Memoirs of Fanny Hill
But a few days after she had left us, two very occasion, not to wrong
our training at Mrs. Cole’s, especially favourites, and free of her
academy, easily obtained her consent for Emily’s and my acceptance of a
party of pleasure, at a little but agreeable house, belonging to one of
them situated not far up the river Thames, on the Surrey side.
Every thing being settled, and it being a fine summer day, but rather
of the warmest, we set out after dinner, and got to our rendezvous
about four in the afternoon; where, landing at the foot of a neat,
joyous pavilion, Emily and I were handed into it by our esquires, and
there drank tea with a cheerfulness and gaiety, that the beauty of the
prospect, the serenity of the weather, and the tender politeness of our
sprightly gallants, naturally led us into.
After tea, and taking a turn in the garden, my particular, who was the
master of the house, and had in no sense schemed this party of pleasure
for a dry one, proposed to us, with that frankness which his
familiarity at Mrs. Cole’s entitled him to, as the weather was
excessively hot, to bathe together, under a commodious shelter that he
had prepared expressly for that purpose, in a creek of the river, with
which a side-door of the pavilion immediately communicated, and where
we might be sure of having our diversion out, safe from interruption,
and with the utmost privacy.
Emily, who never refused anything, and I, who ever delighted in
bathing, and had no exception to the person who proposed it, or to
those pleasure it was easy to guess it implied, took care, on this
occasion, not to wrong our training at Mrs. Cole’s, and agreed to it
with as good a grace as we could. Upon which, without loss of time, we
returned instantly to the pavilion, one door of which opened into a
tent, pitched before it, that with its marquise, formed a pleasing
defense again the sun, or the weather, and was besides as private as we
could wish. The lining of it, embossed cloth, represented a wild forest
foliage, from the top, down to the sides, which, in the same stuff,
were figured with fluted pilasters, with their spaces between filled
with flower vases, the whole having a pay effect croon the eye,
wherever you turned it.
Then it reached sufficiently into the water, yet contained convenient
benches round it, on the dry ground, either to keep our clothes, or...,
or..., in short for more uses than resting upon. There was a side-table
too, loaded with sweetmeats, jellies, and other eatables, and bottles
of wine and cordials, by way of occasional relief from any rawness, or
chill of the water, or from any faintness from whatever cause; and in
fact, my gallant, who understood _chère entiêre_ perfectly, and who,
for taste (even if you would not approve this specimen of it) might
have been comptroller of pleasures to a Roman emperor, had left no
requisite towards convenience or luxury unprovided.
As soon as we had looked round this inviting spot, and every
preliminary of privacy was duly settled, strip was the word: when the
young gentlemen soon dispatched the undressing each his partner and
reduced us to the naked confession of all those secrets of person which
dress generally hides, and which the discovery of was, naturally
speaking, not to our disadvantage. Our hands, indeed, mechanically
carried towards the most interesting part of us, screened, at first,
all from the tufted cliff downwards, till we took them away at their
desire, and employed them in doing them the same office, of helping off
with their clothes; in the process of which, there passed all the
little wantonnesses and frolics that you may easily imagine.
As for my spark, he was presently undressed, all to his shirt, the
fore-lappet of which as he leaned languishingly on me, he smilingly
pointed to me to observe, as it bellied out, or rose and fell,
according to the unruly starts of the motion behind it; but it was soon
fixed, for now taking off his shirt, and naked as a Cupid, he shewed it
me at so upright a stand, as prepared me indeed for his application to
me for instant ease; but, though the sight of its fine size was fit
enough to fire me, the cooling air, as I stood in this state of nature,
joined to the desire I had of bathing-first, enabled me to put him off,
and tranquillize him, with the remark, that a little suspense would
only set a keener edge on the pleasure. Leading them the way, and
shewing our friends an example of continency, which they were giving
signs of losing respect to, we went hand in hand into the stream, till
it took us up to our necks, where the no more than grateful coolness of
the water gave my senses a delicious refreshment from the sultriness of
the season, and made more alive, more happy in myself, and, in course,
more alert, and open to voluptuous impressions.
Here I laved and wantoned with the water, or sportively played with my
companion, leaving Emily to deal with hers at discretion. Mine, at
length, not content with making me take the plunge over head and ears,
kept splashing me, and provoking me with all the little playful tricks
he could devise, and which I strove not to remain in his debt for. We
gave, in short, a loose to mirth; and now, nothing would serve him but
giving his hand the regale of going over every part of me, neck,
breast, belly, thighs, and all the _et cætera_, so dear to the
imagination, under the pretext of washing and rubbing them; as we both
stood in the water, no higher now than the pit of our stomachs, and
which did not hinder him from feeling, and toying with that leak that
distinguishes our sex, and it so wonderfully water-tight: for his
fingers, in vain dilating and opening it, only let more flame than
water into it, be it said without a figure. At the same time he made me
feel his own engine, which was so well wound up, as to stand even the
working in water, and he accordingly threw one arm round my neck, and
was endeavouring to get the better of that harsher construction bred by
the surrounding fluid; and had in effect one his way so far as to make
me sensible of the pleasing stretch of those nether lips, from the
in-driving machine; when, independent of my not liking that awkward
mode of enjoyment, I could not help interrupting him, in order to
become joint spectators of a plan of joy, in hot operation between
Emily and her partner; who impatient of the fooleries and dalliance of
the bath, had led his nymph to one of the benches on the green bank,
where he was very cordially proceeding to teach her the difference
betwixt jest and earnest.
There, setting her on his knee, and gliding one hand over the surface
of that smooth polished snow-white skin of hers, which now doubly shone
with a dew-bright lustre, and presented to the touch something like
what one would imagine of animated ivory, especially in those
ruby-nippled globes, which the touch is so fond of and delights to make
love to, with the other he was lusciously exploring the sweet secret of
nature, in order to make room for a stately piece of machinery, that
stood up-reared, between her thighs, as she continued sitting on his
lap, and pressed hard for instant intromission, which the tender Emily,
in a fit of humour deliciously protracted, affected to decline, and
elude the very pleasure she sighed for, but in a style of waywardness,
so prettily put on, and managed, as to render it ten times more
poignant; then her eyes, all amidst the softest dying languishment,
expressed, ait once a mock denial and extreme desire, whilst her
sweetness was zested with a coyness so pleasingly provoking, her moods
of keeping him off were so attractive, that they redoubled the
impetuous rage with, which, he covered her with kisses: and kisses
that, whilst she seemed to shy from or scuffle for, the cunning wanton
contrived such sly returns, of, as were, doubtless the sweeter for the
gust she gave them, of being stolen ravished.
Thus Emily, who knew no art but that which nature itself, in favour of
her principal end, pleasure, had inspired her with, the art of
yielding, coy’d it indeed, but coy’d it to the purpose; for with all
her straining, her wrestling, and striving to break from the clasp of
his arms, she was so far wiser yet than to mean it, that in her
struggles, it was visible she aimed at nothing more than multiplying
points of touch with him, and drawing yet closer the folds that held
them every where entwined, like two tendrils of a vine intercurling:
together: so that the same effect, as when Louisa strove in good
earnest to disengage from the idiot, was now produced by different
motives.
Mean while, their emersion out of the cold water had caused a general
glow, a tender suffusion of heightened carnation over their bodies;
both equally white and smooth-skinned; so that as their limbs were thus
amorously interwoven, in sweet confusion, it was scarce possible to
distinguish who they respectively belonged to, but for the brawnier,
bolder muscles of the stronger sex.
In a little time, however, the champion was fairly in with her, and had
tied at all points the true lover’s knot; when now, adieu all the
little refinements of a finessed reluctance; adieu the friendly feint!
She was presently driven forcibly out of the power of using any art;
and indeed, what art must not give way, when nature, corresponding with
her assailant, invaded in the heart of her capital and carried by
storm, lay at the mercy of the proud conqueror, who had made his entry
triumphantly and completely? Soon, however, to become a tributary: for
the engagement growing hotter and hotter, at close quarters, she
presently brought him to the pass of paying down the dear debt to
nature; which she had no sooner collected in, but, like a duellist who
has laid his antagonist at his feet, when he has himself received a
mortal wound, Emily had scarce time to plume herself upon her victory,
but, shot with the same discharge, she, in a loud expiring sigh, in the
closure of her eyes, the stretch-out of her limbs, and a remission of
her whole frame, gave manifest signs that all was as it should be.
For my part, who had not with the calmest patience stood in the water
all this time, to view this warm action, I leaned tenderly on my
gallant, and at the close of it, seemed to ask him with my eyes, what
he thought of it; but he, more eager to satisfy me by his actions than
by words or looks, as we shoaled the water towards the shore, showed me
the staff of love so intensely set up, that had not even charity,
beginning at home in this case, urged me to our mutual relief, it would
have been cruel indeed to have suffered the youth to burst with
straining, when the remedy was so obvious and so near at hand.
Accordingly we took a bench, whilst Emily and her spark, who belonged
it seems to the sea, stood at the side-board, drinking to our good
voyage: for, as the last observed, we were well under weigh, with a
fair wind up channel, and full-freighted; nor indeed were we long
before we finished our trip to Cythera, and unloaded in the old haven;
but, as the circumstances did not admit of much variation, I shall
spare you the description.
At the same time, allow me to place you here an excuse I am conscious
of owing you, for having, perhaps, too much affected the figurative
style; though surely, it can pass nowhere more allowable than in a
subject which is so properly the province of poetry, nay, is poetry
itself, pregnant with every flower of imagination and loving metaphors,
even were not the natural expressions, for respects of fashion and
sound, necessarily forbidden.
Resuming now my history, you may please to know, that what with a
competent number of repetitions, all in the same strain (and, by the
bye, we have a certain natural sense that those repetitions are very