The maid took a wide worn belt from a nail on the wall and brought it to the aunt. Pani Felicia pulled off Marek's pajama pants and lowered them down to his knees. The young man heard Pani Katarzhina laugh softly. At this moment, Marek seemed to see himself from the outside. Now he was lying on his stomach on the desk and his pajama pants had slipped off his knees and fallen to the floor, covering his bare feet. Aunt Felicia, Pani Katarzhina, and the two maids look at his bare pale buttocks.
The aunt lifted Marek's pajama shirt over his shoulders and took the belt from the maid. Gracia walked around the desk and took the young man's hands firmly in hers.
"Ten strokes will be enough for the first time, I think," said the aunt and she slapped on the thin boy's ass with her strong hand but not too hard.
Marek's whole body shuddered. He was lying on his stomach on the narrow sloping table top looking out of the window. Near the verandah in the front garden there were lilac bushes and the sunlight burned on their leaves.
Pani Felicia sighed. Pursing her lips she swung the wide leather belt across the boy's bare buttocks. Marek jerked on the desk but the maid held his wrists tightly. The impact of the belt burned then the pain slowly faded.
"One," said Pani Felicia. She took the hand with the belt back, lingered a moment and gave it a second lash.
"Two… Don't you dare do any handwork in my house! It's disgusting!" the aunt said and lashed Marek for a third time.
His buttocks burned so that he gave a short cry and jerked again, and again Gracia held his hands.
"Three!… Four!… Five!"
After counting out five strokes, the aunt took Marek by the chin and looked into his face.
"And remember something well," said Pani Felicia, looking into the young man's eyes, "Every morning I will come to the outhouse and if you behave like a pig again… another time you will get whipped with rods! You must get rid of this bad habit once and for ever."
"Yes, Aunt Felicia."
Pani Felicia nodded to Marek and caressed his cheek with her hand…
Either the aunt began to lash more painfully or the young man's buttocks became more sensitive from the blows of the belt, but Marek got unable to endure the punishment in silence. The young man twisted on the desk and could not contain his screams. Alisha, the maid, stood with a duster by the sideboard and watched the punishment without taking her eyes off. Alisha was a short hard-boned girl. She had a broad expressionless face small bright lips and narrow black eyes.