Gynecocracy

and lady's underclothing.'

What she said was distinctly heard over the whole shop. Some of the daughters tittered, the mammas looked pleased, the shop assistants changed colour.

I felt overcome with confusion and I wished the ground would open and swallow me.

'Certainly, Madam,' said the tall handsome shop walker. 'Will you walk into a fitting room with me?'

'Miss-, attend to this lady.' She singled out a girl whom I had noticed as soon as I had got into the establishment, one who had dark brown hair rolled up in masses over a ruddy face, a voluptuous mouth, black eyes with heavy lips, and a sensual chin.

She had observed me noticing her and had glanced at me.

'What corset would Mademoiselle desire?'

'Oh!' said Mademoiselle. 'A severe one with very stiff busks, long waist, high under the arms, long in front, and twenty-three inches in girth.'

'I quite understand; here is one, Paris made, which perhaps might do with a Venus shield; it would not wrinkle over the hips in the fitting of the dress or break; or,' she went on, 'here is a Newmarket Corset, very deep in front (she eyed me) or, here is a Rational-Corset, in fact we keep all kinds; or of course we can make anything you please. And do you wish for silk underclothing, or the ordinary linen?'

'Linen and silk too,' replied Mademoiselle, 'both.'

At the prospect of a large order the manageress became yet more deferential in her manner and gave some hurried whispered directions to her underling.

'These things will be tried on?' she then asked, looking severely at me, and hesitatingly at my governess.

'Certainly,' replied Mademoiselle. 'In fact I wish him dressed in them now.'

'We do not keep dresses; but we can send to-a few doors away for some likely to fit, if you choose?'

'Do so,' said Mademoiselle.

The woman bowed. 'Now, young gentleman,' she said, addressing herself to me, 'I must trouble you to take off these things,' and she took hold of my jacket.

'Indeed I won't; here-before-you all,' I almost whined.

'Julian,' exclaimed Mademoiselle, plainly laughing at my piteous tone. 229

'How dare you?' ejaculated Gertrude. 'Have you forgotten my whip?'

'So has he been whipped, and I am sure he deserved it thoroughly, I can see what a naughty boy he is. He is under petticoat government, I think,' and she looked enquiringly at Mademoiselle.

'Yes,' she answered, 'he decidedly is.'

'A very good thing too. We have had several gentlemen to dress as ladies and it does them great good.'

'Then it is not unusual?' exclaimed Gertrude.

'Oh! Dear me, no; not in London at all events. Many gentlemen do it to please themselves, others, because they are made to. Come, Sir! You must take off these things and your trousers too. We do not allow trousers here unless they are linen and trimmed, or silk and open, you know-this is a ladies' shop.'

Miss-, the underling, returned at this moment with an armful of silk drawers, chemises, petticoats, corsets, amp;c, and deposited them on the couch.

There was a large glass in front of me and two others on each side. Mademoiselle and Gertrude were seated on two chairs a little distance away.

'Thank you, Miss-, now please send a messenger to Messrs.-and ask them to send round a few ready-made dresses to fit a young lady; waist twenty-three inches, bust so and so and length, Madam?'

'I think,' said Mademoiselle, after a slight pause, 'they had better send a few frocks suitable for a girl of twelve, or-say fourteen, as well as the long dresses.'

'Certainly,' said the lady pencilling down the directions with indecent glee on a pad which hung at her waist. And tearing off a slip she gave it to the girl, 'And pray, Miss-, return as soon as you can; and bring a broad steel stay-busk or two with you.'

'I think,' she said, looking at me, 'if he is troublesome, we shall find a means of compelling him-of making him only too glad to obey.'

While I was wondering what she meant she succeeded in slipping off my jacket and waistcoat.

She had just begun fumbling about my trousers when Miss-returned. Needless to say that I could scarcely stand for shame.

'Miss-, please hold his hands and give me those busks,' by which she designated two long pieces of steel, buttoned the one on to the other, sloped and curved, and very pliable.

'I thank you,' and she put them down, within reach.

'Now I think, Madam, we shall be able in a moment to cure this young gentleman of his refractory disposition; if you will allow me?'

'Certainly,' said Mademoiselle, 'do what you please!'

'I have had some very refractory ones to deal with, but I think they have all had to submit at last,' and she slipped her hand underneath me behind.

I vainly tried to jerk my hands from Miss-, who was standing in front of me, grasping my hands tightly about the wrists with hers, and smiling in my face.

'Oh! Oh!' I cried. 'Don't-how dare you?' and I grew very pale.

'Indeed,' she retorted, 'how dare I? How dare you?' and she gave me a sound smack upwards upon the testicles from the back, at the pain of which I turned very faint.

I gave a little scream of pain.

'Hold your tongue, Sir, if you don't want another.'

Miss-held my hands tightly, and almost laughed outright. The punishment deprived me of the power of resistance completely and of all my bounce too.

'I see you know how to manage him,' remarked Mademoiselle.

'I wish I had him under me for a week. He would not hesitate obeying me whatever disgrace obedience might cost him,' replied the manageress with conviction. She then unfastened and pushed down my trousers and drawers. Next she lifted my shirt off my bottom and took up the busks.

'You must always,' she observed, 'obey a lady. I can see your bottom has been well waled-look, Miss S-! I should have thought you would have learnt that already by this time-but as you have not, with Madam's permission,' whack, whack, whack-'hold him tight, Miss-'-whack, whack-'take off your trousers, shirt and all?' — whack, whack, whack.

Miss-held me as if in a vice, her dark eyes full of deep pleasure.

'Oh! Yah. Oh, you hurt! Oh, stop, oh, yes, I will, I will, oh, Mademoiselle! Oh, Gertrude, oh, Mamma!'

Mademoiselle and Gertrude shrieked with laughter at my utter discomfiture.

The manageress though was really quite angry, and gave me several more gratuitous stinging blows. Miss-, holding me, then looked very serious.

'Stay busks'-whack-'don't'-whack-'make such a litter as a birch-they are-' whack, whack-'quite as effectual though, don't they smart? — No nasty buds and bits about the floor, not such a noise as the swish of the rod, and besides they are an article of lady's attire you are punished with-what' (a sounding whack) 'has compressed your governess's form. I trust'-whack, whack-'if ever you have a wife she will govern you severely-it is a capital thing for a man; and that she will make you dread her stay-busks. Now I think you will be more docile. Do you know, Madam,' she said, recovering her breath, 'many ladies bring their husbands or lovers here to submit to the regime of the stay-lace? Only the other day-yesterday in fact-was it not, Miss-?-a young lady brought her fiance, and explained she had promised to marry him, but only on condition that he would wear one of our tightest corsets, and a pair of lady's drawers under his trousers to teach him he was no longer his own master but now under a mistress, and her property.'

'And did he submit?' asked Gertrude, with undisguised curiosity.

'Yes! He had to; in her presence he was laced up and she chose the drawers and took away his own with her; he had half a dozen pairs, richly trimmed with lace; and then he begged as a sign of goodwill on his part, to be allowed to wear ladies' stockings too-she clapped her hands, and was delighted-she gave him a kiss as a reward, and made him show her what she should possess after they were married.'