By Governess
liviaarbuthnot1@gmail.com
Copyright 2024 by Governess, all rights reserved
[2,987 words]´
* * * * *Chapter 70
“And I am sure you
are right about fortitude, Cordelia. I think that for Laura that was an
important virtue, and in her eyes, one of the keys to successful
learning. A teacher may assist in the transfer of knowledge but as
important is imparting the capacity to learn. Learning requires a
degree of struggle and the fortitude to keep going in the face of
failure. And providing the courage to do that is so essential.”
“But it is also clear from what she says that, for her, submission to authority was also an important virtue.”
“Yes. And so it is. Until a child is brought into submission and is
prepared to respect and obey the authority set over him, learning is
simply not possible. I know there are some who think that rendering a
child submissive militates against an inquiring mind. But inquiry is
only valuable if the mind has received something worth inquiring about.
And for that there first needs to be some proper learning. And, of
course, to bring a child into submission, punishment needs to sit at
the very heart of the relationship.
“Yes at its very heart.
Some draw a distinction between punishment, which is negative and
controlling and ought to be avoided, and discipline which is positive
and supporting. But that’s complete nonsense. Punishment is as much
guidance and support as anything else. There’s nothing negative about
punishment. It makes a positive contribution to shaping a boy and
providing a real stimulus and encouragement to learning. Laura makes
that very clear.”
“But there’s something else comes across
even more forcibly, isn’t there? Her deep satisfaction in punishing the
two boys. She relishes every smack of the hairbrush on their bare
little bottoms and later every cut of the birch as it raises throbbing
weals on their flesh. I wonder what you think about that, Cordelia?”
“I’m reminded of the old adage ‘You have to be cruel to be kind’ But it
is a refined cruelty, isn’t it? It is never thoughtless or brutal. For
her, as for us, whipping is an essential part of a discipline which
holds the boy securely within our will. So, perhaps cruelty isn’t the
best word to use.”
“Although a lot of people would certainly
consider her discipline bordering on cruelty. And sometimes her
enjoyment seems at least equal, if not greater, than the intention to
discipline. I’m not sure how far into the book you’ve read, but her
account of the early tutoring of James, and her eagerness to discipline
him is a good example of that.”
Diana picked the book, and found the page she was looking for.
“Just read that Cordelia.
I tutored
my two half-brothers until first Marius and then a year later Torquil
went off to school. Then, in my twenties, I moved to Cambridge and
continued my own studies at Lady Margaret Hall. I missed tutoring the
two boys and in particular the pleasure in correcting them and,
whenever I saw a birch tree, I imagined holding a birch in my hand and
swishing it through the air and then raising weals on smooth immature
flesh. And I knew, even then, that once I had graduated, I wanted
nothing other than to become a tutor of small boys and reestablish a
relationship similar to that which I had enjoyed with Marius and
Torquil. The grounding my father had given me in classics and history
that had been well-beaten into my own flesh stood me in great stead. I
outpaced my fellow students and enjoyed my superiority, eventually
leaving with the equivalent of an excellent degree. Not that I was
awarded such, for Cambridge did not admit women to full membership of
the University or confer degrees upon them. I began scanning the
relevant publications for a position as tutor with a strong preference
for tutoring boys, and it was not long before my heart missed a beat as
I read the following in one of the periodicals to which I had
subscribed.
Governess required for eight-year-old boy.
High academic qualifications required with the ability to coach to
common entrance. Responsible for both his academic and moral welfare.
Willingness to impose strict discipline essential.
I
remember the excitement that pulsed through me as I read this. I
immediately put pen to paper and responded, stating my qualifications
and eagerness for the appointment. And, of course, I cited my
experience in tutoring my two half-brothers. After some hesitation, I
mentioned my strong belief in physical discipline as an essential
element in fostering a good attitude to learning. I had wondered
whether to stress this commitment to the rod, and hoped that this was
what the advertisement meant when it referred to ‘strict discipline’.
I waited with increasing anxiety for a reply and within two days I had
received an encouraging response inviting me to an interview.
Dear Miss Ravenscourt,
Thank you for your application for the position advertised in
Educational World. I am most impressed with your qualifications for the
post and invite you to an interview. May I suggest that you make
arrangements to visit us on Wednesday next and stay overnight. That
would provide not only an opportunity to meet for longer, but also
enable you to spend time with James. Please cable when you have made
the arrangement and we will send the car to collect you. All expenses
will be reimbursed.
James previously boarded at a
preparatory school from which sadly he was expelled. Both his father
and I consider that his need is now for a single tutor imposing a
strict regime governing not only his studies but every aspect of his
life. I am greatly encouraged by your stated commitment to physical
discipline that I now see as essential for keeping the boy on the
straight and narrow and bringing about the reform that is required.
I look forward to meeting you.
Immediately
I reached for Bradshaw’s and checked train times. And within the week,
I was driving up a long and spacious drive toward an impressive country
house. I was met by Mrs Fairclough who greeted me in what I thought was
an eager but somewhat worried manner, and was led through long
corridors to a drawing room that opened onto the garden. Looking
through the french doors, I could see this ran as far as the eye could
see, and that the house was set in grounds that were as well kept as
they were extensive. Her husband was an eminent and busy QC and the
running of the household was left entirely in her hands, including the
welfare and education of the children. James’s expulsion was the last
straw, and she had decided that he should be banished from the family
home and live with a governess in a cottage on the estate. She made
clear that, if appointed, I would assume full responsibility for the
boy, subject only to the requirement of providing a strict and
demanding regime that would render him submissive and hardworking, and
also that on no account were any concessions or privileges to be
accorded him.
I confess I was more than a little shocked at
the depth of her rejection. On the other hand, the situation offered
more than I could reasonably have expected and I told her I was willing
to take the position if offered, adding that I would have no difficulty
in providing the discipline the boy required. She knew from our
correspondence, that I regarded the rod as essential for effective
discipline and that it would most certainly not be withheld.
She then took me to the cottage where it was proposed that I should
live with James. It was in fact a cottage only in name, being a
converted coach house with six substantial rooms.
“I trust
you will find this acceptable, Miss Ravenscourt. There should be enough
rooms for one to be a dedicated schoolroom, as well as a room to which
you can banish James when he needs to be disciplined.”
“You mean placed in isolation as a punishment? Is that how he is currently disciplined?”
“Yes. That’s where he is at the moment. Confined to his room. Unless
he’s run off into the grounds. I cannot tell how grateful and relieved
I am that you will be lifting this burden from me.”
I nodded.
“This is a beautifully spacious house, Mrs Fairclough, but hardly a cottage.”
“Yes. But we’ve always called it The Cottage, right from the beginning.
Anyway, I hope it will meet the current need. But you must meet James.”
When we returned to the main house, despite her fears, James was still
in his room, and came when called. I smiled and greeted him in friendly
fashion.
“I am Miss Ravenscourt, and I am to be your governess, James.”
He looked down at the floor.
“Do you know what a governess is, James?”
He shook his head.
“No? Well a governess is a lady like me whose business it is to govern boys like you”
“I take it you know what ‘govern’ means, James.”
He looked up and stared at me.
“To govern means to rule. And that means giving him clear rules.”
I paused
“And beating him if he fails to keep them. Have you ever been beaten, James?”
“Ye . . . yes.”
“And when was that?”
“At my school. At St Leonard’s.”
“And how were you beaten?”
“With a cane. Over my gym shorts"
“Well, let me tell you, James, that when I beat a boy, he’s punished on his bare bottom. Have you never been spanked?”
“Spanked?”
“Spanked. Had your trousers taken down and beaten with a hairbrush on the bare bottom?”
“N . . . no. I don’t think so.”
“You don’t think so! Well, let me tell you, James, any boy spanked by me would be in no doubt he’d been spanked.”
I looked at his mother.
“Perhaps James might be returned to his room for a while, Mrs Fairclough.”
He was sent off with a warning to stay there until called.
“This is a boy, Mrs Fairclough, greatly in need of discipline. He must
be kept on a tight rein. He’s a young colt that needs to be broken to
bit and bridle, and for that there will need to be frequent resort to
the whip. I confess I am already anticipating the pleasure of providing
the discipline he requires and knowing that you will have the pleasure
of the boy's being properly taken in hand.”
“As I said, Miss
Ravenscourt, being relieved of responsibility for James’s discipline is
a such a blessing, and to find someone who does not shy away from
providing the punishment he needs is little short of a miracle. From
the outset I knew that he needed firm handling. But discipline is
demanding and time-consuming and, to my shame, it was neglected. I
suppose I lack any real maternal instinct. It was such a relief when he
began at St Leonards, but now by his wicked stupidity he has brought
that to an end. And I blame myself for failing him. For not providing
that discipline he needed.”
“Mrs Fairclough, you may have
failed to discipline him, but he knew what he was doing and he carries
the blame. As for your failing him, we all are different, with
different dispositions, and different strengths and weaknesses. When
these are leading us astray, we need to resist. No doubt you should
have fought your lack of resolve to discipline him, but now you have
wisely appointed someone to do what you found difficult to do yourself.”
By now it was late afternoon. Mrs Fairclough rang for tea and as we
chatted, it became increasingly clear that whatever intentions I might
have for James, there would be no interference from his mother. The
relief at having her responsibility for the boy lifted was all too
evident, and she had no wish to see him on a regular basis. ‘Once a
month is quite sufficient in the circumstances, Miss Ravenscourt. I
expect you to take full responsibility for the boy, and for him to be
subject to your rule and your determination. To see him on a regular
basis would be far too confusing for him.’
I inquired
whether his father might not have a view about this, and was told, ‘His
father will be more than happy with the arrangement’. And so, I
thought, would I.
At five o’clock, I asked Mrs Fairclough to call James, and proposed that I should be responsible for his bedtime routine.
“Normally, Miss Ravenscourt, his bedtime is quite a bit later than this. He’ll not be pleased.”
“If he argues about it, he’ll be even less pleased, Mrs Fairclough.”
When he entered, I explained that as his new governess I had decided on
a change in his bedtime and that from now on, he would start getting
ready for bed at five o’clock.
“But that’s not fair, I don’t go up to bed until half past six.”
“Is that when you went up to bed yesterday, James?”
“Yes. It was.”
“And is it still yesterday?”
No, of course not.”
“Exactly. Today is a new day, and you have a new bedtime. Now go to
your room and undress. And when I come up I want to see your clothes
folded neatly, and you standing, naked, with your nose pressed against
the wall.”
When he had gone, his mother looked at me with an almost shocked, yet approving look on her face.
“Are you going to spank him, Miss Ravenscourt?”
“Yes, Mrs Fairclough. Nothing he could have said or done would have
spared him. Boys need discipline, even boys that are often to all
appearances good. In my bag upstairs in my room is a hairbrush; and
upstairs, too, there will soon be a small eight-year-old boy standing
face to the wall with a very bare bottom. Before I left the house this
morning, I was already anticipating the pleasure of spanking that
bottom. And when I’ve finished with him, he’ll be sobbing and choking,
and his bottom two swollen mounds of red smarting agony.”
I
wondered whether it had been wise to speak so frankly to Mrs
Fairclough. But she clearly regarded my eagerness to discipline the boy
as contrasting favourably with her own reluctance to provide what was
necessary. I left her and mounted the stairs, going first to
my room. For a moment, I stood at the window enjoying the view of
rolling countryside, and in the far distance, a hill with a single
tree. I stood looking for a moment before retrieving the hairbrush from
the drawer in which I had placed it, smacking it several times across
my palm, before making my way to James’s bedroom. It would not have
surprised me to find him still dressed, but, no, he was standing face
to the wall as instructed. I felt a tightness in my chest and shivered,
as I ran my eyes appreciatively down his smooth back to the fullness of
his buttocks. Two mounds of soft sensitive flesh, firm and compact,
stripped of all protection, awaiting my discipline. Gently, I placed
the hairbrush on the top of the chest of drawers.
I stepped
over to the boy who stirred uneasily as I stood beside him. I reached
out and placed my hand beneath the weight of his buttocks and felt his
body tremble.
However frequently a boy may be spanked, and
even if owing to a lapse of time, he has forgotten how painful are two
or three dozen strokes of a hairbrush across his bare bottom, the
effectiveness of a spanking is never in doubt. Even were a boy to be
spanked daily, the buttocks never lose their sensitivity, and given
that some boys, indeed most boys, need regular and frequent spanking,
and later birching, that is indeed fortunate. And James whose bottom
had been starved of disciplinary love for so long was soon to discover
just how sensitive a bottom could be. I felt the firm weight of his
buttocks beneath my hand, and could scarcely credit that this boy had
been placed so readily under my governance. I was to exercise a total
control over every aspect of his being, his education, his moral
welfare, but above all, his discipline.
Once my two
half-brothers had departed to Harrow, the pleasure of flogging a boy
was entirely absent from my life. While at Oxford, I had taken on some
tutoring of boys for common entrance. However, the harsh but effective
methods I had adopted for Marius and Torquil were unacceptable to their
parents. Consequently, assisting their sons to reach the required
standard became both difficult and unrewarding; and for behaviour that
merited a good flogging, I had to content myself with the sterile
response of a verbal reprimand. For so many years I had enjoyed
birching the firm, young buttocks of my half-brothers that having to
endure a life without this pleasure was becoming increasingly
unendurable.
It was to make good this loss that I decided to
offer myself as an academic governess to tutor boys from their earliest
years, right through to common entrance and even beyond. My
qualification in classical languages, equivalent to a double first,
more than qualified me for such a position, but whether I would find a
family who shared my belief in the value of strict discipline and
frequent recourse to the rod remained to be seen. However, I made clear
in my advertisement that I favoured well-established disciplinary
routines and strict discipline, in the hope that it would attract those
parents who believed, as I did, that corporal punishment was a
prerequisite of a boy's making significant progress in his studies.
That I would receive so swift a response and one that more than
justified my optimism was as startling as it was welcome.