hungry for the pleasure that she could not enjoy.”
“Here and there a thousand little devils, each uglier, more active and rampant that this other, came and went, sucking, pinching, biting and dancing around or mingling among themselves. Everywhere there were laughs, shouts, convulsions, frenzies, cries, sighs and faintings of lust.”
“In a space above the devils of the first rank diverted themselves jovially by parodying the mysteries of our religion.”
“A naked nun, prostrate, her eyes beautifully turned upward toward the vault, received with a devout ardor the white communion given to her, from the end of a very honest holy-water sprinkler, by a big devil in cross and mitre turned in reverse.”
“Further on a tiny devil received in floods on his face the baptisms of life, while another feigning to be dead, was helped on his way with a frightful profusion of the holy viaticum.”
“A master devil, borne on four shoulders, balanced proudly the most energetic demonstration of his eroto- satanic pleasure, and, in his moments of humor, sprinkled the blessed in floods. Everyone prostrated at his passage. It was the procession of the Holy Sacrament.”
“But behold, a clock struck, and all the devils called joined hands and formed an immense circle. The signal given, they turned, skipping and jumping like lightning. The most feeble succumbed in this rapid circling, this insane gallop. Their fall brought down others; the result was a horrible confusion, a frightful pell-mell of grotesque enlacements, hideous couplings, an unclean chaos of broken bodies, soiled with lust, that a thick smoke came to conceal.”
GAMIANI:
“Your description is marvelous! Alcide, your dream would go well in a book.”
ALCIDE:
“Listen again, what follows is no more than the reality. When I had recovered from that terrible access, I felt myself brighter but more exhausted. Three women, still young and dressed in simple white gowns, were seated near my bed. I thought that I was still in delirium; but I soon learned that my physician, understanding my malady, had judged it proper to apply the sole remedy that fit my case.
“First I took a plump white hand, that I covered with kisses. A pair of fresh, rosy lips were pressed to mine. That delicious contact electrified me; I had all the ardor of a wild fool. '
“Oh! my fair friends,” I cried, “I wish to be happy, happy to excess; I could die in your arms. Lend yourselves to my transports, to my follies!”
“With that I threw from me that which still covered me, I stretched myself on my bed. A cushion, placed beneath my reins, held me in the most advantageous position. My priapus stood up, superb, radiant.”
“You, piquant brunette, with the bosom so firm and so white, seat yourself on the foot of the bed, your legs extended near mine. Good! Lift my feet to your breasts and rub them gently against your pretty buttons of love. Ravishing! Ah, you are delicious!
“Blond, with the eyes of blue, be mine, you are my queen! Come, place yourself astraddle on the throne. Take the inflamed scepter in your hand and hide it entirely in your empire. . Oh! Not so fast! Wait! be slow and measured like a cavalier in a gentle trot. Prolong the pleasure.” “And you, so large, so fair, with the ravishing form, straddle here above my head. Ah! Marvelous! You have guessed it. Spread your thighs wide. Further! that my eye may see you, my mouth devour you and my tongue penetrate you at leisure. Why stand straight up? Lean down and give me your breasts to kiss!”
“Be mine! be mine!” said the brunette, showing her agile tongue to the other, sharp as the stylus of Venus.
“Come, till I eat your eyes, your lips! I love you that way. Oh! lubricious. . put your hand there. . now. . gently, gently!”
“And then each one began to agitate, to excite to pleasure.”
“With my eyes I devoured this animated scene, these lascivious movements, these senseless poses. Soon the sighs and cries were mingled and confounded; while fire circulated in my veins. I thrilled throughout. My two hands toyed with a burning breast, or were carried, frenzied, contracted, to charms still more secret. Then my mouth replaced them. I sucked avidly, I gnawed and bit! She cried to me to stop, that I was killing her; I only redoubled my play.”
“That access finished me. My head fell back heavily. I had no more strength.
“Enough! enough!” I cried, “Oh! my feet! What voluptuous tickling! It hurts me! cramps me! My feet stretch and twist. . Oh!”
“I felt the delirium approach for the third time. I thrust with fury. My three fair ones lost both their heads and their equilibrium at the same time. I received them in my arms, fainting, expiring, and I felt myself inundated. “Joys of heaven or of hell, it was like torrents of never ending fire.”
GAMIANI:
“What pleasures you have enjoyed, Alcide, I envy you! And you, Fanny? What! the foolish thing! I believe she is asleep.”
FANNY:
“Let me be, GAMIANI: take your hand away, it oppresses me. I am overcome. . dead. . What a night! my God! Sleep. . I. .”
The poor child yawned, turned over and curled up into a little bundle in a comer of the bed. I wished to draw her back.
“No! no!” the Comtesse said to me. “I understand how she feels. For myself, I am of a humor far different than hers. I feel irritated, I am tormented, I wish, ah! you see I wish I were dead. Your two bodies touching me, your discourse, our furors, all that has excited me, transported me. I have a hell in my mind and a fire in my body. I know not what to attempt. Oh fury!”
ALCIDE:
“What are you going to do, Gamiani? Why are you getting up?”
GAMIANI:
“I can be quiet no longer, I burn. . I wish. . tire me out! If some one would crush me, beat me. . Oh! I cannot spend!”
The Comtesse gnashed her teeth viciously, her eyes rolled frightfully in their orbits. Her entire being quivered and twisted, it was horrible to see. Fanny awoke, surprised, frightened. For myself, I expected an attack of nerves.
In vain I covered her most tender parts with kisses; my hands were weary of torturing that unconquerable fury. The spermatic canals were closed, or exhausted. I drew blood, but the crisis did not arrive.
GAMIANI:
“I will leave you. Go to sleep.”
At these words, Gamiani leaped out of the bed, opened a door, and disappeared.
ALCIDE:
“What does she want? Do you understand it, Fanny?”
FANNY:
“Chut, Alcide, listen! What cries!” She is killing herself! God! the door is locked! Ah! she is in Julie's chamber. Wait, there is a glazed opening, we can see all. Draw up the divan, here are two chairs, get up.
What a spectacle. By the light of a night lamp, dim, flickering, the Comtesse, her eyes horribly drawn to the side, her lips covered with a frothy saliva, sperm coursing along her thighs, rolled and bellowed on a large carpet made of cat-skins.
Her reins rubbed against the fur with an unbelievable agility. Momentarily the Comtesse agitated her legs in the air, raising them almost straight over her head, exposing her entire back to our view, then allowing them to fall with a nervous laugh.
GAMIANI:
“Julie, come here! My head whirls. Ah! You damned fool, I will bite you.”
And Julie, also naked, but strong, and powerful, seized hold of her hands and tied them, as well as her feet. Her excess was then at its full her convulsions frightened me. Julie, without showing the least sign of astonishment, danced and jumped as if crazy, excited herself to pleasure and fell back, fainting, on a divan.
The Comtesse followed all her movements with her eyes. Her powerlessness to attempt the same furors, to
