Just then Emma entered, I ran to her and carried her to the bed. 'Go now, John,' said I, 'you're a real trump, you shall be well paid for this service,' and I pushed him out of the room, and locked the door. Then I tossed up the darling girl's clothes, I gamahuched her, I fucked her on the spot. What a scene it was! we had both fasted so long that we were quite rampant. How she flung her fair limbs over my back! gods! how she spent on the bed; how she bit, wriggled and fucked. Oh! it was delicious.
Again and again we returned to the charge! we took no heed of time. Just as we had died away in our third embrace, there came a rapping. 'For God's sake, sir!' said poor John in a subdued and agitated whisper, 'Mrs S- is coming up the stairs.'
Sauve qui peut! became the order of the day. Emma dashed into my dressing-room, and as madam opened the bedroom door, made her exit by the other and reached her own room in safety. I turned my face to the wall and pretended to be asleep. I heard the rustle of my wife's silk dress as she swept into the room, and trembled.
'And how are you now, dear?' said she, seating herself on the bed.
'Eh! ah! who's that? Ah! I believe I was asleep.'
'Poor fellow!'
'Oh, never mind,' said I, 'it is quite time I was awake.'
'How's your head, poor old boy?'
'Better, thank you, love. I shall get up, I think.'
'Do, darling, if you like.'
'Yes, I will,' said I, and I flung first one leg and then the other out of bed.
'Why, dear me, how flushed you are,' said she.
'Yes, I feel rather feverish.'
She felt my pulse, 'Why you are in a high fever; what a pulse!'
'Oh, damn the pulse, I shall be cooler after my tub,' and I made my exit into my dressing-room and locked the door. Refreshed with my cold bath, I dressed and descended to the dining-room. I was hungry, and luncheon looked tempting. The sherry I knew was good; a man stands on no ceremony with his wife, so I set to work. It never occurred to me till I had finished, that it was odd she didn't come down. But then it struck me all at once, and I began to reflect: 'She has been examining the bed, or she has found a shoe or a garter or something belonging to that poor little girl.'
I rang the bell; John appeared, he looked very pale.
'What's the matter, John?'
'Sir, my young mistress is crying upstairs ready to break her heart. Hannah was coming downstairs, and heard her say to herself, 'Oh, Edward, Edward! I could have borne anything but this, this is too, too cruel!''
'Just go up, my good man, and tell her luncheon's ready.'
Poor old John! He gave me a look — such a look — and away he went.
Presently he returned.
'Mrs S- will be down directly, sir.'
In a few minutes my lady stalked into the room; there was no trace of tears on her face, she looked like one of the Furies; in the tips of her delicate fingers, in the very tips, and as if she thought them polluted by the contact, she held out to me a remarkably pretty little lace cap, ornamented with a cherry-coloured ribband. The cap was white and clean as driven snow, yet had it been filthy and full of vermin, she could not have regarded it with greater disgust. There was a storm brewing, that was evident, so I became as calm as possible. That is a peculiarity of mine.
'Sir!' said she, with a grand air, 'may I be permitted to enquire how this cap came in your bed?'
'Yes, madam! you may enquire; sorry I can throw no light on the subject,' and I coolly lit a cigar; she watched me like a tigress about to spring.
'Do you dare, sir, to lie in my face! Whose cap is this?'
'Perhaps,' said I, stopping to pull at my cigar, for it did not draw well, 'perhaps it is Hannah's, you know she might have dropped it when she made the bed yesterday.'
'Hannah's indeed!' she cried, with great contempt. 'No, sir, it is not Hannah's, as you know quite well, but that little slut Emma's! And how came those stains on the bed, sir? answer me that.'
'Really, my dear madam, you are becoming so experienced that I know not how to reply to you. What stains do you allude to, I cannot surely have had a wet dream?'
'Wet dream, you vile, bad, debauched man! I know what they mean very well!' and she flew at me like a panther, and planted such a tremendous box on my right ear as nearly knocked me out of my chair.
I very calmly flung the remainder of my cigar under the grate, and seizing both her wrists with a grip of iron, forced her into an armchair. 'Now you little devil,' said I, 'you sit down there, and I give you my honour I will hold you thus till you abjectly and most humbly beg for mercy, and ask my pardon for the gross insult you have inflicted upon me.'
'Insult! think of the insult you have put upon me, you vile wretch, to demean yourself with a little low-bred slut like that!' and struggling violently, she bit the backs of my hands until they were covered with blood, and kicked my shins till she barked them.
'I say, my dear,' said I, 'did you ever see Shakespeare's play of Taming the Shrew.'
No answer.
'Well, my angel, I'm going to tame you.' She renewed her bites and kicks, and called me all the miscreants and vile scoundrels under the sun. I continued to hold her in a vice of iron. Thus we continued till six o'clock.
'If it is your will and pleasure to expose yourself to the servants,' said I, 'pray do, I have no sort of objection, but I will just observe that John will come in presently to clear away the luncheon and lay the cloth for dinner.' A torrent of abuse was the only answer.
'You brute,' she said, 'you have bruised my wrists black and blue.'
'Look at my hands, my precious angel, and my shins are in still worse condition.'
By and by there was a rap on the door, 'Come in,' said I. John appeared. 'Take no notice of us, John, but attend to your business.'
John cleared away the luncheon, and laid the cloth for dinner. Exit John.
'Oh, Edward, you do hurt my wrists so.'
'My ear and face are still burning with the blow you gave me, my hands are torn to pieces with your tiger teeth and will not be fit to be seen for a month, and as to my shins, my drawers are saturated with blood,' said I.
'Let me go! let me go directly, wretch!' and again she bit, kicked and struggled.
'Listen to me,' said I, 'there are 365 days in the year, but by God! if there were 3,605, I will hold you till you apologise in the manner and way I told you, and even then, I shall punish you likewise for the infamous way you have behaved.' She sulked for another half-hour, but did not bite or kick any more. I never relaxed my grasp, or the sternness of my countenance. My hands were streaming with blood, some of the veins were opened, her lap was full of blood, it was a frightful scene.
At length she said, 'Edward, I humbly ask your pardon for the shameful way I have treated you. I apologise for the blow I gave you, I forgive you for any injury you have done me, I promise to be docile and humble in future, and I beg — I beg,' she sobbed, 'your forgiveness.'
I released her hands, pulled the bell violently, told John to run immediately for Dr Monson (the family physician), and fell fainting on the floor. I had lost nearly a pint of blood from the wounds inflicted by the panther. When I recovered my senses I was lying on the sofa, my hands enveloped in strapping, plaster and bandages, as were also my shins. Emma and my wife knelt at my feet crying, while Monson kept pouring port wine down my throat. 'Could you eat a little,' said he kindly.
'Gad, yes,' said I, 'I'm awfully hungry; bring dinner, John.'
They all stared, it was ten o'clock; however dinner was served, though sadly overdone, having been put back three hours. John had only laid covers for two, presuming my wife and I would dine tete-a-tete. I told him to bring two more. Monson and my wife raised their eyebrows — 'Doctor, stay and dine with us, call it supper if you like; Emma, I desire you to seat yourself.' She made towards the door. 'Augusta,' said I, addressing my wife, 'persuade Emma to dine with us. I will it.'
'You had better stay,' said my wife, with a sweet smile. Emma hesitated a moment, and then came and sat beside me.
