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Return to Avondale

Chapter One

"Pamela! Packed yet? Girl from Avondale is here!" shouted Mrs. McNee to her daughter upstairs.

It was raining in Hammersmith and the van had pulled up outside the flat shortly after two.

"Be there in a jiff, mom!" came the voice from Pamela's bedroom.

The clicking heels of Pamela's shoes sounded on the stairs as she came bouncing down with her suitcase. Mrs. McNee was in the vestibule talking to the woman with long blonde hair, rather nervously of course, for there really wasn't much to say. The woman was perhaps twenty-three and quite attractive, though her obviously slim figure was well concealed in a dripping raincoat. Mrs.McNee handed Pamela her slicker without comment. Everything had already been said, many times over, for the last three weeks. Shoplifting had been a lark at first for Pamela, then rather exciting. Until she was nicked.

It had taken much influence with the magistrate from one of Mrs. McNee's solicitor acquaintances, and much money, to arrange for Pamela's stay at Avondale. After all, she was seventeen and old enough to spend three years in Women's Prison at Eeling as her sentence called for. It had taken some doing, some pleading and some convincing, but finally it was arranged to admit Pamela to Avon- dale, Certainly six months there would he better than three years in jail, without question. Besides, at Avondale a girl could continue her studies.

Avondale was well known to most, sophisticated Londoners, and, by reputation, to many girls as well. The quaint, ivy-covered school had nestled in the rolling hills of Avonshire since 1845 and served, until after World War Two, as one of the many training schools for young ladies, so fashion- able in those delightful times when the whip and cane were deemed proper and necessary for the proper maturity and breeding of every girl who wished to really be anything at all. Such procedures faded with time, social acceptance, and law of course. One or two, such as Avondale, had been converted by the government into correction schools for those troublesome young ladies not yet of legal age and for whom prison might cause more harm than good. Even so, it took influence and money, for the schools were small, Avondale itself admitting only ten at one time, It was not asked what was done at Avondale.

Some knew, but winked at it. After all. it wouldn't make much difference to a girl who was sent there, for six months was certainly better than being locked up for several years. It was rumored that things really hadn't changed much at Avondale since it,s inception, but after all, if girls went there voluntarily for over a century, modern girls should be able and willing to follow suit even if involuntarily attending. Goodness knows, girls hadn't changed much over the years!

"Take off your blouse, honey," said the girl from the school. "Have to put the punishment bra on you."

Pamela hesitated only briefly. After all, she might as well begin to get used to anything for the next six months. She handed her blouse to her mother. Pamela's breasts were lovely. There was no question about that at all.

Much to Mrs.. McNee's consternation, the blonde ran her hands briefly over Pamela's bare breasts.