As soon as he got back to school Dr de Ville began his investigation. He interviewed each of the victims and asked them to name others whom they thought might have been victims on other occasions. In this manner the Headmaster soon had a pretty accurate picture of what had been going on and for how long. Also, it was obvious that Wilkins had nothing to do with it and had no knowledge of it.
Then, one by one, the Headmaster had the delinquents brought before him. He came to the same conclusion about Atkins and Drummond as he had about Petreson. He told them much the same things as he had told Petreson and left neither in any doubt that they would be severely punished.
He took a dimmer view of Melrose and Thorpe. Both came away from their meeting with the Headmaster even more deeply worried than before they went in.
It should be recorded that none of these four boys could find it in their hearts to attempt to justify themselves, find excuses or put it all down to Smith. Dr de Ville noted this redeeming feature. If he had intended to expel these four he would have relented. However, that never was his plan. The punishments he had decided on would stand. On leaving the Headmaster's study none of the lads was any the wiser about the exact nature of his punishment, though all realised it must include a severe beating, or when it would happen.
Dobson was next. He couldn't deny his starring role in the little drama that led to Wilkins' downfall. He couldn't deny that he was actively involved in some of Smith's abuse. He did, truthfully, assert that he had been dragged into this through himself being abused and dominated by Smith and Dr de Ville believed him. Nevertheless, as with Petreson and the others the Headmaster indicated that this provided a little mitigation but no excuse. He also stated that Dobson, in view of his age, sub-prefect status and greater involvement, would be punished more severely than the four boys he had already seen. A very forlorn Dobson returned to the dorm where the miscreants were being isolated.
It was late afternoon by the time Dr de Ville called Smith into his presence. He let Smith stand before him for a couple of minutes before he said "Well Smith?"
Smith genuinely didn't know what to say. He stared at the floor.
The Headmaster continued "I have spoken to your victims and to other victims who later joined you as perpetrators of abuse. I believe I have a clear picture of what has been going on. I also know how you brought about Wilkins' disgrace. If you think that there is anything you can tell me that might change my view about your behaviour then now is your chance. Do you have anything you wish to say?"
Smith shuffled his feet for a moment. He raised his head and took a fleeting glimpse at Dr de Ville's face and then resumed staring at the carpet. Dr de Ville's face had scared him. There was no show of anger; the headmaster's facial muscles were devoid of hints about his emotions. It was the eyes that troubled Smith. In those eyes Smith, an excellent reader of other people's feelings, saw sadness, bemusement, and grim determination.
Smith replied "No thank you Sir. I am sorry Sir."
"Very well" said the Headmaster "you may go."
Now it was Smith's turn to be puzzled. He left the study surprised that his wrongdoings had not been spelt out one by one. Also, he had expected to receive a lecture about the seriousness of his wrongdoings. Not least, he had expected punishment to be mentioned.
A few minutes later the Headmaster sent word that the miscreants were released from isolation. Petreson was to sleep at Headmaster's house again. The other boys, except Dobson and Smith, were to return to their own dorm's tonight. Smith and Dobson would, for the time being, continue to sleep in the dorm next to Smith's study and would be supervised by two prefects. All the boys, including Smith and Dobson were free to go about usual school business and to mingle with their fellows. All were gated until further notice.
Dr de Ville's mind turned to Wilkins.
Freud, Yung and other charlatans have discussed a concept called synchronicity. This is a semi-mystical notion that seemingly unconnected events, particularly when coincidences occur, are in fact connected. A coincidence is about to happen. Unfortunately it is too co-incident to help Wilkins.
Wilkins' father was planning to be away on Monday and Tuesday. Thus he had brought forward Wilkins' punishment to Sunday evening. As per standing instructions Wilkins was lying naked on his bed ready to assume the punishment position as soon as his father opened the door. Marks from the previous punishment were still visible on both Wilkins' buttocks. Indeed, a particularly nasty looking bruise remained on the lower overhanging part, just above the crease, of Wilkins' right buttock. After his last beating Wilkins had been in considerable discomfort for three days.
He heard his father coming up the stairs. He started pushing his knees forward and easing his buttocks into position. Suddenly the phone rang. From upstairs it was a muffled ring which stopped almost immediately. The door to his bedroom started opening. There was a voice from downstairs, the maid's, "Sir there is a call for you." Wilkinson senior shouted back "Thanks Millie, please inform the caller that I cannot come to the phone immediately. Please take their name and number and tell them I will ring back in a few minutes."
Wilkinson senior stepped through the door and closed it behind him. He said to his son "The more I think about your behaviour the more disgusted I feel. I am going to give you a bigger dose of discipline this time. Get your bottom up a bit, I want it really tight."
Wilkinson gulped, shiver briefly and improved his positioning.
"Separate your thighs some more" Wilkinson senior ordered.
Wilkinson junior wriggled his thighs apart until his stretched left and right buttocks were well separated; the cleft was wide revealing a tight anal sphincter; the trough of the vertical cavity was packed by a mat of short darkish curly hairs which did not intrude on the ring of skin surrounding his anus; at the base of the cleft, and slightly forward, the backs of Wilkinson's testicles were visible and sticking out from between the two orbs the back of the distal third of his thoroughly limp penis was showing.
Wilkinson senior began laying into his son's backside slowly, methodically covering the target, with the broad belt kept for such purposes.
Dr de Ville was patiently hanging on to the phone whilst Millie went to find a pencil, the one normally kept by the telephone having mysteriously disappeared. He could distinctly hear a steady thumping slapping sound. He was puzzled, then thought that perhaps someone was chopping wood outside the Wilkins residence. He put the matter out of mind. Yelps, followed, by degrees, by very loud yells, accompanying the thumping, did not begin until after Millie, having taken the details, had replaced the handset on its receiver.
After forty thrashes Wilkins was reduced to great sobbing gasps as if in desperate need of air. Both his buttocks and the upper parts of the back of his thighs were vividly red. Already big blotchy bluish bruises were beginning to form. In a few places the skin had been broken but there was no serious lacerations as would have been engendered by the senior cane with such a number of cuts.
Wilkins senior went back downstairs and looked at the details written on the pad next to the telephone. De Ville? What could he want?
The Headmaster anticipated having a very awkward conversion with Mr Wilkins when his call was returned. It turned out to be less of an ordeal than he had imagined.
Dr de Ville had described all the facts as he knew them. He explained how he had been deceived by a wicked plot. He made no bones about the fact that he was culpable, that he should never have fallen for the deception, that he should have placed greater emphasis on his knowledge of Wilkins junior's impeccably good character, that he should have investigated more thoroughly. He offered his most humble apologies. He said that as he hadn't yet written to the university withdrawing his reference no damage had been done in that department. He said he wanted Wilkins to come back to Thistletop and that he would remit the fees for this and next, Wilkins' final, term.
Wilkins senior was more relieved than anything. He was delighted that his son's good name was restored. He even commented that some good may have come out of this for his son: a realisation that life is not always just and that one must be prepared for, and ride, vicissitudes; he might also be better placed to recognise injustice occurring to others and to try to prevent it. As for the fee remission the money didn't matter but he accepted Dr de Ville's offer with good grace. It was arranged that Mr Wilkins would return his son to Thistletop on Wednesday.
The Monday morning school assembly proceeded as usual. Smith and his erstwhile disciples felt distinctly uneasy. Surely this must be when the Headmaster's bombshell will drop? They weren't to be disappointed.
Assembly had an unvarying agenda: a short hymn, a reading from an improving work (Pilgrim's Progress was popular and it was read bit by bit from beginning to end once every two or three years), something apposite from the New Testament, a brief prayer followed by The Lords Prayer, and a final tuneful hymn, and announcements.
The final hymn over and everyone re-seated the announcements began. These were given by various masters and Matron. They covered such matters as practice sessions for next Saturday's intercollegiate matches, the forthcoming biology field trip, arrangements for a theatre trip, and the dangers of leaving fungal growths on toenails untreated. By tradition the headmaster's announcements were last after which the staff would leave whilst the pupils stood respectfully. It was then left to the prefects to make any disciplinary announcements they saw fit and to supervise orderly departure from the hall. More often than not the Headmaster had no announcements to make. He delegated most tasks and spoke only on the most grave matters (which included nice things like commending pupils for excellence.) Whenever, the Headmaster stood up to speak there was absolute silence; all fidgeting and shuffling of feet stopped; everyone, including the masters, sat up straighter.
The Headmaster rose. He waved the other staff to remain in their seats, thus indicating that he was not about to lead their exodus from the hall and also that the boys were not yet required to stand. He went over to the lectern. He stood silently for some moments. His gaze slowly swept across the hall, seemingly looking each individual boy in the eye. Indeed, whenever this occurred each boy did believe that he was being scrutinised; it was not unusual for one or more boys to blush and look down at his knees with the certain feeling that the Headmaster had uncovered a misdemeanour he thought hidden. The Headmaster made a particular point of gazing at Smith's helpers ending with Smith himself. All of them, including the urbane Smith, blushed and wriggled in his seat as the Gorgon's stare fell upon him. As an adult, Johann when reminiscing at a school reunion, would say that despite the humiliating and agonising punishment he later had to endure this was the most terrifying moment.
Dr de Ville raised his head and fixed his gaze on a point near the back of the hall. He rasped out his first sentence.
"There has been great injustice done in Thistletop!"
If silence can be reduced below the level of no sound then this was such an occasion. The already prevailing silence settled into a glacial gel as the reverberations from the Headmaster's voice dissipated. Many around the hall, including the masters on the stage, looked shocked, others merely perplexed.
In something nearer to a normal speaking tone, one which easily reached every corner of the hall, Dr de Ville continued.
"Although I was not the root cause of that injustice I am culpable because I was too ready to believe liars, did not have sufficient faith in the falsely accused, and did not dig deep enough to uncover the truth. For that I sincerely apologise and I shall seek the forgiveness of the person who was wronged when the opportunity arises."
Perplexity was now the dominant emotion in the hall. Except, that is, among Smith and his band who were beginning to feel very small and not a little sick.
"I refer to Wilkins, who was Head Boy. Vile accusations were made against him. These I believed. He was thrashed and expelled from Thistletop School. I didn't even give him the public birching I thought he deserved because I considered him such a danger to the school that I wanted him out of it as soon as possible."
"Wilkins is entirely innocent of everything of which he was accused. He shall return to Thistletop on Wednesday and be welcomed back. I know that Aubrey, whom I have since appointed Head Boy, is a friend of Wilkins. It was Aubrey, who couldn't believe that his friend was the beast I made him out to be, who set in chain circumstances that have completely exonerated Wilkins. I offer my deepest thanks to Aubrey for his determination to reach the truth. Nobody could have a friend more steadfast then Aubrey."
While saying these words, Dr de Ville was looking straight at Aubrey. Aubrey beamed, not from the praise he had received but from the public recognition that Wilkins was innocent.
After a short pause the Headmaster resumed his peroration.
"I propose to restore Wilkins as Head Boy. But we shall have two head boys, a first for Thistletop! Aubrey and Wilkins shall share the honour. Wilkins shall be the ever so slightly senior Head Boy in the sense that if the pair of them disagree about a course of action then Wilkins' view shall prevail."
Aubrey nodded vigorously at that.
"As far as the school as a whole is concerned they are Head Boy equally." The Headmaster smiled and said "I am sure none of you will ever know if they disagree and Wilkins uses his casting vote."
Aubrey beamed back.
Even a skilled actor would be hard pressed to accomplish what Dr de Ville did next. The Headmaster's face had been conveying the genuine joy he felt about restoring Wilkins and honouring Wilkins' loyal friend. There was no transition. No intermediate emotion. Dr de Ville's face snapped to the stern expression of a judge on donning the black cap. This, a visage never seen before by the boys, not even when Hetherington's birching was announced, caused a frisson of fear to run among the assembly. Doubtless it would have disconcerted the masters, Miss Hodkins and Matron on the stage had they been able to see the Headmaster's face.
The frisson turned to a widespread apprehension as the assembly took in Dr de Ville's eyes. Even from the back of the hall it was apparent that they conveyed rage, yet muted and controlled, disgust and unstoppable determination.
Atkins, to his immense embarrassment, wet himself with fear. Fortunately, his bladder wasn't particularly full and it was more like one of those "accidents" that women supposedly have and which can, according to TV advertisements, be concealed by using a suitably absorbent brand of pad adjacent to the fanny. Atkins would leave the hall with nobody any the wiser.
Dobson, at that point, had to make a conscious effort to tighten his anal sphincter. Fortunately the urge to empty his bowels passed off. One must speculate on the consequence of a dramatic faecal discharge at that point. It would have been impossible to conceal. Would it have added to the impact of Dr de Ville's sudden transition to "Cosmic Avenger" and become part of Thistletop folklore? Or, would it have deflated the tension?
There was a pause while the assembly took in the sudden appearance of the "Avenger" which coincided with Dr de Ville collecting his thoughts.
"Smith! Daniel Smith! Smith, a prefect, a boy in a position of trust and authority. He is the one who caused Wilkins to be wrongly accused of vile abuse. Accused of torment that Smith himself perpetrated and continued to do after Wilkins' ignominious departure."
A pause, stunned faces in the hall. Smith staring at his shoes, daring not to look at his Headmaster.
"Look at me Smith!"
Slowly, Smith raised his head. He looked the Headmaster straight in the face then dropped his eyes as if scalding acid were heading toward them. His face had reddened, and his chest too but nobody in the hall could know that. He too felt as if his grip on his bowels was tenuous.
"Smith is the nexus of the evil in Thistletop" the Headmaster said in an almost conversational voice.
"He drew others toward himself. Some he merely abused. Others he abused and took on as his helpers."
In a loud voice the Headmaster suddenly exclaimed "Dobson!"
This time it was a very close thing that Dobson didn't evacuate; though there may have been a small leak.
Reflexively Dobson's head jerked upward to face the Headmaster. Dobson blanched but that was suddenly overtaken by the deepest red of shame and embarrassment; Dobson would experience greater shame, embarrassment and humiliation on a later occasion.
"Dobson, a sub-prefect. Trusted and given authority over other boys. It is true that he was forced into this iniquity because he was blackmailed by Smith. But he soon got into the swing of abuse and became a willing collaborator. The conspiracy to destroy Wilkins could not have worked without Dobson's enthusiastic contribution. Dobson considers himself an actor (the slightest of sneers in Dr de Ville's voice). Oh yes, he can act but he does not know good acts from evil acts. Dobson is less culpable than Smith but not far behind."
After another pause during which the shocked assembly tried to assimilate what they had heard the Headmaster turned his attention to Thorpe and Melrose. He eyed each of them and both flinched as if about to be struck.
"Melrose and Thorpe. They too started out as victims. Victims of a youth their senior, a youth far more devious than either of them. Therein lies their mitigation. But they eagerly joined in Smith's oppression of others. Their baser instincts were given full reign under Smith's and Dobson's tutelage. They too were willing participants in the campaign to destroy Wilkins. They could have stopped it. Yet they chose to lie even though they knew that by telling the truth they would have become free of Smith's yoke. They too have brought about many consequences for which they shall soon suffer."
On hearing the last sentence of the Headmaster's latest denunciation the two youths felt exceedingly queasy. Both could envisage being bent over, their bare bums exposed to a cool breeze, the expectation of something hard making fast contact with their buttocks, the realisation that the hard contact would occur many times before they could lie face down and let, over hours, the agony ebb away.
After another pause the Headmaster spoke again. His voice was more gentle this time. His eyes now conveyed sorrow, disappointment but the same steely determination as before.
"There are three other boys who must be called to account. They were victims of Smith too. They became victims because I entrusted them to Smith to supervise. There were reasons for that which I won't go into. In many respects Smith served them well. Their school work became excellent. But Smith abused them and drew them into his circle of abusers. To a degree they became his slaves in a sense that Melrose, Thorpe, and Dobson were not. They did participate in the abuse Smith and Dobson inflicted on others but I don't believe they did so willingly or with enthusiasm. In any case their participation was minor. They shall, proportionately, be punished for their connivance in the abuse of others. This is because I expect every boy to know the difference between right and wrong and to take the correct decision when confronted with them. It is not as if they didn't have choices: they could have spoken to another prefect, to a master or to me. Indeed they could have spoken to matron, Cook or any other adult in this school."
The Headmaster waited a few moments whilst the assembled pupils took in these points. After staring at Atkins, Drummond and Petreson in turn he continued speaking.
"What, mainly, these last three boys are to be punished for is their significant contribution to the plot to destroy Wilkins. Any of them could have stopped the flow of events. I asked each of them straightforward questions. Each chose to prevaricate. Each decided that it is not mendacious to withhold the truth if not asked the pertinent direct question." Looking truly angry for the first time during this Assembly, Dr de Ville said "These boys chose to let Wilkins suffer pain and ignominy because they thought clever tricks with words more important that honour, justice and plain decency. These three boys shall be suffering pain and humiliation in part to atone for their behaviour. Mostly they shall suffer such on behalf of the rest of you, a sacrifice. They shall be an example of where deception leads such that you shall not wish to follow."
Dr de Ville paused for a few moments and surveyed his utterly attentive and completely cowed audience. His next utterance was forceful.
"The three boys I have just referred to are Atkins, Drummond and Petreson."
The absolute hush continued: not a cough, not a shuffle, not a fart, not a whisper. Everyone in the hall was spellbound. This, metaphorically, was the point at which the judge would lower his head so that the chaplain could place the black cap over his wig.
Dr de Ville had lowered his head during the few moments before he resumed speaking: to pass sentence.
"Atkins, Drummond and Petreson shall be thrashed before the school." A pause while that was taken in.
"Melrose and Thorpe shall be thrashed before the school too but more severely." Another pause.
"Dobson shall be thrashed even more severely". A pause.
"Smith shall receive the same thrashing as Dobson, the most severe possible in a single session without being overly brutal. However, he shall receive the same thrashing on a second occasion, not before the whole school but certainly in front of his main victims if they choose to be present. The second session will take place a week or so later."
In the brief pause before the Headmaster said more, shocked intakes of breathe were audible from throughout the hall. Never before had any of the boys or teachers heard such a savage sentence pronounced.
"Also, all the boys shall be on report until the end of next term and Smith shall remain on report for an indefinite period, until such time as I am satisfied that he has changed his ways. I have decided not to expel Smith because I consider it my duty to help redeem him; I must not pass that responsibility on to others as I bear, through my lack of judgement, some of the blame for these terrible events."
There was another pause while the stunned assembly assimilated this information.
Finally, Dr De Ville said "All the offenders will receive the birch in proportion to their offences. The punishments, the first for Smith, will take place sometime next Saturday after the inter- collegiate matches. You will be informed when. Every boy and member of the teaching staff must be present."
Miss Hodkins' hopes rose on hearing that. She was sure that Dr de Ville didn't mean for her to be present. Yet if she viewed the forthcoming spectacular from the gallery at the back of the hall and the Headmaster remonstrated with her she could always claim she was following orders. She yearned to see a thrashing and those boys were so good looking; she was beginning to speculate on what Smith, Dobson, Petreson and the others looked like naked but her thoughts were interrupted by Dr de Ville's next action.
The Headmaster swept out of the hall. The assembled boys hastily arose. The masters, mistress and Matron followed the Headmaster but couldn't keep up with him.
The boys sat down again. Atkins, Drummond and Petreson silently wept. Melrose wept too. Dobson's eyes were wet. Thorpe was still too stunned to take in the full import of what the Headmaster's words meant for him. Smith was shocked, it had never occurred to him that the Headmaster would sentence him to two thrashings and a long torment of being on report which inevitably would lead to further, admittedly more routine, thrashings for the most minor of offences. One birching he could bear, perhaps. But two?
To be continued. (All commercial rights in the Thistletop stories are retained by the author.)