Chapter 335.

In an instant he found himself surrounded by a little group of teenage girls, all asking questions at once and snapping away with their phones.
“Your outfit’s so cool…”
“Can I have a selfie?”
“My mum thinks your great!  She said to ask you for your phone number…”
“Did she?  Does she want to make a booking?”
“Er…  Yes…”
“Because that would have to go through my aunt or ESDS.”
“Oh…  ESDS?  I don’t know…”
“They’re like, er, my manager…”
“Oh…I see…  But we I…I mean my mum…wants to call you about, er, something else…yes, about your uniform and stuff…”
“Oh.  Okay then.  Ready?”
She seemed very excited to have got his phone number…for her mum…  In fact they all seemed happy about it!
Another got him to sign the dinner menu.  Then they took it in turns to cuddle up to him while their friends took snaps.  One of them gave him a little heart ring which would just about fit on his little finger.  Another gave him one of her scrunchies.  It was great - even the kids appreciated his outfit.  He felt quite overwhelmed, and so happy. Not that he had ever felt really nervous, but in the event the whole day had been an even greater success than he could have hoped.

He needed a break.  Coffees were being served now, and a few couples had made their way onto the dancefloor.  He was hanging out on the edge when he was approached by a pretty blonde girl in a green dress.
“Hello.”
“Oh…hi…”
“Your Tim, aren’t you?  I know you are, because I’ve been waiting to talk to you.  You have a lot of admirers here.”
“Well, not really…”
“Oh, yes you do.  I’m one too.  And I’m going to be seeing a lot more of you in future, I believe.”
“You are…?  Who…?”
“I’m Robyn.  I’m Connie Brookshaw’s niece.”
“Connie…?  Oh!  Mrs Brookshaw!  Yes, I see…  I’ve haven’t actually met your aunt, but…”
“I know.  You will soon, though, won’t you?  Don’t worry, I’m not here to suss you out.  She’s already seen a picture.  She picked you out at once.  I can see why.”
Tim blushed.  Despite his swaggering, he felt flattered.  Robyn was really pretty.
“I’ve been talking to Serena.  She was saying she’s going to pick up some new pageboy outfits from that shop…”
“Fantastex?”
“Yes, Fantastex.  Also a couple of maid outfits for my aunt.  She has particular tastes, you know.  I’ve asked if I can come to the fittings, or at least the photo-shoot for the ESDS brochure.”
“Oh…”
“Wherever it is.  I gather that hasn’t been decided yet.”
“I see…”
“So I’ll look forward to seeing you there.  Take care, Tim dear…”
“Oh, yes…and you…”
She gave him the sweetest smile, turned, and rather abruptly walked away.

Chapter 333.

There was a female attendant by the door, a young woman in a crisp white blouse and smart black skirt.  She was well-disciplined, and the only reaction she showed was a slight widening of the eyes, which Tim registered and took for surprised admiration.
“Sir…”
She opened the door with a slight inclination of the head, which he took for respect, but which in fact served to hide an irrepressible grin.  He was feeling pleased with himself.  In full uniform, gloves and all, even those who had already seen him would pay attention.  He strode boldly into the crowded room, head erect, wearing a faintly superior smile.
This side of the ballroom was occupied mainly by guests who hadn’t been invited to the ceremony.  He passed casually between the tables, looking around as if searching for someone.  The buzz of conversation faded as he passed, replaced by a stunned silence, broken only by gasps, and a little cry of surprise from a woman somewhere behind him.  Ahead of him two women on adjacent tables had been chatting.  But when they saw him they stopped and stared, open-mouthed.  He gave one a friendly, condescending smile, and was about to pass on when she spoke.
“Are you…the pageboy?”
He stopped.  “I am, yes.”
“Oh…gosh…”  She fought back the urge to burst out laughing.  “We…we’ve heard so much…about you…  Now I see why.”  She blinked, and stared at his shorts.  “What an…incredible – I mean, absolutely amazing, outfit…  We’ve never actually seen a real pageboy in a real pageboy outfit.  Have we, Eileen?” she added, addressing the woman across the aisle.
“No, never…  What’s your name, young man?”
“I’m Tim.”
“You look…well, so smart.  Deborah told us to check you out…  I mean, to make sure we said hello…  Can I ask…  Your shorts…  Is that vinyl?”
They were clearly impressed.  And so were their neighbours, to judge by the clicking of camera shutters from the nearby tables.
“Latex, actually,” he said, proudly.  She looked closer, so he added,  “in fact, it’s the highest grade of natural latex you can get.  And the colours are very special.”
“They are…?”
“These colours will be trending next year.  The fashion house assures me next year will be dominated by purple and pink in combination.”
“Goodness!  Doris, make a note of that.  Thank you, Tim.  We’ll beat that in mind when we’re shopping for our new wardrobes.”
“No problem.”
“Could we…?  I mean, would you mind if we took a couple of snaps?  Perhaps a selfie?”
“Please, ladies.  It would be my pleasure.”
He could never have spoken like that before ESDS…or before Shirley.  He remembered how he had flunked Nicola’s first elocution class.  But now…  Not only was his outfit super cool, but he sounded classy and educated.  He no longer stammered, or felt lost for words.  He felt confident.  Everyone was so pleasant and friendly, especially the more knowledgeable, mature women.  Soon others were gathering round, complimenting him on his uniform.
“Tim, darling…  “ one asked politely, extending a hand towards his shorts, “would you mind if I…  They’re so well-tailored…”
“Not at all…”
She ran her fingertips down his flank.
“Laura.  Feel that seam.  Smooth as silk!  And the frills!  How on earth did they make them so perfectly regular?  Who did you say it was?”
“Fantastex.  You may have heard of them…”
“Yes, really amazing workmanship,”  added her friend, Laura, teasingly tracing the front seam downwards from his belt buckle with a bejewelled fingernail, stopping short and bestowing the sweetest smile on him when she felt him tense with alarm.  Soon ladies were queueing up to take photos, to chat and compliment him.  Some were terribly discreet, other less so.
“Now I know what all the fuss was about!” commented one lady in a flowery dress, bending forward to admire his shorts.  “What super little hot pants!”
Tim jibbed slightly at her calling them that.
“Well, they’re actually…”  (“Actually” was becoming one of his favourite “classy” words.) “…they’re actually proper pageboy shorts.  You can ask my outfitters, if you don’t believe me.  They’re not far from here…”
“Oh, really?…  Yes, I must go ask your outfitters, mustn’t I?”
The slight sarcasm was largely wasted on Tim’s swollen ego.
“Well Cynthia assures me that, to the best of her knowledge, this style of shorts is not available anywhere else in the country – and in latex, probably anywhere else in the world!”
He could have added “so there!” – but he just managed to stop himself.
Flowery dress decided to play along.
“Really?  I believe you.  I’ve never seen anything quite like them.  Have you, Tracey?”
“I don’t think I have.  Tim, darling…  Please tell us.  Where is Fantastex based?  I would love to get something as unique as that for my daughter.  I assume they do ladies’ clothing as well?”
This was all very gratifying.  “Of course.  I’d be delighted.  Actually my aunt – see that lady over in the corner in the blue dress – she’s looking at us now – she can give you their business card.”
“Oh, perfect.  Thank you.”
“Now if you’ll excuse me…  I think these ladies are next…”

Chapter Four
Philip’s mother steered him to the door and out to the car. She didn’t say a word, but Philip could feel the tension in her vice-like grip. She put him into the back seat and strapped on his seat belt. She got into the driver’s seat, let Mrs Swenson into the passenger side and started up the car. Philip sat unable to do anything but keep his head down and remain silent as the two women chatted. By the time they pulled up outside the Swenson home he was falling asleep.
“I am going into the house for a minute or two Philip, just you sit here and take your nap like a good boy.”
Philip went beetroot red with embarrassment at the suggestion he needed a nap and was surprised at how much this made the two women laugh.
True to her word his mother returned after a couple of minutes and once they started their journey home she began to speak.
”Your behaviour today was appalling Philip. Acting like a great big fussy baby, well if little Philip is going to act like a baby than he is going to be treated like a baby. Do you understand what mummy is saying?”
Philip wanted to argue but hadn’t seen his mother this angry in a long time. He could see her glare at him in the rear-view mirror so he just nodded his head. He didn’t have a clue what she actually meant.
”Mother is not sure that you understand the consequences of misbehaving. You have 24 hours. If you do exactly as you are told, with no argument or hesitation of any kind then Dr Peabody will get a good report. If not, Mother will tell Doctor Peabody that you’ve been a very naughty boy and very uncooperative!”
His Mother’s face softened and he could see her smile in the rear-view. “Dr Peabody gave mummy lots of advice concerning your treatment. She told me that if the strap and mittens don’t cure your problem behaviour, there’s lots of additional measure that can be taken.”
Her smile seemed to become smugger as she thought about these undisclosed “measures.”
Philip looked down at the bib and mittens. How could things get worse than this?
As they completed their journey, Philip formed a plan. All he had to do was be completely cooperative for one day. Just make it to tomorrow and get a good report from Mother so that Dr Peabody would ease up on his treatment and stop scheduling follow up appointments. If he could get a few days alone with Mother he was sure he would convince her that things were getting out of hand.
Philip stood silently as his Mother, with a pointed look at him, removed first one and then the other hand restraint. His hands felt cool in the air and he wiggled his fingers gratefully as Philip’s Mother grabbed his shoulders.
“I am quite tired out with your disgraceful childish behaviour so I am going to take Dr Peabody’s advice and put you to bed right now young man.”
Philip’s first instinct was to protest. It was barely lunchtime! His newly freed hands clenched into frustrated fists, but he quickly unclenched them. Concentrating on his plan he remained calm and obedient as she marched him by the shoulders into his bedroom and started undressing him.
Philip’s Mother continued removing his clothes until he was quite naked.
“Now don’t you dare move or make a sound,” she warned as she left the room. Philip made sure to stand quietly. She returned holding a pair of pyjamas. Not his normal paisley patterned winceyette pyjamas though; these were pale pink and printed with fluffy clouds!
His eyes made contact with his mothers as she held the pyjamas in front of him.
“There’s no need to look so surprised Philip. You heard Dr Peabody recommend you wear soothing pink pyjamas so I asked Mrs Swenson if Hyacinth had any old pairs that you could wear. That’s why I left you in the car. Hyacinth hasn’t worn these pyjamas for some years now; luckily they will fit you easily. They will keep you calm and soothed as Doctor Peabody recommended as well as being lovely and warm, see, aren’t they sweet?”
The very idea that he would have to wear Hyacinth Swenson’s cast-off pyjamas made him recoil in horror as she waved the pyjama jacket in front of his face.
“What have we discussed? His mother said sternly, “Not an ounce of defiance or Dr Peabody will hear of it,” she warned.
Philip’s mother dressed him in his new pink pyjamas. First buttoning him into the pyjama jacket and then stepping him into the pyjama bottoms. Hyacinth was much taller than Philip and her pyjamas were far too large for him. His mother had to tuck the jacket into the pyjama bottoms and pull them high up to his chest until he looked ridiculous.
“There, I am so pleased I could get you some pink pyjamas. Dr Peabody was correct; the pink pyjamas are already soothing you and keeping you calm. I will definitely have to buy you some so you can wear them all the time, pretty in pink pyjamas, that’s mother’s sweet little babykins will be from now on!”
Philip wanted to scream his objection to her plan but standing there in his pink pyjamas with the device strapped in his mouth he dare not risk getting a bad report. Picking up one of the pink mittens she watched intently for any sign of resistance or disobedience. Philip slid his hand into the pink ball. The inner lining gripped his clenched fingers snugly. Mother pulled the laces tight and tied a double bow with a flourish. She repeated the process on his right hand. Then came a fresh clean bib, she smartly tied the bib around his neck in a large bow and smoothed the front of his fresh bib against his pink pyjama top. His mother was obviously beside herself with satisfaction as she conducted this ritual slowly and methodically, her breathing controlled but slightly faster than normal.
Philip stood and endured this humiliation being visited upon him by his mother. He was seventeen years old and was wearing girls pink pyjamas and a pink bib. His hands were useless, encased as they were in Dr Peabody’s strange mittens and he was being forcibly made to suc-k continuously on a corrective device that was remarkably like a dummy.
“There now my angel, all ready for beddy-byes now aren’t we? Come along, in you go.”
Philip’s Mother pulled down his bedclothes and fluffed up his pillows. She patted the bottom sheet with the palm of her hand, beckoning Philip into bed. ”Into beddies my angel,” she cooed.
Philip, feeling very foolish climbed into bed. His Mother tucked the blankets tightly in, pinning him to the neck. She then left the room for a few minutes. Philip sat in the bed suc-king the dummy. When she returned she had a large glass filled to the brim with fruit juice. Mother placed it on the nightstand. She then took hold of Philip’s strap and eased it off the hook of the dummy. The pressure pushing it into his mouth finally ceased. Mother took the ring and slowly pulled it out of Philip’s mouth, and it gleamed wet with saliva as she placed it on the nightstand. Philip wiggled his jaw back and forth. The feeling of relief was exquisite.
His Mother placing the rim of the glass against his lips broke Philip’s reverie. He took the rim between his lips just as Mother started to tip the glass. The cold sweet liquid flowed into this mouth. It was refreshing at first, but was a bit more than he would have wanted. Mother held his head forward by the back of his neck. She continued to tilt the glass until Philip had drained it of every drop. Philip licked his lips as she placed the empty glass back on the nightstand and he relaxed against the pillows. But not for long, his Mother was in front of him holding his dummy!
Philip’s eyes darted to hers with a brief pleading glance. Philip could see Mother’s eyebrow begin to rise. He quickly opened his mouth wide. Mother slid the dummy back into his mouth until the “V” of the heart-shaped guard was once again nestled against the bottom of his nose. She pulled the strap into place and hooked it securely. Once again the rubber shaft was pressing deeply into Philip’s mouth. Mother smiled. She sat on the bed and smoothed the bedclothes over Philip’s chest and tummy.
“Now then, Mother is pleased with your behaviour so far but you must be punished for your earlier behaviour. So you’ll stay tucked up in beddybyes for the time being. Now be a good boy and suc-k quietly on your dummy.”
Mother got up and left, closing the door behind her. Philip lay in bed with his hands encased in their pink spherical prisons while his body was encased in pink, cloud motif pyjamas. Miserably he did as she suggested and suc-ked forlornly on his dummy.

Thank you SissyCat! You’re so kind to post this for us adoring fans. I really appreciate it ^.^

Chapter Three A
Philip slurped noisily. He had been eating the most delicious ice cream cone while holding fast to someone’s hand.  He was naked underneath the see through pink gown he wore for the examination and he realised they were wandering around a fair. Everyone was staring at him as they walked past. He felt tiny next to the very tall person holding his hand. When he followed the arm of the hand that held his fast he could see Dr Peabody smiling down at him serenely. Then suddenly her face was right next to his, and she had a much wider smile on her face. She leaned close and planted a big wet sloppy kiss on his cheek. She pulled away, laughed, and then zoomed in and planted an even bigger, wetter, sloppier kiss on the same cheek, so that Philip could feel the saliva running down his cheek, coating it wetly. His cheek was so wet. It was embarrassing. So thoroughly wet.
The world melted away and Philip found himself in his bed, the quilt tucked around him so tightly that his legs felt like thousands of pins were prickling them when he tried to move them. The side of his face pressed against his pillow was soaking wet and as he squinted to try and work out why this was his lips closed around the shaft of the slick dummy that had been dangling half in, half out of his mouth. It was obvious that he had been drooling freely for quite some time because his cheek and chin were wet with saliva and the damp patch stain on the pillow was enormous.
He peeled his cheek from the wet pillow, and struggled to sit up in bed, straining to pull the quilt free from where it had been so tightly tucked, deep beneath his mattress. Finally he broke free and only then did he realise the dummy was still in his mouth. He spat it out in disgust. His lips still felt sore and he knew with a sinking feeling that he’d been suc-king on the dummy in his sleep.
The room was still pitch black. His mind felt fuzzy. He remembered becoming very tired and wanting to lie down but Mother kept saying he hadn’t finished his hour yet. She finally agreed that he could lie down if he kept his device in his mouth and she’d tell him when to take it out. That was the last thing he remembered. He clenched his fists with determination. He was going to put a stop to this. He’d speak to Mother about it the first chance he got.
They had left as soon as breakfast was over so Philip was actually in the middle of his after-meal hour as they made the short drive to Dr Peabody’s office. He sat in the rear of Mother’s car staring glumly out of the window. He could see the reflection of the ring and mouth guard of the white plastic dummy moving rhythmically beneath his nose in the glass. He should have been in school, but Mother had called and told them he had a medical appointment. He was wearing his Sunday best jacket with a white shirt and a red tie. Because the weather was unusually warm, Mother had insisted he put on his regulation, grey short trousers that he used to wear during summer term. Of course that meant he was also wearing his knee length grey socks. Mother had insisted that he look “presentable” for Dr Peabody, apparently she didn’t care how ridiculous that look was.
He had gotten nowhere with his protestations to Mother. She said he was fast asleep when she came to tell him that he could remove the dummy, and that he was sleeping quite contentedly. She saw no point in disturbing him by removing it so she had carried him to bed and tucked him in and turned out the light.
His complaining only annoyed her. “I assumed the device would soon fall out of your mouth of its own accord Philip, I didn’t realize that you’d decide to nurse it like a baby’s dummy all night long! Besides, I found on the floor when it was time for your after-breakfast session! Just wait till Dr Peabody hears about that!”
Philip was beside himself with anger but hated to talk with the dummy in his mouth. As soon as Mother mentioned Dr Peabody he remembered his dream, and felt himself redden. He remembered the slickness of the pink plastic gown and bowing his head in shame as he envisaged Dr Leticia Peabody and her fluttering fingers.
The receptionist betrayed the tiniest of smiles when she saw first Mother and then Philip enter the waiting area. Philip’s head was down but the white guard and ring were plainly visible against his face and he was conscious of his short trousered, schoolboy appearance.
They were ushered into Dr Peabody’s office. Philip sat uncomfortably against the edge of his chair while his Mother gave her laundry list of complaints to the doctor. She listened intently, turning to look at Philip when each transgression was explained. Dr Peabody pushed her chair out from her desk and swivelled to face Philip. She crossed her legs, and Philip could see she was wearing a pair of high heels similar to the one she’d had at his examination. They appeared to be made of alligator skin. Philip fidgeted in his seat.
”Well, I had hoped that Philip would be cooperative in his treatment, these things progress so much easier and quickly when the patient follows the proscribed regimen. The problem is that cutting a session short can set back the whole programme. Fortunately I have developed tools to rectify a situation like this.”
Dr Peabody went to a cabinet and removed a box. She opened it and extracted what looked like a pink vinyl ball with a cuff on one end, from which some laces were dangling.
”Give me your handy pandy Philip.” Still seated, Philip extended his hand. Dr Peabody took hold of either side of the cuff revealing a slit. She pulled the ball over Philip’s hand. The inside felt like a soft squishy cavity that seemed small but expanded to accept Philip’s entire hand. Dr Peabody pulled firmly on the laces and Philip felt the cuff draw tightly against his wrist. Dr Peabody tied the laces into a large bowknot, and then doubled it, giving a final yank. “Now the other.” Philip hadn’t a clue as to what was going on, and before he could really process what was happening Dr Peabody had already pulled a second mitten over Philip’s other hand, and was tightening the laces in a business like fashion. She stepped back to admire her work. “There we are!”
Philip looked down at his hands. They weren’t really mittens, the padding inside was extremely thick, with the pink vinyl covering stretched tightly over it. Philip’s hands were both balled up into fists and there was no room inside the mittens that would allow him to extend his fingers or even his thumb.
Philip’s thoughts were interrupted when Dr Peabody abruptly pulled the dummy out from between his surprised lips with a loud “pop.”
”Philip showed that he couldn’t be trusted to keep his device inserted for the proscribed amount of time. And it’s vital that he get the full benefit of his treatment.” Dr Peabody tossed the white dummy down onto her desk, reached inside the box and removed another dummy. This one was pink. The plastic mouth guard was even larger, so large that instead of a round circle, it had a V at the top to accommodate the nose, giving the guard an almost heart shape. Instead of laying flat against the lips, on each side the plastic narrowed and flared out, hooking around to the front. Philip didn’t like the look of it. Even the yellow rubber shaft seemed thicker and longer than the original device.
”Open wide Philip dear.” Dr Peabody stood over him expectantly. Philip could see his Mother poised in her chair, waiting for any hint of disagreement on his part. He couldn’t contain himself.
”Why does it have to be pink?” He brought his arms up to emphasize his point, only to be reminded that both of his hands were already imprisoned in similarly hued vinyl spheres that squeaked noisily when he brought them together. His mother glared at him.
“Because pink is very soothing,” she explained. “With a nervous condition such as yours pink is ideal for relaxing and calming the subject.”
Dr Peabody held the new pink dummy inches from his face, with an amused smile on her face. “Now be a good boy and open nice and wide for the doctor.”
Grudgingly Philip opened his mouth to accommodate the new pink horror in her hand. Finally with a “that’s a clever boy” Dr Peabody slid the dummy into Philips mouth until the guard was flush against his lips. Philip was aware of the top of the guard flaring up in a semi-circle on either side of his nose.
”The important thing is that Philip keep his device inserted for the proscribed period of time “
As she spoke Dr Peabody removed a thick rubber strap, also pink, with hooks on either end. She hooked one end around the flared hooking end of the dummy and brought the strap around the back of Philip’s head. Philip felt in stretch tightly against the back of his head for a moment, and then Dr Peabody had hooked the other end of the opposite side of the mouth guard and let go. Philip felt the rubber shaft of the dummy being forced deeply into his mouth, while the plastic mouth guard pressed tightly against his lips. Involuntarily he reached up with his hand, only to have the fat round pink ball that encased his hand glance awkwardly against the ring of the dummy. He held up both hands and tried to grip the ring between them, it was impossible to grip in this fashion everything just slipped off the slippery pink vinyl.

Dr Peabody smiled at Philip’s futile movements. “As you can see Rita, these tools ensure that Philip will complete his proscribed sessions with his device. The hand restraints, coupled with the elasticated strap make it impossible for Philip to take or spit out his device. It can only be removed by you when the session has been completed satisfactorily.”

Dr Peabody gave Philip a final satisfied smile before turning back to his Mother. ”Now Rita, I’ll leave it up to you as to when Philip may return to his original equipment and be trusted to complete his treatments voluntarily. If I were you I would base it on how obediently he behaves in all other areas.” She reached down and chucked Philip under the chin, tilting his head back until he was forced to stare into her merrily twinkling eyes. “You will be a good boy for Mother won’t you Philip my poppet?”
Unable to avert her gaze and, with the new dummy pressed tightly inside his mouth, Philip silently nodded his head.
“Splendid!” Dr Peabody sat back down and made to pick up the telephone.
“I better ring up the nurse at Philip’s school and explain that he will be undergoing treatments after lunch for the next couple of weeks. She’s a good friend of mine and I know she’ll do an excellent job at helping Philip into his equipment.”
Philip sprang out of his seat. “Wath?” The word was barely intelligible as saliva sprayed in all directions.
”You see what I mean Dr Peabody?” Philip’s mother wasted no time in furiously pushing Philip back into his chair. She stood behind him and kept both hands firmly on his shoulders, pinning him into the chair. “He promises to be a good boy for his Mother and then seconds later acts out like a fussy spoiled little baby.”
Philip’s Mother pointed to the flecks of drool that dotted Philip’s suit jacket. “What’s more, he’s been ruining his clothes with his constant drooling.”
Dr Peabody frowned and shook her head. “Yes I can see that. Most disappointing.” Philip’s chest was heaving. What was going to happen now! He started panting, his lips fluttering about the smooth rubber shaft of the dummy. He flailed his arms helplessly in front of himself as the pink mittens encasing his hands reflected the overhead lights. His Mother however kept him sitting firmly in the chair.
”The drooling problem can be rectified.” Dr Peabody said. Opening a drawer she took out a neat pile of folded pink cloth items. She shook out the top one. It was a large rectangular bib, white terry towelling cloth on one side and pink plastic on the other that was stitched to form a border around the edge of the bib with darker, pink thread.
Long pink satin ribbons were attached to either side of the curved top. Dr Peabody leaned over in front of Philip and placed the bib under his chin. Digging her nails more firmly into one shoulder, Mother pushed on the back of his head with her other hand so that Dr Peabody could tie the bib snugly around Philip’s neck. “There we are, a nice big pretty bow!”
Philip’s agitation only increased further. First a dummy and now a bib in pastel pink! He was afraid to know just what he looked like, especially with these pink hand restraints. He was breathing so hard you would have thought he had just run up a flight of steps. A line of drool had already dribbled onto the bib and made a small wet stain.
Dr Peabody looked at the bib and nodded. “Yes, I can see that you better keep little Philip in bibs from now on Rita. Here are half a dozen more that you can take home with you.” She handed the remaining stack to Philip’s mother, who took them gratefully and assured Dr Peabody that they would be put to good use. Although Philip could not see his mother’s face he could feel the anger in her hands that kept him pinned in his chair, and hear the steely determination in her voice as she thanked Dr Peabody.
Dr Peabody again stood in front of Philip, and chucked him under the chin. He tried to look away but could not avert her gaze. She smiled down at him and used her other hand to wipe a bit of moisture from his eyes. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. Philip, Philip, Philip.” She shook her head in a condescending way, and made annoying tusking sounds with her tongue. “What are your Mother and I going to do with you? Didn’t you promise to be a good boy from now on?”