Page:Des Grieux, The Prelude to Teleny.djvu/142

 I shall never forget the transformation that woman's face underwent. From sweet benevolent cozening look, it changed into the ugliest of grim scowls.

She lifted up her hand and gave me a smacking slap, then in a hissing undertone:

"You dirty, sneaking wretch, ah! you want to know what futtering is, well I'll show you." Thereupon she turned me on my back and pulling up my night-gown she began to thrash me mercilessly, nay the more she struck, the greater pleasure she felt, and the smarter were t he blows she gave.

"Now I hope, you've been futtered to you heart's content, and it'll be enough for a long while, but next time you ask such a thing, I won't thrash you, I'll simply take you by your ear, just as you are, in your night-gown, and drag you to the head-master, before all the boys. We all know what a filthy imp you were when you came to us, so he'll expell you from school at once.

Of course I was sobbing piteously during her speech, so she shook me several times to make me stop, then she began again.