to training dogs, Master Andrews. Stick to dogs.”
Andrews mutters a hasty good night and lurches out into the cold air of High Street, hoping that his wife will not be too upset by his late return.
The Master hardly notices his guest’s departure. Quite drunk, he sits with his massive forearms resting on the rough table, muttering hoarsely to himself.
“Stick to dogs, Master Andrews. At least there you’ll know who is holding the leash…. A good fellow, but weak.... Not like me.... I’m the Master.... I control.” He turns his bloodshot eyes to the corner of the room and raises his voice. “Isn’t that right, Sawney Beane? I’m the Master.... My house.... Do you want to fight me, Sawney Beane?... No?... Coward.... He does what I say.... Good dog.... But Meg needs obedience.... Lazy slut.... Aye, teach her a lesson... a beating she’ll remember.” An image of Meg’s firm body enters his mind. “Aye.... Strip her naked and beat her.... Teach her respect.... Whip her on her naked ass.... Aye.... Beat her.”
He can feel her warm skin beneath his calloused hand, can see her squirm as he slaps her bare thighs. His face dark red now, he bellows toward the door. “Meg! Meg! Come here! At once!”
Meg enters and stares at him defiantly, one hand resting on an outthrust hip.
“Come here, girl,” the Master says softly. “Stand closer. I won’t harm you. Stand closer.”
Meg comes a few steps closer and he makes a surprisingly quick move and grabs her. He holds her with one hand, while the other runs over her body.
“Your body is like your mother’s body. Ripe and full, with flesh a man can grab onto. But your disposition is also like hers... sneering... she would not yield to me... she died before I could teach her otherwise. But I will make you learn.... Who is the Master? I said, who is the Master?”
Meg stares coolly at his flushed face.
“You will not say?” the Master roars. “Then I will have to show you!”
He wrestles her across his knee and begins to spank her back and buttocks with considerable force. She struggles, but cannot escape. Her movements and the warmth of her body cause his penis to harden and press against her belly. His breath comes in deep gasps, and he speaks with difficulty, punctuating each phrase with a hard, openhanded blow.
“I will teach you.... I will show you.... beat you... beg for mercy... acknowledge me.... I am your father.... I am your Master!”
The Master pulls up her dress and slaps her bare thighs, making the pale flesh redder with each blow. He attempts to bare her buttocks, but the dress is caught between her body and
his leg. As he struggles to pull it free, Meg manages to get off his knee. She runs toward the door, but the Master cuts her off and backs her against the table. Her eyes flash hatred. Her nostrils flare; her white teeth are bared.
The Master throws her onto the table so that the upper half of her body is flat and her legs hang down. His throat is swollen with excitement, and his voice is a harsh whisper. “I will teach you to defy me.”
He stands between her legs, his body pressing down on her, his hands digging into her, his erect penis hard against the juncture of her thighs. They struggle, and soon his superior weight and strength begin to tell. He manages to trap both her arms in one huge hand. He is about to hit her with the other hand when a voice speaks softly behind him.
“Leave her be....”
The Master freezes. Then, releasing Meg, he turns to look incredulously at Sawney Beane, who is standing in the center of the room.
“What did you say?”
“Leave her be.”
“So the dog can speak. You dare interfere with me in my house? You slave, you worm, you nothing! You will regret this!”
The Masters eyes flash wildly about the room. He spots a whip hanging on the wall, grabs it, and turns to face Sawney Beane. “On your knees, dog! I will teach you some new tricks!”
Sawney Beane puts his arms up to block the lashes,