She told me to bend over the desk, and I obeyed quickly, not wanting to make her angrier than she already was.

She said something like, “This’ll teach you not to try and play truant,” then she gave me six strokes of the cane on my bottom.

I yelled out at each stroke, partly from the pain and because I was hoping she’d show mercy.

I got six strokes, as opposed to the four Heather received, which struck me as being really unfair.

While the caning was painful, I was angry because I didn’t feel it was justified, and I hated the idea of being beaten by a woman whom I didn’t respect in the way I respected the headmaster.

After the caning, Miss T told me to get out.

There was no sign of Heather.

Presumably, she was in the girls’ toilets or had rushed home.