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{\*\generator Msftedit 5.41.21.2507;}\viewkind4\uc1\pard\f0\fs20 Accident Prone Linda\par
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By the Bitchfinder General\par
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Linda's School Journey\par
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Following Linda Marshall's awesome Level 4 thrashing in front of the whole school, even Mel and Kim had to tread very warily. Linda had become a real heroine to most of the girls now and Gail, her younger sister, though she still treated her as cruelly as she could get away with, was afraid of her and did not force her to endure too much ill-treatment at her hands. Even Miss Taylor, the martinet headmistress, decided to cancel the second Level 4 caning she had awarded Linda for her show of defiance on the platform. Instead she simply had to wear nothing at school all day but her bra and knickers. \par
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The holiday time at St Phillippa's was approaching, and the school journey was something that all the students looked forward to. It was, Linda hoped, an opportunity for her to have some harmless fun at last without the usual end product of getting her arse caned. \par
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The destination was the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus. Of the 100 girls at St Phillippa's, all but ten put their names down for the trip. Miss Taylor and Mr Jackson were of course accompanying the girls on their trip and the only fly in the ointment was that Mel and Kim were already busily scheming to find ways to get Linda into serious trouble in a foreign country.\par
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'If only we could find a way to get that bitch a REAL good hiding!' sighed Mel. 'I think they still have public floggings in North Cyprus.'\par
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'Let's hope so,' Kim agreed. 'If they do, we both know one cunt who's certainly going to get one!'\par
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The two girls laughed happily. Meanwhile the party was organised and two days later the flight to North Cyprus took ninety expectant schoolgirls off to what nearly all of them hoped would be good fun in the sun.\par
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On arrival at their resort, nothing much went wrong. Linda was paired up with her younger sister Gail as usual, but nothing went on. It was not until the third day of their week-long holiday that trouble, once again, hit the girls of St Phillippa's in a big way.\par
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Linda, Gail, Tiffany, Jasmine and of course Mel and Kim were among a group that went to explore the local shops. Everything seemed fine at first until, just after they had left a jewellery store, an agitated owner rushed out after them, shouting in a mixture of Turkish and broken English.\par
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'What's wrong?' asked Jasmine, the eldest member of the group. \par
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'You must come back in,' he told them. 'One of you has stolen some jewels.'\par
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Linda's heart sink. She had a sudden vision of Mel and Kim stealing something from the store and planting it on her. With a familiar sinking feeling, she led the way back inside the shop.\par
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'Open up your bags,' the store owner said. 'I need to search to see who has what is missing.'\par
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Linda, already fearing the worst, immediately placed her bag on the counter. The store owner went through it carefully and found nothing. Handing it back to her, he then turned to Mel's bag. Once again, nothing was found. The same procedure was repeated with Kim and Tiffany and again no stolen goods were discovered. When a search of Jasmine's bag also drew a blank Linda began to breathe more easily. They must all be in the clear now, surely.\par
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She could not have been more wrong. On opening Gail's bag a cheap necklace and bracelet were found among her items. Linda's heart sank. It didn't make any sense. It was her that Mel and Kim had it in fort, not her sister. Why would they plant stolen goods in Gail's bag?\par
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'You wait here,' the owner said, a grim look on his face. 'I get police.'\par
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'Oh shit!' said Jasmine. 'Look, how much do these things cost? I'll pay for them.'\par
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'No good,' he answered angrily. 'In North Cyprus we not like thieves at all. Too much tourist think they can pay with money for crime. Not so here! Police come and take you away.'\par
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As their good or bad luck would have it, at that moment a policewoman was walking down the street and passing the store. She heard the commotion inside and entered the shop at once. After a rapid exchange in Turkish between the store owner and herself she turned to the girls.\par
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'You will come with me to the police station,' she told them. 'You will come at once. I will have to charge you with stealing. You, girl, the one who had the jewels in your bag. What is your name?'\par
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'Gail Marshall,' a very subdued and by now thoroughly frightened girl answered. \par
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'You are how old?'\par
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'Twelve years old.'\par
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'I see. You will come with me, Gail Marshall, and you others also. It is necessary for you to be taken to the police station and we decide what to do with you.'\par
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Jasmine spoke, trying to at least bring some sort of hope into the situation.\par
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'Excuse me, please, but we are a party of girls on a school journey to North Cyprus. Would it be possible for me to call our headmistress on my mobile?'\par
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The woman looked at her for a moment and then nodded.\par
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'Yes, you may call her. Tell her to come to the police station at Famagusta and we will talk.'\par
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Jasmine frantically phoned the head and told her that the police had arrested Gail for theft and that her presence was urgently needed down at the Famagusta station. After expressing some astonishment that it was Gail rather than Linda who had been arrested, Miss Taylor agreed to come down and help.\par
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Meanwhile the girls had all been led away to a waiting squad car. They were driven off to a large building which turned out to be the Famagusta police headquarters. Nobody had a clue what was going to happen next.\par
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After they were led out of the car, the policewoman took them to a small office leading off from the main reception area. Then she began her cross-examination by introducing herself.\par
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'I am Sergeant Leyla Sabri,' she told them. 'Please to let me have the names of all in your party.'\par
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Jasmine took charge of the group once again, doing her best to appear as the responsible adult until the arrival of Miss Taylor.\par
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'I am Jasmine Brown,' she said, 'and this is my sister Tiffany Brown. This is my friend Linda Marshall, Gail's elder sister. The other two girls are called Melanie Hammond and Kim Chandler.'\par
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Leyla wrote down the names of the party and then gave a slight smile for the first time.\par
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'Please sit down, ladies,' she told them. 'At this stage we are only concerned with establishing the basic facts of the case. Gail, did you steal that jewellery from the shop?'\par
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'No, ma'am,' a very nervous Gail answered. 'I didn't steal anything.'\par
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'So how do you explain the fact that it was found in your bag?'\par
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'I don't know, ma'am. Maybe someone planted it in there.'\par
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'Planted?' Leyla asked, obviously puzzled.\par
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'She means that somebody might have put it in there to get her into trouble,' Jasmine explained.\par
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'I see. And who would wish to do that?'\par
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There was a long silence from all six girls. Gail was already certain that it was Mel or Kim who had planted it on her but she had no evidence.\par
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'I don't know, ma'am,' Gail said finally. \par
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'I see. Well, young lady, I think I should explain what the law is on such matters in North Cyprus. For a first offence, even at your age, you would be sentenced to a minimum six months in prison and a maximum of two years. There would of course be no possibility of parole. That is what will happen to you if I bring this case to court.'\par
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Everyone looked sick when they heard her words. Six months to two years in prison! Surely the headmistress could talk her out of that? Or maybe the British Consul?\par
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'Would it be possible for Gail to see the British Consul?' Jasmine asked hopefully.\par
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Leyla smiled.\par
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'Your government does not recognise the existence of the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus,' she said quietly. 'You would have to deal through the Turkish Embassy, not directly with your own government's representative.'\par
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'I see,' a stunned Jasmine answered.\par
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Linda decided to intervene at last. She had been quiet throughout the whole episode but now she felt that perhaps she might be able to prevent things going to court and her younger sister getting a prison sentence.\par
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'Please, ma'am,' she said quietly, 'what if you DIDN'T bring the case to court?'\par
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Leyla looked at her and smiled again. She had wondered when the girl's older sister would speak.\par
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'There is an alternative to trial, of course,' she answered. 'Your sister could volunteer to receive a non-custodial punishment instead.'\par
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'What would that involve?' Linda pressed her.\par
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'That would involve a caning,' said Leyla.\par
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'I see,' Linda answered, becoming thoughtful. 'How many strokes would that be?'\par
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The policewoman looked surprised by her question but answered it nevertheless.\par
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'Twenty-five strokes of the cane.'\par
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'I see,' said Linda.\par
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A silence fell upon the room for around thirty seconds before Linda stunned everybody by what she said next.\par
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'Please, ma'am, I want to confess to stealing the jewels. It was me who took them, not Gail.'\par
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'Then why were they found in your sister's bag and not yours?' Leyla responded coolly.\par
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'Because I thought, her being the youngest, she'd be the least likely to get stopped.'\par
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'I see,' the policewoman answered thoughtfully. 'So do I understand that you are confessing to stealing the jewels and putting them in your sister's bag?'\par
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'Yes, ma'am,' said Linda. \par
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Just then a flustered and angry Miss Taylor arrived at the station. She burst in excitedly and rushed in to the room ready for battle.\par
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'You must be the girls' headmistress,' the policewoman said coolly, looking up from behind her desk. 'Your name is?'\par
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'Miss Maureen Taylor. What is going on here?'\par
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The officer smiled.\par
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'I am Sergeant Leyla Sabri,' she told her. 'One of your girls appears to have stolen some jewellery from a local shop. I have just been questioning them all about the matter.'\par
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'And what are you going to do about it?'\par
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'We were discussing the two choices open to us even as you were arriving.'\par
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Leyla stood up and smiled at the girls.\par
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'Please leave us for a moment. I wish to talk with your headmistress alone. Wait in the reception area and tell them to give you some tea while you are waiting.'\par
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The girls moved out, and the policewoman motioned to Miss Taylor to sit down.\par
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'Now then, let us begin with some questions about this group. I know that there are two groups of two sisters and two friends. Are all six of the group friendly with one another?'\par
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'No,' the headmistress admitted. 'Linda and Tiffany and Jasmine are friends, and Gail is friendly with Melani and Kim but they hate Linda.'\par
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'I see. And have any of them ever been in trouble before?'\par
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'Yes, I'm afraid so,' Miss Taylor sighed. 'Jasmine has calmed down over the last year or so but she was one of the most difficult students I have ever had at my school. Tiffany used to be a good girl but last year that changed.'\par
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'For what reason?'\par
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'In my opinion, she has come under the bad influence of Linda. I have never known a girl to cause so much trouble as her. If Gail did steal any jewellery, I am certain that she was put up to it by her degenerate elder sister.'\par
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'And have you considered the possibility that she might not have been? Or even that Melanie and Kim, who you admit do not get on with Linda, might have planted it in her sister's bag to get either Gail or Linda into trouble?'\par
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'That's ridiculous,' the headmistress protested. 'They wouldn't do anything like that. Besides, I've had two years experience of Linda's troublemaking at my school. I'd put money on her being behind the whole thing.'\par
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'I see. Well, I have a difficulty, Miss Taylor. To begin with, the jewels were found in Gail's bag, not Linda's. Secondly, if I were to charge either girl with theft, that would mean a trial, and if they were found guilty, six months to two years in prison. On the other hand, we could resolve the situation in a different way.'\par
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'What did you have in mind?'\par
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'We could impose a non-custodial punishment,' Leyla told her. 'I have just explained to the girls that if the thief is prepared to accept twenty-five strokes of the cane then I will not bring the matter before a court of law and no further punishment will be necessary.'\par
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'I see,' said Miss Taylor. 'And how would such a punishment be administered?'\par
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'Here, in the police station, by me.'\par
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'I see. And how have the girls responded to that suggestion?'\par
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'We were about to discuss the matter further when you arrived, Miss Taylor. Perhaps I should call them back in once more and hear what they have to say.' \par
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The girls, all looking extremely shaken, returned to the interview room. Linda looked pale but resolute, Gail and Tiffany were in tears, Jasmine looked very worried, and only Mel and Kim were smirking openly. The expressions on the girls' faces were not lost on the police officer.\par
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'Well, ladies,' said Leyla, 'have you had an opportunity to consider my offer?'\par
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'Yes, ma'am,' said Linda, standing up straight and tall. 'I want to accept the non-custodial punishment.'\par
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'You are quite certain of that?'\par
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'Yes, ma'am. I am certain.'\par
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Leyla sighed. \par
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'Very well, Linda. I must tell you that I am not at all happy about your decision. However, since you have confessed to stealing the jewels and placing them in your sister's bag, I have no alternative but to give you twenty-five strokes of the cane. My only other choice would be to remand both you and your sister here in custody pending trial and then we could be talking at least three months before your case came to court. You would almost certainly be found guilty and would serve at least six months in prison, and your time on remand would NOT count towards your sentence.'\par
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'I'll take the caning, ma'am,' said Linda stubbornly.\par
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'Very well. Please bend over the chair and remove your skirt.'\par
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To the astonishment of the policewoman Linda was not wearing any knickers. The wretched girl had become so used to not wearing either a bra or knickers that the two weeks when she had been compelled to wear nothing but those two items had almost seemed strange to her. The outraged Leyla leapt up from the desk and shouted at her.\par
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'What means this, girl? Are you a \f1 fahi\u351?ye? A slut? A whore?'\par
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Linda didn't know what to say to that but she couldn't see the point in explaining that her own younger sister regularly forced her to dress like that.\par
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'It is an offence to be dressed in such a sluttish fashion,' the policewoman shouted angrily. 'To the charge of theft we must now add a further count of indecent exposure. I could arrest you and have you brought to court, where you would receive a minimum three months sentence up to a possible maximum of one year, or I could simply increase the number of strokes of the cane. Which would you prefer, girl? Fifty strokes of the cane or prison?'\par
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'Please, ma'am, I'll take the caning.'\par
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'Very well. Bend over and grasp the legs of the chair firmly.'\par
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Leyla then began the caning. Everyone present, except Mel, Kim and Miss Taylor, looked stunned and horrified at what they were witnessing. In spite of the pain, Linda did not cry out once. Though tears filled her eyes a little towards the end, she held her control magnificently. Even the police officer was impressed by her strength and resolution.\par
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'Go now,' she told her, 'and do not cause any more trouble while you are here on our island. If you come before me again things may not go so easily for you next time. You other girls, leave also. I wish to speak with your headmistress in private.'\par
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Miss Taylor waited for the officer to speak.\par
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'Perhaps I do not quite understand your Western ways,' Leyla said quietly, 'but I would not have expected a girl of only fourteen to be walking the streets without any knickers underneath her skirt. I have to tell you, Miss Taylor, that I do not believe her confession either. I think that it was Gail who stole the jewels and that Linda confessed to protect her younger sister. See to it that Linda is dressed decently for the remainder of her holiday, or I may have to arrest YOU for failing to control a minor. Do you understand, Miss Taylor?'\par
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The headmistress flushed slightly with anger but controlled herself.\par
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'I'll make certain she's dressed appropriately for the rest of her stay here,' she answered.\par
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Outside, the girls were gazing at Linda in awe, all except for Mel and Kim who were both openly giggling at yet another undeserved punishment for their enemy. Gail's eyes were wide with tears and a new light, a gleam of admiration and even apology, was also present as she looked at her elder sister. She knew that she had not stolen the jewels, and she also knew that Linda had only taken the caning to protect her from it. From that moment, her whole attitude towards her elder sister changed for the better. \f0\par
}