Gynecocracy

CHAPTER 16

As soon as breakfast was over a hansom was called and I was again placed in the middle of the seat between my two dear tyrants. I had not on this occasion that thing behind to incommode me but the whipping had made me quite sore enough to counterbalance the pleasure arising from its absence. We drove to a ladies' shop, not ten minutes' distance from Leicester Square. The window was full of corsets, chemises, drawers, mysterious combinations, and triple garments! Inside, behind the counters, the assistants were all girls, and in front of them numerous customers, all ladies and their daughters.

"I have brought," said Mademoiselle in a loud voice, "this young gentleman to be fitted with a tight corset and lady's underclothing."

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

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

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

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

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

"What corset would Mademoiselle desire?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Do so," said Mademoiselle.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Then it is not unusual?" exclaimed Gertrude.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I gave a little scream of pain.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mademoiselle and Gertrude shrieked with laughter at my utter discomfiture.

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

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

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

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

"And did he?"

"The poor gentleman looked very shamefaced, but I held his hands behind him and made him stand before her seated on that very couch and she had a good look; examined him carefully I promise you."

"Did she touch him?"

"No. Now, Miss-, now young gentleman, if you do not want more flogging, strip yourself, Miss-will help you; and as soon as you have taken your things off you shall have this nice chemise over your head."

Miss-did help me. In fact she stripped me and I stood naked before these four women.

"Whatever has he to be ashamed of? A back and thighs like a woman's, I declare; and such a smooth face. He will make a capital girl!"

A silk vest had been slipped on under the chemise, then long stockings, silk, next the corset.

Mademoiselle finally fixed on what was technically described as an Ideal Sylph-Corset with a very small long waist. It was very high under the arms and inconveniently long in front, and it was laced with great severity, Miss-holding me, while her fellow conspirator tugged at the laces and made it meet.

"Drawers," Mademoiselle explained. She would not have combinations.

"We always advise wide old-fashioned drawers for young gentlemen who are to be unsexed. They can be easily removed for purposes of punishment and combinations cannot be." At the sight of the flannel petticoat I rebelled again. I was not a girl, I would not wear the thing.

"Bring him here," cried Mademoiselle, exasperated. "Give me the busk. Across my knee this instant, Julian."

Miss-pushed me over. Whack, whack, whack.

"Oh, Mademoiselle! Oh, Mademoiselle! Oh, you hurt!"

Sobbing and trembling, the white flannel petticoat was then tied on.

"Now, Miss, your dress-"

When I was fully equipped, a cab was called and we were driven to a lady's coiffeur.

"No, I will not have my head shaved."

"You must," said Delilah with a stamp.

"It is not necessary, Mademoiselle," remarked the hairdresser.

"Mais je le veux," exclaimed Mademoiselle, with another stamp of her little foot.

So my head was shaved, and I was furnished with a woman's head of hair. Several wigs were chosen. Another cheque. Then to Rathbone Place, to a bootmaker's.

"This young lady requires boots and shoes very tight, very high heels. Two pairs to lace halfway up her legs, halfway to the knees," ordered Mademoiselle.

My feet were then forced into girl's tight boots, which were laced up, the five-and-a-half-inch heels feeling like mountains under me.

When we reached Oxford Circus, Mademoiselle would look in at a shop in Regent Street where she saw some marvelous corsets with horrid belts below the waist, more like instruments of torture, more like strait-waistcoats than any I had seen before. I was willy-nilly taken in; the assistants were very much more hoity-toity here than nearer Leicester Square. They could hardly find a corset large enough for me and plainly regarded me as a hoyden. Of course they found out that I was a boy. They entirely ignored the fact although their winks to each other seriously embarrassed and discomforted me.

But when the belt below came to be laced, there was something in the way. Their discovery of my sex had already cost me several sly pushes and touches, which, with feminine spitefulness, they gave me at every opportunity in the most promiscuous manner. One of them then whispered to Mademoiselle.

And as a result a principal was consulted.

"Yes," said the haughty and stately personage, "a young lady of abnormal development and construction, in fact a hermaphrodite. I quite understand. We have met with several cases of it. The abnormal organ had better be turned under the belt, Miss-"

This was ruthlessly done.

I recollected Lord Alfred Ridlington's observation in the conservatory, that he had met several young ladies with that thing in front. Oh! Would they-would they after all believe me to be really a girl? Walking was now more troublesome but Mademoiselle insisted on it and we went down Regent Street, along Conduit Street and Bond Street, and so back to the hotel.

Luncheon, alas! I could scarcely eat, so tightly cased up was I.

Gertrude had to leave that afternoon. I bade her adieu with tears. And then I was suddenly revived, for Mademoiselle reminded her of the theatre and induced her to stay until the next day, when Mademoiselle purposed returning to Suffolk.