Malthius began to approach Daphne with the crop, then stopped.  He had been planning to start her off slowly and increase the pain, but he was suddenly struck by a better idea.  He wanted her very first taste of the bastinado to be an experience of pure agony she would never forget.  He replaced the crop, and grabbed a rattan cane instead.
    Daphne could only watch helplessly as Malthius switched implements.  Although she didn't yet know how it would feel to be hit with either instrument, she liked the looks of the cane far less than the riding crop.  Her anxiety was greatly heightened by the whistling sound the cane made as the Count took a few practice swings.  
    "That's more like it, I think," Malthius said.  "Twenty strokes should make for a fine introduction.  After all, I don't want to wear you out too soon."
    Malthius pressed the cane against the ball of her left foot, pulled his arm back, then swung.  Daphne heard the whistling, followed by a loud smacking sound as the cane made contact with her sole.  After a slight delay, pain suddenly exploded in the ball of her left foot.  She screamed.  It was a blood-curdling, ear-splitting scream.  It was the scream of an animal.  It was music to Malthius's ears.  
    Daphne had never experienced such pain before; indeed she never even suspected such pain could exist.  Malthius brought the cane down again, this time at the center of her right foot.  Once more a split second delay, an explosion of pain, and the room was filled with her high-pitched screams.  The cane came down again,  across the balls of both feet.  More pain, more screams.  The fourth stroke landed on her heels.  She screamed again, and began to cry.  
    At this point, Malthius decided to give her a short break.  After all, he didn't want her losing consciousness this early.  He inspected her feet to make sure she wasn't taking too much damage.  She had four bluish stripes criss-crossing her soles, but nothing appeared to be broken.  A quick test with the pinwheel caused her to jump and squirm, confirming there was no nerve damage.  Satisfied that she could take more, he decided to give her the next six in quick succession.
    WHAP "AAAHHH!" WHAP "AIIIEEEE!"  WHAP "PLEASE!" WHAP "NOOOOO!" WHAP "STOP!" WHAP "OH GOD!"  WHAP.  
    After the last stroke, the poor girl fainted.  Her feet really are sensitive, Malthius marveled.  Perhaps twenty strokes with the cane was too ambitious this early.  Malthius decided it would be prudent to move on to a lower intensity form of  foot torture before giving her the last ten strokes.  Time to introduce her to foot-roasting, he thought with a cruel smile.  He would let her sleep while he prepared for the next stage of her torture.