It would not now be seen as a suitable punishment for getting caught smoking. At my all girls school when I was a teenager caning was considered suitable. I had been caught with my two best friends and stood in front of the headmistress's desk. We were in our final term and were all 18. She gave us the standard lecture and invited us to bend over the desk each of us on separate sides. We were all dressed in standard school uniform.
The first thing that surprised me about that day was that when she tucked the back of my skirt into its waistband she left my dark blue knickers in place. She did the same to the other two before telling us that we would each remove one of our friends' knickers. I was told to kneel behind Anthea and pull her knickers down and off her feet. It seemed a very personal thing to do as my face was very close to her bottom. Anthea did the same for Brenda before Brenda knelt behind me and seemed to take an age to uncover my very vulnerable feeling bottom.
Miss Dent informed us that we would all receive six with the cane and she would deliver these two at a time as she went round the table. She circled the desk anti-clockwise starting with me. She stood to my left and took her time before landing the first right-handed swing low across my bottom. It was my first time being caned and couldn't believe the explosion of pain that struck me. The second landed before I had let my breath out. While she delivered the two strikes to the two girls my bottom got hotter and hotter until it felt like eggs could be cooked on it.
The next two seemed to be delivered with even greater force. The pain seemed white hot and I was not sure I would survive the final two. During the wait for the last two the heat spread throughout my nether regions. I wanted the last two delivered as soon as possible so that it would all be over. Miss Dent obliged delivering two, the hardest yet, in quick succession. The pain and the stress I was feeling caused me to at least partly lose consciousness. It could not have been completely as I was able to be aware of the final four screams of my friends as they suffered the cane for the final time.
The next thing I was fully aware of was Miss Dent picking up the phone. She asked that the head girl (Susan Foster) be put on the phone. When she was Miss Dent requested, or more accurately ordered Miss Foster to come to her office immediately. To any of the pupils in the school other than the head girl this would have been very scary. Susan Foster was almost as scary to us girls as Miss Dent herself. When she arrived we were still all three bent over the desk displaying our caned bottoms. The greeting was as if the headmistress was addressing a senior teacher not a pupil. The conversation that followed seemed to be carried out in code but I can remember every word to this day
"Susan, Miss Wentworth here seems to have reacted rather strongly to the caning. She seems to have become over excited by things and I think she is in need of some of your special TLC."
"Are you suggesting that you don't wish her to receive any further punishment?"
"That is correct Susan. I think she would benefit from some of your special balm that soothes caned bottoms so effectively."
"Sorry I am not sure are you wishing me to "reward" this girl or just apply cream to her caned bottom?"
I knew the meaning of the word reward but it seemed to indicate something that only they knew.
"No I think a deep massage of the effected area will be sufficient Susan. Miss Wentworth here appears to be very naΓ―ve in the ways of the world and I am happy that she remains that way for a little longer."
Even though I didn't have a clue what they were talking about I did see a very strong look of disappointment, or possibly something stronger, cross the head girl's face.
"So no further punishment and no reward for Wentworth today. She does look very much in need of a reward unless I am very much mistaken."
Miss Dent was curt with her next comments as she addressed the head girl more formally.
"Miss Foster if I cannot trust you to do exactly what I require of you I am forced to have Miss Wentworth's friends witness her aftercare. They will be required to report back to me later today. They will confirm your care and her response or more suitably her lack of her response. Do I make myself clear?"