Below is the raw OCR of The Merry Order of Saint Bridget. If you would like to verify the text below, please download the PDF of the scanned pages.
The Merry Order of St. Bridget
Personal Account of the Use of the Rod.
By Margaret Anson [James Glass Bertram].
York: Printed for the Author's Friends
MDCCLVII (1857) [Really ca 1869]
2
LETTER 1
THE CHATEAU DE FLORIS.
LAURA HOUSE, BAYSWATER, APRIL 10TH, 1868.
MY DEAR MARION,
I am sure you must have wondered what has become of me in all these
years (three, isn't it?) since we met at Lord E-'s place. Perhaps
you won't
care to hear from me again, and will fancy I have forgotten our old
friendship; indeed, my dear, it is not so, but I've been knocking
about a
bit, and seen the world. I've been in Paris two years in two
different
places, and learned as much in that time as many folks do in a
lifetime.
Cooped up as you are in a humdrum sort of place, with one old lady,
you can have no idea of what goes on in livelier households. In my
last
place I was one of six lady's maids, all with nothing to do but to
attend
to some separate part of our lady's toilet. I entered her service
from that
of a grave austere woman with no ideas of colour beyond brown and
grey, and a tremendous church-goer, so you may imagine what a
change it was.
I soon wearied of that place, you may be sure, and was glad when the
Marquise St. Valery took me into her service. The Marquis was
immensely proud and very poor, but he bestowed his titles and
position upon a banker's daughter, whose wealth was said to be
fabulous. When she married and took her station among the elite of
Parisian society, she made up her mind that she would be
unapproachable in the matter of luxury. My dear, I can give you no
idea of her magnificence or her extravagance. Her house, her
carriages, her servants, and the splendour of her attire, were the
themes
of all Paris, and when she appeared in public she had quite a
retinue of
admirers and flatterers; while at home she seemed to hold a levee
from
morning till night. Her toilettes were the admiration of all the
fashionable world, and her dressmaker had only to announce that she
had anything in hand for the Marquise St. Valery, to have her shop
3
crowded from morning till night with ladies eager to get a sight of
what the Queen of fashion was going to appear in next. She was a
large
voluptuous-looking woman, with a splendid bust and arms, and almost
anything looked well upon her,-and for luxurious habits, I never
knew
anyone who could approach her. I fancied. I was pretty wide awake
before I went there, but I learned things I never dreamed of in that
establishment. If I had you with me for a day I could tell you such
things!
Perhaps I may put some of them into a letter yet. Nothing I could
see
done or hear of being done by fine ladies would astonish me now
after
what I have seen in that place as well as my present one. We were
six
of us lady's maids, and every one had her special duties,-mine was
her
ladyship's head, and it was no sinecure, for her hair was her
weakest
point; it was neither of good quality nor luxuriant, and yet, when
she
was dressed, she appeared to have a magnificent head. This was my
province, and she would change her style half-a-dozen times a day
sometimes. You see it was no trouble to her, except to sit and have
it
put on; so she would wear Madonna bands in the morning, ringlets in
the carriage, and a Pompadour coiffure for the evening. I had enough
to do with it all. Another maid had the dresses, a third the under
linen,
and a fourth took charge of her stockings and shoes. Then there was
one over us all whose business it was to arrange the toilettes, and
superintend the general effect, and woe to her if our lady was not
pleased!
With all her money, the Marquise had an exceedingly vulgar temper.
The other maid had charge of the bath and the linen belonging to it,
and her post was not easy to fill. My lady was particular about her
scents and powders, and was given to changing her mind at the last
minute, and railing because water could not be drawn off and fresh
put
in half-a-dozen seconds. Then she has pages I don't know how many;
they seemed to be all over the place, dressed in all kinds of
fantastic
liveries -one to hand letters, another to fetch refreshments,
another to
be always in waiting, c., c.; indeed, there was no end to her
vagaries,
4
and for a long time I wondered what she wanted with so many of them,
and how she kept them in order.
I soon found out. She practised whipping, as almost every
fashionable
lady does, and kept them in order with the rod. I dare say, shut up
as
you are, you have never seen anything of the practice since you and
I
were girls together at Mme. Duhauton's. Do you remember how we
used to indulge in whipping on the sly, when Madame thought we
were in bed? That was a very untutored way of proceeding. I have
learned better since, and I can tell you that the passion for the
rod is
one which grows; I am as ardent a votary of whipping now as any of
the
ladies I have served, and I have had two mistresses who loved it
dearly.
Mme. St. Valery kept her women and pages in order with the rod, and
taught us to dread it, but she was not refined in her manner of
using it;
she would begin well enough, but it was sure to end in her getting
in a
passion.
Many a time I have smarted well in her service, but if she hit hard
she
knew how to heal the smarts,-a twenty franc billet-de-banc is a good
plaster for the weals of a lady's rod, and many and many a one I got
from her. I might have made a heap of money if I had not been
wasteful, for I've been with people who flung it about like dirt,
and
thought no more of five pound notes than you and I should think of
penny pieces. I was obliged to leave the Marquise at last-I could
not
stand her tantrums; the money was all very well, but there was no
pleasing her, or the principal maid either, and as good luck would
have it, my present lady wanted a maid, and was pleased with the
style of the Marquise's head-dress and so took me. I call her my
lady
still, though I have left her for a time, and come to live with her
mother,
a horrid old frump; the fact is, I am in a kind of disgrace. We had
been
paying a long visit at the Chateau de Floris, near Tours, and there
was
nothing going on all day long but gaiety and fun, and the time
passed
quickly enough. My lady had to leave there; you'd see her name in
the
papers. She tells her friends she came home to recruit, but that's
not it.
My lord brought her off in a hurry, and sent me here, and what do
you
think for? for going in with a lot more ladies for a sort of
club-great fun
5
and secret- only ladies admitted-and how it got to my lord's ears
was
the funniest part of all. Anyhow, we had to come away, and he is
furious. You will want to know what the club was about; well, it was
made up of dressing, talking, and whipping.
Yes, my dear, a regular whipping society, where the rod was used
with
all due forms and ceremonies, and ladies practised and submitted to
punishment in every conceivable form. I thought of it all the other
day
when I came upon a pompous newspaper paragraph about the
abolition of whipping in schools and homes, and the decline of the
"barbarous" practice of the rod. Ah, my dear, newspaper folks don't
know everything! I think you and I could tell them a little about
it. But
you wanted to know about the fashions; you've got them all in
England, my dear, only the English ladies are not so finished as the
French-they don't do things so completely.
When I was at Tours-and a funny old place it is-I saw as much of the
fashions as though I had been in Paris. There was a large party
staying
there (at the Chateau de Floris: it is a big old place, almost like
a town ),
and every day the ladies appeared in different dresses in the
salons, to
say nothing of what they wore in their own private rooms. I know my
lady spent a fortune while she was there; she would dress in her own
room, where no mortal eyes could sec her but mine, in lace and
linen,
embroidered silk shoes and lace stockings, expensive enough to
provide a family with food and clothes for a year. The Count de
Floris
spared no expense to please his visitors; and the chateau, which was
so
secluded as to appear miles from any town, was beautifully furnished
and decorated.
The Count was a bachelor, and that perhaps accounted for some of the
freaks of his lady guests, who could not have ventured upon their
vagaries with a mistress at the head of affairs. The drawing-rooms
of
the chateau were splendid; the new blue was the prevailing colour of
the draperies, relieved with silver and satin wood for the framework
of
the furniture. That the ladies' complexions might not be tried, or
the
effect of their toilettes marred, there were draperies of white lace
very
6
cleverly interspersed, and the prevailing tint of the painted floors
and
wall paper was white also.
The rooms were beautiful to look into of a night when the company
were all there in their evening toilettes. One which my lady wore at
a
ball excited great admiration, and envy too, for she had it sent
down
from Paris, made after a design she sketched for Elsie herself. You
know she is dark, and she chose amber for the colour of her robe;
she
wore the new pannier petticoat, which only wants a little more
expansion to grow into the curious hoops of more than a hundred
years
ago, when ladies could have carried a box on each side of them; it
is a
very small affair at present, only meant to support the dress a
little, but
mark my words, my dear, it will grow-see if it does not. The bottom
of it
was frilled and edged with Cluny lace, and for bodice my lady wore
one of the new slip bodies which form a chemisette and bodice in
one.
The upper part of it was covered with puffings of amber satin
trimmed
with lace, and sleeves of the same. My lady always wears sleeves,
though it is by no means the prevailing mode here; she says that it
is
not modest to wear a string of jewels or a slight spray of
artificial
flowers for a shoulder strap, leaving the arm entirely bare; but it
was
not modesty, it was my lord I She appeared in a costume of that sort
once, and he flew into a passion and made her go and put on
something
more modest. My lady was very angry, for she is a fine made woman,
and her bust and arms are worth looking at. But she pretends now to
dislike the fashion.
Her stockings were of silk, the new tint of pink-it is more like the
faintest possible shade of mauve than anything else-with clocks up
the sides, and her slippers were of amber satin, with high gilt
heels.
They were pointed at the toe in the Marie Antoinette style, and had
rosettes with ruby ornaments in the centre; the rosette was of the
new
blue, edged with black lace and tipped with diamonds. My lady has a
lovely foot and ankle, and she knows it, and is fond of having it
admired; indeed, her legs and feet have been painted, and modelled,
and sung about, by artists, and sculptors, and poets,-and no wonder.
I've
7
served a good many fine ladies and beautiful women, but such a
symmetrical calf and ankle as hers I never saw. It was her feet that
first
attracted the attention of a certain Royal Highness, which caused so
much scandal a year or two ago,-my lady is almost old enough to be
his mother, but that does not matter where beauty is concerned.
She wore an amber train, very long behind, with six puffings round
the
bottom of the skirt; over that, a satin tunic made in a very curious
fashion. The front was square and short, like an apron; the back was
in
three divisions, a good way apart, with deep black lace flounces
between them, the bottom one going round the front and along the
edge of the apron. The flounces were looped at the sides with large
stars of blue flowers mixed with diamonds and rubies, and the
headdress
corresponded. It was a curious costume, but it suited my lady
well. At the same ball, a young lady appeared in a dress which had
almost no body; it was so bare that whenever she moved the whole of
her bosom could be seen, and was confined on the shoulder by a
wreath of snowdrops, cunningly fastened together. The whole of a
most
beautiful arm was thus exposed, an arm as faultless as my mistress's
leg;
it looked like veined marble, against a dress of rich pink silk: her
arms
were that young lady's speciality, and she took care everyone should
know it.
The turn of her neck was another lady's great point, and she was as
careful to let no necklace or anything else come high enough on her
throat to interfere with the exhibition of it; she wore a dress of
rich
blue, trimmed with white lace and pearls, and strings of pearls in
her
dark hair The luxury and extravagance of the ladies would sound like
a fairy tale if put in print, and I don't wonder at my lord taking
fright as
he did, though my lady was not near so thoughtless as some of them.
Our rooms were beautifully fitted up: the bedroom was hung with the
new Pans pattern chintz-ugly enough I thought it, but it is all the
rage,-and my lord's dressing room was en suite; my lady's was
different,
being all hung with amber and purple, amber predominating, and
splendid white lace curtains.
8
Her toilet table was beautiful to look at, for, in addition to her
own
service, which we carried with us, the Count had given orders that
no
expense should be spared to make her room as elegant as possible.
Out
of this apartment opened a bath-room, with fittings of white marble
and grey draperies, relieved with blue and gold; it was warmed by a
patent stove which also heated a small cupboard for warm towels if
required. The windows were beautifully painted with arms of the De
Floris, which device was also woven into all the napery used at the
chateau. The linen was of the most exquisite description; the
trimmed
sheets and pillow-cases were of the finest texture-all woven
expressly
for the Count, with his cipher in the corners and a border of fleur
de lis.
Ah, the Count was a thorough gentleman, Marion: he gave me a
present of a purse containing ten Louis d'ors when I left, and,-but
that
has nothing to do with it: ladies'-maids have charms as well as
their
mistresses, and gentlemen have eyes. But I know you are dying to
hear
all about the club, and how it was set afoot, I can hardly tell you
that,
but it began with some nonsense in my lady's room. She had just come
out of her bath one day, and was sitting in her chemise and a loose
wrapper, for me to put her stockings on, when Lady C-knocked at the
door. There were some queer tales going about respecting Lady C-
and her maids; she was a passionate, proud woman, and had more than
once got into scrapes for allowing her love for the rod to carry her
greater lengths in punishing them than they would quietly brook. Her
present maid, Stephens by name, looked a regular tartar, and I don't
think her ladyship ever tried it on with her Lady C- started at
seeing
my lady half naked, and whispered something in her ear-
"Oh, nonsense!" my lady said.
"Why nonsense, my dear? It is universally practised;" and then she
added something in too low a tone for me to hear, and my lady
laughed again.
"Send your maid away," says Lady C-, "and we'll try."
"Go down stairs till I ring, Anson," my lady said.
9
"Not if I know it," I said to myself; and I did not go far, you may
be sure.
I guessed what they were going to be at, and I was not far wrong. I
crept
round to the door which communicated with my lord's room, and
peeped through the keyhole. They had locked it, but the key was
conveniently turned, and I could see all that transpired.
"Now for the formula," says Lady C-
"But where's the rod?" my lady asked. "Oh! I'll soon make one, my
dear."
With that she opened the window, and broke off some slender sprigs
from a myrtle which grew outside, completely spoiling the bush by
doing it. In a few moments she had them bare of leaves, and tied
together with a blue embroidered garter, with silver fringe, which
lay
upon the floor.
"Too short to be of much use," she said; "but we'll try. Come, my
lady,
kiss the rod."
And my lady knelt and did it, laughing all the while; and then Lady
C-pinned up her chemise all round, and gave her a good whipping
across her knee. Not with the myrtle, though-it proved too brittle,
and
broke off in little twigs with every blow. Lady C- was at no loss;
she
didn't let go of my lady; but put up her great ugly foot, and
whipped
off her slipper. Such a slipper! it had done duty at more than one
ball,
and was all frayed and soiled at the edges; she was not like my
lady,
dainty about her feet in the privacy of her own room, but went any
way, to Stephen's great annoyance, who lost the reversion of many
things which should by rights have come to her. I think I can see
that
old woman now, flourishing that old pink shoe; and I could see by
the
expression of my lady's face, that she did not relish being touched
with
it.
My lady had beautiful firm flesh; her skin, though dark, was clear
and
smooth, and every stroke of the pliable slipper raised a deep red
mark.
10
I could see that they were afraid of making too much noise, and so
the
punishment was not heavy, but my lady scuffled and screamed for all
that; and when I was called in, by which time you may be sure I was
a
long way off, she was very flushed and a little hysterical. I took
no
notice, and she little thought I had seen all that went on; and old
Lady
C- (the old gorgon) had her shoe on and went away to her own rooms,
looking as stiff and stern as if she had never indulged in any
pranks in
her life. I said to myself, "This won't be the last of it," and I
was right; for
you know, my dear, how the passion for the rod grows upon those who
practise it. It wasn't long before the same thing occurred again;
only,
this time there were three ladies present, who all took part in
whipping
and being whipped.
My lady had made a rod herself for the occasion, out of some thin
whalebone; and a stinging thing it must have been, to judge from the
fidgets which seemed to afflict them all after the performance was
over. And so it went on, till one morning I was made to dress her
with
more than usual care, and nearly all the married ladies in the
chateau
met in her rooms, and went in procession to the Count with a comical
petition that the tabagie, which was a magnificently fitted room and
in great request, might be given up to their use. Of course the
gentlemen objected to give up their special den, where they could
retire and enjoy themselves their own way, without fear of
interruption; but the ladies had their own special reasons for
wanting
that particular room. I haven't, however, time to tell you what they
wanted with it now; I hear wheels, and my lady will want me; I'll
write
again as soon as ever I have time, for what came of it was great
fun.-
Meantime, believe me,
Your affectionate friend,
MARGARET ANSON.
P.S.
-I shall write the next letters just as if I was still at the
Chateau de
Floris, and still engaged in the amusements of the day.
11
LETTER 2
THE INITIATORY CEREMONY
MY DEAR MARION,
I haven't had a minute since I wrote last -my lady has been ill;
neuralgia she calls it, I call it tantrums-but that's no matter. I
have got
a moment to myself again at last. Where did I leave off? Oh, I
remember! about the ladies asking for the tabagie. They got it, and
the
gentlemen had to take to another smoking room.
There was a great deal of joking and fun about it, and the Count
offered any other room in the chateau; but they had set their minds
on
it, and they would have it.
You see it was built out at the back, and had two ante-rooms; one
the
gentlemen used for their hats and sticks, and the other was fitted
up as
a lavatory. The tabagie opened on both of them, and was a fine room,
all fitted up with deep crimson relieved with gold; the furniture
was
ebony, and the chairs and sofa backs were beautifully carved; there
was a sort of dais at the end farthest from the door, covered with
cushions, which was very useful to the ladies, for they made it a
president's seat.
It was some few days before they made all the necessary
arrangements,
and in the meantime the Princess Z-, a Russian Lady, and a great
beauty, went to Paris; she would not let any one go for her, though
every one (gentlemen, at least) in the house offered to go to the
end of
the world, if need be, to serve her,- and I don't wonder at it, for
she was
a charming little creature, petite and winning.
She was a brunette, like my mistress, but not so dark, and her silky
brown hair fell over her shoulders in the loveliest curls I ever
saw; she
would never dress it in any of the new modes, for she was very vain
of it,
and with good reason. She was said to have the smallest foot in
Europe,
and, indeed; her slippers were more like a child's shoes than
anything
12
else. There were all sorts of stories afloat concerning her, and it
was
pretty well known that she was too lovely for the Empress' peace of
mind, or the Emperor's either for that matter! and that was why she
was
the Count de Floris' guest instead of being at Court. She set off
for Paris
in great style with her attendants; she did just as she liked, and
her
travelling retinue was fit for a queen.
The ostensible reason for her going was to see her lawyer; but that
was
not all,-and the ladies glanced at one another, and laughed, when
she
gave it with all the gravity possible. They knew well enough what
she
went for; and when they saw a long box carried up to her dressing
room, they did not launch out into any inconvenient curiosity, as
some
of her intimate friends among the gentlemen did.
The day after her return the ladies were to meet in the tabagie for
the
first time; and the servants had a time of it putting it in order:
everything belonging to the gentlemen had to be cleaned out, and the
room scented and purified from every taint of tobacco.
This wasn't an easy matter after years of smoking, but the Count
gave
strict orders: he said that whatever the ladies insisted on should
be
done; and between the gentlemen grumbling, and the ladies fidgetting,
and the servants protesting, the nice old lady who was the
housekeeper had a hard time of it. But it was done at last, and very
thoroughly too, and placed at the ladies' disposal.
A chair was set upon the dais, and others all round the room. A
large
ottoman, about the height of a chair, was wheeled in front of the
president's seat; and two handsome branch candlesticks, which, by
right, belonged to the hall, were placed on each side of it; and
vases of
cut flowers arranged on all the brackets, which were fixed for the
gentlemen's tobacco jars and cigar stands. The gentlemen laughed,
and
teased the ladies, and one or two went so far as to say to their
wives
that they insisted on knowing what it was all about; but they got
nothing for their pains, save jest for jest, and repartee for
questioning.
13
At first it was only the married ladies who joined the assembly, but
they were soon reinforced by the others, till at the time of my
leaving
the chateau all the guests, save a few of the oldest ladies, were
mixed
up in it. I knew what they were all about, for I "listened up," as
some
one says in a farce, and I knew that sooner or later they would want
me,
which they did on the very first night. They all agreed to wear
fancy
dresses, and that, with some of them, meant just going as near naked
as
they could. One young married lady went as Una, without the lion of
course, and really she went as near nature as she could; she had a
thin
tunic of some glittering stuff, and so few petticoats that I could
see her
beautiful limbs through it every time she moved,-and, she was a
lovely
figure.
My lady went, that first evening, as la belle Sauvage, Mexican
style: a
skirt of feathers sewed on to flame-coloured silk, a flesh-coloured
bodice, no sleeves, and a real tiger skin hanging from her
shoulders,-
bare feet in sandals of skin with the hair on. She looked very
lovely
when her black hair hung loose over her neck and bosom, sparkling
with drops to imitate dew; and it seemed a pity that only ladies
were to
look at her. When I had finished dressing her, and thrown a mantle
round her, Lady C- came in hurriedly.
"We shall make a mess of it after all, without our maids," she said;
"it
will be fatiguing, and we shall require so many things."
"But it won't do to let them into the secret," my lady said; I could
trust
Anson here, but I know you all can't say as much for your women."
"We must have some one," Lady C-said.
"As president, I could not do without an attendant to,-to-"
"Oh yes, I know, Anson will do," said my lady with a laugh; "she
must
be initiated, though."
14
They both laughed at this, and I felt rather uncomfortable, for I
had an
inkling of what being initiated meant; but my curiosity overcame my
distaste for the ceremony, and I curtseyed in silence. My lady bade
me
bring her several articles of lingerie from her drawers and lay them
out
on the sofa beside her; also a handsome cashmere peignoir from the
wardrobe.
"These will do," she said; "dress yourself carefully, Anson, against
we
want you downstairs; make your hair neat, and put on that little
lace
cap, and those things,-nothing mote.
I curtseyed again and my lady went down stairs with her friend,
leaving me to prepare for my coming installation as maid to these
fair
flagellants, for such I now knew they were. Their meetings had
hitherto
taken place in my mistress' room, where they had exercised the rod
upon one another, but none of their maids were near,-I took care of
that, for I did not much like any of them: the French girls were not
fond
of me, because I was a foreigner; and the English ones were very
jealous, because the gentlemen gave me more five franc pieces and
paid me more attention than any of them, to say nothing of the
valets,
any one of whom I might have had if I had chosen. But that is not to
the
purpose. I took a bath, for I knew as well as my lady the best way
to
make myself attractive, and I knew, too, that not a lady in the
chateau
had a fairer or clearer skin than myself. I used freely the perfume
and
powder on the bath-room table, and did not neglect to scent the
water
as well.
I was determined, although my dress was to be so plain, that none of
them should excel me in flesh and blood beauty at any rate. Then I
brushed and scented my hair and coiled it up under the cap.; I knew
the ladies did not want a foil but a set-off to their beauty, so I
did my
best to make myself as neat and quiet-looking as possible. I put on
things laid out for me, and beautiful things they were too; a
chemise of
fine lawn, trimmed with Valenciennes lace and insertion; a soft
white
flannel petticoat worked round the bottom with silk; another of
white
cashmere, very fine, with a flounce round the bottom edged with sky-
15
blue velvet. For bodice I had one of my lady's embroidered ones, and
over all the handsome blue peignoir, with ruchings of white; no
stays or
drawers, and nothing on my feet except blue morning slippers, with
tiny white rosettes. They were of watered silk, sandaled over my
instep
with blue satin ribbon; they were a pair of my lady's (our feet were
exactly the same size, which was convenient for me). In this costume
I
waited the summons not without a good deal of curiosity and some
dread. I knew thoroughly well what the sting of a rod was like, and
it
was not that I feared, but I knew how far the ladies could go in the
matter of tormenting one another, and what might they not take it
into
their heads to do to me?
I had not long to wait, for presently Lady C-'s maid, Stephens, came
in,
and said snappishly.
"You're to come down."
Stephens was a cross-grained creature, whom we none of us liked; she
was always interfering with our pleasures. She was in a cloak too,
and I
could see she was dressed something like myself, only not with such
taste. Lady C- never could dress like my mistress. Stephens wasn't
in
the secret, and was inclined to be very cross.
"I wonder what all this tomfoolery is about," she said; "I wanted to
have gone out this evening."
I knew, but I held my tongue. I hoped I should be taken into the
room
first, and then I should enjoy her surprise. We went down stairs to
the
tabagie, the door of which was closed, and one of the maids of the
Princess Z-standing outside.
"How I should like to be you two," she said; "Madam says she can't
trust
me."
We were each put into a separate room-mine was the lavatory-and
our eyes blindfolded with a handkerchief. It seemed to me a long
time I
16
waited, but I suppose it was only a few minutes, and then some one
entered the room.
"Take off your cloak," a voice said that I knew for that of Mrs. D-,
an
English lady, fat, fair, and forty, full of life and fun, who had
been one of
the movers of the scheme-" Now come with me."
The door of the tabagie was opened, and she led me in; then it was
shut
and locked, and I heard the sound of suppressed laughter all around
me.
Then a voice from the end of the room called "Silence, if you
please,
ladies!" and three knocks sounded on a table, and the same voice
asked
"Who comes there?"
Prompted by Mrs. D-, I answered, "A candidate for a place in the
Merry Order of St. Bridget."
"Are you prepared to serve the Merry Order to the best of your
power,
and to assist, as bidden by your mistress, in the ceremonies
thereof?"
"I am "
"And do you bind yourself never to reveal aught that you see, hear
or
do in this room, on peril of losing your place without a character?"
"I do."
"Do you know the object of the Merry Order?"
"I do."
"Detail it."
Again prompted, I replied, "The wholesome and pleasant discipline of
the rod, to be enforced by its members one upon another during their
social meeting in this room."
17
"Have you ever been whipped?"
"I have."
"Do you promise to submit to such flagellation as the Merry Order
shall ordain for you without rebellion or murmuring thereat."
"I do."
"Prepare her."
I heard more tittering when this order was given, and I could feel
that
Mrs. D- was shaking with suppressed laughter as she obeyed the
command, and took off my peignoir. She pinned up the petticoats and
chemise to my shoulders, and then, my dear, I knew what was coming.
Then some one else took hold of one of my hands, and Mrs. D-the
other,
and waited the word of command.
"Advance."
They led me forward, and at the first step a stinging blow from a
birch
fell on my hips from one side, then from the other, till I had gone
the
length of the room I screamed and struggled, but it was all in vain;
my
guides held me tight, and by the time they stopped I could only sob
and writhe.
Then came another command, "Kneel down," and I knelt in front of the
square ottoman; the ladies held my hands across it, and Lady C-came
down from her dais, and whipped me till I hardly knew where I was.
Then they made me stand up, and her ladyship said "Ladies of the
Order of St. Bridget, do you receive Margaret Anson as a member and
servitor sworn to do your bidding?"
"We do," said those that were not laughing.
18
"Let her see," was the next order, and at the word one lady let my
clothes drop, and the other took the bandage from my eyes. I was so
smarting from the whipping I had received, that I could see nothing
for
a while, and Mrs. D-took me by the arm and led me to the bottom of
the room again. When I recovered myself enough to look about me, I
saw a sight that the newspaper man whose paragraph I mentioned in
my last, never dreamed of, I am sure; but I must reserve it for my
next, as
my time and paper are both exhausted. Send me a line to say you have
received this, and believe me,
Your sincere friend,
M. ANSON.
19
LETTER 3
THE FAIR FLAGELLANTS
MY DEAR MARION,
I know you will be on thorns for the continuation of my story, to
hear
what it was I saw when my eyes were unbound after the unmerciful
lashing I had received. As I told you, it was not very easy to see
anything, for I could only twist and writhe about like an eel, and
the
ladies laughed most provokingly at the wry faces I made. At length I
could look about me, and it was an odd scene I saw; all round the
room
the ladies stood, each one by her chair with a rod in her hand.
The costumes were all different and very fantastic, and most of
their
wearers looked more than usually handsome from being flushed with
excitement. Lady C- stood on her dais as a priestess of Isis, with a
wreath of bay leaves on her head, and her white cashmere robe looped
up above one knee. She had sandals instead of shoes on her feet, and
as
she is ugly, old, and fat, you may imagine what she looked like in
such
a costume. Pretty little Princess Z- stood on her right hand as a
moyenage
court page; her costume of ruby velvet and white satin shewed off
her beauty to perfection, and the silk tights displayed every muscle
of
her lovely legs.
Mrs. D-had chosen a genuine old-fashioned dress of the
commencement of the present century, in which she looked very
funny, with the waist just under her arms, and the skirts so tight,
that
when she sat down she was a spectacle to be seen. But I can't stay
to
describe all the dresses; indeed, the ladies changed them so often
that
it would be impossible; and I don't wonder at the gentlemen crying
out
at the expense of their secret proceedings. Every lady held a rod in
her
hand, made of lithe and strong twigs, tied up with ribbons which
corresponded with the colours of her dress. It was to procure these
that
the Princess went to Paris; to have sought them in the neighbourhood
in such a quantity would have excited suspicion. On the ottoman over
which I had knelt to receive my final castigation lay two more rods.
20
"Margaret Anson, approach," said Lady C- once more, and I went
timidly forward, wondering whether any more whipping was in store
for me.
"Kneel down."
I knelt, and she presented me with a rod, and informed me that I was
now a servitor of the Merry Order of St. Bridget-allowed to join the
ceremonies, and bound to do their bidding; and then I was made to go
and stand at the bottom of the room ready to do to the next comer as
the ladies had done to me. My dear, it nearly cured my smarts to
think
who the next comer was-that cross old patch, Lady C-'s maid. There
she was waiting in the dark all this time in a pretty humour; and I
slyly
felt the twigs of the rod I held to see that they were all separate
and in
order for a good stinging blow. Mine would be the first stroke, and
I was
resolved that it should pay a good many little debts I owed her.
My lady was the messenger this time, and I knew she would do her
best
to frighten Stephens, for she did not like her. If the ladies had
laughed
when I was brought in they laughed twice as much at poor Stephens.
She was a tall, gaunt woman, who never had been pretty, with a sour,
haggard face, which looked positively hideous with her bandaged
eyes.
She was dressed in some of her lady's things, but they were far too
short
for her, and the washed-out green peignoir only made her sallow
complexion look muddier than ever. She was terribly bewildered, and
when the order "Prepare her" came from her mistress, and she felt
the
ladies hands about her dress, she gave a great jump and a scream,
and
struggled to get her hands free. It was no use; my lady made a sign
to
me to hold them tight, and I did it with a will, I can tell you.
Poor
Stephens! kicks and struggles were no use, her clothes were as
securely
pinned up as mine had been in spite of her piteous outcries.
"Oh, my lady!" she screamed, "Where's my lady? She never meant me
to be used like this! Oh, dear ladies, let me go, and I'll do
anything you
21
like, and never tell-no, not to mortal soul-anything I've seen or
heard
here!"
But the ladies only laughed, and told her if she did not be quiet
she
should have her mouth tied up as well as her eyes, and then Mrs. D-
and my lady took her hands and set off with her along the room as I
had been led. I thought some of the ladies would laugh themselves
into
fits at the funny sight she was when stripped; she had taken a bath
as I
had done, but hers was not the kind of skin on which water makes any
impression, so as to look healthy pink and white after it; it was
all one
uniform yellow-like parchment, and her legs, my dear, they were
nothing but skin and bone, with great ugly knee joints which stuck
out
in the queerest manner.
My arm was ready for the blow when the signal was given for the
start,
and I let the rod I held come down with right good will on her
withered
looking hips, and the lady opposite followed it up with another
given
quite as heartily. For a moment Stephens stood stock still in such
utter
amazement as I never saw, and then, giving a tremendous howl, she
fell
flat on the floor and rolled over and over in her fright and pain.
How
we got her up I hardly know, for we laughed so, but she was raised
on
her feet somehow and dragged forward to the ottoman. She did not get
half the whipping I did, for she struggled and kicked so, and
besides,
the ladies were fairly exhausted with laughing at her.
I had to hold her across the stool, and she got it then pretty
smartly;
when it was over she slid down to the ground, and lay there twisting
and groaning. Lady C-was very angry, and bid her sharply "get up
and not make a fool of herself," but I verily believe Stephens
thought
she had got into an assembly of imps, or that the ladies were in
league
with the prince of darkness himself-anything more ludicrously rueful
than her looks when they took the bandage from her eyes I never saw.
The rod which was given to her seemed to relieve her a little, and I
heard her whisper, as she took her place and drew it through her
fingers, "Wait till I get a chance."
22
But neither she nor I ever got a chance again. Our business was to
prepare the ladies, to lead them up the room, hold their hands,
present
the rods, serve refreshments; in fact, serve in any way that was
required
of us. There was a universal vote for refreshments after Stephens'
admission, and I was ordered to the door to tell the Princess’s maid
to
ring for them. She was all curiosity, for she could hear a little
but see
nothing, the doorway was too well shrouded. She was a lovely pretty
creature, but not to be trusted; she was too great a flirt among the
gentlemen in the housekeeper's room. When the refreshments were
brought, Stephens and I had to wait upon the ladies, who seemed to
have gained an appetite for their wine and biscuits by their frolic,
and
a good many of them were pleased to compliment my lady and me
upon the neatness of my costume, and the good humour I had
displayed in the ordeal to which they had subjected me.
Then they began to settle the rules of their society; they would
meet
again in four days, and every lady must be prepared to relate her
own
experiences, either in the practice or endurance of flagellation,-if
she
had none, she was to be initiated forthwith, by being then and there
flogged; if any lady's maid or page had offended, the case was to be
laid before the meeting, and time and place appointed for
punishment,
where two or three chosen could witness the ceremony unseen; and
further, if any gentleman practised flogging in his own apartments,
his
wife was bound to tell it under oath of secrecy. We, the new
servitors,
were further sworn, under divers pains and penalties, not to give
our
fellow-servants in the chateau a hint in any way what punishment
awaited their misdemeanours. It was further agreed that any lady
might take the place of another to be flogged, if they could so
agree
amongst themselves. There was a good deal of discussion as to
whether
the single ladies should be admitted to the society, but it ended in
an
almost universal decision that they should, Lady C- declaring very
spitefully, though with some truth, that the girls of the present
day
know everything, and they wouldn't be any way enlightened or
abashed at any experiences they might meet with in the Order of St.
Bridget. Most of the ladies seemed to think it would be a new
sensation
23
the whipping of fresh young girls, and so the arrangement was
carried
universally.
Strangely enough, the Princess Z- was the only lady who had no
personal experiences to relate and who therefore had to be whipped
at
the next meeting. A Russian by birth, she had seen plenty of
whipping,
but her parents had been too indulgent to flog her, and she was far
too
good-natured, and too indulgent withal, to whip her servants. She
knelt before the president's chair, and expressed herself ready to
suffer
whipping at the hands of her sisters of the Order, and kissing the
rod,
resumed her seat. You may imagine what a chattering there was
amongst the ladies between that meeting and the next; and the
wondering what the Princess would wear, and how she would stand
the whipping. She was very reserved about it, only saying her dress
should be becoming the occasion, and it was.
On the evening of the ceremony, she did not sit down with the rest,
and
the ladies took their places as usual with their rods. Mrs. D-was
again
appointed to fetch the Princess, and when she came in, the Merry
Order started, one and all, and gave a murmur of admiration, for
there
she was in the garb of a penitent. A white robe of the softest silk
fell
from her shoulders to her feet, only confined at the waist by a
thick
gold cord to imitate a rope; no sleeves, nothing on her feet, and
her
splendid hair tumbling to her waist in natural curls. She had not an
ornament of any kind, not a ring even; and if she had looked
beautiful
in full dress, she was ten times more lovely now. She held a great
wax
candle in one hand and a rod in the other, and never moved a muscle
of
her pretty face amid all the laughter which came from every part of
the room.
"Who comes there?" demanded Lady C-
"An humble suppliant for the discipline of the Merry Order of St.
Bridget."
"What is her offence?"
24
"Ignorance."
"Of what?"
"Of the discipline of the rod."
"Let her be prepared to receive it now."
I was directed to prepare the Princess, and I did so; revealing the
most
beautiful legs and hips in the world when I turned up the dress, and
the
exquisitely fine chemise, which was the only garment she wore under
it. Then Stephens and I took her hands, in obedience to orders, and
led
her through the two ranks of ladies, who each gave her a blow with
their rods, and I noticed that the ugly ones made their strokes
twice as
hard as the pretty ones. It seemed to me as though they were
settling
an account with nature for their own ugliness, when they let their
rods
fall on that white skin, from which red weals sprung with every
blow.
She bore it wonderfully, only a start now and then betraying what
she
felt, though her rosy lips shewed the traces of her teeth in more
than
one place. If she had never felt the rod before, she knew how to
bear it;
and it seemed to me as though the ladies tried their best to make
her
cry out. When she had been whipped up to the dais, Lady C-
motioned them to pause, and put her through a formula of questions.
"Now you have felt the rod, are you prepared to admit the pleasure
of
receiving as well as afflicting chastisement by it?"
"I am."
It was hard work for the little lady to speak, but she screwed her
courage to the sticking place, and did it bravely.
"And you swear to endure whatever punishment the Merry Order
may impose upon you in the future?"
"I do."
25
"Then kneel."
She knelt as we had done over the ottoman, and Lady C-, descending,
dealt her several smart blows with her birch and resumed her seat.
"Rise, Princess Mathilde Z-," she said laughing; "now and henceforth
an initiated sister of the Merry Order of St. Bridget."
I never saw such power of endurance in one so fragile looking; after
a
few minutes of silent writhing she was able to speak again, and,
curtseying, beg permission to retire She was led out and taken to
her
room by two of the ladies, her maid not being permitted to accompany
her. She returned before the meeting was over, a little flushed but
quite calm, in a loose dress and a soft shawl. I hope you won't tell
any
one what I write to you about the ladies and their doings: in my
next I
will tell you about a page the Princess picked up; she wanted a new
excitement, and truly that boy has been an excitement to all of us;
but
you shall hear all about him in my next.
Yours truly,
MARGARET ANSON.
26
LETTER 4
TRAINING A PAGE
MY DEAR MARION,
I told you at the end of my last letter that the Princess Z-had
taken it
into her head to have a page-a real article, no mock institution
made
out of a lady dressed up-not even a well-trained young gentleman
from Paris-but a specimen of the raw material picked up in a field.
The whipping meetings languished a little after her own
installation;
expectation was on the qui vive all over the chateau regarding the
arrival of a certain Mons. and Mme. Hautville, who were expected,
and
of whom all sorts of reports were rife; and, consequently, things
were a
little flat. None of the unmarried ladies had come forward or sought
admission to the tabagie as yet. The ladies were disposed to be
cross
and annoyed, and the Princess’s fancy was a diversion for them.
It was a queer fancy, and gave me no little trouble. She was out
driving
one day with my lady, and was in one of her wilful moods; my lady
was
out of temper, but that was because her toilet was not so successful
as
the Princess’s. That was no wonder, for whatever that little lady
put on
you thought it was the most becoming thing you had ever seen her
wear. That day she was in gold-coloured satin and black velvet- a
gold-coloured petticoat, with Vandykes of black round the bottom,
the points upward; meeting these a peplum of black velvet depending
from a bodice of the same, with ruches of yellow satin. Her hat was
a
black velvet toque, with a yellow feather, which went from the front
to
the back, and fell upon her shoulders behind. She had black satin
Hessian boots with gold buttons and tassels, and yellow gloves with
jet
ornaments. You would think this a sort of fiendish costume; but, my
dear, she looked lovely in it. My lady was in pink and white, and
was
ghastly by her side. I never felt so disgusted with my own handiwork
as
I did when I saw the Princess step out of her room looking as she
did.
But this has nothing to do with the page. We had been into Tours
27
ransacking the shops for some trimmings the ladies wanted, and were
returning, when suddenly the Princess called out-
"What a lovely boy!"
"Where?" said my lady.
"There," she replied, pointing to the hedge. "Make him come here,
Antoine. "
Antoine got down and spoke to the young savage, for he looked like
nothing else, and brought him to the carriage door. He was a tall,
wellgrown
boy, looking about fourteen, and was lazily eating a great lump
of the horrid black bread they use here. He had on a ragged flannel
shirt, and a pair of old trousers, and what had once been a blouse;
but
there wasn't much of it left. His shirt was open at the neck and
shewed
his chest; and his bare arms stuck out of his ragged sleeves. I
could not
help noticing how shapely they were, and the pretty turn of his bare
feet and ankles, for he had kicked off his sabots, which lay in the
ditch
beside him. But the most remarkable part of his appearance to me was
the dirt,-I never saw anyone so dirty in my life. I should think he
had
never been washed for years. But the ladies seemed to see through
that, and they looked at him up and down as though he had been some
new kind of dog they wanted to buy. They asked his parents' names,
and where he lived, and drove straight to the filthy little hovel,
which
was more like a pig's-sty than anything.
"I must have him," the Princess said," as they went along; "he'll
make a
perfect beauty."
"He'll take a good deal of making," my lady said, laughing. "Who is
to
operate on him? You can't touch him yet awhile."
"That's a difficulty-ah, I have it! I'll turn him over to Anson
there-she
has a strong will."
28
"And a strong arm which is more to the purpose; but here we
are-these
are your protégé’s papa and mamma, I suppose?"
A pair of horrid old wretches they were,-quite willing to let the
boy
go, and horridly greedy after the money given them for their
consent. I
verily believe they would have sold him for a slave for a tithe of
it. The
boy did not go back with us- the ladies arranged that I was to fetch
him after dark. They did not want any of the men-servants to see
him;
and the pleasant task of training him was delegated to me. I did not
like the idea of it at first, though I got plenty of fun out of it
afterwards.
"I give you three weeks, Anson." the Princess said; "and after that,
every mistake he makes, you'll come in for a share of his
punishment; so
take care and turn me out a page I shan't be ashamed of when I go
back to Paris."
I thought neither three months, nor three years, would make anything
of such a cub; but I was mistaken, as you would say if you could see
Master Gustave, as he is called, now-Jean was his name before. Well,
when it was dark, I went to the cottage and brought away the boy.
taking him straight up to my lady's dressing-room, where the
Princess
was waiting to see him. He had evidently never been in a decent
house
before, and his wide open eyes and mouth were a sight to see. When
he
got into the room, he gave a sort of unintelligible roar at the
sight of
the ladies, and would have run away if we had not caught him.
"An unsophisticated innocent," my lady said, with a half sneer.
"What
is the first thing to be done with him?"
"Wash him. ^Anson, you will lake him to the lower bath-room, and
clean him thoroughly; I can't touch him as he is. Fifine will help
you."
Fifine shrugged her shoulders as though she did not like it; but
there
was no disobeying her mistress, and we led the boy out of the room.
29
"Get Saunders to help you," my lady called after us; "he will be
more
than a match for you if he turns restive."
Which he did as soon as ever he saw the water; he seemed to have as
much natural antipathy to it as a cat, and he roared and struggled
so,
that the three of us had much ado to hold him. He declared that he
was
clean; that he would not take off his clothes; that he would go
home;
and clutched his miserable rags till they fairly came off piecemeal.
That he was a fine shapely lad we could soon see for his clothes
gave
way at every tug, and he was soon half naked. I saw Saunders pass
her
hand over his smooth firm flesh, when his shoulders were thus
exposed
as though she liked it. Suddenly she drew her hand away with a
scream, and dropped the dirty rag she held on the floor.
"Ah, the little brute!" she said, "he's all alive! Look here,
Anson."
And sure enough he was-there wasn't a bit of his clothes as big as
the
palm of my hand that wasn't covered with vermin. What were we to
do? Clean him we must. Yet it went horribly against us to touch him;
and besides, he kicked and struggled so. At last we got him down on
the floor; and Saunders held him while we tied his hands and feet.
Then
we cut his clothes off and burned every rag of them. I had to do
it,-the
Princess’s maid would only pick up the rags with the tongs; and
Saunders contented herself with looking on when he was once
overpowered. When I had done with his clothes, I began upon his
shaggy hair, and the murder I must have committed would have put an
army to the blush. I noticed that the boy evinced less and less
dissatisfaction as we went on with our work; and at length laughed
as
though our hands about him at once tickled and pleased him. He,
shewed very little shame at thus being stripped by three women; but
obstinately refused to enter the bath. Saunders slyly took a rod
from
the table, and turning him over her knee, administered a succession
of
sharp cuts to his naked back and thighs, in a manner that made him
roar for mercy, and promise to do anything we wished.
30
I think astonishment was the uppermost feeling in his mind at the
proceeding-that sort of whipping he had evidently never been
accustomed to, though there were plenty of bruises on his body to
tell
of hard blows with more unmanageable weapons than a lady's rod. He
went quietly enough into the bath after this, and seemed rather to
like
the contact of the warm water. 'Twould take too long in a letter to
tell
how we washed and scrubbed, and how often we changed the water
and got fresh, before we got him clean; but we managed it at last,
and
turned him out upon the carpet, fresh and sweet. The Princess was
right-he was a perfect young Adonis. I never saw such limbs, or such
fresh, healthy flesh, on any child, though child he could hardly be
called, being, as well as we could guess, about fourteen. We rubbed
him dry with soft towels, and dusted him with perfumed powder, at
which he seemed mightily amused; and then some wicked impulse
moved Fifine to give him a kiss. She had better not have done it,
for the
young savage retorted by throwing his arms round her neck, and
kissing her rosy little mouth till she was fairly out of breath.
This led to
a regular romp between them, and Saunders had to interfere with her
rod, and switch our protégé back to something like order. When she
had a little recovered herself, Fifine burst into a merry laugh, and
pointed to the boy, who was rolling a sofa blanket round him.
"What are we to do with him?" she said; "we have burnt his clothes!
Is
he to go naked?"
Here was a dilemma,-there was nothing we could put on our shivering
Cupid without letting the men-servants into our secret, and that we
were forbidden to do. He laughed and jeered at our discomfiture;
and,
growing bold, declared he should do very well as he was: "if we like
to
look at him, he dared say our ladies would too;" and a good deal
more
to the same impertinent effect.
"I have it," said Fifine at last; "I'll dress him. There goes my
lady's bell!"
She ran off, and in a very short time returned with some clothes
over
her arm.
31
"My lady is impatient," she said. "She wants to see him; and says we
have been long enough to wash him three times over."
"She don't know everything," said Saunders, with a grunt; "nor what
we have had to do to get him clean. Are these things for him to put
on?"
"Yes; there's nothing else for it-we can't take him about the place
naked."
How we laughed as we dressed him! A pair of wide short drawers
belonging to the Princess daintily trimmed with lace and open-work
insertion, were put on him first, and securely fastened round his
waist.
They only reached to his knees and left the whole lower part of his
legs
bare. We had no stockings for him, and his feet were thrust into a
pair
o( slippers of my lady's-those of the Princess being far too small.
For
shirt he had a short cambric dressing-gown of Fifine's; and.
Saunders
insisted on adding a spangled tunic skirt that had been part of some
of
the fancy costumes worn by the ladies on some of their meeting
evenings. He was the most comical figure when thus covered-I can't
say clothed-that anyone could imagine. The tunic left a long margin
of
the drawers visible, and his legs sticking out at the bottom had an
extremely odd effect. His face, now that the hanging unkempt hair
was
cut away, was very handsome-rather dark in complexion, with
wicked-looking Mack eyes, and regular features, with a saucy smile
upon them, as if he perfectly understood the way we women admired
him. We threw a cloak over him, and took him along the passage to my
lady's dressing-room. What a laugh they set up when we entered with
the queer figure amongst us. I thought the Princess would fall into
hysterics; and my lady and Lady C-were not much better.
"What have you huddled him up like that for?" the Princess said; "I
want to look at him. Come here boy-don't be afraid!"
"I am not afraid," he said stupidly, though not shyly, glancing at
her
white hands as she busied herself about the neck of his dress.
32
And I don't think he was, though he seemed rather bewildered at the
splendour of the room and the ladies' dresses. He stared at the
Princess
in open-mouthed astonishment as she undid fastening after fastening
till the whole of his queerly-assorted dress fell off except the
drawers,
leaving the ladies at liberty to comment as they would upon his
welldeveloped
form. And they did comment without the least restraint,
and I could see that the boy understood some of their remarks at
least,
for a bright blush rose to his face more than once, and a smile
mantled
on his rosy lips and flashed into his saucy eyes. The ladies began
to
teach him on the spot, all naked as he was, how to bow and how to
use
his arms, and I could see that the mischievous little Princess took
a
slight delight in passing her dainty hands down his shapely legs and
putting his feet into position. While she was stooping to do this
the boy
more than once made a movement as though he would touch her white
shoulders, but, I suppose, fear kept him quiet, for he withdrew his
hand
as quickly as he had raised it. When they had amused themselves with
him till they were tired, I was bidden to take him away and see him
bestowed for the night.
"Bring him to my dressing room in the morning," the Princess said;
"Fifine will tell you when I am ready."
"And don't teach him anything but his duties!" snapped out Lady C-.
"He'll be a pretty apt scholar at any sort of mischief, or I am very
much
mistaken."
I spent a good deal of the evening in trying to teach him how to
salute
the ladies, how to enter a room, how to present anything kneeling,
c., c.,
and I am bound to say I found him a very apt pupil. He was naturally
graceful, and as long as he did not open his mouth he did very well;
when he did he spoiled the effect of everything with his dreadful
Touraine patois. However, one cannot do everything at once, and it
was
something to have him clean and willing to learn. I made him let me
trim his hair, and brush and part it, and really he had a lovely
head
when it was done. Fifine came to us after a while with a blue and
silver
suit, in a kind of Swiss style, which she said Her Highness said he
was to
33
wear; and just to see how he looked, we dressed him in it. My dear,
he
looked like an old picture, with the dainty lace ruffles falling
over his
hands, and the silk stockings shewing the form and muscle of his
legs.
He made us all hug him and kiss him, even bony old Saunders, to whom
he gave such a bearish hug in return that he fairly frightened her;
he
was gentler to Fifine and me, but then we had not whipped him. I
wondered what he-would think when he was introduced to the
Princess at her toilet; she was like some of the women I have often
read
about, who look upon their men-servants as though they were dumb
animals, instead of human creatures gifted with eyes and senses. She
would have her pages in her dressing-room, and make them wait upon
her at all stages of her toilet; I think she liked to see their eyes
fixed
upon her shapely limbs, and to know that even those boys admired
her.
She had parted with one who had been a great favourite for some time
just before she picked up this lad and I could see that she meant to
install him in the vacant position. I saw that he was properly
dressed in
the morning, and gave him two or three more lessons before Fifine
came for him, so that he really did not enter the presence of the
Princess so very awkwardly as might have been expected.
He started a little at the sight of her, for she had only just left
her bath,
and was lying back in a soft fauteuil, with nothing on but a
delicately
embroidered chemise and a soft flannel peignoir, which was
unfastened all down the front. Fifine was rubbing her legs, and
putting
on the quilted satin slippers without heels, which lay ready for her
pretty feet. They were of rose colour to match the trimming of the
peignoir, and had diamonds in the rosettes.
"Stop," said her Highness, as Fifine took up the shoes, "let him try
his
hand."
He looked rather bewildered, but I whispered him to kneel on one
knee as I had taught him, and he did it much less clumsily than
might
have been expected. He took the dainty slipper, looking admiringly
at
the brilliant which flashed and sparkled in the firelight, and
slipped it
34
on to the white foot which her Highness rested on his knee for the
purpose.
"Very well done!" she said, laughing. "We shall make him a model
page after all. Why, the little wretch!"
The last exclamation was followed by a smart box on the ear, which
sent her new attendant off his balance, and laid him sprawling on
the
soft hearthrug. Not content with the contact of his finger tips with
her
soft skin, he had the audacity to bend his head over her foot and
kiss it.
I think she was more amused than angry, though she had him punished
on the spot.
"You shall whip him, Anson," she said, "and I have a great mind to
whip you for teaching him too fast,-you girls have been allowing him
too much liberty, I can see."
I begged and protested, and she laughed and let me off, only saying
that she foresaw trouble in store for me, if that was the way I was
going
to instruct my scholar. She made Fifine undress the boy and hold him
across an ottoman, while I whipped him. He struggled and kicked at
first, but not as he had done the evening before, and did not seem
to
care about having his trousers taken down at all. The Princess
looked
at him with eager eyes, as his fine shapely limbs were thus exposed,
and seemed half inclined to take the rod herself, but she didn't,
and I
was glad of it, for I longed to whip the prettiest boy I had ever
seen. The
first stroke of the rod sent him rolling on the floor, and made him
roar
out for mercy; but Fifine managed to hold him so that I could get at
him, and a sound whipping he got, I can tell you. It was very funny
to
see him dance, and kick; when at length the Princess signed to me to
leave off, he was all over the room by fits and starts howling and
gasping like a wild animal. It was a good while before we could get
his
clothes fastened on again, he writhed so under the smart, but he has
got used to it now. Her Highness made, him beg her pardon which he
did with a face so blubbered with crying that she could do nothing
but
laugh at him, and then bade me take him away. When we were out in
35
the passage, I asked him how he liked that part of his duties, and
the
little wretch actually winked at me (he had got over his smarts by
this
time), and said, "I don't mind it much, I shan't care at all next
time."
"Oh yes, you will."
"No I shan't if she does it."
"Who's she? Fifine?"
" No,-the lady."
"You audacious little scamp, do you think Her Highness would, touch
you?"
"I'm sure she will."
I can give you no idea of the manner in which that imp of a boy
spoke:
truly there wasn't much I could teach him. I thought to myself,
"you'll
get plenty of whipping, my fine fellow," and he did. Many a flogging
I
gave him in the wreck that followed with Filine's help, and the
rascal
always paid us with kisses. We got very fond of him, notwithstanding
his impertinence, for he was quirk witted, and very teachable and
affectionate, in spite of his vanity; and long before his new
clothes
came home he was as vain as a peacock. It was about a week before
the
clothes came that were ordered from Paris for him, and all that time
he
was going about in queer fancy costumes, fairly turning our heads by
his beauty.
I don't think any boy was ever made so much of in so short a time.
The
livery was deep blue velvet with frosted silver buttons, the finest
of
shirts and cravats, silk socks, and thin kid boots-the Princess
could not
bear anything like creaking soles, and tolerated only the thinnest
of
soles about her rooms. After a little while she made no account
whatever of having him in her rooms; she would let him go about her
bedroom and hand her coffee before she was out of bed, and she
rarely
36
made her morning toilet without him. The first time she whipped him
herself was about a month after she had first taken a fancy to him;
I
had done it often in her presence, and she had once or twice taken
the
rod and given him a few cuts, but she had never regularly whipped
him with all the ceremonies. He had been very saucy to Fifine and me
for a whole day, and he finished up his impudence by giving my lady
an impertinent answer when she spoke to him in the evening. The
Princess walks by, and she ordered him out of the room, saying
quietly,
"I shall whip you to-morrow, Gustave." She kept her word: the next
morning Gustave and myself were summoned by Fifine to her mistress'
dressing room. You're both going to get it!" said the girl, with fun
in her
eyes, "Gustave here for being rude, and you Anson, for letting him
be
so."
"Then you ought to get a double allowance," I said spitefully, for I
was
annoyed; "he gets all his monkey tricks and wicked ways from you."
"Not quite all-but I dare say I shall get my full share some time;
anyhow, I'm only going to assist to-day. Come along, we're to be
Roman ladies' maids this morning, but the room's warm, thank
goodness."
How I hated that freak the ladies had taken into there heads of
making us wait upon them, just with one single article on, ready for
any chance cut they might take a fancy to give us. However, they
paid
us for their vagaries, and it didn't matter much. We were soon
equipped in the dresses the Princess had chosen for us to wear, and
they weren't much. Fifine and I had short tunics without sleeves,
and
sandals on our feet. The boy's costume was even more scanty, for he
had
nothing but a skirt which barely reached to his knees, and no body
whatever. I dreaded the whipping, for I knew how the Princess could
use the rod; but there was no appeal, for my lady had given me over
to
her entirely, in the matter of Gustave, to do as she liked with me.
The
room was deliciously warm when we entered, and the air was fragrant
with fresh scent. Fifine left us, while she went to attend her
mistress in
her bath.
37
The door of the room was half open, and we could hear the splashing
of
the water, and now and then see the petite figure of the Princess as
she
flung her round limbs about in the perfumed water. The boy watched
with greedy eyes; he seemed to have forgotten all about the
punishment that was coming, in gazing at a sight so new to him.
Presently the lady came in, wrapped in a large soft sheet, and
reclined
upon a couch, while Fifine rubbed and powdered her, removing the
cap which had protected her magnificent hair, and letting it fall
all
about her shoulders. Then she attired her lad)' in a chemise of the
finest
lawn, with trimmings of Valenciennes lace and rose coloured satin
ribbon, and drawers, with lace ruffles at the bottom. Her feet and
legs
were left bare, only a pair of blue satin slippers, without heels,
being
slipped upon her blue-veined feet. Over all she had a loose robe of
pale blue flannel, trimmed with white lace and satin; it was left
open in
front, and fell away from her knees, leaving her legs exposed. When
all
this was done, our penance began. The Princess was in the mood for
arranging fanciful toilettes that morning, and sundry pairs of
stockings
and parcels of boots lay ready to be inspected.
A large case had arrived from Paris for her the day before, and she
had
not gone over its contents yet Gustave was made to kneel down on the
ground in front of the sofa, and support a round mirror, before
which
the wilful little lady had elected to try on the silken hose and
dainty
boots. I had a double office- to see that the boy kept still, and to
hand
the things to Fifine, who put them on her mistress.
The boy knelt very patiently while the contents of the case were one
by one examined. He was evidently dazzled by the splendour of the
costly dresses that Fifine took out one by one and laid upon the
couches and chairs. The Princess had declared she was getting "quite
shabby," and had ordered quite a relay of toilettes, and stockings
and
boots to match. Some dozen pairs of the most exquisite silken hose,
and
as many different kinds of boots, had been sent, and every one of
these
did she make her maid put on, and then hang the corresponding dress
to see if they properly matched.
38
To my mind, the prettiest of the dresses was rather a singular one,
and
one which, at first sight, seemed unsuited to the Princess’s style
of
beauty. It was a short walking toilet, of green and mauve; the dress
and
jacket were of emerald green silk, very thick and soft, trimmed and
piped with bright mauve satin; the petticoat was of mauve satin,
with
green trimming; and the hat was a combination of the two colours,
with
a white feather; stockings of green silk, with a narrow mauve
stripe;
and fine kid boots, half Hessians, with gold buttons and tassels,
completed the costume. The lace of the sleeves and chemisette was
the
most costly guipure, of an antique pattern, which accorded well with
the quaint style of the whole dress. When she had the stockings and
boots on she was delighted with the effect.
"They are the prettiest of the whole!" she said in ecstasy.
"Everyone
said I should look hideous in green and mauve, and just see there!"
Fifine threw the dress across her knees, and set the coquettish
little hat
on the top of her dishevelled hair, that she might see the effect of
the
colours against her brunette complexion. Certainly the result was
ravishing.
"Take them away," she said; "I'll wear that dress this very morning
to
the croquet party. Ill put it on as soon as ever I have whipped that
boy.
Put down that glass, sir, and take off my boots."
Not only her boots but the stockings did she make him take off, and
he
made no mistakes this time; it was wonderful how quickly he had
adapted himself to his new position, and acquired the little arts
and
graces so necessary to the making of a lady's page. This done, she
made
him bring the rod and kiss it, delivering it to her upon his knees.
To
prepare him was the work of a minute: it was only to fasten up the
skirt
he wore round his neck, and there he was almost naked.
Strangely enough, he made no protestations on entering, but a queer
light came into his eyes as the lady's hand passed over his bare
shoulder, with a gesture that was almost a caress. Fifine and I held
him
39
down over the ottoman, and her highness administered a sound
flogging to him, measuring every stroke with a precision that I knew
from experience only made the smart the harder to bear.
He roared enough now, and writhed and twisted, till at length, after
some dozen blows, he fairly struggled himself free of our hands, and
slipped on to the floor. Then he clasped the Princess’s feet,
twining his
arms round her bare ankles, and looking up into her face, implored
her
pardon. She did not grant it till she had given him a good many
rapid
stinging blows, and then she allowed him to get up. In spite of his
roaring and crying, I could see that the boy liked the discipline he
had
received at her hands, and I saw his lips on her feet too while he
lay
there clasping her ankles, but she took no notice of it. When she
had
done with him she would not let him go; she seemed to like to see
him
writhe and twist, and ordered him to bring the rod once more, It was
my
turn now, and I knew she was going to whip me before him, but it was
no good to say a word. She rested a little, for she was out of
breath, and
then she ordered me to kneel and kiss the rod. I could have
strangled
the little monster of a page, for the sight of me being prepared for
whipping seemed to do his smarts a mighty deal of good, and he
ceased squealing and rubbing himself when he saw what was going on.
The Princess made him stand behind the sofa, with a rod in his hand,
while she whipped me, and told him if he stirred she would turn him
over to Saunders for another dose.
He had a horror of Saunders. but if she had proposed to whip him
again, or delegated the task to Fifine or me, I verily believe he
would
have disobeyed her on purpose I'm sure I heard him snigger when I
knelt down, but when her highness turned sharp round there he was
looking so preternaturally solemn that she laughed herself, and
there
he stood as if he was carved out of a block of wood while she
whipped
me. I need not write of how she did it; she can whip; and it was all
I
could do not to slip down on the floor and roll and scream as the
boy
had done. I managed not to, however, and contrived to take the rod
and leave the room without crying out, but my face was all working;
I
felt it and when we got into the passage that wretch of a boy
pointed
40
at me and burst out laughing. I couldn't stand that, my dear, and I
flew
at him and shook him, and boxed his ears till he roared more than he
had done at the Princess’s whipping. He has been respectfully afraid
of
me ever since; and though, since he has been down stairs amongst the
men, he has learned a great deal of impudence, he seldom favours me
with any of it. They can't teach him much he doesn't know already,
for
a more precocious boy I never saw; and yet no one can help liking
him
that comes near him.
I daresay you think, from the tone of my letter, that I have altered
my
notions about whipping, and so I have. While it was all punishment
for
me, to please the whims of the ladies, I could not see the enjoyment
of
it, or feel it rather, but now I can. Nor does the Princess feel
half the
pleasure in whipping me or Fifine, or even any of the sisterhood,
which
she has when she gets Gustave across her knee to birch him. I've
seen
her pause in her whipping, and pass her hand over his firm flesh,
lecturing him the while, as if she would prolong his punishment for
her
own gratification, and the little wretch keeps quite quiet, and
likes it
all the while.
As for me-well, there, I suppose I may confess it to you, but I'm
fallen in
love with the boy, or something very like it. I like to have him
near meto be able to touch him when I choose-to caress him when I
please-and,
above all, to whip him when I can find occasion: that's by no means
seldom, for he is always in mischief. I sometimes think the little
wretch
does all sons of wicked things for the sake of getting a whipping
from
me- for there's no mincing the matter, my dear, he is as fond of me
as I
am of him. He knows a handsome woman when he sees her as well as
anyone, and I don't think I'm so very bad looking. My feet are as
well
shaped as any lady's among them; and the Princess wouldn't feel
flattered if she saw how her page kisses them sometimes, when I have
been punishing him for some of his vagaries.
Ah, my dear, our whipping escapades among ourselves, as girls, were
all very well, but there's something like enjoyment in having a fine
strapping boy always at your beck and call, on whom you can practise
41
when you like. There's real pleasure in getting hold of a plump,
firm
boy like that, with a skin as soft as satin, and laying him across
your
knee, especially when you know that he likes it and you. Gustave's
flesh is as firm and rosy as a baby's, and every touch of the rod
raises it
up in red-weals, like you see on a finely kept horse when it is
lashed.
He takes more delight in my whipping him now than in his mistress's,
and likes me better than either her or Fifine, though the latter
took his
fancy at first. Now he says she's toothin-the audacious young
scampand
that he doesn't like scraggy women! Pretty well that for fourteen,
isn't it? But I must close this now; I'm going out with my lady;
I'll write
you again soon.-Meantime, believe me.
Yours truly,
M. ANSON.
42
LETTER 5
A REMARKABLE RELIGIEUSE
MY DEAR MARION,
I've been so busy, what with all sorts of whims my lady has taken
into
her head about her toilet, and that tiresome page of the Princess’s,
that
I don't seem to have had a moment to call my own. I can't sit down
for a
minute in peace, but that provoking boy is sure to burst in either
with
some message from my lady or his, or some nonsense of his own. He is
as
full of tricks as a monkey, and yet we are very fond of him. But I
told
you all about his beauty before, so I won't dilate on that now:
thank
goodness, I don't have quite so much trouble with him as I had, -he
minds me when he won't anyone else. I've not seen quite so much of
him
this last week or two, for another lady, staying in the house, has
taken a
great fancy to him, and keeps him with her continually. If the
Princess
tires of him, as I daresay she will sometime, he won't have much
trouble
in finding a new mistress in Mme. Hautville.
Mons. and Madame Hautville are quite a recent addition to our party;
and such a fuss as was made about their coming! They are newly
married, scarcely out of their honeymoon, and are very rich; the
best
apartments in the chateau were given up to them, and redecorated for
their use. I was quite surprised one day to find workmen busy in the
handsome suite of rooms that overlook the private garden, pulling
down hangings, c., and the Count superintending with as much
interest
as though it were his own bride he was going to install there. He
was
always chatty and affable to me, quite the gentleman; and when he
saw me peep in, he called me.
"Oh, come in, Mademoiselle," he said. "We are busy here; Mme
Hautville is blonde, and those yellow hangings won't do at all. What
do you think of that?"
He pointed to a great roll of purple satin damask that lay on the
ground ready for putting up. It was lovely, fit for a queen's
boudoir, and
43
I said so, and went away, wondering who the lady could be for whom
such preparations were made. I heard downstairs that same evening
all
about her. She was very young, not more than eighteen, and had come
straight from a convent, where she had been ever since she was a
child.
She had a large fortune and a magnificent trousseau, and knew
nothing of the world. This was what the servants said, and I heard
the
same from the ladies, who did not seem to care much for the addition
to
their ranks: I soon found out the reason of that,-Mme. Hautville was
said to be excessively religious.
"Spends whole hours shut up in her room at her devotions," the
Princess said to my lady over the dressing-room fire; "thinks all
amusements sinful, and seldom speaks in society, I hear."
She won't join us, then," Lady C- said; "and I don't think shell
suit here
at all; the innocent and ingenuous style is out of fashion now; it
is only
baby-faced women that can play it well."
"And that's just what she is," the Princess said. "Baby-faced is
just the
word; at least, I judge so from the Count's description. She is
petite, he
says, with golden hair and brown eyes, and a china pink and white
complexion."
"And her husband?" asked my lady; "what is he like?"
"Oh, I've seen him; tall, and dark, and rather grave looking: he is
the
Hautville that distinguished himself so at the battle of Solferino;
he is a
personal friend of the emperor."
Of course every one in the chateau was on the qui vive to see these
new arrivals; and it was a great disappointment to us that it was
dark
when they arrived. All we could see was a little muffled-up figure
lifted down out of the carriage by a tall man, who seemed to take
the
utmost care of her; there was a valet, and a tall, rather
stern-looking
lady's maid, and an immense quantity of luggage, though that was not
all, for more came the next day.
44
There was a little Maltese terrier like a ball of white floss silk,
and a big
hound that looked tremendously fierce, but turned out gentle enough
when we came to know him better. I hung about, when my lady had
done with me, in the hope of catching a glimpse of the new visitor
when she went downstairs, and, sure enough, I met her leaning on the
Count's arm, her husband following. She was as lovely as they had
described her to be, and more; such an innocent, unworldly little
face, I
never saw. She looked as if she had never had a profane or
mischievous
idea in her little head, from which her golden curls hung in a
manner
perfectly bewitching.
She evidently cared for no fashion in head-dressing except what
suited her head, and let her lovely hair wave as it would.
Certainly, no
chignon or frizettes would have suited her little head; they would
only
have disfigured it! She was magnificently dressed in rich white
satin
and lace, with pearls on her neck and arms, and she looked like a
little
fairy as she tripped along over the crimson floor cloth.
She was holding up her dress in front, and displayed her dainty
little
feet in silver embroidered satin shoes with high heels. I thought of
what the ladies said about her being so devout, and, indeed, her
face
looked like a saint's, so pure and passionless; but just as she
passed me,
she looked up in answer to something the Count said, and I saw
something besides sanctity in her eyes. What expressive eyes they
were, melting and fiery by turns! I did not wonder at the intense
admiration her husband seemed to feel for her; he looked at her as
though he worshipped the very ground she trod upon. He was a
handsome, intellectual-looking man, many years older than his wife,
dressed in uniform, and looking every inch a soldier and a
gentleman. I
watched them down the grand staircase with no little curiosity, and
as
I passed their rooms to go back to my lady's, the door was open, and
the
stern-looking maid was busy arranging her mistress's dresses.
"Come in," she said, as I paused at the door. "You are the
Princess’s own
woman, are you not?"
45
"No," I replied "I am with Lady-"
"Ah, it's all the same: tell me a little about the people here; are
they
sociable or stiff? I mean the ladies and gentlemen; I am asking for
my
lady,-I always get on well enough downstairs."
I told her all about the ladies: how they were lively and affable,
full of
fun, and never done with alt sorts of schemes for amusement and
exercise.
"I am afraid Madame will be out of place among them," the woman
replied; "she is so quiet, so retiring -she loves to be alone in her
chamber: she spends hours there."
"What at?" I asked.
"Her devotions," curtly replied Sophie, for that I found, was her
name.
"See here."
She pulled aside a curtain, and shewed me a little oratory newly
fitted
up. I thought of the look I had seen in those soft brown eyes, and
somehow or other I doubted the devotional part of the story. I did
not
say anything, but I helped her to put away the dresses, and
exquisite
ones they were, too; and we chatted about the company and the
servants' table till we grew quite friendly. Lifting the last dress
out of
an imperial, I came upon a long flat case, out of which an end of
ribbon
protruded. I guessed at once what it was: had I not handled such a
one
often in the Princess’s dressing-room? But Sophie made haste to put
it
out of sight, muttering something about "Monsieur's fishing rod."
"Not a bit of it," I said to myself; "Monsieur never carried a
fishing-rod
in a dainty case like that, or packed it amongst his wife's dresses.
I'll
watch."
I did, and pumped Sophie as well, but nothing came of it. She was
very
cheerful and pleasant in the housekeeper's room, full of praises of
her
46
master and mistress, but somehow nothing could be got out of her.
"She
had been chosen by Mme. Hautville's guardians to be her confidential
maid," she said, and had only gone into her service on her marriage.
The ladies did not get much more out of the little beauty herself:
she
was very demure and quiet, and talked but little. She sang very
sweetly, and was willing to exhibit her accomplishments for their
amusement; but I fancy they thought her insipid, and wearied of her
quiet loveliness. With her husband they one and all fell in love: he
was
charming, they declared; too good for her, pretty as she was. The
little
beauty reigned supreme on the first evening of her visit, but as the
time
wore on they felt her presence irksome. She was so very good they
could not launch out in conversation, while the gentlemen sat over
their wine, when she was present as they used to do, and they were
never sorry when she withdrew, as she regularly did, to her own
apartments, and left them free to use their tongues as they listed.
The
worst of it was that when she left the drawing-room Mons. Hautville
invariably vanished too, though where he went to was a mystery.
Madame always shut herself up in her own room, and Sophie would
take her work and seat herself in a large bay-window in the corridor
guarding the door like a female dragon. She had the same answer for
every one who asked for her mistress.
"At her devotions, "she would say, gravely, and we were obliged to
be
content.
If she was asked for her master, her reply always was that she had
nothing to do with Mons. Hautville, and if we wanted to know
anything about him we could ask Adolphe. Adolphe was the valet,
and I don't think anyone would ever ask him a second question about
his master. He was very proud and distant, excessively polite, and
that
was all: we might just as well have tried to pump a log of wood or a
stone as to get anything out of him about his master's doings. Well,
this
went on for several days, Madame appearing every day in the most
ravishing toilettes (even the Princess could not vie with her in the
matter of dress), and every day disappearing to her devotions in the
47
zealous fashion which puzzled every one so much. The ladies grew
very
curious, and tried to bribe Sophie to tell what it was that made her
mistress so devout Had she some dreadful sin on her mind? or was she
vowed to so many hours a day before the altar? Sophie was dumb, and
the ladies declared themselves tired of inactivity; they wanted to
resume their meetings in the tabagie, and Madame Hautville should
be asked to join them.
"And I believe she will," Madlle. St. Kitts declared; "there's
mischief in
her for all her prudish looks, and besides, there's more goes on in
that
room of hers than prayers."
"How do you know?" demanded the ladies in a breath.
"Oh, I was passing to-day. Sophie was looking out at the window, and
I
heard a noise that was vastly familiar. I don't think Mons.
Hautville
would have been far to seek just then. But that grim maid came back
to her post just a minute too soon. "
"We must find out-we will I "said Lady B., "we won't have any
private
practice here. Can't you sharpen your wits, Anson? you seem very
intimate with that silent waiting woman of Madame's. "
I told the ladies that it was no use trying to get anything out of
Sophie;
but they bid me try. and made me promise, on pain of punishment, to
bring them any information I could get regarding the newly married
pair. I promised; and, my dear, I had a story to tell before I
expected.
That very evening I was sitting in my room mending some lace of my
lady's, when Fifine came in.
"Where's Gustave?" she asked.
"I don't know," I replied. "Who wants him?"
"I do: I want him to go down to the lodge for me with a note."
48
"I thought the Princesses said he was not to be sent out after
dark.."
"Oh she won't know. I wonder where he can be?"
"He's in mischief, wherever he is. I haven't seen him since the
ladies left
the dining-room."
Fifine went away grumbling, and had to go her errand herself. I sat
on
wondering where Gustave could be, and what he was at, and in a few
minutes the boy burst into the room. If I wondered before, I
wondered
ten times more when I saw him: his hands and face were all smeared
with green dirt, and his clothes were torn in more than one place.
Luckily he had not on the suit he wore when attending on his lady,
but
one I made him wear when he was not likely to be wanted. I started
up,
and seized him by the collar.
"You little wretch," I exclaimed, "What have you been doing?"
His only answer was to laugh till he rolled on the floor at my feet,
and I
thought he was going mad.
"Oh ho, ho!" he cried. "Let me alone, Mademoiselle; I'll tell you
presently. Oh, it's worth the risk I've run!"
"What risk? What have you been doing? What will the Princesses say
when she sees you? A pretty figure you are if she should ring for
you."
"Oh she won't! and if she does, I'll be ready in a minute. I say,
Anson,
I've found it all out."
"All what?"
"The 'devotions.' Such fun! Oh, my lady's a pretty saint, and says
new
fangled prayers! Ha, ha, ha!" and again he rolled on the floor in an
ecstasy of fun.
49
"But where have you been? what have you seen?" I asked quite
puzzled.
"I won't tell you where I've been; but I've seen the prayers, I tell
you.
Oh, wouldn't my lady and yours like to have seen them too! I know
they don't believe in Madame's piety, neither did I, and now I
know."
"You aggravating little brute, tell me all about it this minute, or
I'll
whip you well," I said, shaking him. "You'll catch it for the state
you've
come home in, wherever you have been. What is it that the ladies
would like to know?"
"What I've seen to-night. I say, Anson!"
"Well?"
"Are you game to climb a tree?"
"Climb a tree!"
"Yes, that's just what I've done; and perched comfortably out of
sight
among the branches, I watched Madame Hautville at her devotions.
She didn't think anyone but the birds would be there, and the blinds
were not close."
So this was where he had been; up in the large tree which grew close
to that corner of the chateau, and from which a full view could be
obtained of the Hautville’s' rooms.
"You might try it, Anson," he said; "I'll help you, and I'll never
tell; old
Sophie may keep the door as she pleases, the window will serve our
turn."
"But tell me what you saw, first," I said; "I'm not going to risk my
neck
to be hoaxed by you, and I believe you are telling me a pack of lies
after all."
50
"No, on my honour, I'm not! I've seen what the pious lady does in
her
own room. She does not trouble the Madonna much, I can tell you;
it's
the rod she pays her devotions to, and not the crucifix, and
beautifully
she handles it too; I was almost ready to jump through the window
and
beg for a taste of it from her hands myself, when I saw how graceful
she
looked."
"You audacious monkey! But who does she whip?"
"Who? Why, Mons. Hautville, to be sure I the gentleman who always
disappears so mysteriously, and stays away from the company so long.
Oh, they are a devout pair they are! You should see him kiss her
hands,
and arms, and her feet, and call her all sorts of endearing names,
when
she has whipped him well. Try the tree, Anson; no one goes into that
garden after dark, and you'll never get such a chance again. It's
not
hard to climb, and I'll help you up. "
The lad's enjoyment of the affair was intense, and I longed to
discomfit
Sophie by finding out her secret; and yet the idea of me, Margaret
Anson, climbing up a tree, and perhaps getting an ugly fall: how my
lady would laugh when I told her! It was a great temptation, and at
last
I consented to try the next evening: Gustave was full of fun at the
prospect.
"I couldn't have asked Fifine," he said; "she would have tumbled and
screamed, and it would have been all found out; you may fall, but
you
won't scream, I know that."
"I don't intend to do either "
"And, I say, Anson."
"Well?"
"If you see anything very terrible, you can shut your eyes. Mons.
and
Mme. Hautville fancy they are alone, you know."
51
I aimed a box at his ears, but he evaded me, and ran off, laughing,
to
change his clothes, and all the rest of the evening he was
provokingly
confidential, giving me sly pinches and furtive grins, till he
nearly
upset my gravity before the ladies. He was in my mistress' room when
Mme. Hautville came in, a little flushed, but very pretty, and said
"Yes," very demurely, when some one said her exercises had been
longer than usual. I thought he would have betrayed himself then,
but
he managed to hide his laughter by a cough, for which the Princesses
smacked his face, and ordered him out of the room. Well, my dear, to
make a long story short, I actually did climb that tree the very
next
night. It was a wild freak, but the temptation was too strong to be
resisted, and Gustave made matters easy for me. I was pretty sure of
a
couple of hours after dinner, and I put on a pair of trousers, which
he
stole from one of the men's rooms, and my dress skirt over them.
Presently he came in.
"Come along," he said, "the prayers have begun, and all's quiet."
Not a soul met us as we went out into the grounds and opened the
gate
of the private garden. The night was as dark as pitch, and a bright
glimmer of light came from the first floor windows. A short ladder
stood under the tree.
"Up with you," the boy whispered, "and hold on; it's easy after."
I wasn't a bit afraid, and in a few minutes I was sitting on a
branch,
where I could see right into the handsome room, with Gustave behind
me, and this is what we saw: Madame de Hautville, in an elegant
undress, seated on a couch, with her husband kneeling at her feet.
If she
had looked handsome in full dress, she was inexpressively lovely
now.
Her feet and legs were bare, except for the soft slippers into which
her
toes were thrust; her beautifully trimmed chemise was very short,
and
was the only garment she had on, except a white peignoir ruffled
with
Valenciennes lace, and adorned with knots of white satin ribbon. It
was
tied round the waist with a sash, but was all open at the neck,
leaving
her beautiful white bosom bare. A tiny lace cap was on her head, and
52
her hair hung in masses over her shoulders. In her hand she held a
rod,
and she was rating the kneeling figure at her feet, with a
mischievous
look in her brown eyes, which reminded me of the first time I had
seen
her, when I guessed there was something besides piety in her little
head.
"Isn't she nice," whispered the boy behind me, with an emphasis
which
made me long to box his ears, had I dared to stir. "Look at her
hands
and arms, and her neck, ah!"
"Hold your tongue," I whispered; "you can talk by-and-bye," and he
was quiet for a bit. Presently Mons. Hautville appeared to
supplicate,
and kissed the hands and feet of the little tyrant on the couch to
no
purpose-he was made to prepare for punishment by turning up the
embroidered dressing-gown he wore. He had no more clothes on than
his wife; and Gustave gave me a vicious pinch as we watched him thus
prepare for the punishment we had both of us felt so often.
"Wait till we get down," I said to him, "and I'll give you such a
taste of
the rod as you won't forget." And I did-but that's neither here nor
there
now.
When Mons. Hautville had received his 'punishment he took his
pretty wife in his arms, and half smothered her with kisses-finally
getting the rod from her, and threatening her with it as he would a
child. Then ensued a singular scene. She got away from him; and he
chased her round the room, she every now and then defying him in a
pretty saucy fashion, perfectly bewitching to see. At last he caught
her, and, laying her across his knee, he whipped her as she had done
him, using the rod lightly enough, but still raising red marks on
the
firm white hips. What more we might have seen I don't know, for just
as
he threw down the rod, and folded her in his arms, crack went the
branch on which we were sitting, and we narrowly escaped a terrible
fall. It did not break, and we managed to get down on to the next
limb
of the tree safely; but the noise had been heard, and out went the
lights
53
in the room above. We hardly dared to breathe, for the window
opened, and Mons. Hautville put out his head.
"It is nothing," we heard him say; "there is no one in the garden "
You may be sure we lost no time in getting away, though I did not
escape without a fall after all; I slipped off the ladder and fell
among
some shrubs, which scratched my face and hands terribly. I was a
horrid fright when I got to my own room, and not all the washing and
bathing I could give them would clear the scratches away. My lady
questioned me so closely when I went to undress her, that I was
obliged
to tell her, though, of course. I did not say a word about Gustave.
I let
her think that I had thought of the tree myself, and scrambled up
without any help. How she did laugh, to be sure, and sent for the
Princesses to tell her. That lovely little lady declared she would
see for
herself; and the very next time that Madame Hautville retired in the
evening, she and Madlle. St. Kitts went missing too, and reappeared
later, with very flushed faces, and a great inclination to laugh
whenever they confronted the handsome soldier and his demure little
wife. All sorts of guesses were hazarded as to where they were, but
no
one but my lady and me knew that they were up a tree in the private
garden, watching the pranks of the bride and bridegroom. Poor M.
Hautville must have wondered what made all the ladies laugh when
they met him: I think the Count guessed something very near the
truth,
for his eyes always twinkled when the lady's devotions were spoken
of.
The sisterhood did not leave her alone long: my lady soon managed to
let her know that her passion for the rod was known, and though she
was terribly puzzled to think how it could have leaked out, she
acknowledged it, and was received with acclamations at the next
meeting in the tabagie as a right worthy sister of the Order. She is
first
and foremost in their vagaries now, and has a capital head for
inventing any new nonsense for them to practise. I sometimes think
she
suspects Gustave and me, but anyhow she is very fond of the lad,
who,
on his part, seems to admire her almost as much as his real
mistress, the
Princesses. As for the Count, he suspects I know, for the other day
he
met me in the corridor, and put two Napoleons in my hand.
54
"To buy plaster for your face," he said; "myrtle twigs scratch
horribly;"
and then he laughed and went away.
Now, it was right into a clump of myrtles I fell, so he must know;
but
how? Ah, well, he can hold his tongue, and so can I; and I shan't
trouble
myself about it. Ill tell you if ever he says any more to me;
meantime,
believe me,
Your sincere friend,
M. ANSON.
55
LETTER 6
PREPARING FOR A SENSATION
MY DEAR MARION,
I told you Mme. Hautville joined the St Bridget Society after the
ladies
found out that she practised the rod, but I did not tell you that
Madlle.
St. Kitts, who went up the tree with the Princesses to see what went
on,
had already been received as a member of the Order. The discussion
was long among the ladies, as to whether young people should be
admitted at all; but they wanted a fresh sensation, and they agreed
to
admit her. It was a secret from most of them, and caused a great
sensation when the President rose up in her place and announced that
another lady desired admission to their Order.
She did it with all due ceremony; I guessed what was coming, though
I
could see many of the ladies did not. Several of them had grown-up
daughters, and had entirely negatived the scheme of allowing the
girls
to join their meetings. The young ladies were very, very curious, as
you
may imagine, and used to torment their mammas terribly to tell them
what went on in the tabagie of an evening. Many a present I may have
had, many a pretty dress and bit of jewellery, if I would have
revealed
the secret of those meetings; but I kept my word, for the ladies
made it
worth my while. The night of the whipping of the Princesses Z -,
after
she returned to the room (which, as I said in my last, she did,
though
flushed and feverish), and the ladies had refreshed themselves with
wine and cake, Lady C-rose up and said-
"Ladies,-Sisters of the Order of St. Bridget. I hold in my hand a
requisition addressed to me, as President of this meeting, which I
beg to
lay before you; another lady, staying in this house, is desirous of
joining
our Order."
The ladies looked at one another, wondering who it could be; there
were only one or two married ladies left out, besides the old maids
and
the girls.
56
"Can it be Miss Sowerby?" my lady whispered to the Princesses; "or
Madlle. Loupe? there's no one else."
"I wish it may be," she replied with a laugh; "to see either of them
whipped would be great fun."
The spectacle of either of the ladies mentioned under the rod would
have been edifying indeed. They were both of the pure genus old
maid,
forty, but neither fat nor fair-scraggy and parchment coloured both
of
them. But it was neither of these. "Silence, ladies, if you please!"
the
President said from her chair, unfolding a note and reading.
"Madlle.
Geraldine Hilda St. Kitts presents her compliments to the sisters of
the
Order of St. Bridget, and begs the honour of admittance to their
society. Madlle. St. Kitts is ready to take the oath of the Order,
and to
submit to the usual initiation."
The ladies looked at one another in dismay. That Madlle. knew
something was evident; but what and how? I remembered when I
heard the note that she was almost the only one of the young ladies
who had not plied me with questions about the doings of the evenings
when we met in the tabagie; but wherever she got her information it
was not from me, and I am sure Stephens stood in too much awe of
what
might befall her to speak, however much she would have enjoyed
playing the tell-tale on the ladies who had castigated her so
severely.
We were closely questioned, and every lady had the oath of St.
Bridget administered to her afresh, but no one had broken
confidence,
and they were all fairly puzzled. Then Lady C-put the question.
"How say you, ladies? Shall we admit Geraldine Hilda St. Kitts into
our merry Order, or shall we not?"
One or two said "no," but the majority were in favour of the
candidate
being admitted, and it was settled that she should be introduced the
next evening, when they were to meet if it was wet; if it was fine
there
was to be a picnic in the day, and they would come home too fatigued
for their ceremonies.
57
"But if we admit her," Mrs. D-suggested, "the other young ladies
will
claim it as a right; and I must candidly confess I should not like
my girl
to be introduced."
"Nor I mine," said Lady C-. "We must manage to frighten her into
secrecy somehow."
"I have it," said the merry Princesses Z-. "Let us horse her like
they do
boys. A couple of footmen would be famous."
"Footmen, Madame!" said Lady C-, majestically;
"admit men here! Impossible, you forget what you are saying, I am
sure."
"Oh dear no, I don't," the little beauty answered, gaily; "and if
the
ladies assembled will allow me to address them sitting (for potent
reasons I don't feel very well able to stand up again just now), I
will
explain what I mean in a very few words."
Lady C- graciously assented, and the little lady laid before the
meeting a plan from which she thought a great deal of fun might be
extracted-viz.: that for the future, ladies undergoing punishment
should be horsed upon the back of another who, upon that occasion,
should be dressed in livery. She further proposed that the livery
should
be the punishment for slight offences against the rules of the dub,
and
that failing any offender in the requisite degree, it should be worn
by
Stephens or myself. "And if we don't frighten Madlle. St. Kitts, it
is a
pity," she concluded, amidst much laughter and applause.
The ladies thought her scheme a very good one; but there was a
difficulty-the livery: they could not apply to the Count for it, nor
could
they very well have it made, for fear of exciting remark. Mrs. D-
rose
and called the attention of the meeting to this fact.
58
The Princesses declared that she had thought of that before making
the proposal.
"In the luggage that came for me to-day," she said, "there should be
new liveries for my two men. I will have the unpacking done by my
maid, and if the clothes are there, I shall confiscate them for our
use; if
not, we shall have to fall back upon the moyen-age stores in the old
lumber-room up-stairs, though the dresses won't be so good. The girl
will see through the masquerade at once."
The ladies drew lots who were to enact the footmen on the ensuing
night, and the lots fell to my lady and the Princesses herself, who
declared that she must be a page, for she should be lost in a man's
suit.
So the other footman was turned over to a German Countess, who was
tall and bony, and the rest of the ladies declared for appearing in
Watteau dresses, half as men, and half as women. There were a
quantity of costumes at their disposal, besides their own splendid
wardrobes, and they knew they could make a fine display. I believe
they all wished for a wet day, and wet, sure enough, it was-no
chance
of any out-door amusement. I had the note of acquiescence for
Madlle.
St. Kitts entrusted to me to deliver, desiring her to be in her room
at a
certain hour, when she would be fetched. She laughed when she read
it, and said, gaily, to me-" Is it very dreadful, Anson? Come,
there's no
harm in telling now, you know."
But I wouldn't. I did so want to enjoy her astonishment, and, as
well as
the ladies, I had a fancy for seeing her whipped. She was a round,
petite creature, very dark, almost a mulatto (indeed, she was of
West
Indian descent), with a clear, healthy red in her brown cheeks, and
sparkling black eyes. There was a good deal of the negro about her
hair, which was short and frizzy, but very piquant-looking for all
that,
and her skin was the softest and glossiest I ever saw in a brunette.
"What must I wear, Anson?" she asked me when she had read the
letter.
59
"Well, Miss, the less the better when you first go down; you can put
on
what you like after you have been admitted: the ladies mostly wear
fancy costumes."
"The less the better, eh?" she said, with a merry twinkle of her
black
eyes. "Well, Anson, I have been in countries where ladies consider a
necklace and a nose-ring the extreme of full dress for the finest
court
ceremonial. Is that the style of costume you would recommend?"
"Well, not exactly, Miss," I replied laughing. "But it is a style
that has
its recommendations, for all that."
"H'm! I think I understand," she said; "but I don't mean to adopt it
on
this occasion. I know more than you think for about St. Bridget and
her
votaries, and I'll wear a suitable costume, never fear."
"You don't know everything," I thought to myself, as I left the
room,
laughing to think of the fright that awaited the young lady, if no
hitch
happened to mar the programme laid down for the evening. Madlle. St.
Kitts was very rich, and thought nothing of expense, and towards
evening she sent for me again.
"Will you dress me, Anson," she asked, "when your lady has done with
you? It won't take you long, and I don't choose my maid to know
anything about it I've found a dress, and if I don't astonish your
ladies
as much as they mean to astonish me, my name's not Hilda."
Of course my lady gave me leave, and about eight o'clock I went to
her dressing-room. There, laid out on the couch, was an exquisite
tunic
of amber satin, spangled and embroidered with silver and blue, and a
pair of sandals to match; a cupid's dress, in short, evidently made
for a
fancy ball.
"Will that do?" she asked. "Minus the stockings, of course: you see,
I
know all about it."
60
I helped to dress her in it, and the effect was very fine. She had
bathed,
and her maid had attired her in a short chemise, exquisitely fine,
and
trimmed with the finest lace, with a narrow blue satin ribbon
running
round the top, and rosettes here and there along the cuche. Her hair
was arranged to produce the best effect her short curls would allow,
and a ribbon of blue and silver was run through it very
artistically: her
maid had evidently good taste, and she looked very bright and
beautiful. As she threw off her soft dressing-gown, and stood with
her
beautiful limbs fully displayed, I could well understand the ladies
wishing to handle their rods in her behalf.
Her complexion was almost as dark as a bronze statue, but shapely as
any Venus that ever was sculptured. Her exquisite little foot rose
at
the instep with the true Arab bend, leaving only the toe and heel to
rest upon the ground, looking almost too small for her childish
stature.
Her ankle was as slim, and her calf as perfect in shape, as any leg
that
ever was modelled by artist or extolled by painter, and the texture
of
her glossy skin was the admiration of all who saw only as much, and
that is not little now-a-days, as ball-room costume shews. It was a
real
pleasure to dress such a dainty bit of Nature's handiwork (such a
contrast as she was to my lady), needing neither powders nor creams
to
improve her complexion, nor any tight shoes or high heels to improve
her thoroughbred little foot.
The soft flesh rose up plump and soft between the straps of the
sandals,
firm and smooth as her round cheeks, and the beautiful leg looked
more beautiful than ever when the high straps, with their glittering
pendants, were clasped round it. Real diamonds glittered in the true
blue rosettes which adorned the front of the sandals, and in the
blue
trimming of the tunic, as well as being worn in a thin line round
her
neck. A prettier Cupid never was seen in fairy extravaganza than
that
girl, with her negro blood, when she was dressed for her initiation
into
the ladies secret club. The tunic reached just to the knee, and had
a
half body of the same colour, which contrasted well with the bright
satin; round her waist was a deep crimson scarf with gold
embroidery,
neither long nor wide, but sufficient to add another well
contrasting
61
colour to the whole. She surveyed herself with a good deal of
satisfaction in the cheval glass when her dress was complete.
"It is a barbarous mixture of colouring," she said. "No civilized
creature
would venture upon it; but I'm only half civilized. I'm ready for
them
now, whenever they like to send."
The ladies were quite ready, and I was soon summoned to my place:
my costume for that evening was in the Watteau style, only plainer
than the ladies -chintz and delaine taking the place of their silks
and
satins. My lady, in her footman's costume of blue and gold, and her
powdered wig, looked so like a man that I quite started when I
entered
the room, although I had helped her to put it on. Gustave assisted
at
my toilette; the Princesses liked to have him at hers, and she
sometimes
complained that he was awkward, so I took him to my room to
practise.
I taught him how to put everything on, to fasten hooks and buttons,
to
hold a hand-glass, to tie sandals, and everything I could think of.
My
lady told me to choose a pair of garters for this evening from a box
which had come from Paris for her, as my Watteau skirt was short,
and I
made him try them all on for me. You have no idea what beautiful
things some of them were; velvet and satin, with mottoes and flowers
embroidered on them in gold and silver, and rosettes, with real gems
in
them, and long fringed ends hanging down a couple of inches or so.
I chose a ruby and silver pair embroidered with fleur-de-lis, and he
put them on for me, telling me he was sure none of the ladies could
show a prettier leg than me, and, indeed, I think he is right: I
always
garter above the knee, and that is one secret of keeping the leg a
good
shape; your knee loses its roundness if the garter is below it. I
think
Gustave half guessed what was going on in the tabagie; and, indeed,
the Princesses once proposed that they should admit him, and make
use of him, but the ladies were afraid that he would not hold his
tongue. I think he would; he knew the worth of his place. His
mistress
dressed him magnificently; he had suits for every possible
occasion-for
walking, for riding, for waiting on his lady at her toilette, and
for being
in attendance in the evening. For her dressing-room he had a loose
suit
62
of white cashmere trimmed with crimson, and a crimson sash-a sort of
Greek dress in which he looked lovely; and when the other ladies
borrowed him, as they very often did, they liked to see him in it.
It was
soft and colourless and did not clash with their magnificent
toilettes.
As for the demure little Mme. Hautville, she was continually having
him in her room, and would have him help to dress her from the very
beginning; he told me one day that he had seen her in her bath. She
was a most luxurious little lady; her bath was lined with
magnificently
painted porcelain, and the room panelled with looking-glass, and
hung with dark blue silk, which contrasted finely with her fair
complexion and golden hair. She was fond of seeing herself reflected
endlessly in the mirrors, and would dally in the water like a
mermaid,
splashing the scented drops about like a pleased child. She was the
veriest little hypocrite that ever breathed, with her piety and her
prayers. But all this is not to the purpose: I was going to tell you
about
Madlle. St. Kitts' initiation; I shall have to hold it over till
next time.
Till then, believe me.
Your sincere friend,
M. ANSON.
PS: My lady is gone out with the Count and Mrs. D--, so that I have
a
bit more time to myself. I've been looking over your letter, and I
see I
haven't answered your question about Lady C-'s queer maid,
Stephens. Who was she? you ask; and did you ever know her? Well, I
don't think you ever did, and 'tisn't much of a treat to know her
now, for
she's a cross-grained old thing, in a general way. We got at her
story
quite by accident; we were talking about whipping one night over the
fire, and she said-
"I told my mistress I never had anything to do with the rod till I
came
to her, but that was a fib; I helped at a fine flogging once."
63
"Oh, tell us about it," Fifine said. "Who was flogged, and who did
it?"
"It was our ballet master at the Theatre Royal."
"The what?" said Fifine, opening her round eyes till they nearly
cracked, and staring at Stephens as though she were a ghost.
"The theatre," she replied composedly. "I wasn't always old and
ugly,
Mademoiselle, and there was a time when I could dance with the best;
I
was in the ballet there."
Fifine's astonishment was ludicrous to behold, and Stephens went
on,-
"Would you like to know what I was like in those days? I can shew
you; I kept my portrait, not from any vanity, for it is not pleasant
to look
at the ghost of your youth, but for other reasons."
She went off to her room, and presently came back with a miniature,
painted heaven knows how long ago, of a very passable-looking girl
in
ballet costume.
"That was me," she said, "though you mightn't think it; and it was
while
I was engaged at Z-that I first felt the whip. It was the custom in
the
German theatres then, and may be now for aught I can tell, for the
ballet master to have the entire control of the ladies in his
department,
and pretty strict he had to be, I can tell you. The Grand Duke was
very
particular about the ballet, and would detect the slightest
inaccuracy
in the dancing, or the least speck upon our tights or skirts. No
expense
was spared upon our costume, and every night, when we were dressed,
we were passed in review before the manager and the ballet master,
to
see that we were properly attired.
The latter used to hold a private inspection of his own first, and
this we
specially hated, the English girls particularly, who were not used
to
that kind of surveillance. He carried a rod, a little thin thing
that cut
unmercifully, and if he saw the slightest spot or crimple, switch it
64
would come across our legs or hips, making us jump and smart for
long
enough after. One evening he was peculiarly aggravating-hardly one
of us escaped a cut; he had us up before his chair, one by one, and
inspected our head-dress, our ornaments, our skirts, shoes,
everything.
Then would come the order "Raise your skirts, Mademoiselle;" and up
they had to go, till he could see every bit of our tights right up
to our
waists. There were no. drawers and tacked petticoats as are worn in
England; nothing but the bare silk, which was of the very best, and
looked thoroughly glossy and good. He was out of temper that night,
and no one got off scot free. One or two of us he slapped with his
hand,
and I was one of them. He declared that the seams of my tights were
crooked, and gave me a sounding slap; the girls tittered, and I
sprang
back, hardly understanding a word of what he said to me, when he
pulled me across his knee, just as if I had been a child, and beat
me
with his broad fat hand till I hardly knew what I was doing. It was
lucky for me that I had time to recover myself a little, or I should
have
got a reprimand from the manager for being flurried.
It was no use complaining; the ballet master was omnipotent in his
department; but we resolved to have our revenge, and laid our plans
accordingly. The next day was an off day at the theatre, but we had
to
be there for some trifling practice, and we knew the place would be
clear of all but ourselves. We behaved with the utmost discretion,
and
went through our work "like angels," he was pleased to say. After it
was over he went into the green-room, and stood there for a minute
or
two alone. Now was our opportunity, and we seized it; two of the
biggest and bravest amongst us stole in behind him, and flung a
thick
cloak over his head and face; he was a little man, and we were more
than a match for him when once his eyes were blinded. In a very
little
while we had him blindfolded and hand-fast on the floor, writhing
and
howling, as only Frenchmen can, for mercy. He knew perfectly well
who we were, but, of course, could identify no one in particular,
and he
alternately implored and threatened in the most comical manner.
First
he would call us "his angels" and declare lie would never touch one
of
us again as long as he lived, and then we were little devils, and
oh, how
65
he would be revenged! I don't think he really knew what we were
going to do till he felt our hands unfastening his clothes, and then
it
was all we could do, between our own merriment and his struggles, to
get him prepared for the punishment we intended for him.
At last we managed it, and got him pulled across a chair, and held
tight down ready for the rod. And didn't we whip him } We had a
lissom whip just like his own, and it passed from hand to hand with
a
will. We laid it on his yellow skinny, hips till we were as tired
with
laughing and whipping as he was with struggling and shrieking. We
left him there writhing and smarting, to recover himself as be
could,
and went home. At night he had to call upon the manager, but sent an
excuse saying he was ill, and the next day at rehearsal he was
singularly stiff and awkward in his movements. "He had met with a
slight accident" was the story he told, and though every one in the
theatre knew the real state of the case, they were obliged to listen
gravely. It did him good, and he pocketed the affront, and we girls
came off better for having had spirit enough to resent his
ill-tempered
chastisements. And that was where I first saw the rod used, girls;
and it
wasn't yesterday, I can tell you."
"I should think not," said Fifine, wickedly, when Stephens was gone.
"It
must have been a good many yesterdays ago: to think of that old crab
ever having been anything so wicked as a ballet girl!"
I haven't time to tell you anything about Fifine this time; I'll do
it in my
next. She chatters away without any reserve about her experiences,
and they have been funny ones. Good bye for the present, and mind
you write soon to your affectionate,
M. ANSON.
66
LETTER 7
THE WHIPPING OF CUPID
MY DEAR MARION,
I can guess how impatiently you have waited for the rest of my story
about Madlle. St. Kitts, and how she fared with the Order of St.
Bridget
The Watteau dresses were a great success, but they were obliged to
abandon the idea of half the ladies dressing as gentlemen for want
of
sufficient costumes of the style required; but they made up for it
by the
variety of colours, and the piquancy of their costumes.
Lady C-, old and ugly as she was, really looked handsome as she took
her seat. She wore a tuck-up skirt of rich green satin over a
crimson
brocade skirt, and her hair was dressed and powdered under a hat of
white chip, trimmed with crimson roses and green ribbons. Mrs. D-'s
costume was dark blue over a maize skirt, which suited the Saxon
style
of her features and the colour of her hair exactly. But the greatest
success was the two footmen, who stood, with the utmost gravity, on
each side of the dais. They were both tall women, so that they
looked
middle-sized men, and their costume was perfect- high-heeled
buckled shoes, silk stockings, white knee-breeches and waistcoats,
and
blue coats edged with gold cord, and immense gold shoulder knots and
tags. They wore white wigs, and looked a very well-matched pair of
aristocratic footmen. The taste of the Princesses in her liveries
was
everywhere remarked-they were thoroughly distinguished looking,
without being in the least gaudy. As for the little lady herself, it
was
her freak to appear as a page, and, in a suit of claret-coloured
velvet,
with sugar-loaf silver buttons, she looked the very incarnation of
mischievous impertinence. Her dark hair was parted on one side, and
rolled up into boyish-looking curls, and her tiny feet were encased
in
patent leather hotlines of exquisite fit and shape. Her entrance
caused
a burst of laughter and applause; indeed, some of the ladies
started,
half afraid there had been some mistake, and that a boy had actually
got into the room. When the laughter and applause were over, and the
ladies had sufficiently admired each others' dresses, they settled
down
67
into their places, and Lady C-gave the command that Madlle. St.
Kitts
should be fetched. The Princesses maid, who always attended outside
the door, was despatched to bring her down, and Mrs. D-went out into
the anteroom to receive her.
"I hope she'll enjoy it," muttered Stephens to me, grimly, as we
stood
waiting out orders; "it will cure her of curiosity for some time I
fancy."
Stephens never could get over the whipping she had received, and the
chance of touching anyone else with the whip was a real delight to
her.
The ceremonial of the young lady's introduction was to be a special
one, and I noticed the ladies handled their rods, which had been all
freshly tied and trimmed, very affectionately, while they waited for
this new object for their use. When Mrs. D-led the young girl into
the
room blind-folded, after the question "Who goes there?" a murmur of
admiration greeted her appearance in her fantastic but becoming
costume. There wasn't a bit of timidity about her: she thought she
knew
what she had to encounter, but it proved a mistake: she answered
gaily
enough to the questions put to her.
"Are you prepared to join heartily in the ceremonies of the Merry
Order of St. Bridget, and, to further, to the best of your power,
the
amusement and pleasure of the meetings of the sisters thereof?"
"I am."
"Are you willing to swear never to reveal aught that you see, hear,
or
do in this room, now and hereafter?"
"I am."
Then followed the same questions which were put to me, and then
Lady C-said, "Swear her." I had not been sworn, but I knew the
ladies
had gone through some form of taking an oath. A rod was put into
Mademoiselle's hand, and, repeating after Lady C-, she said-" I,
Geraldine Hilda St. Kitts, candidate for admission into the Merry
68
Order of St. Bridget, hereby swear to hold myself bound by all its
rules,
and to submit to all penalties imposed upon me by it. I solemnly
bind
myself to answer any questions put to me by the president of the
society, and never to reveal anything which passes at its meetings.
I
swear this by all the hopes I have of a good marriage and a
prosperous
and happy future, and, in token of my sincerity, I am ready to
submit to
whatever ceremony of initiation the sisters may deem necessary."
"Good," said Lady C-; "prepare her."
It was very little trouble to do that-only to fasten up the short
tunic to
her shoulders, and her beautiful figure was fully revealed. I saw
the
ladies look at her rounded hips and finely shaped legs with longing
eyes, and, indeed, there was a pleasure in having such a firm smooth
skin to lay the rod upon. She never flinched or shuddered, only
saying
to Lady C-, "Madame, is it against the rules to let me see?"
"Quite," was the only reply, and then came the word "Advance."
That she was hardly prepared for the first blow I could see, though
she
did not scream, but bit her rosy Up hard to keep down any sound,
and,
as lash after lash fell with varied force upon her firm round hips,
she
writhed and twisted, but managed to suppress any cry. When we had
reached the president's chair, instead of making her kneel over the
ottoman, I was ordered to advance and unpin the tunic, letting it
down
for a little while, and, still blindfolded, she was ordered to
kneel.
"Madlle. St. Kitts will now tell the sisters of the Order how she
found
out anything about them," the president said, and there was a
general
titter. Mademoiselle was silent.
"She has taken the oath, and she will keep it," Lady C-went on.
"I will," replied the girl, trying hard to keep her voice from
quivering.
"At the back of the president's chair, under the hangings, there is
a
large closet; I was in there the whole of the first meeting of the
society."
69
The first meeting! the one at which I had been initiated, and poor
Stephens whipped. She doubtless remembered the way in which she
had struggled and kicked, for I heard her mutter, under her breath,
"The little viper." That particular evening Madlle St. Kitts had
been
reported ill with a bad headache; some of the ladies had marked her
absence from the drawing-room. and enquired for her.
"I locked that closet myself in the afternoon," Lady C-said.
"I unlocked it afterwards, and got in."
"With what key?"
"The key of my dressing-room door-the lock is a common one."
Lady C-looked angry, the other ladies amused, and the president
went on.
"You saw everything?"
"Everything! The admission of the two ladies-maids, and the taking
of
the oath I have just sworn myself."
"Geraldine Hilda St. Kitts, you have acted the part of a traitor and
a
spy! Have you revealed to anyone what you saw on that night.?"
"To no one."
"You are an orphan?"
"Yes."
"From whence?"
"From the Island of Cuba, in the West Indies, staying here, and
travelling under the protection of my aunt, Madlle. Loupe."
70
"Have you ever, except on the night you speak of, witnessed the
discipline of the rod being administered?"
"I have."
"Ever suffered it?"
"Yes!"
"Where?'
"At my father's estate of St. Kitts, in Cuba, where I practised it,
with his
permission, and my mother's, when a child."
"And you like it?"
"I do, and wish to see more of the practice, under the auspices of
the
Merry Order of St. Bridget."
I was ordered to the dais, to see that there was no one in the
closet she
spoke of-a ceremony which was never afterwards omitted-and I found
that anyone inside could see very well all that was passing in the
room,
and Madlle. St. Kitts must have had an edifying example of the way
in
which elderly ladies and virtuous matrons could amuse themselves
when they fancied themselves unseen by younger eyes.
"Will Mademoiselle tell the sisters of the Order why she kept their
secret? Young ladies are generally prompt to gossip."
The girl's answer came quick and decisive to this question -
"Because I wanted to join the Order, and I knew that once talked
about it would be at an end. No young lady under the control of a
mother would have kept the secret."
"Then you confess to a passion for the rod, Mademoiselle?"
71
"I do."
"And will submit to whatever punishment the sisters choose to
inflict
for the crime of secretly watching their proceedings?"
"I will!"
"Unquestioning and unmurmuring?"
Madlle. St. Kitts bowed, and Lady C-beckoned me, and bade me
prepare her once more for the rod. "What, more whipping!" she
muttered in a low tone; but she made no remonstrance nor attempt to
resist.
"Jenkins, step forward, Lady C- said, in an authoritative tone, and
my
lady advanced to the front of the dais and bowed in such a
footmanlike
manner, that the rest of the ladies tittered till rebuked by the
president.
"The business is serious, Mesdames," she said, "may I beg you will
be
silent."
Madlle. St. Kitts started at the call for "Jenkins;" it was an
unfamiliar
name to her, and she was at a loss what to make of it. By this time
I had
again pinned up her dress, and, in obedience to an order from Lady
C-,
I made her step up upon the stool, over which I had leaned to be
whipped. "Jenkins" came and stood in front of her, and the pretty
tawny arms were guided round the neck of the supposed footman, who
held them tight A dexterous movement of the other gentleman in
plush gave Mademoiselle a hoist up, and in an instant her ankles
were
secured by a soft silk scarf, and there she was, powerless. For a
moment
or two she took it all in good part (she had been horsed before, she
told
my lady afterwards), but it was only for a moment. She felt the
cloth
and buttons, and her chin rested on the horse-hair wig, with its
black
bag; it was a man whose back she was hoisted on, and she gave a loud
scream.
72
"A man!" she cried: "Let me go! It is shameful! I will complain to
the
Count, and let him know what goes on in his house. Let me go, I say
I "
If the ladies had tittered before, they laughed out now and peal
after
peal rang through the room at Mademoiselle's unavailing struggles
and impotent screams. It was as much as Stephens and myself could do
to hold her in position, and it was some time before Lady C-'s voice
could be heard through the tumult.
Madlle. St. Kitts has promised to obey our Merry Order in
everything.
Ladies, to your places, if you please. Jenkins, are you ready?"
"I am," replied Jenkins, in a voice which contended with muffled
laughter, and the foreman horsing the young lady planted herself
firmly in front of the dais, and every lady in turn went forward and
administered a couple of strokes with the rod. They did this with
great
precision, so that the blows had the effect of freemason's claps,
and if
Mademoiselle had borne the preliminary castigation bravely, she did
not bear this so well. Half hysterical from fright and indignation,
she
struggled and screamed till she was breathless, so that when she was
released from the grasp of the footman, she could only roll on the
floor
and gasp. After a moment or two the order came to unbind her eyes,
and, to her horror, she found herself face to face with two footmen
and
a page. Overcome with shame she covered her face with her hands,
and the president made a sign for the two supposed men to retire;
then,
addressing Madlle. St. Kitts, she said-
"Now you know, Mademoiselle, the penalty that awaits any improper
spying into the affairs of our Order, and what you will subject any
young lady to in whom you may, by hints or otherwise, excite an
undue
curiosity respecting it."
She then declared Geraldine Hilda St. Kitts a member of the Merry
Order of St. Bridget, and I was allowed to take the poor girl away.
Nor
was it till the next meeting that she was undeceived about the
footmen. She kept the secret capitally; not one of the young ladies
73
could get anything out of her; and as for the cupboard, Lady C- made
it impossible for anyone to make a spying-place of that, by having
the
door taken away. Mademoiselle was not able to appear again that
night: her punishment had been much more severe than that of the
Princess, and she was glad to bathe and go to bed. I went down as
quickly as I could, and found Fifine scuffling with some one in the
dark
anteroom.
"You shan't!" I heard her say. "You wicked, spying little wretch,
come
out!"
"What is it?" I asked her, going in, and blinking with the sudden
cessation of the light.
"It is that horrid little Gustave. I turned my back for a moment,
and
there he was, trying the keyhole of the door; if any of the ladies
were to
come out, they would lay the blame on me."
The fact was, Gustave had found out that his mistress had donned a
suit which had been ordered for him; and his curiosity being great
to
see what she did in it, he had crept downstairs, and finding Fifine
absent from her post for a moment, had applied his eye to the
keyhole
of the tabagie door, to try and see what went on within. Being
caught
by the lively French girl, she had pulled his hair and slapped his
face,
which led to the scuffle I had interrupted. I only made matters
worse,
for, when I touched him, he howled, and was heard inside. Stephens
was sent out, and reported what the disturbance was about: and an
order came out to blindfold Master Gustave and tie his hands. It was
easier said than done; it took the whole three of us to do it, and
when it
was done, he sat down on the floor like a lump of lead.
Mrs. D-came out and ordered us to bring him in, and we had to carry
him and drop him just inside the door. He could not get the bandage
off his eyes nor untie his hands, but he made himself as heavy and
awkward as he could, and it was as much as we could do even to turn
74
him over. In vain Lady C- bid him stand up; he wouldn't stir; and at
last
we carried him to the ottoman and laid him across it.
In a twinkling his clothes were down and his shirt pinned up, and a
sound whipping administered to him. every lady taking part therein.
How he did bowl and struggle to be sure, and how the ladies laughed
I
None of them spoke, so that he did not know who his tormentors were,
and all his struggles did not avail to free his hands and eyes. Lady
Cmade
him tell how he found out his lady had put on his costume, and
he gasped out that he had been behind the window curtain of her
dressing-room, and saw her put it on. Luckily, Fifine was present,
so she
had not talked about St. Bridget, or revealed any of their secrets.
When the ladies had whipped him to their hearts' content, we were
ordered to take him away, which we did, depositing him on the floor
in
the lavatory, which was pitch dark, and locking him in. No one could
hear him there, and when he was released an hour afterwards, the
tabagie was empty; no trace of the ceremonies or the sisterhood was
to
be seen; and he could make nothing of his adventure. He tried with
might and main to get something out of me (Fifine knew nothing, so
she
could not tell), but it was no use; for I wasn't going to break my
word for
his vagaries, and I held my tongue. He got nothing by his curiosity
but
a good whipping, and it did him good; he was as demure again for
several days after, though he would make saucy speeches to me about
what he guessed.
"I'll find out yet," he said to me one day; "see if I don't; I'll
come down
quietly, and strangle Fifine, and then I'll take her place and get
in."
"Fifine never gets in," I retorted.
"Then I'll strangle you," he said; "it's all the same; I'm not going
to be
whipped like that without knowing something in exchange."
But, my dear, he never did find out The Princess told him the next
time
he dared to come near the tabagie, she would turn him out into his
rags
and dirt again within an hour, and he knew her well enough to know
75
she would keep her word. But I must leave off now. Ill tell you all
about
Mme. Hautville's installation in my next-Believe me,
Yours truly,
M. ANSON.
P.S.-
Our ladies are all in solemn conclave this morning in Mrs. D's
rooms,
and we are at liberty till they ring for us. I don't think anything
to do
with the Order of St. Bridget is the subject of their discussion,
but I
shall be sure to hear about it, whatever it is; my lady couldn't
keep
anything from me, if she tried ever so. However, it has given us an
hour
or so to ourselves, and I can scribble a bit more to you. I really
am very
happy here on the whole, and Fifine, whom you were asking about, is
a
nice, cheerful little thing. I am sorry she is not in the secret of
the
tabagie meetings, for I am sure she guesses about it; and, more than
that, she has been used to whip and be whipped before she was a
lady's
maid. With all her frankness and bonhomie, she has been tolerably
reserved about herself; and it was only by accident, the other day,
that
I discovered what her history had been, for she has a story, and a
grave
one, butterfly little creature as she seems. One day lately, I
noticed
that she seemed very absent and distressed- frightened, as it seemed
to
me; but she declared there was nothing the matter with her. Our
ladies
were going to a grand party in Tours that evening, and Fifine seemed
terribly anxious to get rid of Gustave and myself as the evening
wore
on. I fancied, naturally enough, that she had some quiet flirtation
on
hand, and, as I never like my own sport spoiled, I went out, taking
the
boy with me. We returned somewhere about eleven o'clock, and went
straight up to our rooms. Outside the door we paused, for
unmistakable
sounds of sobbing mingled with the familiar swishing of the rod,
were
plainly to be heard. It was Fifine's voice, and for a moment we
imagined that the Princess had come back, and was punishing her
maid for some real or fancied fault. I felt sure that could not be,
however, and I tried the door; it was locked, and Fifine's voice
exclaimed in terror, 'o There's someone at the door! Let me go!"
76
A harsh, dissonant voice (a man's) replied, with a vicious chuckle-
"Let you go my angel! What, just as I have recovered my lost
treasure!
No! let them come in, and see how naughty children are punished
when they rebel against lawful authority."
He laid a wicked stress upon the "lawful;" and Stephens who had come
up, seeing us standing at the door, started back.
"I know that voice," she said. "Where did he come from?"
"Who is it?" I asked.
"One of the greatest scoundrels unhung, I think," she replied. "A
fellow that got into good society in Paris through lies and
effrontery; he
got kicked out of the drawing room, and then tried to ingratiate
himself downstairs. His name is Barbel, and he once wanted to marry
me."
"Oh my!" ejaculated Gustave, under his breath.
"Not for my good looks, you monkey, but for a bit of money I'd
saved.
Luckily, I found out in time that he had a wife somewhere, though he
himself did not know where. Here, Mons. Barbel, open that door," she
added, calling through the keyhole.
"Ah, that voice!" exclaimed the man within.
"Certainly, my charming Mademoiselle, whom I have the happiness to
recognise. Come in, and assist at a conjugal tête-à-tête.
He came tripping across the room as he spoke, and flung the door
open, admitting us to a somewhat odd scene. Fifine was tied across a
heavy chair in the middle of the room, crying as if her heart would
break, her clothes turned up with the utmost precision, while the
ugliest old man I ever saw was administering a whipping, which had
77
already been severe, judging from the state of her hips and her
tearstained and swollen face.
"You nasty brute, let her go I" exclaimed Gustave, springing to her
side, and beginning to unfasten the handkerchiefs with which she was
secured, while Stephens poured out the full measure of her wrath
upon
his head, calling him all the names she could think of, and shaking
her
fist at him in scorn and anger.
"Pardon, ladies; softly, young sir!" he said with an odious leer.
"Shall
not a man do what he likes with his own? This lady is my runaway
wife,
my chattel, my goods; and who shall forbid my chastising her when I
find her."
Gustave and I were so petrified with astonishment that we could only
stare at him, but Stephens came to the rescue with tact and skill.
"Of course you can have your wife," she said, "and whip her twenty
times a day if you like; but not in another lady's rooms. This
apartment
is Miss Anson's, and I see she does not much fancy your company in
it.
Will you favour me by coming to mine?"
"Oh, never mind your wife!" Stephens went on. "You've hindered her
from running away for to-night at least; a glass of wine would be no
bad thing after your exertions; "and so speaking, she actually
walked
him off, leaving us alone with Fifine, who seemed almost beside
herself
with fright. We soothed and comforted her as well as we could, and
when she was calm enough to speak, we asked her if it was true.
"Yes," she said, through her tears; "quite true. I am his wife,
heaven
help me! but I hoped I should never see him again;" and then, bit by
bit,
her story came out. I fancy a good many French girls could tell the
same if we only knew. Fifine was by no means a lowly born girl; she
came of a good family, though poor. Her parents died, leaving her a
little money, and she was placed in a convent, from whence she was
taken by her guardian, at the age of sixteen, to be given in
marriage to
78
the man whom Stephens had called Barbel. That he was old, ugly, and
dissipated, mattered nothing; he was the man chosen for her, and, as
these things are always arranged in France, she took him, doubtless
hoping that she should shake down into her new life, as hundreds of
women do, without feeling her position too acutely. She reckoned
without her host, however; she was tied to a man without sense of
honour or decency; and after being outraged as only such brutes can
outrage helpless women, she fled from him and threw herself upon the
mercy of the Princess Z-, whose husband had known her father. That
lady listened to her pitiful story, and took means to ascertain its
truth,
and finally allowed the poor wife, under an assumed name, to become
her attendant.
"And I should be so happy," she sobbed, when she had told us all,
"but
for him; this is the second time he has found me, and no one but the
Prince has influence over him to keep him away, and he is so far
off."
We asked her how he got in, and she said she met him on the previous
evening, when he had announced his intention of coming, and
declared he would claim her publicly if she did not admit him.
"And oh I" she added, in a terrified voice, "I don't know how to
tell you,
but things are not safe where he is; he has been in prison once,
and-
She burst into such passionate tears that our hearts ached to see
her.
"We'll get rid of him somehow," Gustave said, encouragingly.
"Stephens won't let him go blabbing - she knows him, she said; he
made love to her in Paris."
"Go and see what has become of him," I said; and Gustave went, and
presently reappeared, saying, "It's all right; stop with Fifine-my
assistance is wanted yonder."
He stayed away about an hour, and then they both came back.
Stephens had taken him to her room, and made him drunk!
79
"It was the only thing," she said grimly; "nobody would suspect me
of
an intrigue, and he must be got rid of. When the Princess comes home
we will tell her." We did, and she entered fully into Fifine's
tribulation.
"He must be turned out of course," she said-" the brute; and I think
I
can make him hold his tongue; in the meantime I leave him to you."
We took the hint, and, after seeing Fifine and her mistress to bed,
we
three went into Stephens' room, and when M. Barbel woke up out of
his
drunken sleep, it was to feel the smartest cuts that our rods could
give
him. We had fastened him as he had fastened his poor little wife,
and
I'll answer for him it would be a long time before he'd forget what
sort
of a whipping two women could give him. When we had done, I gave
him a message from the Princess, to the effect that, if ever he
molested
Fifine again, while she was with her, instant arrest would be his
portion.
He understood, though we did not, and became abjectly humble, and
declared his willingness to depart at once. We let him go, and he
slunk
off; but his adventures did not end here: one of the men recognised
him,
as he was going out of the house, as a fellow who had swindled him
in
Paris, and administered summary justice on the spot in the shape of
a
good kicking. Poor Fifine looks very pale and distrait, but she will
soon
recover her spirits, for he is safe for some time: the very day
after he left
Tours he was arrested for forgery and robbery, and lies awaiting his
trial. It would be no loss to society if they sent him to the
galleys for
life-the monster!
To think of little Fifine having such a story belonging to her!"
Still
waters run deep." There's my lady calling: now I shall hear what the
discussion has been about. It is sure to be something to make more
toilet work for us girls. Good-bye till I write again, which won't
be long.
Ever your affectionate,
M. ANSON
80
LETTER 8
THE WOMAN IN WHITE
MY DEAR MARION,
I promised to tell you about the installation of Mme. Hautville to a
place in the Order of St. Bridget. It took place at the very next
meeting
after I had caught Gustave and he had been whipped. There was
nothing new to be done-whipping is whipping, and nothing can make
it different. But the ladies resolved to have something fresh about
it,
and agreed, that instead of all having the orthodox rods they should
have, as many kinds of instruments of punishment as they could think
of; thus, one lady should use a slipper; another a birch, tightly
tied;
another a loosely-fastened rod, and so on. Mrs. D- declared for
nothing
at all: she would use the palm of her hand only, she said, "and if I
don't
make as much impression as any of you," she added, wickedly, "why I
have forgotten my practice, that's all."
Mme. Hautville made a very pretty toilette for the occasion; she was
all in white, not a penitent like the Princess had been for her
admission,
but in the costume of a novice when she takes the veil. The dress
had
been considerably modified as being too flowing for the occasion,
but
it was all white silk and lace, and a lovely little angel she looked
when
it was completed. From head to foot she had nothing on that was not
pure white. White satin shoes, with diamonds sparkling on the
rosettes;
white silk stockings, gartered above her round knees with white
velvet
garters, with satin rosettes,; white petticoats-one of the finest
flannel,
embroidered with lilies, and one of soft lawn, with a lace flounce.
Her
robe was silk, the soft noiseless sort that does not rustle, richly
trimmed
with costly Michelin lace, and over her head she had a square veil.
She had Gustave in to assist at her toilette, and allowed him to put
on
her exquisite stockings, and fasten her garters and shoes. I could
see the
delight the mischievous rogue felt in doing it; his face flushed,
and his
hands trembled so that he could hardly clasp the silver fastenings.
But
Madame never minded him a bit; she seemed rather to like feeling his
81
hands about her, and very nice hands they had grown into by now, I
can assure you. He looked wistfully after her as we escorted her
down
stairs, but he dared not follow this time.
Madame submitted to be blindfolded with a very good grace, though
she tried hard to get me to tell her what was going to be done; she
had
such pretty coaxing ways that it was hard to resist her; but I did,
and
she went in quite unprepared. We led her slowly up the room, and at
the first stroke of the rod, nearest the door, she winced, but did
not cry
out; the next blow she received was a stinging one from a slipper my
lady held in her hand (she knows how to strike with a shoe, I can
tell
you), and she gave a little scream and a jump. "Oh, what is it?" she
said,
between her teeth; but the next stroke, a fair open-handed slap from
Mrs. D-'s fat hand, made her fairly shriek out, and twist herself
out of
our grasp on to the floor. It was a slap, and rang out even above
the
laughter of the ladies, leaving a broad red mark on the white, firm
flesh of the little lady.
"Stop punishment!" said Lady C- from her dais; "the applicant will
answer the questions of the Merry Order before she is further
whipped."
We led her to the ottoman, and she knelt over it.
"Angelina Marie Hautville," she went on, "you promise to obey the
Merry Order of St. Bridget in all things pertaining to their rites?"
"I do."
" And to answer all questioning from their president?"
"I do."-o
"You are accustomed to the practice of the rod?"
"I am."
82
"And have a passion for it?"
Mme. Hautville bowed, but made no answer.
"Your husband joins you in the practice?"
Another mute bow, and the fair face turned fiery red, no doubt at
the
thought of that same private practice, and how it must have been
seen
by some one.
"Slate to the Merry Order how you became acquainted with the use of
the whip, and whether you or Mons. Hautville was the first to
introduce its pleasures into your married life?"
Again she blushed, and did not immediately speak; and Lady Crepeated
her question, when she replied in a low tone, "I was."
"You first taught your husband to find pleasure in whipping?"
"I did."
"And where did you learn it yourself?"
"In the convent where I was brought up."
"Was it practised there as a punishment only, or as a pleasure as
well?"
"Both-as a punishment by the sisters and priests, and as a pleasure
by
the girls of the convent school, who learned the use of the rod from
their superiors."
"You have not told your husband of our meeting and your intentions?"
"I have not."
83
"And you will not?"
There was a difficulty in the answer to this question. Mme.
Hautville
would say no more than "Not if I can help it," which caused much
laughter and some consternation, though the ladies agreed amongst
themselves, that as M. Hautville practised whipping himself he would
not be likely to say anything even if his wife did let the secret
out.
Whether she did or not, he held his tongue; and I heard my lady
remark that he was exceedingly attentive to and careful of her the
next day, when she kept her room. The whipping she got was a pretty
severe one; the different kinds of instruments used made the
punishment harder to bear than the continuous stroke of a single
rod,
and her poor hips were all weals and bruises. When I took her away
to
her room Madlle. St. Kitts went with her, and remained in her rooms;
she and that lively young lady took a fancy to one another at once,
and
Mademoiselle sympathised with her in her sufferings. Madlle. St.
Kitts
was an orphan, or she would never have been admitted. She was
staying at the chateau under the protection of her aunt, Madlle
Loupe,
one of the before-mentioned old maids, a cross, strait-laced
creature,
but quite powerless to control the wayward girl, who was to all
intents
and purposes her own mistress. She lectured her severely upon her
joining "those women," as she called the ladies, and vowed she would
make the Count put an end to their secret meetings.
"The Count would be only too glad to join us, aunty," she replied;
and
indeed, when Madlle. Loupe spoke to Mm indignantly about the
proceedings of the tabagie, he replied, "That so far from trying to
stop
the amusements of his guests, he intended to apply for admittance to
their meetings himself, for he was sure that what ladies could keep
secret with such pertinacity must be intensely interesting and
amusing."
Madlle St. Kitts related all this at the next meeting of the
society, to
the amusement and indignation of the sisterhood, and added, that her
aunt was excessively curious about their ceremonies.
84
"I think the best plan would be to enlighten her," said Mrs. D-,
with a
laugh, and she drew her rod through her fingers as she spoke.
"What, admit her!" said lady C-. "I don't think we should find her
an
agreeable associate, nor a silent one either."
"I don't think we should; but we might initiate her for all that:
let her
have a taste of our proceedings and I don't think she would want any
more, or would be likely to go tattling to the Count again. We'll
leave
Madlle. St. Kitts out of the scheme if she likes."
"Oh no! I owe auntie a grudge for many a bit of spite, and if you
don't
serve her worse than you served me I shan't grumble, and she'll be
none
the worse."
"Half the whipping will do, my dear, but I think we can cure her of
curiosity, and complaining too, replied Mrs. D-; and then, rising,
she
begged permission to lay before the meeting a plan of revenge upon
Madlle. Loupe for her ill-will towards the society. It was received
with
much laughter and approbation; and it was resolved that if the lady
shewed any more animosity it should be immediately carried out.
They had not to wait long. The very next day the fair lady again
assailed the Count with a request that he would deprive the ladies
of
the use of the smoking-room, and put down the "disgusting orgies"
held there. The Count repeated her words to my lady, and the sisters
resolved upon instant revenge. When Madlle. Loupe retired that night
to her room she found a note upon her dressing-table, inviting her
to
join the rest of the ladies in the tabagie the next evening. It
further
directed her to knock at the door of the smoking-room at a certain
hour alone, otherwise she would not be admitted. The note concluded
by saying the ladies trusted to be able to convince her of the
complete
harmlessness of the secret society, about which she had so kindly
interested herself. She went to her niece's room in great excitement
to
know who sent the invitation, but Hilda was mute upon the subject.
85
"She had heard the ladies express a wish to have her aunt join
them,"
that was all she could say about it; and Madlle. Loupe passed the
night
and the next day in a state of extreme excitement.
The ladies met that night in their ordinary evening costumes, for
reasons which will presently appear, except the two footmen and the
page, who were on duty beside Lady C-'s chair. The room was almost
in
darkness; the only lights were two candles on the stands at the top
of
the room, and as soon as the knock was heard at the door these were
blown out, leaving us in total darkness. This had been arranged
beforehand,
and the Princess’s maid removed from her post of outside doorkeeper.
Mrs. D-disguised her voice, which she had a knack of doing,
and asked who was there? Madlle. Loupe answered timidly, and was
immediately drawn into the room, and the same voice told her she
must be blindfolded. In the twinkling of eye, and before she could
resist, her hands were pinioned, and an handkerchief tied over her
eyes. While this was being done the candles were lit, and a dozen
hands seized upon the unlucky victim. Struggles were vain-screams of
no avail; indeed, they were lost in the peals of laughter which
resounded on all sides. Madlle. Loupe was prepared, horsed, firmly
held on the back of one of the footmen, and soundly whipped.
To describe her appearance would be vain. Fancy a scraggy, sallow
woman, with skin like parchment, and a coiffure composed mainly of
false hair, which loosened itself in her struggles and kept tumbling
off;
and a shrill voice, which now and then raised itself above the
general
tumult in a sharp squeal, which was more temper than pain, for the
ladies laughed too much to make their blows very hard. A very few
minutes sufficed to give each of them an opportunity to use their
rods,
and then one by one they glided silently from the room. The pins
which
held up her dress were taken out, and the bandage over her eyes
loosened, and she slid to the ground to find herself alone with two
men
and a page. They stooped over her with well-acted surprise, but she
shrieked and hid her face.
86
"Men, too!" she screamed. "Oh I oh! go away; it only wanted that to
complete their wickedness. Go away, I tell you! how dare you come
here? send my maid you wretches-Madlle. Loupe's maid-oh, oh!
they've murdered me."
She was wasting her lamentations on the empty air, and when she
looked up again she was alone. There was the empty room, not a trace
of any occupancy remaining, and she rolled over again on the couch
bewailing her smarts and the way she had been tricked. She must have
lain there some time, when, getting a little calmer, she sat up upon
the
couch and confronted a man gazing at her, no less a person than the
Count's valet, a very fine gentleman indeed, who had been passing
near the tabagie, and, attracted by unusual sounds, had entered, and
was surveying Madlle. Loupe's disarranged dress and disordered
coiffure with mingled admiration and astonishment.
"Another man!" she shrieked. "Are you one of them? Are you leagued
with the wretched women who meet here and indulge in such
abominable practices? I have been-" she stopped suddenly, and said,
"insulted, outraged in this room, and I will have reparation."
"There is no one here but Mademoiselle," the man replied, puzzled;
"the ladies are in the drawing-room; there has been no meeting in
the
tabagie to-night."
"No meeting! Do you dare to stand there and tell me that when I-?
Ah!
I see you are one of them; perhaps one of the vile men who was here
just now, hired by those women to insult me."
"I will send Mademoiselle's maid to her," was all the reply he
condescended to make to her, and walked off to the drawing-room,
where, after a little delay, he was able to speak to his master, and
tell
him that Madlle. Loupe had gone mad in the smoking-room.
87
"Is it a secret, Count?" asked the Princess, who had dressed and was
moving about the room, delicately lovely in a pale primrose-coloured
dress. "Your face looks interesting."
"Does it? It was a serious piece of news Andrea brought me, I can
assure you; he says Madlle. Loupe is in the tabagie raving mad. Have
you anything to do with this sudden alteration of her intellects?"
"I have done nothing to produce such a catastrophe as that."
"I strongly suspect your sisterhood, who hold the secret conclaves
yonder, have been practising upon her amiable nature. Ladies, shall
we go and see how far Andrea's dismal tale is true?"
Down in a body went the ladies, with the Count at their head, to
gather round Madlle. Loupe, and question and condole with the
utmost innocence. She spoke out plainly now, declared she had been
shamefully outraged, whipped, and degraded in the presence of his
servants, at a secret meeting of the ladies in the chateau.
"But, my dear madam, there has been no meeting here to-night; the
ladies have given us the pleasure of their society in the
drawing-room,
where we have missed you, I can assure you."
"You have been tricked, and so have I!" she said in a fury. "I tell
you I
was beaten by two men in livery, and a page stood by and looked on;
and I heard the laughter of a room full of people at my sufferings
Count de Floris, if there is law in the land, I will have it!"
"Certainly, my dear madam; if you can point out the offenders, I
will
aid you to the utmost in bringing them to justice."
"Point them out! They are your guests, these women who think nothing
too shameless to indulge in in their vile meetings."
88
"I think we had better retire, Count," said Mrs. D-, with dignity.
"Mademoiselle's malady appears to be one for which a night's rest
will
be the best remedy."
"Dear, dear, how sad!" said the Princess, slyly "I had no idea of
anything of that sort; better ring for her maid, poor creature, and
have
her taken up stairs at once."
The Count was puzzled, and half inclined to think that his guest had
been indulging too freely in champagne at dinner, but he spake
gently
to her.
"Indeed, my dear madam, you are under some delusion; if you will
allow me to conduct you to your room, the matter will be most
carefully investigated."
There was nothing for it but to comply, and the next morning every
servant in the house was strictly examined. No one knew anything
about it, of course; none of the men had been near the tabagie on
the
previous night, and the women had only to report that they had
dressed their ladies for the evening as usual, with no information
regarding any meeting. It's my belief that the Count knew or guessed
at the truth, and rather enjoyed the discomfiture of Madlle. Loupe;
who, poor soul, remained under the imputation of having taken more
wine than was good for her on that particular day, and who never
attempted any more to meddle with the other ladies, or to interfere
with the doings of Madlle St. Kitts. It gave her a lesson she did
not
forget, and she was obliged to take it to heart in secret and
without any
fuss. She had no witnesses to bring forward, and of course there was
only her own word as to the whipping. She' could not very well
produce ocular proof of the fact, and her assertion did no go for
much.
She was a much more amiable woman after the little ceremony, which
gave her an insight into the doings in the tabagie, than she was
before;
and it was a long time before she again tried to learn any of the
secrets
of St. Bridget. When she did-but that is too long a tale to tell
now; I'll
89
let you have it in its proper place. My lady is calling, so I must
go.-
Believe me, as ever,
Your sincere friend,
M. ANSON.
P.S.
-My letter is quite long enough, but I may not be able to write
again
for some time, and I see I have been scribbling on without ever
answering your question about Gustave. My lady only wanted me to
give me some orders about her dress for a hunting party that is to
come
off next week, where they are all to be in Moyen-age costumes, and
make fools of themselves, by pretending to hunt the poor tame boar
that has been kept in a pen in the woods here ever since we came. My
lady is going in a crimson dress, with gold trimmings; Mme.
Hautville,
in blue and silver and the little Princess in green and gold. Old
Lady
C-(and what a spectacle that woman will be on horseback, to be
sure!)
has composed a costume out of two old black velvet and satin
dresses,
and trimmed them with white and silver like a coffin; she'll look
like an
undertaker's advertisement. But all this has nothing to do with that
imp of a page. You ask whether he took all the punishment he got
quietly, and whether he did not retaliate upon us for his whippings.
Of
course he did, and in a way we little expected, and could not
resent.
There was a ball at Tours, a very select and genteel one, and most
of the
ladies and gentlemen at the chateau-I mean in our circle-were
invited. We had some work to get permission, but as it happened on
an
evening when we were not much wanted we did get it, though I must
not tell you how we were harassed till the very last minute, and
barely
allowed time to dress and get off. I was fully prepared two or three
days beforehand: as I told you, my foot and my lady's are the same
size,
and though she is taller and stouter than I am, a little alteration
makes
her dresses fit me. I was resolved not to be outdone in the matter
of
dress, and I selected a blue and white shot silk, which had only
been
twice worn, and Honiton trimmings. There were shoes to match the
dress, which my lady did not much like- she always said it did not
suit
90
her complexion. It did mine beautifully, and I can tell you that
there
was quite a buzz of admiration when I walked into the ballroom with
Mons. Pierre, Mons. Hautville's valet. For ornaments, I had a garnet
and
pearl set belonging to my lady, and a perfumed fan, which had just
come with a lot of other things from Paris. Fifine had much more
trouble with her dress; she was taller and bigger than her little
mistress,
and she was obliged to content herself with a lace dress as the only
one
she could alter successfully. I helped her with gloves and shoes;
and
with some Paris diamonds and deep crimson flowers she looked very
pretty. Gustave helped with our toilettes, and was very demure and
quiet all the evening-so quiet, that we could not help, fancying he
meant mischief.
"I know he's up to something," Fifine said, as we drove off. "Oh,
Mademoiselle, suppose he was to go to our ladies and tell about
these!"
She put her hand up to her neck where her mistress's ornaments
glittered, and looked frightened, for the Princess had a temper, and
was easily offended.
"Oh, no fear!" I replied. "Gustave is not a bad hearted boy: he may
play
us some prank, but he won't do anything deliberately spiteful."
The ball was a most delightful one; we were universally pronounced
the belles of the room, and had more attention paid us than any
other
people of the place. It was late when we got home, and we found that
Stephens, good-natured for once, had attended to our duties for us,
and
we could go to bed at once. Not a sign of Gustave was to be seen;
the
men said he was in bed long ago, and we went off to our rooms, glad
to
be rid of him, and tired enough. We undressed and folded up our
dresses, which were none the worse, and chatted freely about the
ball
and what we had seen and done there. All at once I heard a smothered
laugh somewhere; I was sure of it, but though we looked well about
we
could see nothing. Our lights were soon out, and I got into bed. I
had
left the door open, and could hear Fifine get into hers; a moment
more,
and she sprang out with a terrified scream.
91
"What is the matter?" I asked, and then there came a peal of
mischievous laughter, and Gustave rushed past me, and in a moment
had locked the outer door communicating with the corridor, and taken
out the key.
"You little wretch!" I exclaimed. "What do you want? Where were
you?"
"In my bed," gasped Fifine. "I-I--"
She could not speak between rage and fright, and the boy, who was
half dressed, only laughed the more.
"That's just where I was," he said; "and now, you two girls, look
here: I've
let you whip me and lead me a precious life, and I'm going to turn
the
tables. I'm going to whip both of you, and try my hand, or else go
straight to the Princess the first thing in the morning and tell her
about
the fine dresses I helped to put on."
The little brute was quite in earnest. Not only had he been lying in
bed
in wait for us, but he had two rods there, which I knew at a glance
had
come from the Princesses store; and do you know, my dear, many
things
made me fancy afterwards that she knew about it-both the dresses and
the whipping too. Well, to make a long story short, and to save
myself I
consented that Gustave should whip me-and the little wretch made
me go through all the proper ceremonies, and then gave me as good a
flogging as ever my mistress did. Fifine resisted for a long time,
but she,
like me, knew what he could do to spite us if he chose in other ways
besides the ball affair (for we had talked quite unrestrainedly
before
him), and she submitted at last. How the little wretch chuckled when
he got hold of her, and we recovered our breath after the scuffle.
"Now, Mademoiselle," he said, mimicking the Princess’s voice to a
nicety, "kneel down and kiss the rod!"
"Let him have his way," I said; "it is no good thwarting him."
92
So she knelt and did as he bid her, and he lectured her the while
with
such a serious face that I could not but laugh, though I was
smarting, I
can tell you.
"Madlle Fifine," he said, "you have been guilty of a grave offence
in
wearing your mistress's dresses and jewellery; you will now take
punishment for the same at my hands. Rise, and lean over the
ottoman!
Madlle. Anson, hold her hands!"
We both laughed-we could not help it; but Fifine saw it was best to
submit, and she took her flogging quietly-the imp of mischief asking
her whether it was not much nicer to be whipped by a fine handsome
young man (fancy a monkey of fourteen calling himself a man) than by
an angry mistress. At length he stopped, and Fifine was as sore as I
was;
she jumped up and made for the door.
Fifine hesitated, but a smart cut across her unprotected legs
brought
her to reason.
"Oh, I haven't done with either of you!" he said, wickedly; "that
was
only for the dresses: now about the jewels."
In vain we protested and begged; he declared if we did not do all he
required of us he would go to our ladies the first thing in the
morning
and describe exactly what we had worn. There was nothing for it but
to
obey, and, standing by the chair where he had whipped us, he ordered
us to turn up our night-dresses and fasten them. When we had done
this he made us march before him round and round the room,
administering alternate cuts to one and the other. I looked at
Fifine,
and she at me; we had had about enough of it, and when he once more
sat down we put our own smarting hips out of the question, and
sprang
upon him. one on each side. In a twinkling he was down, and his head
tied up in a towel; then his hands fastened, then his legs, and then
he
was at our mercy.
93
"Now it is our turn," Fifine said, while I hastily undid the
fastening of
his trousers, the only clothing he had on, except his shirt.
"Oh let me go!" he begged. "I won't tell; indeed, indeed I won't!"
"I don't intend you shall," I replied; "but we shall whip you in
case you
forget and let a word slip;" and, rolling him over, we administered
a full
payment for what he had given us. He was not a vindictive fellow,
for
he never told; and as far as my lady was concerned our secret was
safe.
From a good many little things that slipped out I always fancied
that
the Princess was not so ignorant either of the dressing or the
whipping,
but she kept her own council, and we heard no more about it. But I
must not write more now, for my lady will be back directly. Let me
know when you get this, and believe me,
Your affectionate friend,
M. ANSON.
94
LETTER 9
FANCIFUL FLOGGING
MY DEAR MARION,
I can quite understand your impatience to hear more from me, but the
fact is that after the practical joke the ladies played on Madlle
Loupe
they deserted the tabagie for a while. That outraged lady's
bewailings,
they feared, would draw too much attention to their proceedings.
Besides, they felt sure that the Count suspected something, and
though they would not restore the room to the gentlemen, they
practised in their secret convocations. Poor Madlle. Loupe paid the
place many a visit in secret to see if she could discover anything,
and so
did many of the servants, who enjoyed the story of the whipping
immensely (for the victim made no secret of it); but there was
nothing
to be discovered-the pretty room was just as they left it-dais,
crimson
chairs, lamps, and all, but no sign of anything to tell of what went
on
there. As for Gustave, that boy knew pretty well the truth-his own
experience had taught him, and the way in which he condoled with
Mademoiselle and offered her his services to help her to discover
the
culprits, was edifying to see. At first she took it into her head
that he
was the page who had witnessed her humiliation, and meeting him in
the corridor one day in the identical ruby velvet suit the Princess
had
worn, she caught hold of him, and cuffed him, and shook him till his
howls brought out his mistress, and one or two more of the ladies,
to see
what was the matter.
"I assure you, you are mistaken, madam," the Princess said, when the
accusation was preferred. "Gustave wears that suit for the first
time today! he has never seen it before."
"Oh, haven't I?" the boy said, sotto voce, with a comical glance at
the
petite figure of his lady, who, I fancy, caught the words, though
Madlle.
Loupe did not.
95
"But it is the same dress, colour, ornaments, and everything, even
to
the crest on the buttons."
"There is no crest on the buttons," replied the Princess demurely.
"I do
not use a crest for Gustave; it is a simple fleur-de-lis which
anyone
may use if they like."
Madlle. Loupe looked confounded, and the Princess went on in the
same grave fashion-
"As to the colour of the dress, it was a fancy of mine, but as it so
exactly
resembles that of some one else, he shall never wear it again; I
like my
servants to be unique if possible. For the rest, madam, I shall feel
obliged if you will leave Gustave alone for the future; I can
correct him
myself when there is any occasion for it."
She sailed off in a dignified fashion, so foreign to her general
manner
that the ladies could scarcely refrain from bursting into peals of
laughter; indeed, Mme. Hautville, who was one of those who were with
her, made a most precipitate retreat from the scene, and we could
hear
her silvery voice in uncontrollable merriment after the door was
closed
behind her.
As for Gustave, Madlle. Loupe made him a sort of half apology; that
is
to say, she admitted she had been mistaken, and declared that the
page she had seen was not so stout as he was, which was very true.
He
accepted her apology, and vowed he would help her to find out the
truth, which coming to the ears of the ladies through Madlle. St.
Kitts,
they had him up to my lady's dressing-room, and whipped him in full
conclave, every lady using a different instrument, as had been done
in
Mme. Hautville's case. He was sore enough afterwards, and made no
more proffers of assistance to Mme. Loupe. My lady did not relish
the
cessation of the whipping festivities; it was a pastime she
delighted in,
and I can assure you, my dear, that I suffered from her enforced
abstinence from her favourite recreation. She used to practise upon
me
96
to keep her hand in, and she was no mean performer with her pet
instrument, I can tell you.
She had a dozen ways of indulging her fancy, always at my expense,
and one of them was peculiarly aggravating.
She got hold of a great book out of the library, which had a history
of
feminine manners and customs in ancient Rome (and nice manners
they must have been), and she resolved to make me attend upon her
toilet as the slaves of the Roman ladies did. So she looked up a
short
tunic which was among the fancy dresses, and the next morning she
made me go and strip, and come back to her with nothing on but this
garment, which was just like a sack, with short sleeves only, of
soft
white merino, trimmed with red satin. It did not come to my knees,
and
my legs and feet were bare, except for a pair of sandals with red
leather.
"Now take care what you are about, Anson," she said. "I am going to
deal with you exactly as the ladies in Rome dealt with their
slaves."
"But I am not a slave, my lady," I said, impertinently enough, I
dare
say, for I felt angry. "There are no slaves here."
"You are mine as long as you are in my room," she replied. "When my
toilet is sufficiently completed, I shall punish you for that
speech." She
made me bathe her, and perfume her, and dress her hair, and then
before she put on her stays she said quite calmly, "Bring the rod."
I
brought it, and she made me kneel and kiss it, and beg her pardon
for
what I had said; and then I knelt over the couch, and she whipped me
till she was tired,-and I,-well, I. did not get over it for a long
time. For a
good while after that she made me attend her in that detestable
tunic;
and how that boy Gustave used to jeer and laugh about it to be sure!
But I had some fun out of it, too, for Lady C-heard of it, and took
a
fancy to have Stephens do the same; but the sight of her skinny
yellow
legs was too much for her mistress and such of the ladies as saw
her, and
after one sound whipping she was let off. The way that she lamented
97
and anointed herself after she was whipped was very funny. The
ladies
teased her unmercifully, and took a delight in getting her punished!
they knew her legs were a sore point with her, poor soul. But though
my lady languished for the use of the rod, she was not alone in her
longing, and on the second day after the meetings ceased there was
quite a gathering of ladies in her rooms. I knew quite well what
they
were come for, and was not at all surprised when my lady told me to
lock the door.
They were allen peignoir, and were certain of an hour or two to
themselves, the gentlemen being engaged with their own pursuits, and
most of them out of doors. Madlle. St. Kitts was among them; they
had
all taken a fancy to her, and, indeed, she was first and foremost in
all
their frolics; she was dressed in a white muslin robe, trimmed with
fine
lace and amber satin ribbon; my lady was in pink, and Mrs. D-in
blue;
the little Princess was all in white, and Lady C- in a hideous old
flannel dressing-gown that looked as though it had been fifty times
washed. They were all anxious for a little practice with the rod,
and
despatched me to the chamber of the Princess for the necessary
weapons. She kept them in a long box, lined with velvet; and
splendid
rods they were, lithe and well tied, regular stingers, not like the
clumsy
things we used to make up when you and I were girls together. When I
returned with them, I found the ladies in full gossip; they were
questioning Madlle St. Kitts as to where she learnt anything of the
use
of the rod, and that lively young lady did not scruple to relate her
experiences for their benefit.
"I've been used to it all my life," she said, in answer to a
question from
my lady; "ever since I can remember I have been accustomed to see
whipping. My father had a whipping house on the estate, and we used
regularly to go and see the slaves whipped, especially the girls;
they
were stripped and tied up, not horsed like-"
"Like you were," said my lady with a laugh. "Confess, my dear Miss
St.
Kitts, were you not frightened out of your wits?"
98
"I was; I thought for a moment that you really had introduced the
male
element, but auntie's fright has atoned to me for mine."
"No, that she wasn't. I've heard mamma tell stories of her younger
days:
and when she was at St. Kitts no one took more interest in the
whippings. I've seen her take a rod myself in the slaves'
dining-room,
and she has whipped me often: she was considered an elegant hand."
"Ah," said Lady C-, "there is a great difference in the style of
whipping. There is no enjoyment either in the use or endurance of
the
rod when it is vulgarly used, like a woman would strike in a
passion;
but when an elegant, high-bred woman wields it with dignity of mien
and grace of attitude, then both the practice and suffering becomes
a
real pleasure."
"Does Madlle. Loupe still think it was the servants?" asked Lady C-.
"That she does, and wants the Count to have a police inquiry."
"Which he knows better than to do. I dare say she was not always so
frightened of a man."
"That is just what our governess and the nuns at the convent school
used to say," said Miss St. Kitts, her eyes flashing and her cheeks
glowing at the recollection; "and they let us feel it, too."
"Ah, I've had some convent experiences, too," laughed the lovely
little
Princess. "Lay that box down, Anson; though Mademoiselle here is
impatient to feel one of those dainty weapons, she will have to
wait-we
are going to have our gossip out first."
"Am I to be the victim?" asked Madlle. St. Kitts; "I had no notice."
"Yet you came prepared, I know, said Mrs. D-, merrily lifting the
girl's
skirts as she spoke, and displaying the shapely brown legs and slim
ankles of the West Indian heiress. She had nothing on under her
99
peignoir but an embroidered petticoat and a fine chemise, and her
feet
were thrust into quilted satin slippers.
"Convicted," she said. "What say you ladies; shall not she be
whipped,
being ready?"
"Agreed, agreed!" responded the ladies, laying hands on the plump
West Indian, with looks of delight.
"Oh, a truce, a truce;" exclaimed Mademoiselle. "Fair play, ladies!
I
plead guilty to having come ready, but have you not all done the
same? I propose that the one to be whipped should be the one who had
not thought of preparation, not those who have."
The ladies laughed and agreed, and a general examination ensued,
when, lo! it turned out that the Princess Z-was the only one who had
come unprepared for the ceremony. In vain she pleaded that she had
come in a hurry, that there had been no notice given her, c.; she
was
ordered into my lady's bedroom to prepare, while the ladies gossiped
and chattered among themselves.
"Your whippings are child's play compared to our school punishment,"
Miss St. Kitts remarked. "The sisters used to pick the bits of birch
out of
our skins for us after a severe flogging, and the priests used to
scold
them for it, and tell us that those prickles were part of our
penance."
"Ah!" said Mrs. D-, twitching uneasily on her chair; "that's
carrying
matters too far. Did those worthy gentlemen help at the punishment,
my dear?"
"As far as looking on was an assistance, they did.
The sisters professed to do it in private, but there was a sliding
panel
between the refectory and the room of penance, and they could apply
their eyes to it if they chose."
100
"And you may be sure they did choose."
"Oh, we know they did, but we got used to it; besides, we had to
walk
through the refectory prepared for punishment, where the whole
school was assembled -Lady Superior, nuns, confessors, and all-and
they made us walk very Slowly, too."
"Prepared?" said Lady C-.
"Yes; this sort of thing," said the lively girl, giving her drapery
a
dexterous twitch up over her shoulders, and assuming a most comical
expression of face, as, with her arms crossed, she walked slowly
through
the room. The sight of her plump, round hips and smooth, firm flesh
which the action disclosed was too much for my lady, and, slyly
seizing
a rod which lay beside her. she gave the young lady a smart cut with
it,
which made her jump and sit flat down on the floor, amid the
laughter
of them all.
"That's not the way to receive punishment," said Lady C-, when their
mirth had subsided. "This meeting do agree that Madlle. Hilda St.
Kitts
shall stand up and submit to such chastisement as the sisters shall
think
proper for such an undignified proceeding."
Which Miss St. Kitts did, and folding her hands, humbly begged that
the punishment might not be too severe, so that she should not be
able
to partake of any fun which might come after, and she was condemned
to walk up and down the room twice, prepared for punishment, and to
receive or elude as she could the blows from the ladies' rods. This
proceeding ended in a romp, and I don't think Miss St. Kitts got
much
hurt, for she looked so funny with her pretty morning robe pinned up
round her neck, and her brown legs contrasting so oddly with her
snowy chemise, that the ladies laughed too much to be very
mischievous. Just as their fun was at its height the Princess
entered,
having removed all her underclothing. When the turmoil had a little
subsided, and the heiress lay breathless and rolling on the floor,
she
presented the rod, and kneeling to Lady C-begged for punishment.
101
The Countess, my mistress, and Mrs. D-voted for a few minutes'
pause;
they were out of breath, as, indeed, were all the ladies.
"Then let some one tell a story," said Lady C-
"Princess, you are the only one of us with breath enough; entertain
us
while we rest."
"As a ransom? will you take a story and let me go free?" asked the
little lady, who, truth to tell, did not much care for the whipping,
having, as she confided to my mistress, been taken to task by her
husband on one occasion as to the meaning of sundry marks on her
white skin. He had been at the chateau during a visit he paid to
Paris,
and was expected again for a day before returning to St. Petersburg,
and his appearance was curiously ill-timed, having taken place on
the
day following a grand meeting of the ladies, at which the Princess
had
come in for a full share of the rites of St. Bridget.
"What say you, ladies? shall the Princess ransom herself?" Lady
Casked. "Far be it from us to make his highness uncomfortable when
he
comes to visit his lovely wife, or to make conjugal differences
through
our secrets."
"Oh, we never differ," the Princess said, laughing. "Michael is
afflicted
with curiosity, that is all, and he knows I never do penance, so it
was
awkward to answer him. What must the story be about?"
"Something bearing on the rod, its use, c.-some of your own
experiences."
"I haven't any," she said, ruefully; "I told you so when I first
joined you."
"I have it," said Mrs. D-" Let us consider the Princess absolved if
she
can tell us quite a new story about whipping-something we have not
heard before."
102
"Perhaps Mrs. D-will take my burden off my shoulders," she said,
comically; "she looks full of stories."
"No, Princess! no shifting," said my lady; a story from you, or the
rod."
"I do know something!" she replied, her face brightening; "but it is
not
my own experience, it is my grandmother's."
"No matter, so it is new to us; can we take a hint, any of us?"
"You might give your husbands one," she said, laughing. "A lady
could
not undertake such a matter very well."
"Is Anson to hear it?" asked my lady.
"Oh, anyone may hear it who is bound to keep our secrets. Anson,
fetch me a shawl; this costume is slightly cold."
I fetched a soft wrap, and she curled herself up in a corner of the
soft
couch like a dormouse, with nothing out but her head and the point
of
her tiny slippers. She was a luxurious little creature, and loved
warmth,
and soft cushions, and perfumes, and lace, and all the graceful
appliances of her rank, very dearly I think to strip her of them
would
have been to kill her.
"My story is about my grandmother when she was a school-girl, "she
said. "She was an Englishwoman, and educated at a school of the
first
fashion, near Bristol. She married afterwards the Marquis de Bearne,
but that has nothing to do with my story. "
"I'm afraid it won't be very original, Princess," Lady C-said.
"School
punishments are all alike-kissing the rod, asking pardon, and the
rest
of it. "
"There was something unique about this one, any way," she replied;
"and I think you'll all acknowledge it when you have heard it."
103
But the Princess’s tale was too long for this letter, Marion. My
mistress
is to be out to-morrow the whole day, and I will try and take up the
story of the flogging ladies then, and let you hear what amused them
all immensely.-Meantime, believe me as ever,
Your sincere friend,
M. ANSON.
104
LETTER 10
THE PRINCESS’S STORY
MY DEAR MARION,
I will try to take up my story where I left off, and tell you the
tale the
Princess related to the ladies to save herself from a whipping.
Every
one is out-gone to a Watteau picnic in the grounds -so I have a
little
time to myself. It was an odd story she told, and sounded very like
a
page out of a romance, but she vouched for its truth; and Mrs. D-,
when
she had done, corroborated it, having heard something of the sort
from
her own mother.
"I have the whole story in grand mamma’s own hand somewhere," the
Princess said, "but it is at Paris, so you must be content with it
as I can
tell it. She was a very dashing girl of about nineteen, when it
occurred,
so you may well imagine it made an impression on her. There were no
private governesses in those days, and families of the first fashion
and
highest station sent their daughters to school. That of Miss K-, at
Clifton, was one of the most celebrated and select; she received no
ladies but those of the highest birth-not even clergymen of any
grade
under a bishop could get their daughters admitted. The number was
limited to twenty, and the rate of payment was very high. My
grandmother had a list of what the young ladies were required to
take
with them in the way of toilet, and it was most expensive and
recherché. Carriages were kept for the use of the scholars; and they
appeared every evening in full dress It was essentially a finished
school, fourteen being the very earliest age at which a young lady
could be admitted, and many remaining there until they left to be
married. To fall in love was not permitted to an English demoiselle
in
those days: all was arranged by her parents. Clifton was a secluded
place then, and select-not a vulgar show watering-place as it is
nowand
the school stood alone. Miss K-was a rigid disciplinarian, and the
punishment of the rod was enforced for every offence; the pupils
submitted to it as a matter of course, and getting many a lesson in
the
manner of wielding it from their elegant preceptress, who had quite
a
105
reputation for the grace with which she inflicted punishment on the
young ladies under her care.
"One morning, while they were at their studies, a carriage and four
dashed up to the gate; this was no unusual apparition, as there were
no
railways in those days, and the parents of many of the pupils
travelled
in that manner, and the young ladies usually arrived at Cliff House
and departed there from in great style.
Miss K-was in the schoolroom, but she made no movement to go to see
who the new arrival might be; she stood on her dignity, and waited
for
his card to be brought to her. The scholars nearest the window saw a
tall, elegant man step out of the carriage, which was most
handsomely
appointed, and enter the house. In a few minutes the footman brought
in a card on a salver and presented it to his mistress; it bore a
crest and
the name of Sir Arthur Kempe, and, in the corner, in very small
letters,
'Inspector of Schools under His Majesty's Commission,' surmounted by
the Royal Arms.
"Miss K-looked at it a moment in a little perplexity, and then at
her
scholars.
"'Young ladies,' she said, 'this is a gentleman to inspect the
school; go to
your dressing-rooms all of you and take off your morning dresses. A
quarter of an hour is allowed for the change.'
"She rang the bell, and ordered the maids who attended to the
toilettes of the pupils to be at their posts, and the girls filed
off to their
respective chambers to change their dresses. The morning dress at
Cliff
House was a sort of uniform of white muslin and lace, trimmed with
pink or blue ribbon, according to the complexion of the wearer, and
this was worn till the hour of the mid-day lunch, when they were
changed for walking costumes, and these again for dinner dresses
later
in the day. But little time was lost over dressing; the young ladies
were
taught promptitude and neatness, and a very few minutes sufficed for
the change of attire. While the girls went to their rooms, full of
106
curiosity as to the new arrival, and wondering whether they were to
be
subjected to any examination, Miss K-was closeted with the stranger
in her private apartment. He greeted her with a bow of the latest
fashion, full of grace and dignity, and took care to display his
fine
figure to the best advantage. He wore a dark plum-coloured coat and
breeches, and an embroidered vest of canary colour; his ruffles were
of
the finest lace, and his stockings of the most delicate shade of
pink silk;
he wore his own hair, tied at the back in a que. His appearance was
slightly effeminate and dandyish, but his manner that of a complete
gentleman.
"'I have not the honour,' Miss K-began.
"'-Of knowing me? No, madam, he replied; 'but I rejoice thus to
commence an acquaintance with a lady so widely known and
respected as Miss K-. I bear His Majesty's commission, madam, to
make
a somewhat delicate investigation into the state of ladies schools
in
this realm. I trust you will give me all the assistance in your
power.'
"'Certainly,' Miss K- replied; 'I court inspection in my
establishment,
and have ever done so.'"
"'My mission, madam, is to inquire into the punishments in use in
the
various schools. There has been a great deal of discussion in London
lately as to the use of the rod in ladies' schools; and my
commission
empowers me to inquire how far it is used, the effect of it, and, if
I deem
it necessary, to see impending punishment inflicted.'
"Miss K- looked somewhat aghast at the announcement; she had
never heard of such an official proceeding as this, and she hardly
knew
what to say.
"'Allow me to show you my credentials,' he said, taking a flat
leather
case from his pocket, and producing a parchment deed. It was
regularly indorsed, and bore the King's sign and seal, and empowered
Sir Arthur Kempe to enquire into the discipline of ladies' schools
all
107
over the kingdom; and declaring that any lady who refused
information would be liable to condign punishment on being reported
by His Majesty's Commissioner."
"'I am perplexed,' the governess remarked, when she had read the
parchment. 'I use the rod, of course, and my pupils submit to it
when
necessary; but I do not know whether they would yield to any
examination or punishment from another.'
"'If they do not, madam, your school will be ruined. I have found
most
of the ladies whom I have visited amenable to reason. In the last
house I
called at, Mrs. J-, of Mark Villa, Gloucester, I found the
discipline too
slight, and was present at the punishment of no less than six young
ladies. The verbal orders I received, in addition to yonder
document,
were very stringent, I assure you.'
"'How do you wish to proceed?
"'Assemble your school, madam. Let me see your black book; I shall
examine into the condition of pupils after punishment, and
superintend the next whipping. If discipline is properly exercised
(and
I am sure it is),' he added, with a bow, 'you will hear nothing more
of me
or my commission; if not, why, I shall have to put a black mark
against
you, as you do against your pupils.'
"There was nothing for it but to lead the way to the schoolroom,
where,
by this time, the pupils were all assembled, and introduce her
guest.
They rose and curtsied at his entrance, and he saluted them with
easy
grace, and took his stand by the governess's desk, who explained to
her
pupils, not without some trepidation, the object of his visit One of
the
younger girls was ordered to fetch the black-book and the rod, which
she presented, kneeling, and the gentleman turned over its pages.
"'Angeline Summers,' he read, 'corrected yesterday for inattention
and
untidiness. In the usual way, madam?'
108
"'In the usual way, Sir Arthur.'
"'Prepare the young lady, and allow me to see the effect of the
punishment.'
"Now Angeline Summers was a fat roly-poly girl of fifteen, or
thereabouts, who was always getting whipped. She did not care for
the
rod, not she, but she did for the presence of this stranger, and she
flatly
refused to let her weals and stripes be exhibited to him. But he was
firm, as became a man in authority and Miss Summers was securely
held by two of the maids, and her silk dress turned up over her
head.
She bore the marks of plenty of whipping, and Sir Arthur Kempe
declared himself satisfied, and the young lady was released and sent
off to arrange her dishevelled hair, with another whipping in
prospect
for having been so restive.
"Another girl's name was then read out, a tall, slight, plain girl
this
time, who had been whipped but slightly that morning for some
trifling offence. She resisted very little when ordered to prepare,
for
she had sense enough to see that Miss Summers only made matters
worse by kicking and struggling; and, though she put up her hands to
hide her burning face, she said nothing, but allowed her clothes to
be
turned up in silence.
"'The punishment in this case has been very slight,' the
commissioner
remarked. 'What was the offence?'
"'Insubordination and neglect of duty,' was the answer; 'two black
marks.'
"'It should have been at least double, Miss K-. Allow me.'
"And, taking the rod from her with a bow and a smile, which half the
girls present would have thought cheaply bought by a whipping, he
administered some half dozen cuts to the shrinking figure before
him,
109
which made the culprit shrink and writhe more than Miss K- had ever
done. When she had been released he turned to the book again.
"'There is one name down for punishment, I see,' he said; 'Emily
Saltere,
for neglect of duty. Which of these ladies is Emily Saltere, madam?'
"All eyes were turned to my grandmother, whose handsome face
turned scarlet, and there was no need to answer his question. He
started as he saw a tall, handsome young woman curtsey, with the
grace of a Parisienne, as he mentioned her name, and, stepping
forward, he bowed to her with much respect.
"'I regret, mademoiselle,' he said, gracefully,' that my duties
should
take a form disagreeable to you, but I am bound to attend to them.
Madam, I desire to see the punishment carried out exactly as it is
always performed in your establishment-omit nothing, and add
nothing, If you please.'
"Miss K-. with a trembling voice, gave the order-
"'Arrange yourself for punishment, young ladies. Prepare Miss
Saltere.'
"Miss K-signed to the attendant, but before she could turn up the
handsome dress my grandmother wore, Sir Arthur Kempe interfered.
"'I think, madam, with your permission, that I will break through
the
rule of public punishment in this instance, and have the punishment
inflicted in another room. I have no wish to hurt the young lady's
feelings more than is necessary. My duty compels me to be an
unwilling witness of-the chastisement, but I do not desire to make
it
harsher than is needful.'
"Remove Miss Saltere to the drawing-room,' Miss K- said, much
relieved; and my grandmother was led away to her bedroom, where
she was stripped, and taken back to the drawing-room in her chemise
and a delicately frilled dressing-gown, trimmed with costly lace.
Sir
110
Arthur Kempe bowed to her as she entered, and himself handed her
the rod, which she delivered to Miss K- kneeling, and was bidden to
kiss.
Then her dress was carefully pinned up, leaving her completely bare,
and she was made to lean over a large ottoman while the governess
whipped her. Miss K-was generally severe, but her agitation on this
occasion made her strokes fall lightly, and the punishment. though
somewhat tedious, was not severe. The gentleman watched the
performance with critical eyes, for my grandmother was a wellformed,
plump girl, with a fine clear complexion and healthy skin. He
complimented both mistress and pupil on the manner in which the
whole thing had been gone through, and himself handed Miss Saltere
to the door, kissing her hand as she left the room. He made an entry
of a
report in his book, which already held many such, and assured Miss
Kthat
he should speak in the very highest terms at head-quarters
respecting her select establishment. He stayed to dinner, insisted
on
the rest of the day being given to the pupils for recreation, and
departed for the next school on his route, having won golden
opinions
from all in the house, in spite of his unpleasant errand. The
following
morning Miss K-received two or three letters from ladies who kept
schools asking if she too had been visited, and describing the
bearer of
the novel commission. Some time after my grandmother received a
visit from her aunt, the wife of a dignitary in the church, to whom
she
told what had happened; and inquiries were made which led to the
discovery that the elegant gentleman who had visited the schools and
had the young ladies whipped for his delectation was not Sir Arthur
Kempe at all, but an Earl's brother, who had taken this
extraordinary
method of gratifying his passion for the rod. It was all hushed up
for the
sake of the many young ladies concerned; but the story got wind, and
many schools fell into disrepute through it.
"And that's my story ladies," said the lively little Princess; "and
I think
it is something new in the history of the rod."
111
But I must break off here, Marion, and leave what followed for my
next.
Your sincere friend,
M. ANSON.
112
LETTER 11
A PROFITABLE PUPIL
MY DEAR MARION,
I left off the other day at the conclusion of the story the Princess
Ztold,
which the ladies received with much laughter and applause. She
made it so piquant by her charming manner and pretty imitation of
the different people she talked about that they were all delighted,
and unanimous in declaring she should be considered to have
ransomed herself from her whipping.
"I think that is something new," Lady C-said; "I don't fancy any of
us
can equal that in our experiences."
"And it is true," Mrs. D-added; "my mother's school received a
similar
visitation. I have heard her speak of it, though I had forgotten it
until
now. But, ladies, time flies; who is the next-"
"Victim, eh?" said Miss St. Kitts, gaily. "Why, you, dear Mrs. D-,
of
course. How say you, sisters, shall Mrs. D-be now whipped?
"Oh, yes, yes," they cried, seizing upon the plump lady, who was
fat,
fair, and nearer forty than thirty, and preparing to turn up her
richly
trimmed peignoir over her head. "Yes, Mrs. D-by all means: she does
not get her fair share of the rites!"
I saw my lady draw her rod through her fingers, as if she relished
the
idea of letting it fall smartly on the plump white flesh of the
buxom
Mrs. D-, who was as comely and wholesome looking a lady as I ever
saw. Her limbs were as firm and round as those of the youngest of
the
whipping sisterhood, and a rich healthy tinge shewed under her clear
skin, the result of a sound constitution and regular habits. Mrs.
D-never
left her bed in the morning without plunging into a cold bath, and
braced her system with regular exercise, which she never omitted,
whatever the weather might be. She was a large woman, tall, and
113
inclined to be stout,-had she been indolent she would have become
corpulent; as it was she was just fleshy enough to be handsome, and
to
give the idea of perfect health, which, indeed, she enjoyed. She had
regular features, blue eyes, and white teeth, which. ill-natured
people
declared were not her own, so perfect were they in preservation. She
had an abundance of silky hair of a very pale shade of brown, not
light
enough for flaxen, nor brilliant enough to be called golden; its
slight
tinge of red preserved it from insipidity, and, wound round her
handsome head in a style peculiar to herself, it was at once
striking
and beautiful. Mrs. D-'s passion for the rod was in tense; she never
missed an opportunity of witnessing or practising the use of it. To
do
her justice, she never shirked it from the hands of the other
ladies, and
more than once I have led her away from the tabagie and assisted her
to bed after a severe whipping, for her maid was not in the secrets
of
the meetings. She was always ready for her share of the fun, but on
this
occasion, to the surprise of the ladies, she demurred.
"Not this morning," she said, laughing, twisting herself free of
their
detaining hands, and shaking down her peignoir over her plump legs.
"Like the Princess I call a truce; I will take my punishment at our
meeting to-morrow night, but not now."
"Why not?" demanded Lady C-. "A good reason, mind, or the
punishment will be doubled."
"Well then," said the lively lady, "time flies; our lords and
masters will
soon be in, and we must present ourselves in the drawing-room in
trim
array. Dinner time is drawing on, and I, for one, should not like to
go
down smarting and twisting from the effects of the rod; what say
you,
ladies? Is not my reason sufficient?"
They all agreed that it was, and that it would be better to defer
any
further practice of the rod till the next night, when they were
again
going to meet in the tabagie; but Mrs. D-was informed that she must
follow the example of the Princess, and tell a story relating in
some
way to the practice of whipping.
114
"I have none of my own experience," she said. "Whipping is all the
same wherever practised, but I could tell something about a lady I
once knew, once upon a time."
"Oh, don't go back into remote ages!" said the little Princess; "let
us
have a story of our own days."
"It is not so very long ago; did I not say I knew the lady? it all
happened when I was a girl. I was living with my parents at E-, when
there suddenly appeared in society there a rich, or apparently rich,
widow, Mrs. A-. She lived in good style, kept her carriage, and had
a
handsomely appointed house and plenty of well-trained servants; no
one knew the source of her wealth or where she came from, but she
rapidly became popular in the best society, and by her dashing
manner and splendid appearance won for herself an eminent position
in the fashionable world. Like many fine ladies, she cherished a
secret
passion for the rod, and odd stories began to circulate, through the
medium of her maids, of the way she used it on herself and them. But
flogging her maids was poor pastime for Mrs. A-, who, report said,
had
been accustomed to use the rod upon her husband very freely, and she
cast about in her own mind for a victim fresh at once to the
practice
and to her. Fortune came to her, and in rather a strange way. The
back
windows of her handsome house looked across the corner of a square
towards the rear of a row of houses somewhat less pretentious, some
of
which were let out in aristocratic apartments. In one of these
lodged a
Mr. B-, a young gentleman of immense fortune, and some two or three
and twenty years of age. At twenty five he was to come into absolute
possession of his estates and property, and in the meantime he was
studying, under the care of a guardian, at the university at E-.
That
some one should overlook his studies and pursuits was necessary from
the fact that he was slightly weak in his intellect, -not enough to
make
him unable to study, or sufficient to render him an object of
remark,
but so much so as to make it necessary that his inclinations to
extravagance and propensity for childish display should be
controlled.
115
"One night, when Mrs. A- was retiring to rest, she accidentally cast
her eyes towards a window on the ground floor of a house opposite,
where Mr. B-, thinking himself unseen, was preparing for bed. She
watched him for a long time, for the young gentleman, fancying
himself unseen, indulged in a variety of pranks, by no means
disagreeable to the eyes of a sensual woman, like the lady who sat
at
her darkened window looking on. In the morning Mrs. A-took up her
post of observation again, and found that the light streamed full
into
the room the young man occupied, and discovered him lying
undressed upon the sofa with a book. A powerful opera glass
disclosed
every object in the room with the utmost distinctness, and shewed
her
the tastes and habits of its owner. She could discern two or three
German books on the table, the very simplest of grammars, such as a
child might use, and one or two rough exercises evidently written by
a
beginner.
"Now Mrs. A-was an accomplished linguist, and she saw in this
circumstance a way to make the young man's acquaintance, for his
handsome face and fine form had inflamed her with a strange desire
to
know him. Again the next night she watched, and had ample
opportunity of studying the stranger's perfection of form and limb,
and
she resolved to set about making his acquaintance the very next day.
He was a singularly handsome young fellow, blue-eyed and fairhaired,
and a very Apollo in form. The lady was fertile in expedients,
and the next morning despatched her maid to inquire if there were
apartments to let in the house where he lived.
She was informed there were, and Mrs. A-immediately proceeded to
inspect them "on behalf of a friend." Of course she wanted no rooms,
but the landlady, garrulous after the fashion of her class, gave her
unasked all that she did want-viz., information respecting her
lodger.
She could speak of his wealth and his prospects, and tell who he
associated with, and where he visited, c. Mrs. A-learned that he had
but few friends, and no young men companions of his own age, which
was rather pleasant for her to hear.
116
"One of the houses he frequented was one of which she herself had
the
entree, and she resolved that she would meet him there. A little
dexterous questioning, not unaided by the universal talisman of
money, made her asau faitto the young man's habits as the landlady's
tongue could make her, and she returned home to wait once more for
the evening, when she might again watch him alone in his luxurious
room. He was evidently possessed of taste as well as wealth, and his
apartments were furnished with everything that could conduce to his
comfort or appeal to the sensual tastes she had already discovered
he
possessed. Again she was able to remark him unseen, and feast her
eyes
upon the form and proportions which had so taken her fancy, and she
retired to rest more than ever determined to lose no time in
obtaining
an interview with him. Chance favoured her project,-cards of
invitation arrived for a select party at the house of the mutual
acquaintance, and she found to her delight that Mr. B-was invited,
too.
"She dressed herself to the best advantage (she was, as I have said,
a
splendid woman), donned her handsomest jewellery, and set out, bent
on conquest The introduction was soon made, and she knew at once
what course to pursue. If Mr. B-was free and, easy in his conduct in
the
privacy of his own apartments, he was shy to a fault in company.
Almost painfully awkward, he shrank from conversation, and seemed
fully conscious of the slight defect which existed in his mental
organization. Mrs. A- saw this, and set herself to draw him out as
only
an accomplished and self-possessed woman can.
"In an hour he had forgotten his shyness, and was sitting by her
side
chatting with perfect freedom of himself and his pursuits. He talked
to
her with the utmost confidence, told her of his studies and how
trying
he found them, and she listened and sympathised till he grew quite
bewildered with her kindness, and intoxicated with her beauty and
fascination. It was so rarely that ladies cared to talk to him
much,-he
lacked the graces which made a young man's society agreeable to the
fair sex, but Mrs. A- resolved that he should not lack them long.
She
pondered over some way to find an excuse for inviting him to her
house, and he supplied it himself, by confiding to her that, of all
his
117
studies, the German language puzzled and tormented him most. Now,
she was an excellent linguist; she had a natural gift in acquiring
languages, and, having spent years abroad, spoke French and German
like a native. Here was an opening. She at once proffered her
services,
declared so much more could be done by conversation than by poring
over books, and invited the delighted youth to come and take lessons
of her. Before the evening was over he was completely captive to her
charms, and, when her carriage came round, and he was permitted to
wrap her costly shawl round her handsome shoulders, and to draw the
overshoes on her shapely feet, his hands trembled so he could hardly
perform the pleasant little duties gentlemen delight to take upon
themselves for pretty women. He hardly waited till boon next day had
passed before he presented himself at her house, where he was most
cordially received.
"From that hour his subjugation was complete; Mrs. A-might have
done anything with him, and she made full use of the advantage she
had gained. He became a constant visitor at her house, her follower
wherever she went, while she, on her part, was rather proud of
exhibiting the faithful attachment of her handsome Adonis. Unlike
the beautiful youth of Venus's adoration, he was nothing loath to
pay
back, in her own coin, the attentions she lavished on him. For a
long
time it came to nothing more than untiring attention on his part,
and
flattering condescension and fascinating smiles and witcheries on
hers.
But servants will be servants, and ere long a whispered rumour got
afloat that there was more in their acquaintance than mere
politeness.
Mrs. A- began to wear handsomer jewellery than ever, and more fine
dresses and silk stockings found their way into the possession of
her
maid than formerly. The daily visits went on, and Mr. B-'s
infatuation
grew greater than ever for the well-developed charms of his idol. He
was happy in obeying her slightest whim, delighted to be allowed to
fetch her shawl, or her dainty slippers, when she chose to sit with
him
for a cosy chat.
"The excuse for all this was German lessons, Mrs. A-'s services as
teacher being well appreciated by her well-grown pupil. But
118
somehow it soon began to be whispered that other matters besides
German teaching were attended to in these frequent tête-à-têtes
which took place in the lady's boudoir. The room was fitted up in
the
most voluptuous style, with amber satin hangings to suit the dark
style
of her beauty, and white lace to interpose between them and the too
fair complexions of some of her visitors. Pictures of the most
suggestive
kind Covered the walls, and helped to increase the infatuation of
the
youth, who, from the moment that he entered the house, seemed
completely carried away by the sensuous splendour around him. The
boudoir had an unused door, opening into a spare room, behind which
Mrs. A-'s maid used to ensconce herself, and, without the knowledge
of
her mistress, became a silent witness of the sort of teaching that
went
on. Before her acquaintance with Mr. B-, her lady was a splendid
dresser, but now she became more luxurious than ever. One time she
would appear before the enamoured youth in an egligee costume
trimmed with the most costly lace, made so that every movement
displayed her handsome bust or rounded arms; at another she would
dress herself in full evening costume, and meet him under the soft
light
of the lamps, with every surrounding that could appeal to the senses
or
excite the imagination.
"One toilet, which caused no small sensation at more than one party
that winter, figured after in the bills sent in to Mr. B-'s
guardian. It was
composed of green velvet of a tint peculiarly becoming to the
brunette
complexion of Mrs. A-, and was trimmed with the rarest lace to be
procured in E-, which was set down, by the draper who supplied it,
as
"fifty yards, at two guineas per yard." From dressing to receive her
pupil, the lady soon got to threatening him with punishment if he
failed in his lessons. At first it was all joke.
"'You deserve to be whipped,' she would say; and down he would go on
his knees, and kiss her white hands, and clasp his arms around her
to
caress away her anger, while she submitted to his endearments,
nothing loath. After a few encounters of this sort affairs grew more
serious, and her fancy for whipping her interesting pupil could be
restrained no longer.
119
"'I shall whip you this time,' she said at last, after a more than
usually
blundering performance of her scholar.
"'Not this time,' pleaded he, casting himself at her feet, and
clasping
her plump, white hands, which he covered with kisses.
"'Yes, now. Stand up, and take down your trousers."
"'No, no! I will try and do better; I will indeed.'
"'No excuses, sir,' she said, with feigned severity, while the maid
listened intently, and marked how her eyes flashed with excitement.
'At once, sir,' and she took off her dainty slipper, affording more
than a
glimpse of her handsome leg as she did so. The young man fell at her
feet, and embraced them, and kissed them; but it was all to no
purposeshe
was inexorable: she made him undress, and bestowed upon him a
smart slapping with the slipper she held. But this only gave her a
more
decided zest for the rod; and when she informed her scholar that the
next time he transgressed he should be whipped with a rod, and
severely, too, he kissed her hands and her rosy mouth, and intimated
that he was ready to submit to anything she chose to do with him.
The
maid held her tongue about this, but not about the more ceremonious
whipping which took place shortly after, and of which she was also a
witness. Before Mr. B- arrived, she was ordered to fetch a box out
of her
mistress's dressing-room, the contents of which she was very well
acquainted with, and place it in the boudoir. This she did, and then
took up her post of observation. The young gentleman came as usual,
and began his studies, blundering egregiously in a very short time.
She
made him stand before her like a little boy, lectured him severely
on
his carelessness, and ordered him to bring the rod. In vain he
begged
and prayed, kneeling before her, and kissing her feet, covered only
by
a thin silk stocking. She commanded him to stand up and prepare,
which he did, still begging and praying to be released. Mrs. A-would
have no mercy, and his trousers were quickly taken off. Then he was
bidden to bring the rod, then to kiss it, and finally, the lady
laying him
across her knee, administered a thorough whipping, till he fell on
the
120
floor, smarting and exhausted. All this the maid saw, not once, but
many times, and, after the fashion of her class, did not hold her
tongue
about it The result of all this was that Mr. B-grew so wildly in
love with
his fair instructress, that he became in danger of ruining himself
for her.
There was no limit to his extravagance, and Mrs. A-was a lady of
expensive tastes.
Gifts of all sorts began to find their way to her house. Gems which
he
would swear could not rival the lustre of her eyes-dainty slippers
which he would fit on, and kiss the exquisitely shaped foot they
were
made to adorn-articles of virtue, and sumptuous feminine adornments
of all sorts, were almost daily delivered at her door, and the
affair
became a matter of public scandal. The guardian of the infatuated
young man remonstrated with him on his extravagance without effect,
until a bill for £2,000, for a parure of emeralds, opened their eyes
to
the true state of the case, and they refused to pay for the jewels.
Mrs.
A- stoutly refused to give them up, and the result was an exposure
of
the circumstance, which resulted in Mr. B-being at once despatched
to
his estates in Ireland, and the lady having to make a hasty retreat
to
'fair fields and pastures new,' where she might perchance pick up
another wealthy innocent to minister to her whims and passions."
"And is that all true?" Miss St. Kitts asked, when Mrs. D-had
stopped.
"Quite, my dear; I remember the lady perfectly, and a handsome
creature she was, just the style that boys fall in love with. But
come,
ladies, we have not much time before dinner; I vote an adjournment
till
to-morrow night."
They all agreed and dispersed. I'll write again and tell you about
that
other meetinge, which, as it happened, was the last.-Meantime,
Your sincere friend,
M. ANSON.
121
LETTER 12
WHICH ENDS THIS STRANGE EVENTFUL HISTORY
MY DEAR MARION,
I have only one more meeting in the tabagie to tell you about, for,
as it
befell, the ladies were discovered, and my lord was so indignant
that
he insisted on my lady leaving the chateau at once. The day after
they
met in my mistress's dressing-room for the private practice I told
you
about, there was to be a grand meeting at which they intended to
hold
a perfect festival of flogging.
Every one was to flog and be flogged in turn, and the dresses they
were
to wear were to be of the most piquant and expensive description.
Every lady was to go prepared to submit to a whipping; and those who
wore male attire were enjoined to put on nothing underneath but a
fine chemise. Two ladies dressed as footmen, and one as a page;
Madlle.
St. Kitts as a savage, and very handsome she looked.
She had a white chemise hanging very loosely over the bosom, with
pendant gold coins along the edge of it; a cashmere shawl of
brilliant
orange colour curiously disposed about her by way of drapery, and a
tiger skin thrown over her shoulders. The shawl, which had a
beautifully embroidered border of all the colours of the rainbow,
served her at once for skirt and scarf, and was draped in a very
picturesque manner. Nearly the whole of one leg was bare, and the
other was seen up to the knee; her feet were thrust into sandals
made
out of the skin of a panther, or some skin dyed to represent it; and
her
hair was suffered to flow as loosely as such a curly crop could be
made
to do, and was adorned with a fillet of pendant gold coins the same
as
those on her bodice.
She made a charming picture as she walked up the room with the free
undulating grace so remarkable in her movements, and the ladies all
murmured their admiration. The little Princess elected to represent
Ariel for this night only, and looked a study for a partner with her
122
round bare limbs and soft white drapery. The dress was very low and
short, hardly reaching to her knee, and was confined round the waist
and across the shoulders with bands of gold. A diamond star formed
the buckle of her belt, and another glittered on her forehead, held
there by a secret fastening, which made it quiver and shake like a
living thing over her glossy hair, which fell in rippling masses to
her
waist. My lady chose to go in the Pompadour costume, which suited
her
style well; and Lady C-, like a stingy old thing, as she always was,
went
as a Lady Superior of some convent or other, in a costume of grey
stuff
and white flannel, with a string of wooden beads, and a crucifix
which
never cost above half-a-crown, I am sure.
Mrs. D- at first thought of being a gentleman, but, as she said
afterwards, it was next to impossible to cram her fat proportions
into
any sort of men's clothes, so she gave up the idea, and appeared in
a
sort of Dame Durden costume, with a steeple-crowned hat, highheeled
shoes, scarlet petticoat, black bodice, and point lace. She
looked very funny with her fine hair all stuffed away under a mop
cap,
and spectacles on her good-humoured looking face, and the ladies
laughed immensely at her and her costume. As for Stephens and
myself, we were ordered to dress like two charity girls, with caps,
mittens, and aprons all complete, and nice figures we looked, I can
tell
you-one in red, and one in blue. I was almost forgetting Mme.
Hautville's toilet for this grand night; she went as a Vivandiere,
and
bewitching she looked. Her skirt was of bright scarlet silk, soft
and
noiseless, with bands of velvet, and buttons down one side, exactly
as
you see it in the opera, only that every button was a cluster of
diamonds worth a little fortune; her jacket was of blue velvet, with
scarlet facings, buttoned with diamonds; a tiny white linen collar
stood
up round her full throat, and dainty white gauntlets covered her
little
hands. She had rolled up her splendid hair into somewhat
masculinelooking
curls, and wore a grey felt hat with a splendid ostrich feather,
fastened by a diamond aigrette in front. Her boots were of soft
black
kid, and her legs were bare-the dress being short enough to show
about half of the calf of her leg. She made a lovely addition to the
123
varied picture the bright dresses presented as she walked up the
room,
and a hearty burst of applause greeted her appearance.
The room was decorated with the prettiest flowers, and I had a day's
work helping my lady and the Princess to tie the rods afresh with
different coloured ribbons. The weather was intensely warm, and the
skylight of the tabagie was left open till the very last moment, for
the
sake of the air. It fastened on the inside, and could be opened and
shut
at will by any one in the room; it was of ground glass, and
effectually
kept out prying eyes even if any one could have got up there to
look.
When the ladies were all assembled, each with her rod, and Lady C-in
her place on the dais, as president, she bid me shut the window.
"Ah, is it necessary?" Mrs. D-asked with a shrug. "We shall melt, as
well as smart, before the evening is over."
"Consider, madam," Lady C- replied, "If we leave the window open,
we are at any one or every one's mercy. Even in such an apparently
inaccessible place it would be dangerous to leave a loophole."
"I fancy the only spies would be cats and sparrows," the Princess
said
with a laugh; "But Madame la Presidente is right. We had better be
sure; so shut the window, Anson, and fasten it that no inquisitive
folk
may lift it up."
I loosened the cord, and the heavy skylight came down with a bang,
shutting out the glimpse of the starlit sky we had before seen, and
I
stood upon a chair to make it fast. I felt sure, as I did so, that
the rope
did not come to its usual place upon the hooks; that the window, in
short, was not quite shut. I looked up, but it appeared close; and
as no
pulling of mine could make any difference, I just held my tongue,
and
fastened it. It was no business of mine, and no one could get up
there to
peep, so it did not signify much.
The proceedings of that meeting were somewhat different to those
which had gone before; the ladies wanted a fresh sensation, and they
124
resolved to have it. Instead of one of the sisterhood being horsed
and
whipped, or running the gauntlet of all the ladies' rods, each one
was to
whip her next neighbour; in fact, a round robin of flogging, with
neither beginning nor end. Previous to this Mrs. D-was to take the
punishment she had promised not to shirk, and then, after a short
interval for her recovery, she was to be the centre figure of the
next
performance, and gave the signal for the blows to be struck, which
were to be given with the precision of clockwork.
The lady being duly prepared, she was found too big to be horsed,
and,
amid the laughter of the ladies, she was escorted by the two footmen
to
the square ottoman in the middle of the room, over which she was
made to kneel, held by the supposed livery men, while the page
handed the rod. There was a great deal of tittering over the
performance, for she looked very funny in her mop cap, with her old
woman's dress turned up, and her tall hat on the floor in front of
the
ottoman. Lady C-, too, looked extremely grotesque in her nun's
costume, whipping away with all her might, with the perspiration
washing the rouge down her face in red lines. While all this was
going
on, I fancied-nay, I was sure-that I heard a curious noise something
like
a groan, though where it came from I could not tell. Looking round I
saw, from the startled faces of some of the ladies, that they had
heard it
too."
"What is that?" said the Princess. "Where did that noise come from?"
No one could tell, and though every nook and corner of the room was
searched, and the two outer rooms explored, no way of accounting for
the noise could be found. The skylight was fast, and, after a moment
or
two of confusion, the alarm subsided, and the ladies prepared for
the
universal whipping they had planned. They arranged themselves all
around the room after a short interval, during which they partook of
champagne and biscuits, and cooled themselves a little with perfume
from a pretty fountain, which was one of the latest additions to the
luxury of the smoking-room. I was placed in front of Lady C-, and I
shivered as I thought of how she could hit, and Stephens before the
125
little Princess, who did not much like her, and whose tiny hands
could
deal a stinging blow. Mrs. D-was seated in the middle on the ottoman
over which she had been whipped, and when they were all ready she
gave the word "Prepare!"
Up went the dresses simultaneously, but the "gentlemen" found more
difficulty with their costumes, and there was not a little laughing,
which caused peals of merriment. At length, however, the buttons
were mastered, and the nether garments turned down; the gentlemen
were in place and position, and Mrs. D-gave the word, "Strike!"
Every rod was uplifted, but ere they could fall there came a slight
shriek, and an unmistakably feminine voice exclaimed, in cracked
tones-
"Oh, the disgusting monsters! Oh, the abandoned wretches!"
A peal of irrepressible laughter from another voice followed and
accompanied the words, and the ladies gazed at one another in
amazement and consternation. Ere they could recover their scattered
wits, another catastrophe occurred; a sudden crash, as of some heavy
body falling on the flat roof, was heard, and a hand dashed through
the
skylight, scattering the glass in all directions, and admitting a
rush of
cold air. Screams and howls succeeded to this catastrophe, through
which we could still catch the sound of laughing, smothered this
time,
as though stifled with a handkerchief, and then a pair of lightly
shod
feet pattered lightly away over the roof.
"Out with the lights," said Lady C-, "and then to your rooms,
ladies; we
have had spies upon us. Let every one dress as quickly as possible,
and
appear in the drawing-room."
Out went the lights in a moment, and not an instant, too soon, for
the
screams and cries of the person on the roof brought plenty to her
aid.
Feet sounded over our heads, and sympathising voices mingled with
exclamations of amazement and alarm.
126
"Not a word," whispered Lady C-, "and remember, dress as you were
dressed before; we must be presentable before many minutes are past.
Away at once, and silently."
You may be sure we lost no time in obeying her orders, and, seizing
our
cloaks from the ante-rooms, we rushed off. We met several of the
guests and servants, who asked what was the matter, which no one
seemed to know; and the Count and several of the gentlemen were
nowhere to be found. Madlle St. Kitts came to my mistress's room to
dress, and very quick she was about it, for not many minutes elapsed
before she was ready for any emergency. It was fortunate for her,
for
there came a knock at the door, and the Count's voice was heard
enquiring for her. Something seemed to have affected him powerfully,
for he was shaking with suppressed laughter, and could hardly speak.
Mademoiselle went out to him, and left the door open, so that we
heard
the conversation. The Count looked surprised to see her dressed, and
made her a low bow.
"Will you come to your aunt mademoiselle?" he said. "She has met
with a slight accident."
The young girl looked him in the face without blenching, though her
eyes twinkled.
"Poor auntie," she said; "she seems unfortunate. What has happened
to
her?"
"She has cut her hand rather badly with some broken glass; any other
information she will give you herself."
He spoke gravely enough; but their eyes met, and the girl's
uncontrollable spirit of fun burst out in a hearty peal of laughter,
in
which he joined. She saw that he knew it all, and she put a bold
face on
the matter.
127
"What extraordinary gymnastics my aunt must have practised tonight,"
she said, demurely, after their laughter had somewhat
subsided. "Did you assist her, Count?"
"No, on my honour," he replied, as they walked away.
My lady was too frightened to laugh at what had happened.
"That old cat," she said, when she had heard all; "she must have had
some crack to peep through. Anson, we are undone; she is quite
capable of holding a levee of gentlemen, and telling them everything
"
Which I have no doubt, from the sequel, she did. I was dreadfully
frightened and angry too, and I took an opportunity of getting away
to
seek Gustave, who, I felt sure, had been the mover and helper of
Madlle. Loupe's scheme. If my vengeance was swift, some one else's
was
swifter, for I came upon Mons. Hautville in the corridor dragging
him
by his collar, and in a very few minutes indescribable yells issued
from
his apartments. I saw no more of Gustave, for I had enough on my
hands
before long, but I heard all about it afterwards. He and Madlle.
Loupe
between them had concocted a plan by which to get on the roof of the
smoking-room, which they carried out by means of a ladder purloined
from the garden. How she must have bribed him, to be sure, before he
joined her in her freak. He had better have peeped by himself, for
the
discovery led to his instant dismissal by his mistress. However, he
didn't
lose much by that, for my lady heard afterwards of his being seen in
Paris in the train of the little golden-haired Mme. Hautville.
Within an hour from Madlle Loupe's summons to her niece, my lord
came to my lady's dressing-room, and had a long talk with her. He
never got into a passion, but he was very decided. All I heard was,
"Julia, you will be ready to leave this place at six o'clock
to-morrow
morning," and then he came to me in the bedroom.
128
"Anson," he said, "you will pack up all your mistress's and your own
things, and be ready to leave here the first thing in the morning. I
shall
take the early train to Paris."
I curtsied, of course, and he went on-
"I don't know how far to blame you for the disgusting business which
was accidentally discovered to-night, so I will take the most
charitable
view of the case, and suppose you to be a mere tool in the hands of
others. For your lady's sake, I will not dismiss you now, but warn
you to
be careful of your conduct for the future."
And that was all, my dear. We were hustled off in the morning
without being allowed to see any of the other guests. The Count
accepted the plea of sudden and particular business, and gave me a
billet-de-banc for a hundred francs when he bid me good-bye. I heard
afterwards that Madlle. Loupe had a bad hand for a long time (and
serve her right, a nasty prying thing), and that Madlle. St. Kitts
got so
tired of her tyranny that she ran away from her to her guardian in
Paris. But there was no more meetings in the tabagie, and the Order
of
St. Bridget was broken up. And that's how we came to be vegetating
here in England, with my lord as cross and stiff as you can imagine,
and
my lady low-spirited and dull. Write again, and believe me as ever,
Your sincere friend,
M. ANSON.
129