Anonymous - Frank and I

“About an hour after, Miss Dundas brought me a cup of tea and some bread and butter, telling me that I should get no dinner that night; and she added that I was a young fool She then went away, leaving me locked up.

“Next morning, after I had dressed, I sat waiting to be let out; but I was not. Some breakfast was brought to me, and later on, some lunch. At five o’clock, Mrs. Leslie and her sister made their appearance, and I was again asked if I would consent; and again I refused. Then for the second time I was laid across the bed and severely spanked; and as my bottom was still sore, I felt the stinging pain of the slaps more acutely than before, and I struggled more violently, and screamed louder than on the previous day.

“When the punishment was over, I was again locked up.

“At five o’clock next day, for the third time, they came into the room, and for the third time the question was put to me. Trembling, crying, and wringing my hands in utter despair, I exclaimed that I would never consent. Then, for the third time, my sore bottom was laid bare, and the spanking was begun. That time the pain was most intense; I winced, writhed, and shrieked at each stroke of the thick slipper. I struggled hard to get off the bed, and I tried to kick; but Miss Dundas held my wrists tightly, and Mrs. Leslie held my legs down, at the same time spanking away, without paying the least attention to my shrieks and entreaties, until she was quite out of breath. Then she put on her slipper, and went away with her sister: locking me in the room as on the previous days.

“My flesh tingled and throbbed painfully: I was hoarse from screaming; my checks were furrowed with tears, and I lay on the bed, crying and sobbing in abject misery for quite ten minutes. Then I got up, and bathed my burning, still smarting bottom with cold water, which greatly allayed the pain. I then gathered my short petticoats up above my waist, and standing in front of the glass, I looked over my shoulder at my bottom, and saw that it was very much swollen, the skin being shiny in appearance, and a dark purple colour; it was also so tender that I could not sit down comfortably. It afterwards turned black and blue.

“I was kept locked up, and scantily fed, for three more days, but I was not again spanked. On the fourth day of my imprisonment, Mrs. Leslie came into the room, and said that if I would not do as all the other girls did; she would turn me out of the house. The threat startled me a good deal, but I again said that I would not sleep with a man.

“She glared angrily at me; then, after telling me that I was to leave her house within twenty-four hours, she swept out of the room, leaving the door open.

“I was extremely agitated, as well as frightened, and I sank down on a chair trembling all over, but I did not intend to yield, and after a time I grew calm, and then I began to think what I should do.

“It seemed to me very hard, that the fact of my being a girl should make me liable to be subjected to all sorts of indignities. At that moment I heartily wished I could change my sex. Then a sudden inspiration came to me. I would dress myself as a boy, and in that guise endeavour to get some employment. It was a splendid ides; and as I thought over it, I actually laughed, for it at once struck me that I should never be asked to sleep with a man, when I was got-up in male attire. And there would be no difficulty in completely dressing myself up in boy’s clothes. The room next to mine was occupied by Mrs. Leslie’s son Henry, whenever he was at home; I had never seen him, but I had heard that he was about my size and age; and I knew that there was plenty of clothing of all sorts in his room.

“I would take all that was necessary, dress myself, and then go to Southampton, and be a sailor. The whole scheme was, of course, utterly impracticable, but I did not think so at that moment. I thought it would be perfectly easy to hide my sex.”

Here Frances again stopped speaking for an instant; then said, with a laugh: “And perhaps I could have kept my secret, if you had not taken down my trousers.”

“Oh, I should have found out you were a girl, sooner or later; even if I had not taken down your trousers,” I observed, laughing.

She went on: “No one came near me that afternoon, except the servant who brought me my tea; and I did not leave the room, so I had plenty of time to arrange my plans, and when I had settled in my mind exactly what I intended to do, I went to bed.

“Next morning, as soon as it was light, I got up, went into the boy’s room, and took out of the chest of drawers, a complete suit of clothes and all the necessary undergarments; I also was lucky enough to find a pair of boots, and a straw hat I went back to my room, dressed myself in the clothes, which fitted me” very well, and then I cut off my hair. I had in my possession four pounds, and a few shillings, the remains of the money given me at various times by Mr. Wood; and as I did not wish to steal the clothes, I resolved to pay for them with the four pounds. So I wrote a note in pencil on a scrap of paper, addressed to Mrs. Leslie, telling her what I had done, and enclosing the money.

“Then I slipped quietly downstairs-no one in the house was stirring at that early hour-opened the hall-door, and ran away as fast as I could. I knew my way about, so I soon found an omnibus which took me to Charing Cross, and from there I made my way to Waterloo station, where I had a cup of coffee and some bread and butter.

“I felt very awkward and uncomfortable in trousers, but as no one seemed to notice anything strange in my appearance, I soon got quite bold. I had not money enough for a ticket to Southampton, so I took one for Farnborough, which I knew was nearly halfway to where I was bound. When I got to Farnborough, I inquired for the Southampton road, and started off at once, walking all day, and as I had only eighteenpence, and a long distance yet to go, I could not put up at an inn. I spent sixpence on bread and cheese and a glass of beer, at a wayside public-house, and when it got dark, I crept into a haystack which fortunately happened to be at hand; but as I was rather frightened, I did not get much sleep, though I was very tired. Next morning I continued my tramp, after getting some tea and bread at a cottage; and when I had paid for my breakfast, I had only sixpence left. I had walked about fifteen miles, and was beginning to feel very depressed, when you overtook me and spoke so kindly to me, I have nothing more to tell. You know all that has happened from the moment you took me into this dear old house where I have been so happy,”

As she finished speaking, she jumped on to my knees, threw her arms round my neck, and kissed me passionately; exclaiming: “Oh, my sweetheart! How good you have been to me! I love you!”

I kissed her, and petted her, for she had got quite excited in telling her long story; but she soon calmed down, and sat quietly on my lap, with her cheek against mine.

“You are not afraid of sleeping with a man now?” I said, smiling.

“Not when you are the man,” she replied laughing, and giving me a hug. Then she added earnestly: “But I would not sleep with any other man in the whole world. Nothing would induce me to do such a thing.” Then, laughing again merrily: “Not even a spanking every day for a week would make me consent.”

“Now,” I said, “tell me how it was that your old schoolmistress knew Mrs. Leslie.”

“I believe they had been schoolfellows,” she replied.

“Do you think she knew the sort of house Mrs. Leslie kept?”

“No, I do not think she did. She must have been deceived in some way or other by Mrs. Leslie, who, having found out that I had no friends, took me into her house to make what she could out of me.”