Samantha Jones was one of the naughtiest girls at the private girls' school to which her father, a wealthy business man, had sent her. There was no real harm in her, but she could not control her natural high spirits and, despite being one of the most popular girls at the school, she was constantly getting into hot water.

So, although the cane was not often employed at Melville Grange, by the time she had reached the fifth year Sam had felt its sting on no fewer than four occasions. No other girl in her class had been caned more than twice and only five girls out of the twenty had had the cane at all. Each time the sharp stinging in her palms had left her more subdued than usual for a day or two, before she bounced back to normal again.

Sam really enjoyed practical jokes, often of a rather puerile nature. It was one of these which led to her downfall. Mary Moss, a girl in her class, was being kept in for detention. Sam dashed across the road from the school, bought an ice-cream from the van and came back with it. Then she put it in Mary's bag. Sam went home expecting that Mary would find it when she got back from detention.

But, unfortunately for Sam, Mary did not open her case until she got home. The ice-cream had completely melted and had ruined the bag and several schoolbooks. Mrs Moss was very angry. She went to her daughter's school and complained. Samantha owned up immediately there was an enquiry. Mary apologised to her for getting her into trouble, but Mary said that it wasn't her fault. Sam was told by Miss Baxter, her form mistress, to see the headmistress, after school.

"Oh, dear!" Samantha said with a wry smile. "I'm for it again, miss, aren't I?" And she looked wistfully at her hands, thinking of how much they would soon be hurting.

After school at a quarter to four sharp Sam walked up to the door of Mrs Miller's office. She was not looking forward to another taste of the cane, but she knew better than to keep Mrs Miller waiting. Some of her friends, who had followed her a short distance behind, gave her a thumbs up sign of encouragement and Sam smiled ruefully at them as she knocked on the door. The headmistress called to her to come in.

"Samantha Jones! Again!" said Mrs Miller as the girl closed the door behind her. "I really don't know what we can do with you! Anyone would think you enjoyed getting the cane! Well, do you?"

Sam shook her pretty head. She hated getting the cane! But she just couldn't resist mucking about.

"Well, this time I'm going to try to ensure that you won't want another caning for a good long time!" She turned and picked up a long cane from the shelf behind her. It was not the one Samantha had felt on previous visits to that room. "This is the senior cane. I haven't had to use it for ten years. This ridiculous business with the ice-cream is not so serious by itself, but I'm not having you coming back for punishment every five minutes. What you need is a good lesson, once and for all. And that's just what I'm going to give you!"

Sam bit her lower lip as she heard this speech. That cane looked really vicious. Her poor hands!

Mrs Miller walked around to the front of her desk holding the cane. "Right, Samantha, let's get this over with!"

Closing her eyes Samantha extended her left palm. Despite her anticipation of the sting she held it steady with no wavering. She gritted her teeth, waiting for the first sharp blaze of pain across her hand. Much to her surprise it didn't come. Instead she heard the headmistress address her again:

"No, Samantha. I'm not going to cane your hands. This cane is intended for use on quite another portion of the anatomy! Take your blazer off, then your skirt and then your panties! I'm going to cane your bare behind!"

Sam was quite shocked. She had never heard of such a thing and she protested vehemently. But Mrs Miller was having none of it.

"It's no use arguing, Samantha. Either you accept a bottom caning or you leave this school. I have already spoken to both of your parents about this and they both agree with me." Sam finally realised that she had no choice. She slowly removed her navy blue jacket and, even more slowly her skirt. The headmistress made her place both garments neatly on the desk.

Red-faced Sam stood before the headmistress wearing only her white blouse and school tie, ankle socks and the regulation green panties. "All right, girl. Now get those panties down!" ordered Mrs Miller.

"Oh please! Can't I keep them on?" Sam didn't think that the thin cotton panties would make much difference to the pain, but she didn't want the humiliation of a bare bottom punishment.

"No Samantha. Either you take them down or I do. The only difference is, if I take them down you get two extra strokes!"

Faced with this choice Sam obeyed, placing the panties on top of her skirt.

"Good! Now pull that chair out and bend over its back!"

As Sam did so she was only too aware of how vulnerable a target her naked bottom was now providing for that awful cane.

"Now, Samantha, I'm going to give you six strokes of the cane. It will hurt. This is a punishment, not a game, and I want to ensure that you won't ever need another dose. But I'm warning you now, if you don't get back into position when told or if you refuse any strokes, I will have you held down for the remainder of your punishment and you will receive additional strokes!

"I expect you to watch your step after this, Samantha. Walk very carefully if you don't want another caning like this!"

Sam felt the chill pressure of the cane across her bottom. It was the last time any portion of Sam's backside was t feel cold for a long while to come!

Suddenly Mrs Miller lifted the cane and thrashed it down with a great deal more force than she used for hand-canings. Sam gasped as she felt a blazing line of pain right across her bottom. She jerked and her whole body shuddered. The second stroke soon followed, slightly below the first. This time Sam squealed loudly and kicked her feet in reaction. She gripped the chair seat more tightly, resolved to stay in place.

Angry red lines formed across the comely wriggling cheeks as Mrs Miller aimed the strokes carefully onto the lower slopes of the teenager's suffering bottom cheeks. Despite her best efforts Sam could not help screaming loudly as the last two strokes contacted her unbearably sore posterior. Her friends outside were surprised at the loud yells - some thought Sam was just mucking around, but it certainly sounded as if she was badly hurt!

Nevertheless Sam somehow managed to stay bent down over the chair until the sixth stroke, which Mrs Miller made sure was the hardest of all, bit into the exposed flesh of her firm schoolgirl bottom. Then she leapt upright, pressing her hands to her outraged rear.

Samantha danced around the room, tears streaming down her face, oblivious of her half-naked state. Mrs Miller allowed her a minute and then brusquely ordered her to put the rest of her clothes back on.

Sam's followers were dismayed by the appearance of their friend when she emerged from Mrs Miller's office. She was bent forward a little as she stumbled out, both her hands were clasped to the seat of her blue skirt and large tears were silently falling down her face. She ignored the other girls, pushing through them without a word, and made her way straight to the toilets where she locked herself in a cubicle until she was sure that everyone else was gone. For once Samantha could see nothing at all to laugh about.

For the rest of that term Sam remembered the headmistress's words and walked - and sat - very warily indeed!