never once attempting to take the least liberty with me. But nevertheless he was the cause of my being turned out of the house.
“One afternoon, Mrs. Leslie called me into the drawing-room, and said, that as she had kept me in luxury for six months, and as I was fourteen years and a half old; it was time for me to do something for her in return. Not dreaming for a moment of what she was going to ask me to do; I said that it would give me great pleasure to oblige her in any way. She then, in the coolest manner told me that Mr. Wood had taken a great fancy to me, and that he was going to remain in the house all night, and that I was to sleep with him. At that time, I had no very definite idea of what would happen to me if I slept with a man; but the very thought of doing so, turned my blood cold, and filled me with an intense feeling of horror and disgust. I burst into tears, and absolutely refused to sleep with the man.
“Mrs. Leslie flew into a violent passion, upbraiding me for my ingratitude to her, and she asked me scornfully if I did not know that all the young ladies in the house slept with gentlemen when required to do so. I felt myself blushing scarlet, and I trembled all over, but I stammered out that I did not know they ever did such a thing. I really had been ignorant of the fact. She stormed at me worse than ever, saying that I was a greater fool than she had thought; and she wound up by telling me, that if I did not consent to sleep with Mr. Wood, she would give me a sound whipping. Then she told me angrily to go to my room and think over what she had said. I went to my room, feeling dazed and miserable, and throwing myself on my bed, wept bitterly; but in spite of her threat, I was fully determined not to sleep with Mr. Wood
“In about an hour’s time, Mrs. Leslie and her sister came into the room: I jumped off the bed, and stood before them, feeling very frightened, but firm in my resolve. Mrs. Leslie asked me if I would do as she had told me? I replied with the tears streaming down my cheeks, that I could not; then I implored her not to whip me, saying chat I had never been whipped in my life.
“She made no reply, but seized me and laid me across the bed: Miss Dundas immediately taking hold of my wrists and holding them tightly. Then Mrs. Leslie turned up my short frock and petticoats to my shoulders, and unfastening my drawers, pulled them down to my knees. I did not struggle to escape, nor did I again beg her not to whip me, as I knew it would be no use; but I felt very much ashamed at being turned up in such a degrading manner; I also dreaded the pain before me, and a sort of creeping sensation passed over the flesh of my bottom as I lay on the bed, in dire suspense, waiting for the punishment to commence. Mrs. Leslie leisurely took off one of her slippers, then she held my legs with her left hand, and began to spank me very severely; and as I had never before received a blow, I felt the pain acutely, but I tried to bear it quietly. The stinging slaps fell in quick succession all over my bottom; the pain grew sharper and sharper; I could no longer contain myself, and I began to struggle and cry. She went on spanking me relentlessly; my bottom seemed to be burning, and I screamed loudly at each slap.
“At last she stopped, and put on her slipper; thin she and her sister left the room, locking the door on the outside, leaving me lying on the bed, with my petticoats up and my drawers down, crying with shame and pain. When the smarting of my bottom had somewhat subsided, I wiped the tears from my eyes, got off the bed, and fastened up my drawers, then I lay down again, and buried my face in the pillow, feeling very wretched.
“About an hour after, Miss Dundas brought me a cup of tea and some bread and butter, telling me that I should get no dinner that night; and she added that I was a young fool She then went away, leaving me locked up.
“Next morning, after I had dressed, I sat waiting to be let out; but I was not. Some breakfast was brought to me, and later on, some lunch. At five o’clock, Mrs. Leslie and her sister made their appearance, and I was again asked if I would consent; and again I refused. Then for the second time I was laid across the bed and severely spanked; and as my bottom was still sore, I felt the stinging pain of the slaps more acutely than before, and I struggled more violently, and screamed louder than on the previous day.
“When the punishment was over, I was again locked up.
“At five o’clock next day, for the third time, they came into the room, and for the third time the question was put to me. Trembling, crying, and wringing my hands in utter despair, I exclaimed that I would never consent. Then, for the third time, my sore bottom was laid bare, and the spanking was begun. That time the pain was most intense; I winced, writhed, and shrieked at each stroke of the thick slipper. I struggled hard to get off the bed, and I tried to kick; but Miss Dundas held my wrists tightly, and Mrs. Leslie held my legs down, at the same time spanking away, without paying the least attention to my shrieks and entreaties, until she was quite out of breath. Then she put on her slipper, and went away with her sister: locking me in the room as on the previous days.
“My flesh tingled and throbbed painfully: I was hoarse from screaming; my checks were furrowed with tears, and I lay on the bed, crying and sobbing in abject misery for quite ten minutes. Then I got up, and bathed my burning, still smarting bottom with cold water, which greatly allayed the pain. I then gathered my short petticoats up above my waist, and standing in front of the glass, I looked over my shoulder at my bottom, and saw that it was very much swollen, the skin being shiny in appearance, and a dark purple colour; it was also so tender that I could not sit down comfortably. It afterwards turned black and blue.
“I was kept locked up, and scantily fed, for three more days, but I was not again spanked. On the fourth day of my imprisonment, Mrs. Leslie came into the room, and said that if I would not do as all the other girls did; she would turn me out of the house. The threat startled me a good deal, but I again said that I would not sleep with a man.
“She glared angrily at me; then, after telling me that I was to leave her house within twenty-four hours, she swept out of the room, leaving the door open.
“I was extremely agitated, as well as frightened, and I sank down on a chair trembling all over, but I did not intend to yield, and after a time I grew calm, and then I began to think what I should do.
“It seemed to me very hard, that the fact of my being a girl should make me liable to be subjected to all sorts of indignities. At that moment I heartily wished I could change my sex. Then a sudden inspiration came to me. I would dress myself as a boy, and in that guise endeavour to get some employment. It was a splendid ides; and as I thought over it, I actually laughed, for it at once struck me that I should never be asked to sleep with a man, when I was got-up in male attire. And there would be no difficulty in completely dressing myself up in boy’s clothes. The room next to mine was occupied by Mrs. Leslie’s son Henry, whenever he was at home; I had never seen him, but I had heard that he was about my size and age; and I knew that there was plenty of clothing of all sorts in his room.
“I would take all that was necessary, dress myself, and then go to Southampton, and be a sailor. The whole scheme was, of course, utterly impracticable, but I did not think so at that moment. I thought it would be perfectly easy to hide my sex.”
Here Frances again stopped speaking for an instant; then said, with a laugh: “And perhaps I could have kept my secret, if you had not taken down my trousers.”
“Oh, I should have found out you were a girl, sooner or later; even if I had not taken down your trousers,” I observed, laughing.
She went on: “No one came near me that afternoon, except the servant who brought me my tea; and I did not leave the room, so I had plenty of time to arrange my plans, and when I had settled in my mind exactly what I intended to do, I went to bed.
“Next morning, as soon as it was light, I got up, went into the boy’s room, and took out of the chest of drawers, a complete suit of clothes and all the necessary undergarments; I also was lucky enough to find a pair of boots, and a straw hat I went back to my room, dressed myself in the clothes, which fitted me” very well, and then I cut off my hair. I had in my possession four pounds, and a few shillings, the remains of the money given me at various times by Mr. Wood; and as I did not wish to steal the clothes, I resolved to pay for them with the four pounds. So I wrote a note in pencil on a scrap of paper, addressed to Mrs. Leslie, telling her what I had done, and enclosing the money.
“Then I slipped quietly downstairs-no one in the house was stirring at that early hour-opened the hall-door, and ran away as fast as I could. I knew my way about, so I soon found an omnibus which took me to Charing Cross, and from there I made my way to Waterloo station, where I had a cup of coffee and some bread and butter.
“I felt very awkward and uncomfortable in trousers, but as no one seemed to notice anything strange in my appearance, I soon got quite bold. I had not money enough for a ticket to Southampton, so I took one for Farnborough, which I knew was nearly halfway to where I was bound. When I got to Farnborough, I inquired for the Southampton road, and started off at once, walking all day, and as I had only eighteenpence, and a long distance
