A Student's Lesson

There was no doubt in his mind that Sally Yeager's lessons were about to begin in earnest.

Chapter Five

Sally jumped as Thaddeus Cox strode briskly back into his study. Glancing to make sure the teenager hadn't strayed, he picked up the phone and quickly dialed a number.

"Headmaster? Yes, this is Mr. Cox. I was just informing you that Miss Yeager has arrived." A long pause. "Yes, sir. I know what is required. You need not worry. I'm just happy to be of any help to you and Warrington, sir." Another long pause. "I'll keep you informed. Good day, Headmaster." With that he hung up. Not wasting a moment Mr. Cox punched a button on the intercom. Soon after, Beth joined them.

"You needed me, sir?"

"Yes. You will see that I am not disturbed for the next few hours. Routine calls you will take a message. If Mr. Montgomery calls make sure you alleviate any concerns he may have. If it is from the Headmaster of Warrington, which I don't expect, then forward anything he has to say to me. I can not stress enough how important it is to not be disturbed. Is that clear?"

"Very clear, sir." Beth nodded curtly taking notes. "Will lunch be served at eleven, sir?

Cox thought about it a moment. "Make it 11:30. Since it's almost nine that should give me time to get Sally here properly introduced to what I intend to do here."

At that Beth did glance at the nervous looking girl. "Understood." She turned to leave the room.

The old man glanced at the amazing woman. It was nice to have such good help he had to admit to himself. Sighing, he focused his mind back to the teenager in front of him. She did look a bit downtrodden standing in the middle of his study but that was to be expected considering. Her summer school uniform appeared to be in place properly and well pressed. That was a good start. He did notice that her dress hem line rode noticeably higher than usual. Looking at her well rounded chest he guessed that might be the reason why. "Come with me, Yeager. Bring your baggage," Thaddeus Cox barked not wasting any time with preliminaries.

The buxom teenager obeyed immediately. To a substantial degree, Sally had accepted her fate and had made up her mind to try to get through the ordeal as painlessly as possible. Be polite. Take her punishment at the end; whatever that may be. Her intention was to step outside of herself, metaphorically speaking, for the duration of her period of punishment. Just seal the experience in a box at the end of it all and come back into herself when it was over. The situation she found herself in was so unreal that it demanded an equally unconventional way of coping with it.

The man opened the second door in the study to what was in effect a completely separate section of the large house. Sally could see a flight of wooden stairs that evidently lead to the second floor. Once the girl followed him inside Cox locked the door behind them. Watching the old man, Sally was growing more nervous by the moment.

"Follow me. Don't dawdle," the old man commanded. Up the stairs they went where Sally now saw a hallway lined with several doors. It looked very different from the rest of the house as the floor was covered in linoleum and the walls were a grayish white. It had a cold and impersonal feel to it. While the left corridor wall had only one door, several rooms opened onto the right.

Cox opened the first door. "Here is the shower and toilet area," he said, coldly. Sally looked inside. It looked to be a standard dormitory bathroom: toilet, hand basin and a tiled shower stall. What she did notice, although this could easily have been overlooked, was that there was no cover across the front of the shower. Very strange, she thought.

Sally was then ushered into the next room. Its furnishings comprised a single bed, a small bedside table, white melamine built-in cupboards along the length of one wall and a matching dressing table next to the window. She couldn't help but notice the sturdy burglar bars over the outside of the window.

Seeing what drew the girl's attention, Mr. Cox smiled. "For your safety of course. We wouldn't want to take any chances, do we?"

Sally had little doubt that these ostensibly protective features served the additional sinister purpose of ensuring her permanent attendance. There was no chance of her playing truant from this room.

"This will be your lodgings, Yeager," he announced, somewhat unnecessarily. Sally placed her bags on the carpeted floor. The room, in fact this entire section of the house to which she assumed she would be confined, had a 'new' smell about it. Unlike the rest of the house with it's oak furnishings and polished wooden floors, the appearance and feel of this extension was more that of a dormitory. A dormitory in a strict boarding school. For all intents and purposes, the shapely teenager thought, this was where she was.

"Stop looking about you and listen to me," Thaddeus Cox ordered. "Listen very closely." Sally faced him and at least appeared to be paying attention to him. "You are here to be disciplined to the full extent of the mandate authorized by your stepfather and requested by your school headmaster." He paused, looking the schoolgirl slowly up and down.

Instinctively, Sally tugged the hem of her school dress. Now aware of what he was doing she wanted to keep her tanned and shapely legs, in addition to other parts of her generous figure, away from her former schoolteacher's prying eyes.

Mr. Cox observed her obvious self-consciousness and smirked. "Should I consider that you are not being sufficiently co-operative, you will receive additional punishments to that which you have already earned. Understood?"

Sally offered a meek nod of acknowledgment. Be agreeable. Get through this she repeated to herself.

"You were provided with a fairly comprehensive set of instructions as to your appearance and I expect a high standard of personal neatness and hygiene from you, Yeager. And don't think I won't notice," he added, not elaborating. The old man gestured around him. "This room is to be kept tidy at all times. As it is now, so it should be maintained. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes. Yes, you do, sir," she replied.

"Time marches on," he remarked impatiently. "You need to begin repaying your debt to your school and your guardian immediately." He then proceeded to instruct Sally to unpack her things and put them away. "Clothing belongs in the cupboard, Yeager. Your toiletries go in the bathroom area next door. Hurry up! Hurry up!" he barked.

The fat disciplinarian watched as the schoolgirl hurriedly packed her clothing in the drawers. He noted with particular interest the items of underwear - the white brassieres and panties - as these were stored away. When all clothing and bags had been sorted she took her toiletries bag to the bathroom through the connecting door. At this point she noticed a larger sink than usual and some racks next to the basin.

"Yeager, in here you will be washing your clothes when I deem it necessary. If any of your clothes become soiled or odorous you will be instructed to clean them. They will be hung to dry on these racks. If the clothing needs pressing such as dresses and shirts an ironing board is folded down like so." Cox then demonstrated that indeed there was an ironing board attached to the wall.

"Come along, Yeager!" The old man marched into the hallway, the teenager scuttling behind as quickly as she could. They now stopped in front of the third door.

"This door" he declared (with a bit too much eagerness Sally thought), "leads to the room that defines the reason for your being on these premises." The excitement on the face of the former mathematics master reinforced the sense of foreboding in the anxious girl. "If you have not already guessed, Yeager, this is the door to the Corporal Punishment Room." He paused to let the young lady ponder that.

Sally stared worriedly at the entrance to the room. She noticed that there was a small cubby as well as three hooks next to the door. From one of the hooks hung a double clothes hanger. Thaddeus's smirk grew as he she glanced at that.

"You have been allocated eight strokes with the senior cane which will be applied when I determine the time is right Yeager. Do you understand?" Sally nodded shakily. "What other punishments you shall receive in there will be at my discretion depending on how well you learn the lessons I have set out for you over the next three days."

Sally could sense what possibly lay ahead of her. Do what 'Old Baldy' wants. Make him think I have learned my lesson. Keep myself from getting further punishments. She looked up into his ugly face. "I understand, sir."

Cox could see the girl was scared but was putting up a good show. "Good. The last room then?" He pointed to the door on the other side of the hall. Walking over he opened it, immediately revealing a considerably larger space. "Your classroom, Yeager. Let's go in."

Sally cautiously followed Cox inside. This room was several times larger than the others she had been shown up to this point. At one end a fairly ordinary teachers desk sat in front of a blackboard. On either side there were a few cabinets and bookshelves but other than that there was little else filling the room. In fact, just a few feet from the front of the desk, was a single small table and chair.

The garbed schoolteacher addressed his pupil. "Here I will be instructing you, Yeager. You will not only be required to complete the schoolwork you have missed due to your truancy but also a series of lessons I have prepared as well." Mr. Cox then walked toward his desk. "You will also be doing physical education in this room periodically. I will of course be paying attention on how well you perform the necessary workouts to see if they meet my strict requirements."

Sally grimaced. Great! She imagined 'Old Baldy' watching her doing jumping jacks. Just another thing to look forward to.

Cox then cleared his throat and said formally, "Sally Yeager. It's time for your first lesson." He indicated the small desk. "Please sit."

Sally sat down being careful not let her dress ride up. Before her were several pages of math problems like she would have had on a test. Two pencils were placed neatly to one side as well. The aged man leaned back on the edge of his desk. "First of all, from now on you will call me 'Sir' or 'Professor' if I call on you to speak."

Sally nodded which caused the professor to tilt his head. "Yes, sir." she quickly corrected herself. Professor Cox continued. "In front of you is a test I gave last year to fifth forms. It should be a review and I expect that you have no difficulty completing it. I'll give you thirty minutes. Begin."

Sally watched Cox sit behind his desk. She quickly grabbed a pencil and scanned the first problem. True to his word the test did seem to be one that she remembered taking several months ago in Cox's class. Relieved, the girl started her work. Scribbling her proofs in the margins she steadily progressed from one question to the next. Math wasn't Sally's best subject but at least she had studied enough to pass the tests, if just barely.

A cough from Mr. Cox caused Sally to look up. "Sir?"

The professor shook his head. "Just a tickle in my throat. Please continue."

Sally found her spot and finished the next problem. Five down, fifteen to go. This was going to be no prob...

Her head jerked up at the sound of a glass tipping over. Mr. Cox had jumped up looking shocked as water started spreading out over his desk. Sally didn't know if she should smile or look concerned. Well, she did know and the latter was definitely preferable.

Cox had scooted away from his desk and found some towels. "Sorry Yeager, I'll get this cleaned up. Please focus on your test." Sally found it difficult to look down as she watched the pudgy man hop around his desk containing the spill. At last the disaster seemed to have been averted. Sally, hiding a grin, completed the next question. A few minutes wasted but it was fun to see 'Old Baldy' jumping around for once. Still plenty of time to go. She heard him sit back in his seat. Okay, the next problem is a summation of...then she heard chuckling.

Looking up once again she saw the old man reading a book, an old one by the look of the cover. The professor turned to her. "Did you have a question, Yeager?"

"Umm, no sir," was all she said.

"Oh. Sorry about that. It's actually quite funny." Cox indicated the book in his hands.

Sally stared at him a moment longer. Seeing that the old man had returned to reading she sought her place on the test once again.

"Actually, this reminds me of something," Cox continued unexpectedly. Sally stopped writing again knowing she could not ignore the professor. However this time the teen couldn't keep some of her frustration from showing on her face. "Do you remember when I assigned this test last year?"

Sally blinked. Her mind wandered back in time but she couldn't remember exactly...wait a second!

Cox smiled inwardly when he could see the realization dawn on the girl's face. "Yes! I remember it well. That was the day you were flirting with that boy in my class, wasn't it?" Sally frowned. "I asked you a question, Yeager!"

Sally drew back. "What? I mean yes, sir." The old man had drudged up that memory again.

"I had to take almost fifteen minutes away from my class to discipline you two. So much time wasted when I could have been teaching eager students. Don't you agree, Yeager?"

Sally glowered but managed a "Yes, sir."

Cox stood and paced. "Hours and hours wasted over the last term which you had a healthy portion of the total as I recall. So you can understand how frustrating it is when you are trying your best but yet cannot get any work done."

Sally could very well see the problem. Even as Mr. Cox was speaking she was seeing her time shrinking rapidly. "Yes, sir."

"Do you really, Yeager?" Cox watched as the girl's eyes flicked to her pages and back. "So you understand, as the clock goes tick, tick, tick, how I feel?"

Her voice betrayed her nervousness now. "Yes, sir."

"I don't think you do, Yeager," his eyes boring into hers, "but I think you are beginning to learn your first lesson." He paused a moment longer. "Back to your test girl. Twelve minutes left." Professor Cox sat back at his desk.

Sally all but started scribbling down answers as fast as she could go. At this point there was no chance for her to double check if they were right. Her hand started tensing up but she just got the last question done when Cox called time.

"Alright, Yeager, bring it up here." Sally stood up and handed the pages over. "Here. Take this book I have just been reading and study it while I grade your work. It's a bit of history you might find interesting." Sally looked at the cover and found the title, 'Victorian Education Principles' on the spine. "Pages 57 to 59 if you please." Then Mr. Cox started to carefully check the teen's answers.

Sitting back down, Sally began flipping pages until she reached the part indicated by Cox. Settling down she began to read. 'Chapter Six: Classroom Discipline'. Her eyes narrowed. It seems 'Old Baldy' wanted her to read how things were done in the old days. She wondered if he might have been alive back then she thought angrily. Grimacing, she read about how students were supposed to act in English Schools during the 1800's. Hands folded on desks when the professor was speaking. No talking at all. Professors were known to use various implements to enforce the strict Code and were expected to use them at the slightest fault. After a few paragraphs Sally stopped reading. It was too sickening to think about what they did back then.

Professor Cox finished grading Sally's work by placing a big red X next to the last problem. Clucking his tongue he addressed his student. "Not the best showing I'm afraid." Sally looked up worriedly. "You just passed." The girl looked relieved but then Cox stood up. "That isn't good enough, not by a long shot, Yeager. That was just a review and the curriculum this year is much harder. No, this isn't a good start at all," he finished now shaking his head.

Sally had the good sense to bite back a retort about the wasted time during the test. She knew it was futile and it would anger 'Old Baldy' anyway. Then she noticed that Cox had pointed at the book Sally was holding.

"Let's start with our second lesson. What did you think about the author's conclusions on page 59, Yeager?"

Sally looked dismayed. "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't finish reading it yet."

"Why not, Yeager?" Cox stood and came around his desk. "It was just three pages."

"The subject, sir, is just..." Sally began to explain.

"So. You failed to perform a direct instruction I gave you?" Cox stood directly in front of her desk.

"I'm sorry. I'll finish..."

"No Yeager. I think you will learn from a more practical teaching style." He turned to his desk and opened a drawer. Sally saw that he had retrieved a wooden ruler and was quickly returning to her desk! Her eyes grew wide when he abruptly ordered her to stand. Frozen for a moment she couldn't believe her ears. What was he going to do?

"I said stand, Yeager." Cox left no room for argument.

Slowly she stood pulling down her hem as she did so. Cox was standing uncomfortably close to her now and the teenager felt very uneasy. So much so she wanted to take a step back. Then she realized that although their faces were two feet apart there was a part of her that was considerably closer. Especially now since the old man had his hands in front of him tapping that ruler.

Cox, for his part, was eager to begin this lesson. It was time to start making sure the errant lady was put in her place. "If you had read the book, Yeager, the author came to the conclusion that the ruler and it's immediate use was the best deterrent to improper behavior in class. Can you guess why, Yeager?"

Sally shook her head and Cox frowned. "Have you already forgotten how to address me, Yeager? Stick out your hand!"

Sally's eyes widened. "I'm sorry, sir. I..."

Cox interrupted her. "Hand out NOW, Yeager! No more delays!"

Yet she did hesitate. Sally hated the idea of corporal punishment and it seemed 'Old Baldy' was looking for any excuse to use it on her. Haltingly she lifted her hand. She flinched when Cox barked, "Straight out, palm up!" At that she jerked her right hand outward in front of the ugly man.

"You seem reasonably smart," Cox continued. "Can you not make a guess why it's so effective?"

"Yes, sir!" Sally blurted out, her mind now focused on the ruler 'Baldy' was positioning above her palm. "Sir, Please!"

"Well from my perspective the results seem self evident." Cox smiled sardonically. "Yes, sir? Please, sir? Those responses are what I like to hear and..." Cox withdrew the ruler hovering over the slightly shaking palm of the pretty girl. "I didn't even need to cause you any harm to get those responses."

The former schoolteacher looked into her eyes for a moment and Sally cringed. She hated how he looked at her. Cox then smiled, "You can lower your hand now, Yeager." With in inward sigh she gladly did so.

Cox became stern again. "Of course you still failed to follow my instructions, so a punishment is still in order I believe. I actually don't like to ruler hands of students. The obvious reason is I could err and strike your fingers which could cause serious injury. It would not do if you could not complete your assignments this weekend, would it Yeager?"

The still standing girl responded, "Yes, sir." At least she sounded respectful this time.

"And so I will need you to remove your left shoe and place your knee on your desk chair, Yeager."

Sally wasn't sure she heard him correctly. "My shoe...sir? She barely remembered she was so confused.