'Yah! Yah!' as she lashed me. 'I will. Stop!'
I huddled myself under the accursed thing as best I could, crouching down, sitting on my haunches. I had obeyed instantly; the lashes were wanton and gratuitous. She padlocked the stand in two places to the floor. I felt like a caged beast. There was that thing of mine in front of me grown to an enormous size, strangulated, and swollen by the stricture of the skin, hurting me horribly as it wagged its raw head under the influence of excitement I could not prevent, and my hands all the time absolutely behind my back.
I felt as monstrous as Priapus, and was literally dismayed at the prospect of being exhibited like that to the gaze, the curiosity, and the ridicule of a number of maidservants, for I did not doubt for an instant that she would execute her threat. I knew the show she intended to make of me would afford her infinite amusement.
In the meantime she inserted the whip between the wicker bars of my prison and diverted herself hugely by poking and tickling me with it. The contact of the whip was most painful against that raw thing, tender and sensitive as it was. Then, raising her skirts, she pressed herself against the bars and made me kiss 'Miss Elise' through them again and again. To my horror, she then summoned Mary and Susan; the last I had not seen before.
Mary repeated the poking process after which she minutely examined me.
Susan came next. She was a ruddy, comely, country lass, but filthy. She went to work in the knowingly cunning fashion that characterizes rural ignorance. About the kissing talk she was very shamefaced. Elise, however, insisted.
'Come, Susan, no nonsense: you will find how nice it is — up with your skirts.'
'Oh, Miss Elise, I'd much rather not. Indeed'-with a deep blush-'a young gentleman to kiss me there! I never heard of such a thing, I couldn't do it, I couldn't.'
However, Mary on one side, and Elise on the other, caught hold of the reluctant girl, and, despite her struggles, they displayed her coarse, common, and dirty underclothing, and got it way up above her waist. Elise put in her hand behind my head, and gave my face a good rub in it. Susan was nearly suffocated by her emotions, and gasped something about a lesson to teach her young man. When they let her go, she rushed off.
'Where's the fool gone to?' asked Elise. 'Call her back, Mary.'
She came back of her own accord with a pail full of stinking water from the scullery, which, before the others knew what she was going to do, she lifted up and poured over me.
'There,' she exclaimed, 'you filthy beast to ask to kiss young ladies so!'
What a slander! What a wrong!
The two maids rolled about holding their sides, roaring and shrieking with laughter until the tears ran down their faces, and ejaculating: 'Well done, Susan!'
'Well I never!'
'Serve him right, Susan!'
My spluttering and blowing vastly increased their merriment; the water was cold and gave me quite a shock, and then noticing Susan's air of indignation, they laughed the more.
When they had done laughing Elise amused them by pulling me about and rubbing and pressing me through the bars of the wicker cage. Afterwards she uncaged me and made me lie across her lap while she spanked me before them. She then combed and brushed very roughly the downy hair about my middle, and finally tied a blue ribbon about Mons. Priapus, announcing that I should remain like that all the afternoon.
Then my hands were again bound behind my back and I was packed into the cage, over which a skirt was thrown, and left to digest in wet gloom and in a cramped and miserable position the treatment which had been forced upon me.
It was soon time to dress me again as a girl in spite of Mons. Priapus's contradiction, for school hours recommenced at half-past three. It was a beautiful afternoon, although the day had been oppressive, and to me particularly exhausting. I was done up-felt it and looked it- mentally and bodily. Mademoiselle observed my state with some compassion. She took me to her room and made me lie on her bed. She undid the blue ribbon and put me right, gave me some of her famous burgundy and cake, petted me, sat by me, and ultimately kissed me. The relax- ion of the excessive tension brought on a flood of tears- a fit of weeping. Mademoiselle loosened my dress, removed my corset, and soothed me; and as I fell asleep threw a dressing gown over me and told me I was under her protection.
Would that I could have lived for her and have been hers alone! I remembered Beatrice but had not energy enough to settle the suggested difficulty.
That night Elise put me to bed quite naked with her and made me spend a portion of the night under the sheets in close contact with her secret anatomy. I have said she was beautiful; I felt as though I was becoming as well acquainted with women's private parts as with their faces. While my head was between her legs, Elise sucked Mons. Priapus, bit him, and pulled him unceremoniously about. All this time she kept my hands tied behind me.
In the early morning, while she was still in her robe de nuit, I was ordered to lie in her lap. After which she turned on her face, and in token of subjection, I had to kiss her bottom. The sight of it excited me very much, and when directed to lie upon it, placing Mons. Priapus between its cheeks, I obeyed. I marvelled at Elise's buck- jumping and prancing, but I found out she had got what is called a dildoe underneath her in front, and had inserted it where she did not venture to insert me. This drove her into frantic eroticism. I was to be congratulated that the idea of inserting it into me did not suggest itself to her.
I helped Elise to dress; though she was kind she used frequent threats of the whip and birch, and ordered me about very peremptorily. I had had such doses of both that the threats were quite needless. Whatever she bade me do I instantly set about. She was more exigent than Mademoiselle. Her stockings needed the greatest care- their ribs had to be placed with mathematical precision; the stockings themselves drawn to exactly the right tension, and the suspenders adjusted to the correct length. Before I put on her drawers I kissed her shapely legs above the knees having gallantly begged permission first. 'Miss Julia,' said Elise, 'you are such a good boy' (hermaphrodite already, thought 109
I) 'that, if you like, you shall some day give me a portion of that which you long to give Mademoiselle.'
I must add by way of epilogue to this portion of my experiences that it was not pleasant to kiss and lick a bottom, although a maid's. It gave one a shocking sort of thrill such as the ancients may have known when sailing through the Symplagades. They dreaded that the giant rocks might close and crush them. I did not feel sure what a bottom might not do. I had had a fright in the bath. Mademoiselle had not made me kiss hers. If she had, I should have had no fear. With Elise it was different. I wronged her by my fears, however. The contact of her flesh was very sweet and she did nothing indelicate. Would, Lady Alfred Ridlington, I could say the same of you! But I am anticipating.
After breakfast I was hung up again. I urged all I could think of, imagine, or invent. I begged, I prayed Elise; I grovelled on the ground and besought her to let me off this terrible maddening punishment.
She only answered with her dog whip.
In the afternoon, I was made to sew in the workroom- the task was only an excuse for tormenting me. At frequent intervals I was laid across the sofa and, my clothes turned up, a handkerchief stuffed into my mouth, and I was lashed for clumsiness and for not performing the impossibilities I was ordered to accomplish.
CHAPTER 20
I was driven to distraction, my eyes were full of tears, my hands trembling. I could not sew; and Elise had jumped up to practise some newly invented torture upon me when steps sounded outside. This awakened a faint hope of rescue, to be extinguished almost as soon as alive, for who would interfere to protect me? Who could it be, on that day, at that time? For it was Saturday, a half-holiday.
Maud came into the room, and to my great surprise, calmly begged Elise to lend me to her, telling her that she wanted to birch me, to pull me about, to have me at her mercy, and to make me obey her during the afternoon. Elise at first was obdurate, said she feared Mademoiselle, and dared not take the risk, as she would lose her place. At last, however, she sold me. Maud offered her three pounds. Elise would not hear of it. 'Four!' — Nonsense, she
