This was early in the week. — I kept away from women, waiting eagerly for the Friday. — All that day I had a stiff stander every hour. Evening was approaching and no letter had come. Curse him, he's not gone on his visit I thought, when by hand came a note with, “Come at eight.” — No date, no signature was on it (I kept it for years) . I was at the house to a moment, it was dark, and she let me in. — The servant was out as arranged. — I took only as much linen as I could carry in a small parcel.

I rushed at her so soon as we were in the room to-gether, kissing her, and groping her cunt. She let me kiss and grope, but that, and the smell of my fingers was all I got for two hours. She would not let me have her at once. — “No, wait till the servant's gone for the night.” — She had seen her husband off by train and all was well. — She put me into her bedroom, in which was a very large clothes closet — I could sit down in it. The servant came home, Gertrude was with her some time. She had put me into the closet mentioned, I had taken off my boots, and it was then that she called the servant into the room, and had a chat with her on domestic matters, and told her she might go to bed earlier if she liked, for she should go to bed early. — The servant gladly enough did. The house door was locked and we were alone. — We had both dined, but we had a nice little supper of sausage, with bread and butter and Champagne, and then to bed, to bed. — What a hurry I was in to get there.

Never in my life have I had greater delight than I had in seeing that woman undress. — It is always charming to see a lovely woman disclose gradually her charms. — I could not keep away from her, I pulled her about so that she could scarcely take off her things. I had stripped in a minute, and as she proceeded I kissed her, and I smelt her breasts and arm pits, and threw up her petticoats, and kissed her cunt as she stood. I knelt and pulled off her boots and stockings, felt her cunt by snatches as I did so, kissed her thighs, and played all the pranks that the randiest devil could think of. — Then just as she put her night-gown over her head, and her chemise dropt to her heels, I pulled the gown out of her hands, and she stood naked. — No, she wouldn't sleep without the night-gown and I was obliged to give it to her. — Then into bed we went, and in five minutes her cunt was quite full of me, she had poured out her juices, my balls were wet, and we were in quiet, dreamy voluptuousness. — Nor is it of any use telling further how we spent the night. — We were both fairly fucked out in the morning. — In the night she told me very briefly the story of her fucking by nine soldiers, if not more, she told it again and again next day, and afterwards again. She told me all parts of it, on future days till I knew the story by heart. The tale is perhaps the most exciting I ever heard from a woman's lips, altho every story about a woman's fucking is exciting and cock stiffening. — I talked to her about it incessantly, till the reminiscences even made her lewed. — I questioned her as to what sort of men they were, what sort of pricks they had, did they spend much, what they said, what they did — I thought of everything. — “I won't tell you any more, I've told you all.” But at a proper opportunity, and with my finger on her quim, or laying with my naked limbs entwined, with hers, — “Do tell me love, do.” — Then again she told this and that — supplied this link — answered this or that question — till I knew it all. — It is never to be forgotten. It is so vividly in my mind, that I feel even now almost as if I had been present at the sight.

Our difficulty began in the morning when the servant came in. — “I'm not well,” said she, “bring the break-fast in here.” — Then I came out of my closet and fed.

— There was plenty of bread and chacuterie, and we made a nice breakfast. — Directly afterwards, alas I wanted to evacuate. I knew so little of her that I did not like to tell. Shitting is always unpleasant till well acquainted with a woman, but I could not help telling.

— “Oh, how can I get her out of the way,” said she. — “Send her to the chemist for something.” — She sent directly, my fundament was made easy, and all was well again. — I kept in the closet whilst she with the servant made the bed, and set things to rights. We had put towels under our backsides to catch any stray spunk. Then out went the woman to market and we fucked, I ate my luncheon in the bedroom. — Fuck again. — At one time I was sitting in the dark more than an hour, and the servant was purposely allowed to come in and out, and so we played the game till night came again, and didn't we sleep. — On the Sun-day when the servant was out all day, we spent it in eating, drinking, sleeping, and copulating — and the story was told over again. — “Now I'll never say an-other word about it.” But when I questioned she answered me. — She could not help it. By Monday morning, her cunt and my prick were sore, our eyes were sunken, and my last fuck must have taken an hour. — I was got out of the house early without the servant knowing, and then to bed I went directly. — I got to my hotel, and slept all day. I did not want a woman I think till I saw her again.

I have said but little about her person. Now I must say that she was solid, fleshy, big breasted, and large thighed, had a small, tight, small clitorised and full fledged, black haired cunt. She'd ample black hair in her armpits. — I am fond of that ornament in a woman. She was altogether a choice morsel for those who like a woman full sized, but she was not in the least over-grown, although her form was quite that of a woman of seven or eight and twenty, and who had enjoyed a man. She was a most voluptuous fuckee. No amorous pranks, or baudy tricks were too much for her, and never did I enjoy two days and nights with a woman, more than I did with her. The only drawback was that I was dishonest with my friend, which cut me every now and then — but it was as she said his own fault. — Had he not exposed her, and in that made him unworthy of her? She wouldn't have come to my arms she said but for that, and that comforted me, as well as her.

Chapter XVI

Gertrude's history. • Birthplace and parentage. • Her seduction. • Sister Margaretta. • Antonio's farm near Solferino. • Soldiers quartered on the farm. • The women hear and fear. • Before the battle. • Officers leave. • The soldiers lust. • The sisters ravished. • Twelve fucks in an hour. • The spend outside. • Gertrude's pleasure. • The gift of the watch. • The flight. • The battle. • Farm burnt. • The refugees in town.

Now I will tell the story, the incidents of which I talked over and over with her for a few months, in fact until our liason came to an end. — All the details were not got at once. — She was incapable of telling it as I shall tell it — but tho there may be omissions I swear that nothing shall be invented by me, nor my imagination be allowed to supply any hiatus. — That I have kept to faithfully in writing all my secret life. — This which I shall now tell it is a narrative of wholesale violation.

She was one of a family living not far from Strasbourg, her father a very small farmer of his own land. Her sister had married an Italian who had a farm in Lombardy, not far from Solferino, and had two children. — Her husband's father (an old man) lived with them. — Gertrude (her name) had a lover at Strasbourg and she let him have her — but about her third or fourth poke, her father who had suspected some-thing, caught him on the top of her in a barn. — He pulled him off her, and he never finished his poke. — She was watched as a cat does a mouse, and care-fully kept from him after the event, till the young man was conscripted for a soldier, and she after a time never heard of, or from him, and believed he died. Her father to get her away, sent her to live with her married sister in Lombardy. He was not sure about the death of the lover.