three smarting cuts at each word, and my suspended position added so much to the intensity of my pain, that I screamed, kicked, and plunged about as I swung by my wrists from the post. “Sister Serena,” exclaimed the Superior, “keep the girl steady or I cannot plant my cuts as effectually as I ought to do upon her naughty impudent bottom, she shan’t sleep for a week if I can only make it sore enough!” Serena now held me to the post with one hand, to prevent my swaying about, whilst the rod rained a succession of withering, scorching cuts on my buttocks, and just underneath the parting of the cheeks of my bottom. My screams were heartrending, but they only seemed to enjoy it more and the Superior never ended her objurgations till the rod was worn out.