follies . ., bow down his neck while he is young, and beat him on the sides while he is a child lest he wax stubborn and disobedient ... and so bring sorrow to thine heart.”
Elizabeth heard nothing, and nothing of the long prayer that followed. I won’t cry out, she thought, I won’t, no matter what he does, not in front of Jack. But she hadn’t guessed where her uncle was going to beat her.
“Now, Elizabeth, you have heard the word of God and our prayer to him. Lift your skirts and bend yourself over this bench.” John drew a limber hazel stick from behind the lectern.
“No!” cried the child. “I can’t!” She would have run to her mother, but John seized her and held her pinioned. “It is meet and just that you be shamed. Come, come, Elizabeth - is it necessary to bind you?” He yanked up her gown to expose the small naked buttocks and turned her over the bench. The child suddenly went limp, “There will be one stroke for each of your sins,” said John and slowly raised his arm. The hazel stick swished m the silent room, A fine scarlet line appeared across the pink skin. Anne Fones made a choked sound, and jumping up, quitted the hail, while Martha ran with her. Jack turned his head and looked out the window. Six times the hazel whip flashed through the air and snapped on the flesh. Elizabeth made no sound, no one in the circle made a sound until the last stroke. Then Adam leaned forward and said in a low voice, “I fear the little maid has swooned.”
John lifted the child’s head. “Not quite,” he said, “Bring wine and a feather. She must finish the chastisement properly that her soul will profit by her correction.”
They wet the child’s lips with wine. Lucy burned the feather beneath Elizabeth’s nose until she sneezed, and opened her eyes to become conscious of a fierce smarting pain, “Is it over?” she whispered.
“Yes, child,” said John, gently enough. “Except one thing. You must now kneel and kiss the rod which has saved you from damnation.” He held out the reddened hazel switch. She obeyed mindlessly and brushed her mouth across the stick, but when John said, “Now affirm to us your full contrition and repentance, your determination never again to offend our most loving God,” Elizabeth clapped her hands to her mouth, sweat broke out on her forehead, and leaning over she began to vomit on the rushes.
“Let her be, my son,” said Adam. “.She’ll carry scars from your hazel wand. She’ll repent better now if ye do net force her.”
“ ‘Tis not what the Bible says, Father,” answered John, frowning. “She must now bear witness to a broken and a contrite heart. This foolish retching is surely but the Devil’s doing.”
“And I say let her be!” thundered Adam, suddenly angry. “You’ve become overhard and canting of late years. Before God I liked the old ways best when there was more talk of love and merriment and less of the Devil and groanings of sin.”
The men looked at each other. They had forgotten Elizabeth. A seldom-realized conflict had flared between them. The old man rose and walked over to the lectern, beneath his bushy grey brows his eyes snapped. “Since ye hanker so to quote Scripture, ye might mind ye of the Fifth Commandment!”
John’s skin darkened and a tremor ran through him. He moistened his lips and spoke with difficulty. “Aye, my father, I do. I wish in nothing to offend you, it is but my zeal to...”
“Zeal, forsooth! Ye’ve plenty of that!” cried Adam. It cost him something to combat his son whom he deeply admired, and truth to say was sometimes a bit in awe of. The old man reached down and lifted up Elizabeth. “There, there, poppet,” he said, stroking her curls. “Ye’ll be good now, I vow, and ye’ll never forget your correction.”
Elizabeth looked up at him dully. “I’ll never forget it,” she whispered, and only her grandfather thought that there was something strange, and woefully unchildlike in her
Elizabeth heard nothing, and nothing of the long prayer that followed. I won’t cry out, she thought, I won’t, no matter what he does, not in front of Jack. But she hadn’t guessed where her uncle was going to beat her.
“Now, Elizabeth, you have heard the word of God and our prayer to him. Lift your skirts and bend yourself over this bench.” John drew a limber hazel stick from behind the lectern.
“No!” cried the child. “I can’t!” She would have run to her mother, but John seized her and held her pinioned. “It is meet and just that you be shamed. Come, come, Elizabeth - is it necessary to bind you?” He yanked up her gown to expose the small naked buttocks and turned her over the bench. The child suddenly went limp, “There will be one stroke for each of your sins,” said John and slowly raised his arm. The hazel stick swished m the silent room, A fine scarlet line appeared across the pink skin. Anne Fones made a choked sound, and jumping up, quitted the hail, while Martha ran with her. Jack turned his head and looked out the window. Six times the hazel whip flashed through the air and snapped on the flesh. Elizabeth made no sound, no one in the circle made a sound until the last stroke. Then Adam leaned forward and said in a low voice, “I fear the little maid has swooned.”
John lifted the child’s head. “Not quite,” he said, “Bring wine and a feather. She must finish the chastisement properly that her soul will profit by her correction.”
They wet the child’s lips with wine. Lucy burned the feather beneath Elizabeth’s nose until she sneezed, and opened her eyes to become conscious of a fierce smarting pain, “Is it over?” she whispered.
“Yes, child,” said John, gently enough. “Except one thing. You must now kneel and kiss the rod which has saved you from damnation.” He held out the reddened hazel switch. She obeyed mindlessly and brushed her mouth across the stick, but when John said, “Now affirm to us your full contrition and repentance, your determination never again to offend our most loving God,” Elizabeth clapped her hands to her mouth, sweat broke out on her forehead, and leaning over she began to vomit on the rushes.
“Let her be, my son,” said Adam. “.She’ll carry scars from your hazel wand. She’ll repent better now if ye do net force her.”
“ ‘Tis not what the Bible says, Father,” answered John, frowning. “She must now bear witness to a broken and a contrite heart. This foolish retching is surely but the Devil’s doing.”
“And I say let her be!” thundered Adam, suddenly angry. “You’ve become overhard and canting of late years. Before God I liked the old ways best when there was more talk of love and merriment and less of the Devil and groanings of sin.”
The men looked at each other. They had forgotten Elizabeth. A seldom-realized conflict had flared between them. The old man rose and walked over to the lectern, beneath his bushy grey brows his eyes snapped. “Since ye hanker so to quote Scripture, ye might mind ye of the Fifth Commandment!”
John’s skin darkened and a tremor ran through him. He moistened his lips and spoke with difficulty. “Aye, my father, I do. I wish in nothing to offend you, it is but my zeal to...”
“Zeal, forsooth! Ye’ve plenty of that!” cried Adam. It cost him something to combat his son whom he deeply admired, and truth to say was sometimes a bit in awe of. The old man reached down and lifted up Elizabeth. “There, there, poppet,” he said, stroking her curls. “Ye’ll be good now, I vow, and ye’ll never forget your correction.”
Elizabeth looked up at him dully. “I’ll never forget it,” she whispered, and only her grandfather thought that there was something strange, and woefully unchildlike in her
Similar Books
