was dank and dark and not cultivated like the rest of the garden, there grew some nettles. Aunty took Babs down to this area and told her that as she had picked a rose without permission, the same hand must grasp the nettles and pull a bunch as punishment. So Babs had a very poor stinging and red rash on her hand for a day or two, reminding her constantly, as Aunt said, of her naughtiness. It should be noted that we could not possibly know all the restrictions in this new household to which we had come, but ignorance was no excuse with Aunt Louise! That hand had to learn what not to do!

I

Once when out for our early morning exercises with Aunt Louise, the four of us in pink and blue playsuits, it was I who broke a rule. This time of politeness. After just getting up, needed to clear my throat of phlegm which had gathered during the long night, and I made a loud the auauch, in clearing it, then spate on Immediately Aunt Louise was on to me, "Really, Richard, that is so common and dirty. What if someone sat on the grass there? You must learn to use your handkerchief discreetly, and if that is not available to swallow unnoticed. You will your

grass.

wear a bib round neck all day as a reminder that you might as well be a dribbling baby, and

30

you

will ask Miss D. to give you

each hand three times.

my

the cane on

Before I went into the classroom I had a bib tied around neck, and had to wear it all day, even being presented to a visitor, who asken me laughing why I was wearing a child's bib, and I had to tell the reason why. It was also embarrassing when I went into the classroom to ask Miss D. to give me three strokes of the cane on each hand, for I had to explain my fault to her also. Some of the punishments were of a very childish nature indeed. Such as standing in the corner after a smacked bottom. Being shut in a dark closet for an hour or two. Being sent to bed, a great favorite of the Victorians, at an early hour, sometimes as early as three in the afternoon. Usually this punishment carried with it others, since the culprit was also deprived of any meals due in the time of his punishment. Although Sis used to try and save something from her meal, or I would do likewise if she was being punished by an early bedtime, and we would steal it upstairs under our pinafores.

Another effect of getting smacked bottoms

or caning on the hands was that the time of our bedtime was set back according to the number of smacks on the bottom or the hands we had received

31