A New Broom Sweeps Clean

A very timid, "Yes sir."

"Do you know why I have summoned you here?"

"No sir, not really."

"But you are aware that as new boys this term, you have broken two of the schools golden rules, are you not?"

Jarvis then spoke for both of them. "Well, sir, we did go down into town yesterday afternoon after classes, if that is what you mean."

"That boys, is precisely what I mean. I saw the two of you myself, walking down the high street, looking into shop windows. Why did you go down town, when you know that for new boys such as you are only allowed down town on Saturday afternoons and for a period of two hours only?"

"Well sir, we really did not realise that we were breaking the rules; we just wanted to see what the town was like; to look around the shops a bit; we truly did not do any harm."

"And did your looking turn into purchasing?"

"Well sir, only a little bit: we each bought a boy's magazine from the news agent's."

"I see. So you went into, strictly against the school rules and made some purchases, but your disregard of the school rules goes much further, doesn't it?"

The two boys looked totally bewildered, for they clearly had no idea of what other rule they had broken.

"No sir, we didn't do anything else other than what we have just told you; honest to god we didn't! We just went into town and each bought a magazine; that's all, sir, nothing else."

"And where were your caps? I do not recollect seeing that you were wearing your school caps. You surely know that whenever you are outside the school premises, the rules require that you wear your caps at all times and that you raise them to anyone you happen to meet whom you know. Did you not know that?"

"Oh sir, we just forgot to take our caps with us. It was just forgetfulness, that is all, we really were not intending to break the rules; it was must one of those things which happens."

"So, boys, let us be quite clear; Knowing full well that you were breaking the rules, you went down town and additionally, also knowing that the wearing of caps was obligatory, you did not wear your caps. Is that correct?"

The two boys were now clearly in a very nervous state, not knowing what was coming and wondering what they could do to escape from what had become, for them, a nerve-wracking experience.

"Yes sir, we did know, but it was just that we are new here and we just wanted to see what the town was like, sir and the caps, well we just forgot them. It was not intentional at all sir. We'll never do it again sir, will we Mawdsley?"

"Well boys, I have to tell you that the rules of this school are there to be obeyed; to be obeyed by all boys of all ages and the fact that you two are new boys this term is no excuse for your behaviour. You were both aware of the rules and you chose to break them and for that I am afraid you have to be punished. If I allow you go without punishing you, then others will be inspired by your bad example and will be tempted to do the same; and that, let me tell you will lead to chaos, utter chaos. I am a great believer in the adage, "Give a boy an inch and he will take a mile". Well you two, by your actions, have tempted fate and been caught and that inch, which you took by your by your actions yesterday, will not be allowed to turn into a mile; in fact, it will be completely erased, like a misspelled word."

By this time the two lads were truly looking very frightened indeed and wondered what was going to happen to them.

"Are you going to put us in detention, sir?" asked Jarvis.

"Detention, Jarvis, in my experience, is rarely a deterrent. No I am not going to put you in detention; I am going to beat the pair of you. Turn round, both of you and look over there by the door and tell me what you see there? Well let me spell it out for you: a selection of canes just waiting to correct errant youths such as you two."

Oh sir, please don't cane us, sir. I have never been caned before." pleaded Mawdsley as he went on, "Does it hurt, Sir?"

" Mawdesly, I should have thought that a boy of your intelligence would have realised that you have just asked a very silly question. Of course it will hurt boy! That is precisely the object of the exercise"

"Yes sir, I understand that it will hurt, but will it hurt a lot?"

"Mawdsely, stop asking stupid questions and give me a minute to select a suitable cane and then you will find out for yourself first hand."

Dr. Waterlow went across to his cane repository and withdrew a long, thin cane of a dark mahogany colour, very shiny, very pliable and about half an inch thick. He sat down behind his desk with the two boys standing trembling in front of him, wondering what the next few minutes held for them, for they had no clear idea of how the cane was used at Cumbria College. They found themselves in the position of countless other boys at public schools throughout the country, boys who stood before their headmaster waiting for the punishment and were unable to do anything to avoid what was about to happen.

But wait they did, as Dr. Waterlow had no intention of curtailing this little drama, for he had rightly sensed that the Colonel and the Board of Governors of Rigby, were looking not only for academic attributes in their new Headmaster, but also for a strict disciplinarian, a man who in the previous century would have been described as a martinet. And in Dr. Waterlow they had found their man, for like many a school master, he found considerable erotic pleasure in beating boys' arses, a fact which he divulged to no one.

"This cane, boys, was given to me by my predecessor on his retirement. He used it in this school for nearly twenty-five years and since his departure, I have used it regularly for the past five years. It is a totally unique implement, as it has taken on with age, a patina and colour both of which are most unusual and it has retained its amazing flexibility for over thirty years. It is my very favourite cane, to which I am attached in the same way as one is attached to very comfortable pair of old shoes. Each time I use it, I feel completely at ease as I know exactly how it will perform. Just think boys, this cane has been used on over six hundred different boys over the thirty years of its life and it is still as good as new. So, boys, you are about to experience a moment in history and join the ranks of those who have felt the therapeutic effects of this very cane over the past thirty years. But enough talk as we now must get down to some action!"

The two boys were now in such nervous state, that the Colonel feared one or both of them might wet themselves.

"Do you cane both our hands or or just one?" asked Mawdesly.

"Hands? Who said anything about hands? Hands are caned in state schools; Cumbria Academy is a public school and public schools beat buttocks; hands are totally out of the question. So, you first Mawdsley, just step up to this low chair drop you shorts and underpants and bend across the back. Stick your buttocks high so that I can apply the cane correctly."

"Oh sir, you are not going to beat our bums bare, are you sir? Please sir, I don't think I can stand it."

"Beating of bare bums, as you so graphically express it, is the standard method of punishment here at the Cumbria Academy. The cane is always applied directly to the the naked buttocks of the miscreant, in this case you. So I suggest you hold your tongue now and prepare yourself for the pain which you are certainly going to experience. Keep perfectly still until I tell you to get up. I am going to be lenient with both of you, very lenient, in fact, as you are both new boys. But even thought your misdemeanours are relatively minor, I cannot let them go unpunished. Taken together your two infractions merit twenty-four strokes of the cane, but as I have decided to be lenient, I will give each of you just twelve cuts."

"My god," thought the Colonel to himself, "This man is exactly what we are looking for: he calls twelve strokes across the naked arse lenient; here is someone who is not frightened to lay it on and keep boys in order: Waterlow is a man after my own heart."

Dr. Waterlow approached Mawdsley and surveyed the boy's two hemispheres, which were totally unblemished virgin territory. Gently tapping a few times across the boy's buttocks he finally brought the cane down with a hard whack just below the bottom of the boy's back. Then he systematically applied the next ten strokes with staggering precision, one parallel to the other, ending with the eleventh stroke at the top of the boy's legs. The flexibility of the cane, so vigorously applied by a man who was clearly a master in the art, ensured that both cheeks were totally striped with the cuts. Finally, like a baker signing off on a loaf of bread, he applied the last cut diagonally across the others, joining them together.

Poor Mawdsley was in absolute agony from the first stroke on and howled loudly as stroke followed stroke. By the time the master had finished with him, the poor boy was in a flood of tears and his arse was a mass of artistically applied red bruises.

"Up you get, Mawdsely and stop whining now; take your punishment like a man. (That time honoured exhortation which brought no comfort whatsoever to the unlucky recipient of the beating). You next, Jarvis, come on lad, look lively. Let's see you bare bum, as your friend calls it; come on, lad, get over the chair."

How Jarvis felt, having witnessed the so- called "lenient" beating which his friend had just undergone, we shall never know. Suffice it to say that when he stood up from the chair a few minutes later, his arse was a testimony to the precision and artistry of the caning ability of Dr. Waterlow.

"Now boys, get your clothes back on and cut along to your next class. You two will be the heroes of your dorm. Tonight when your school mates see the magnificent picture I have painted on your bums: they are works of art in their own right: something two can be proud to show off to your class mates!"

The two lads left, still in tears, massaging their buttocks, which surely felt as if they were on fire. The lads had had a real roasting for their misdemeanour.

As they left his study, Dr. Waterlow added the encouraging remark: "You may find that your housemaster will want to see you on this same matter, as you have let down only the school but Latimer House as well."

The colonel said: "Well, Dr, Waterlow, I have to say that we were all very impressed by the way you handled those two boys. You were quite right, of course to give them a good beating, for even though their offences were not very serious, to have let them escape without punishment would have been a cardinal error: the beginning of the end. To have overlooked that inch those two lads took in breaking the rules and going into the town, would quickly have allowed it to turn into the proverbial mile; it would have been the thin end of the wedge. Well done indeed, sir to nip such infractions in the bud. Now that the boys have seen what happens to rule breakers, I am sure that they will be much more careful in future. And may I say, sir, how much we all admired your mastery of the cane: such accuracy and such force. That pair of miscreants went away well and truly chastened and I am sure that they will think hard and long before they break any more rules."

"Well, Colonel, as a strict disciplinarian in charge of all discipline at this school I have had a lot of practice over the past five years." replied Dr. Waterlow.

"Now sir, my colleagues and I are very satisfied with your qualifications and capabilities and in spite of your young age, we have the pleasure to offer you the post of Headmaster of Rigby School which we hope you will accept."

Dr. Waterlow was, of course, delighted that he had been offered the post, which he accepted. He was also pleased to see that the Colonel and his colleagues had been duly impressed by his prowess with the cane and that they strongly endorsed the use of corporal punishment, as he intended to see that its use at Rigby became a regular feature of school life. The fact of the matter was that Dr. Waterlow, like many others in his profession, enjoyed thrashing boys' backsides. But he had another proclivity, which was not at first sight apparent; Dr. Waterlow was a homosexual.

CHAPTER 4

Dr .Waterlow left the Cumbria Academy at the end of the year. His old colleagues at the Cumbria Academy wished him luck in his new post and congratulated him on his early accession to the post of to the level of Headmaster of a public school at the early age of twenty-eight. He left Cumbria with only one possession: the faithful favourite cane which he had inherited from his predecessor. The boys of Rigby would soon have the pleasure of learning of its efficacy as he had every intention of ruling Rigby with a rod of iron.

As Dr. Waterlow was leaving, the Headmaster of Cumbria Academy remarked to his new Assistant Master, Dr.Waterlow's replacement that he hoped that Rigby knew what they were doing.

His colleague replied: "Oh, Headmaster, never fear, Waterlow will sort them out; he is an excellent disciplinarian and a great organiser. Believe me, sir, that speaking as one of his admirers and now as his successor, I think he is a hard act to follow; the school is losing a good man."

"I know, I know," replied the Headmaster, "It's not that that I am bothered about. It's the other thing!"

"Oh, I see exactly what you mean, Headmaster. But they have had lots of time to size him up, so caveat emptor, I say: let the buyer beware. And, Headmaster, if you would permit me to say so, Dr. Waterlow is always very discreet."

At this remark, the Headmaster looked intently at his new Assistant Master, said nothing, but raised an internal eyebrow! Had he replaced like with like, he wondered.

So even though his colleagues had known of the sexual orientation of Dr. Waterlow, not a whisper had reached the Colonel and his Board of Governors.

Immediately prior to Dr. Waterlow's arrival at Rigby, by the middle of December, the Board of Governors, felt sufficiently sure of itself to dismiss the present incumbent, Mr Baldwin. A Board meeting was convened and Mr. Baldwin was summoned. The Colonel did not beat about the bush as to the purpose of the meeting. He informed Mr. Baldwin in no uncertain terms, that the Board had decided after five years of his mismanagement, given the present parlous state of the school, that it was time to have a new person take charge. The Board had, therefore, decided to give Mr. Baldwin the three months notice as per his letter of engagement, to vacate the post of Headmaster at the end of March. Mr. Baldwin was, naturally indignant at the way he was being treated and attempted to defend his record.

The Colonel cut him short: "Headmaster, just look at the state the school is in. There is no discipline, the academic results are abysmal and, sir, to cap it all, we have a serious fall in the demand for places for new boys. You sir, with your modern methods and laissez-faire attitudes, have brought this institution to its knees. Your time, sir, is over: you have to go. Now, if you wish, we are willing to allow you to resign: ill health, family problems: you know the form. So, sir, it's up to you. Do you wish to resign, or do we give you written notice? Decide! Decide now!"

The Colonel delivered the above remarks in his most authoritative and intimidating manner and Mr. Baldwin decided to save face and resign.

"Mr Baldwin, the Board accepts your resignation, which you will put in writing by tomorrow morning and deliver into my hands. Now, as per your letter of engagement, your resignation is also subject to three months notice, which you are obliged to give to the Board, However, if you wish, the Board will allow you to leave immediately and will, of course, pay you your salary for the next three months, until the contractual end of your employment with this school. In a word sir, you will be free to leave at the end of this month. The Board feels that it will be in the best interests of all concerned if you vacate the Headmaster's quarters by December 31st. So, Mr. Baldwin, I suggest you spend the rest of the month clearing out your things and vacate the premises by the end of the year.

In convincing the Board to act in the way it had and more or less forcing Mr. Baldwin to go immediately, the Colonel had, in fact, played a master stroke: he had got rid of Mr. Baldwin, allowing the new Headmaster, Dr. Waterlow to take charge in January. They had a long way to go, but at least they had installed the new broom earlier than anticipated. True, Dr. Waterlow, by virtue of his youth and as a newcomer charged to change the status quo, would face sever opposition from members of "the old guard", but at least they were on the right road and Waterlow could start to stop the galloping rot, with which the school was infested, nine months earlier than expected. The next major problem was the recruiting of the new housemasters and the dismissal of the old acolytes of Mr. Baldwin. Until they were gone, the school could never be truly reformed and set on an even keel again. The Colonel wondered if the existing housemasters saw the writing on the wall: only time would tell.

CHAPTER 5

Dr. Waterlow arrived at Rigby in early January. As a bachelor, he had, with the permission of his old Headmaster, left his furniture in his school lodgings at the Cumbria Academy until such time as they could be brought to Rigby and installed in the Headmaster's quarters, which, by the way, in the tradition of the old English public schools, were very spacious; far more than he as a bachelor really needed. So, with a few personal effects and his beloved cane, he installed himself in the local hotel for a few days until his furniture arrived from Cumbria.

The spring term stared on January 6th, and the boys arrived from their Christmas holiday the day before. No one, not even the existing masters, had been told of the change of leadership of the school and so, the Colonel decided that he would convoke all the masters to a Board Meeting and inform them them of the change in leadership and introduce them to their new Headmaster.

"Gentlemen, thank you all for coming here today at such short notice. The reason for this meeting is to tell you that the Board of Governors, after a detailed appraisal of the performance of the school over the past five years, decided that a change in leadership was necessary. At the end of December the old Headmaster, Mr. Baldwin resigned and has left the school. It is with great pleasure that I would like to introduce to you the new Headmaster of Rigby School as of January 1st this year, Dr Andrew Waterlow. Dr. Waterlow is a classicist, educated at Eton College and Oxford, where he graduated with the highest honours. He subsequently obtained the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Oxford, but then decided that teaching was his future and he has, for past five years, been the Assistant Master at another public school of which the name will be familiar to all of you, I am sure: the Cumbria Academy."

"So gentlemen, I am sure that I can count on all of you to give your full support to Dr.Waterlow in his new post. Thank you for your attendance and good day to you all."

Holding to the maxim "Discretion is the better part of valour", the Colonel deemed it wiser not to mention the fact that the Board thought that the present teaching staff had done a terrible job and that the school was almost on its knees, thanks to the mismanagement by Mr. Baldwin. He also did not ask for any questions from the assembled staff. He simply gave them the facts, thanked them for their attention and left. In a word, they had to take it or leave it; any of the present staff must have wondered if the writing was already on the wall for them too.