Gynecocracy

would take nothing; it was not a question of money. — 'Five!'

'Well, really, Miss Maud, you are too importunate; but five pounds are not to be gained every day, and-and- Mademoiselle is out and she need not know anything about it-and if you give them me now-'

Whereupon Maud took out her purse and told down five golden sovereigns, which Elise greedily snatched up.

'Now listen to me,' she said, addressing me, and smacking my face and head till my ears sang, 'one word of this to Mademoiselle and I shall hang you up for three hours tomorrow. That will be Sunday and there will be nothing to prevent me doing so. Three hours whether you die of it or not.'

Maud had already got me by the ear.

'There he is, Miss Maud. He is yours till teatime, anyhow. Take him.'

'Come along,' said Maud, giving my ear an unpleasant jerk.

Maud was the eldest of the three sisters and was the very proper and faultless one. I believe she would have expired of spleen, had she been convicted of a fault, so implacable did she regard herself, and so thoroughly was she convinced of the fact that whatever she did must necessarily be right. She was cold, hard, proud, and formal; she spoke in measured phrases, never on any occasion betraying the slightest agitation; thoroughly wrapped in herself and her own perfections, her selfishness was astonishing.

As soon as we were outside the workroom door she let go my ear and stared coldly at me from head to foot.

'You look like a girl,' she said in a disappointed tone. 'I wonder whether after all you are really one. Follow me to my room anyhow.' And she led the way to the back stairs, which, holding her skirts up daintily in front, she slowly ascended. As she did so immediately before me I could not help seeing what a nice girl she was. Her skin was white, her hair a delicious brown, wavy, and thick. Her form was elegant and with a girlish promise of development about it that was exciting; all her movements characterised by a graceful ease that gave her swing a decided charm.

She had two rooms on the third floor opening into each other and overlooking an Italian garden. One was furnished as a bedroom and the other as a studio. It was in elegant and artistic disorder with all an artist's litter about. Maud's forte was painting, drawing, and modelling in clay.

She took me through into her bedroom and locked both the outer doors; each room having a door opening upon the landing.

The bedroom was girlish in its simplicity. Maud's own precocious corporeal development was no doubt attributable to her habit, originally compulsory, afterwards persisted in from pleasure, of tight lacing; her mental precocity or pruriency was attributable both to Mademoiselle and to nature. I noticed several clever pictures in her bedroom; all studies of the nude.

Turning to me she said: 'I want an Adonis or an Apollo. Strip and let me see whether you can fill the part. Besides, I want to-to-to analyse you. I need knowledge of anatomy for executing the drawings I love. Besides which I love the study of male anatomy for itself. I shall therefore study you. So far as I am concerned you shall always remain masculine. I admire virility. If I punished you it would be for effeminacy. How disgraceful to allow yourself to be treated as you are. How degrading! Mean creature that you must be. But while Agnes was flogging you yesterday, I saw enough of your legs and back to make me wish to see more. Undress!'

She then sat down at her ease in a low armchair, calmly waiting to have her order carried out.

I leant against the bed, half sitting upon it. I had naturally expected by this time to have become hardened and indifferent to the ordeal of being divested of all my garments by a girl and compelled to expose my nakedness to her. But, to my surprise and consternation, I found I experienced quite as much trouble and confusion upon each repetition as upon the first occasion. Shame did not wear off.

The idea of undressing before this elegant girl, alone with her in her own room, caused me the greatest perturbation and confusion.

Steadfastly gazing at me she noticed my hesitation and reluctance. A queer light came into her eyes, and she moved her body in her low chair in a certain manner which I recognized and knew to portend mischief. She was resting her cheek on her hand, and her skirts, never too long, had worked halfway up to her knees. Her ankles were delicate and pretty. When she saw me looking at them, with a becoming consciousness, she tried to shake the garments down.

I wondered how much she knew.

I commenced a calculation of how far she would go. What it would be worth my while to do.

She was evidently in a flutter herself, and without that self-possession and repose so characteristic of Mademoiselle.

She was nervous plainly and sensible of the want of that impelling magic or mesmeric power which compelled obedience to Mademoiselle's orders however shocking and outrageous they might be.

So, feeling my advantage I began to sulk.

'Julian,' she said, 'do as I desire. I shall whip you if you don't.' I twinged, and considered whether she could. 'Undress yourself directly. Come, I have no time to lose; besides, I will not pay five pounds for nothing! Undress, I want to see you.'

I still hesitated and only looked at her mutely.

'You are wasting all the time,' she said, angrily. 'If you do not undress at once I declare I shall call Elise and make her bind you, and will lash you without mercy myself. Come!' she said, half rising. 'Must I, or will you do what I wish?'

Now the appearance of Elise on the scene would have spoilt all. I much preferred a quiet tete-a-tete with my cousin uninterrupted by Elise and her brutalities. But Maud made a great mistake in invoking another power instead of relying upon her own. I said so.

'I might do for you, Maud, what force and Elise could not make me do.' I hazarded a gentle emphasis on the pronoun.

'Very well, then, be a good boy, and please me. I do not like force; I think its employment inelegant. I wish to conquer by my-by my- what Mademoiselle would call — charms,' she said, with a most winning air of pretty embarrassment, coyly looking down as if frightened by her own temerity and uncertain of the response.

She had touched my weak point. 'Indeed,' I instantly answered, with a look freely expressing the admiration I felt, 'they are sufficient.' And my frank tone conveyed the sincerity of my conviction. The effect was magical.

'You nice boy,' she said, rushing at me with girlish abandon and kissing me.

And then, with her hand upon my shoulder she said, looking into my eyes: 'Undress! I wish you to do so. Now, we shall both enjoy it. I will help you.'

Affairs had taken a very pleasant turn. It had become a task of love to obey her and the sacrifices involved were sweet and thrilling. We were both in a flutter of pleasant excitement as I yielded to her wishes. She threw the feminine garments one by one from me with disdain. My blushes were materially increased by the loss of my petticoats and the exposure of my bare arms and neck, while my nether limbs were covered by dainty shoes, long stockings, and wide heavily frilled drawers. She laughed gaily at the picture I presented and asked me how I appreciated the ignominy of being condemned to wear a lady's things.

Then followed two or three thrilling moments, while her fingers were busy with the strings about my waist, her arms often round it as she fumbled with the fastening of my drawers. Her taking them off, caused us both an infinity of delightful confusion. I felt the air against my bare legs and made a vain attempt to catch the mischievous pair of hands that were so ruthlessly invading my privacy with the undisguised intention of entirely depriving me of it.

She slipped down on the floor in front of me to pull off my stocking. Again a thrill and a gasp, as she petulantly pulled away the chemise and finally pushed her hands under it to get at the end of the stocking which was halfway up my thigh. I felt her soft cool hands on my bare leg and for an instant they went up higher than necessary. The next instant the stocking was jerked off without compunction and one long limb became as naked as my arms. She paused to look at it with approval and satisfaction before she attacked the other leg. With a pretty pout and an amused air she forcibly took hold of the other leg and its stocking and rapidly drew off the delicate silk thing. I felt worse than naked. Without a word she loosened and unfastened my corset and there was but the chemise left.

'Now,' she cried, 'I shall punish your ridiculous attempt at concealment,' and, not waiting to take the chemise off, she slipped her left arm round my back and with her disengaged hand lifted it right up to my breasts