My gentleman had now put on his clothes and recomposed
himself, when giving me a kiss, and placing me by him, he sat
himself down as gingerly as possible, with one side off the
cushion, which was too sore for him to bear resting any part
of his weight on.
Here he thank'd me for the extreme pleasure I had pro-
cured him, and seeing, perhaps, some marks in my countenance
of terror and apprehension of retaliation on my own skin, for
what I had been the instrument of his suffering in his, he
assured me, that he was ready to give up to me any engagement
I might deem myself under to stand him, as he had done me,
but if that proceeded in my consent to it, he would consider
the difference of my sex, its greater delicacy and incapacity
to undergo pain. Rehearten'd at which, and piqu'd in honour,
as I thought, not to flinch so near the trial, especially as
I well knew Mrs. Cole was an eye-witness, from her stand of
espial, to the whole of our transactions, I was now less
afraid of my skin than of his not furnishing me with an oppor-
tunity of signalizing my resolution.
Consonant to this disposition was my answer, but my
courage was still more in my head, than in my heart; and as
cowards rush into the danger they fear, in order to be the
sooner rid of the pain of that sensation, I was entirely
pleas'd with his hastening matters into execution.
He had then little to do, but to unloose the strings of
my petticoats, and lift them, together with my shift, navel-
high, where he just tuck'd them up loosely girt, and might be
slipt up higher at pleasure. Then viewing me round with
great seeming delight, he laid me at length on my face upon
the bench, and when I expected he would tie me, as I had done
him, and held out my hands, not without fear and a little
trembling, he told me he would by no means terrify me un-
necessarily with such a confinement; for that though he meant
to put my constancy to some trial, the standing it was to be
completely voluntary on my side, and therefore I might be at
full liberty to get up whenever I found the pain too much for
me. You cannot imagine how much I thought myself bound, by
being thus allow'd to remain loose, and how much spirit this
confidence in me gave me, so that I was even from my heart
careless how much my flesh might suffer in honour of it.
All by back parts, naked half way up, were now fully at
his mercy: and first, he stood at a convenient distance, de-
lighting himself with a gloating survey of the attitude I lay
in, and of all the secret stores I thus expos'd to him in
fair display. Then, springing eagerly towards me, he cover'd
all those naked parts with a fond profusion of kisses; and
now, taking hold of the rod, rather wanton'd with me, in gen-
tle inflictions on those tender trembling masses of my flesh
behind, than in any way hurt them, till by degrees, he began
to tingle them with smarter lashes, so as to provoke a red
colour into them, which I knew, as well by the flagrant glow
I felt there, as by his telling me, they now emulated the
native roses of my other cheeks. When he had thus amus'd
himself with admiring and toying with them, he went on to
strike harder, and more hard; so that I needed all my patience
not to cry out, or complain at least. At last, he twigg'd me
so smartly as to fetch blood in more than one lash: at sight
of which he flung down the rod, flew to me, kissed away the
starting drops, and sucking the wounds eased a good deal of my
pain. But now raising me on my knees, and making me kneel
with them straddling wide, that tender part of me, naturally
the province of pleasure, not of pain, came in for its share
of suffering: for now, eyeing it wistfully, he directed the
rod so that the sharp ends of the twigs lighted there, so
sensibly, that I could not help wincing, and writhing my
limbs with smart; so that my contortions of body must neces-
sarily throw it into infinite variety of postures and points
of view, fit to feast the luxury of the eye. But still I
bore every thing without crying out: when presently giving me
another pause, he rush'd, as it were, on that part whose lips,
and round-about, had felt this cruelty, and by way of repara-
tion, glews his own to them; then he opened, shut, squeez'd
them, pluck'd softly the overgrowing moss, and all this in a
style of wild passionate rapture and enthusiasm, that ex-
press'd excess of pleasure; till betaking himself to the rod
again, encourag'd by my passiveness, and infuriated with this
strange taste of delight, he made my poor posteriours pay for
the ungovernableness of it; for now shewing them no quarter
the traitor cut me so, that I wanted but little of fainting
away, when he gave over. And yet I did not utter one groan,
or angry expostulation; but in heart I resolv'd nothing so
seriously, as never to expose myself again to the like ser-
verities.
You may guess then in what a curious pickle those soft
flesh-cushions of mine were, all sore, raw, and in fine, ter-
ribly clawed off; but so far from feeling any pleasure in it,
that the recent smart made me pout a little, and not with the
greatest air of satisfaction receive the compliments, and
after-caresses of the author of my pain.
As soon as my cloaths were huddled on in a little de-
cency, a supper was brought in by the discreet Mrs. Cole her-
self, which might have piqued the sensuality of a cardinal,
accompanied with a choice of the richest wines: all which she
set before us, and went out again, without having, by a word
or even by a smile, given us the least interruption or confu-
sion, in those moments of secrecy, that we were not yet ripe
to the admission of a third to.
I sat down then, still scarce in charity with my butch-
er, for such I could not help considering him, and was more-
over not a little piqued at the gay, satisfied air of his
countenance, which I thought myself insulted by. But when
the now necessary refreshment to me of a glass of wine, a
little eating (all the time observing a profound silence) had
somewhat cheer'd and restor'd me to spirits, and as the smart
began to go off, my good humour return'd accordingly: which
alteration not escaping him, he said and did everything that
could confirm me in, and indeed exalt it.
But scarce was supper well over, before a change so in-
credible was wrought in me, such violent, yet pleasingly irk-
some sensations took possession of me that I scarce knew how
to contain myself; the smart of the lashes was now converted
into such a prickly heat, such fiery tinglings, as made me
sigh, squeeze my thighs together, shift and wriggle about my
seat, with a furious restlessness; whilst these itching ar-
dours, thus excited in those parts on which the storm of dis-
cipline had principally fallen, detach'd legions of burning,
subtile, stimulating spirits, to their opposite spot and cen-
tre of assemblage, where their titillation rag'd so furiously,
that I was even stinging mad with them. No wonder then, that
in such a taking, and devour'd by flames that licked up all
modesty and reserve, my eyes, now charg'd brimful of the most
intense desire, fired on my companion very intelligible sig-
nals of distress: my companion, I say, who grew in them every
instant more amiable, and more necessary to my urgent wishes
and hopes of immediate ease.
Mr. Barville, no stranger by experience to these situa-
tions, soon knew the pass I was brought to, soon perceiv'd my
extreme disorder; in favour of which, removing the table out
of the way, he began a prelude that flatter'd me with instant
relief, to which I was not, however, so near as I imagin'd:
for as he was unbuttoned to me, and tried to provoke and
rouse to action his unactive torpid machine, he blushingly
own'd that no good was to be expected from it unless I took
it in hand to re-excite its languid loitering powers, by just
refreshing the smart of the yet recent blood-raw cuts, seeing
it could, no more than a boy's top, keep up without lashing.
Sensible then that I should work as much for my own profit as
his, I hurried my compliance with his desire, and abridging
the ceremonial, whilst he lean'd his head against the back of
a chair, I had scarce gently made him feel the lash, before I
saw the object of my wishes give signs of life, and presently,
as it were with a magic touch, it started up into a noble size
and distinction indeed! Hastening then to give me the benefit
of it, he threw me down on the bench; but such was the re-
fresh'd soreness of those parts behind, on my leaning so hard
on them, as became me to compass the admission of that stupen-
dous head of his machine, that I could not possibly bear it.
I got up then, and tried, by leaning forwards and turning the
crupper on my assailant, to let him at the back avenue: but
here it was likewise impossible to stand his bearing so
fiercely against me, in his agitations and endeavours to enter
that way, whilst his belly battered directly against the
recent sore. What should we do now? both intolerably heated;
both in a fury; but pleasure is ever inventive for its own
ends: he strips me in a trice, stark naked, and placing a
broad settee-cushion on the carpet before the fire, oversets
me gently, topsy-turvy, on it; and handling me only at the
waist, whilst you may be sure I favour'd all my dispositions,
brought my legs round his neck; so that my head was kept from
the floor only by my hands and the velvet cushion, which was
now bespread with my flowing hair: thus I stood on my head
and hands, supported by him in such manner, that whilst my
thighs clung round him, so as to expose to his sight all my
back figure, including the theatre of his bloody pleasure,
the centre of my fore part fairly bearded the object of its
rage, that now stood in fine condition to give me satisfaction
for the injuries of its neighbours. But as this posture was
certainly not the easiest, and our imaginations, wound up to
the height, could suffer no delay, he first, with the utmost
eagerness and effort, just lip-lodg'd that broad acorn-fas-
hion'd head of his instrument; and still frenzied by the fury
with which he had made that impression, he soon stuffed in
the rest; when now, with a pursuit of thrusts, fiercely urg'd,
he absolutely overpower'd and absorb'd all sense of pain and
uneasiness, whether from my wounds behind, my most untoward
posture, or the oversize of his stretcher, in an infinitely
predominant delight; when now all my whole spirits of life
and sensation, rushing impetuously to the cock-pit, where the
prize of pleasure was hotly in dispute and clustering to a
point there, I soon receiv'd the dear relief of nature from
these over-violent strains and provocations of it; harmoniz-
ing with which, my gallant spouted into me such a potent over-
flow of the balsamic injection, as soften'd and unedg'd all
those irritating stings of a new species of titillation, which
I had been so intolerably madden'd with, and restor'd the fer-
ment of my senses to some degree of composure.
I had now achiev'd this rare adventure ultimately much
more to my satisfaction than I had bespoken the nature of it
to turn out; nor was it much lessen'd, you may think, by my
spark's lavish praises of my constancy and complaisance, which
he gave weight to by a present that greatly surpassed my ut-
most expectation, besides his gratification to Mrs. Cole.
I was not, however, at any time, re-enticed to renew
with him, or resort again to the violent expedient of lashing
nature into more haste than good speed: which, by the way, I
conceive acts somewhat in the manner of a dose of Spanish
flies; with more pain perhaps, but less danger; and might be
necessary to him, but was nothing less so than to me, whose
appetite wanted the bridle more than the spur.
Mrs. Cole, to whom this adventurous exploit had more and
more endear'd me, looked on me now as a girl after her own
heart, afraid on nothing, and, on a good account, hardy enough
to fight all the weapons of pleasure through. Attentive then,
in consequence of these favourable conceptions, to promote
either my profit or pleasure, she had special regard for the
first, in a new gallant of a very singular turn, that she pro-
cur'd for and introduced to me.
