text: [Themes: Casual Simulation, corporal punishment, satire, Victorian, orphans, simulation, children]
  
  > Look around
  Here are housed the younger children, from the age of weaning to about six years old. Formerly a lumber-room, its ceilings are oppressively low. The Middle House is to the north.
  
  In one corner, piled up into a small mountain, are the many volumes of Polychromatic Lung's Fairy Tales.
  
  Randy, Prudence and Hans are housed here.
  
  > Go north
  This ward is the home of children aged between six and twelve. A series of oddly-shaped rooms produced by ill-considered renovations, it's difficult to heat, the lighting is bad and there are far too many blind corners and hideaways. The Junior House lies south and the Senior north.
  
  Harry, Hunter and Peyton are busily occupied with the ancient tricycles.
  
  > Whip Peyton
  You apply some well-deserved discipline to Peyton Cropes. Her discipline is now mediocre.
  
  Even under duress, Cropes denies being involved in gruel-theft. You are not entirely convinced, but decide to try some other suspects first.
  
  > Whip Harry
  You apply some well-deserved discipline to Harry Quisling. His discipline is now mediocre.
  
  Even under duress, Quisling denies being involved in gruel-theft. You are not entirely convinced, but decide to try some other suspects first.
  
  > Whip Hunter
  You apply some well-deserved discipline to Hunter Blair. His discipline is now poor.
  
  Even under duress, Blair denies being involved in gruel-theft. You are not entirely convinced, but decide to try some other suspects first.
  
  > Whip randy
  Enough for today: there are regulations about excessive corporal punishment. Besides, if you thrash every child continually, they'll grow leathery and insensate.
  
  > Status
  Peyton     mediocre     mediocre     poor         poor
  Randy      mediocre     awful        poor         poor
  Hunter     poor         poor         awful        poor
  Harry      mediocre     mediocre     poor         mediocre
  Prudence   poor         abysmal      poor         bad
  
  > Scrub hunter
  You seize Hunter, spit-wash his grimy little face with your second-best handkerchief, and tell him that he will be spending his break re-ironing his crumpled clothes. This accomplished, you deliver a short lecture on the spiritual and bacterial dangers of filthiness. Hopefully the lesson is learned; his looks are now poor.
  
  > ring bell
  The ancient tricycles have fortified Peyton Cropes's vigour, which is now mediocre.
  The ancient tricycles have fortified Hunter Blair's vigour, which is now poor.
  The ancient tricycles have fortified Harry Quisling's vigour, which is now adequate.
  
  You receive a government stipend of 60 for the feeding and care of your orphans; and pay out 18 coins on necessary care and maintenance, most of it going on food.
  Your profligate meal plans have borne fruit: Randy Potts has gained vigour.
  
  > Whip Hans
  You apply some well-deserved discipline to Hans Culter. His discipline is now mediocre.
  
  Even under duress, Culter denies being involved in gruel-theft. You are not entirely convinced, but decide to try some other suspects first.
  
  > Whip randy
  You apply some well-deserved discipline to Randy Potts. His discipline is now mediocre.
  
  Even under duress, Potts denies being involved in gruel-theft. You are not entirely convinced, but decide to try some other suspects first.
  
  > Whip prudence
  You apply some well-deserved discipline to Prudence Socket. Her discipline is now poor.
  
  Under close interrogation, Prudence confesses to being the gruel-thief. Justice is served! You thrash her soundly, confiscate her paraphernalia of crime, and sleep peacefully.
  
  > Status
  Peyton     mediocre     mediocre     poor         poor
  Randy      mediocre     abysmal      bad          poor
  Hunter     poor         poor         poor         bad
  Harry      poor         mediocre     poor         mediocre
  Prudence   poor         abysmal      poor         poor
  
  > Scrub randy
  You seize Randy, delouse his scalp with carbolic acid, and scrub him all over with turpentine and a pumice-stone. This accomplished, you deliver a short lecture on the spiritual and bacterial dangers of filthiness. Hopefully the lesson is learned; his looks are now poor.
  
  > ring bell
  Polychromatic Lung's Fairy Tales has improved Hans Culter's morale, which is now satisfactory.
  The ancient tricycles have fortified Peyton Cropes's vigour, which is now adequate.
  Polychromatic Lung's Fairy Tales has improved Randy Potts's morale, which is now mediocre.
  The ancient tricycles have fortified Hunter Blair's vigour, which is now poor.
  The ancient tricycles have fortified Harry Quisling's vigour, which is now adequate.
  Polychromatic Lung's Fairy Tales has improved Prudence Socket's morale, which is now poor.
  
  Peyton Cropes has broken a hole through the roof and escaped! Since virtue is rewarded and vice leads to ruin, you are not surprised when, later, you receive reports that she has become a surrogate mother.
  
  You receive a government stipend of 50 for the feeding and care of your orphans; and pay out 15 coins on necessary care and maintenance, most of it going on food.
  Your profligate meal plans have borne fruit: Hunter Blair has improved his morale.
  
  The Orphanorium has been entrusted with five more children: Courtney Bludge is old enough for the Middle House, while Jim Tench, Cob Froome, Cheyenne Burrow and Bub Grady will go to the Junior.
  
  > buy dogs
  You reluctantly part with 400 coins, mail in your order, and in due course receive delivery of Ruritanian Mastiffs.
  
  A new task: Top Ranking
  In any well-regulated society, there must be a recognised order. Even among the savage peoples and urban poor, some shade of hierarchy will always arise from the machinations of violence and vanity. And so it is among orphans, though their society is little more advanced than a troupe of feral macaques. A good orphanmaster must always know whose star is in the ascendant, and how they may best be managed.
  Until recently, Bub Grady was the seldom-disputed king of the dormitories. But your informants aver that a coup is in the offing. This would usually be grounds for interest but not alarm, but today the challenger is the Quisling child. If he is damaged somehow, your mysterious sponsor might not be best pleased. And you don't like the child; having him at the top of the pecking order seems a hazardous prospect.
  1 - Ensure Bub Grady loses.
  2 - Sabotage Harry's campaign.
  
  > 1
  It would be easiest to thrash Bub until he was no contest, but that might be too obvious. But there are more subtle ways of sapping a child's will: a less-generous ladle of gruel and a closer watch against dinner-table banditry, extra midnight chamberpot duty, work schedules that make co-ordination with allies onerous and frustrating.
  
  You do not observe the fight directly, of course, but the signs are clear. Bub is sulky and friendless, while Harry is deferred to by all. The mantle has passed.
  
  > Status
  Jim        abysmal      poor         poor         mediocre
  Courtney   poor         poor         bad          mediocre
  Randy      mediocre     abysmal      poor         adequate
  Cheyenne   bad          poor         mediocre     poor
  Hunter     poor         poor         poor         poor
  Harry      mediocre     adequate     poor         mediocre
  Bub        bad          abysmal      poor         awful
  Prudence   poor         abysmal      poor         poor
  Cob        bad          awful        poor         poor