Anonymous - Eveline

"How you are altered, Eveline! I should have known you anywhere-but how you have grown! How you have developed! You are the most beautiful of girls! By Heaven, you take me by surprise! What a figure! I never saw so perfect a face in my life."

We stood together in the light of the window. He was indeed altered. No doubt he found me also very different from the little girl he had parted from so long ago. I seemed to astonish and attract him. He had lots to tell me of his foreign service-his friends and his comrades. We passed a quiet evening together. Papa had returned with Percy from London.

If Lady L- had no affection for her only daughter, she made up for it in the person of her second son. He was all in all to her. She had always spoiled him. His departure had ended what might have been a fatal obstacle to the formation of his character as a decent member of society and a soldier. My father saw the mischief in time. He interfered and separated them. Lady L never forgave him. Percy had left his mother a stout, strong woman. He returned to find a wreck. More than that, he could not feel other than shame at the state to which he saw her reduced by her own excesses.

"I have much work to do this morning, Eveline, my dear. I shall leave Percy to amuse you. He wants to drive you over to Lewes. The old town is well worth a visit.

"I shall be delighted to go, papa. We will take the phaeton. Percy, I hope you are a good whip and will not spill me?"

We started at eleven. We took the footman behind. He occupied the seat under the hood which was only partly thrown back. The morning was chilly for the time of year. The wind came over the Downs with a violence which made the fur rug very agreeable. Percy was in high spirits. He told me of Lord L 's intention to get him transferred to the Household Cavalry on the first available vacancy. I told him all about my engagement to Lord Endover. He had already been informed of it by papa.

"You will be a horrid little Countess. I don't like the idea at all. I wanted to be a long time at home with you. I hoped to be such chums."

"Why, Percy, so we can be. I am not to be a 'horrid little Countess' for some time yet, you bad boy."

"But it seems it is all settled. You are to be married and done for."

"Whatever do you mean? I am sure papa is pleased. You know, Percy, dear old boy, girls have to be married, or else become old maids."

Percy actually laughed.

"You'll never be an old maid, Eve dear. I don't like the idea of your going away from us-just when I've come back and am likely to stop in England. I had pictured up such jolly times. You don't know, Eve, how I've thought of you all the long years since we parted. Although I could not write my thoughts to you, yet nevertheless you were in them. I loved you better than any of the girls I met. None of them were a bit like you. When papa sent me your photo after you left school, I was told all round it was too beautiful to be true to life. They all said the photographer had touched it up-especially the women. Now I know that no photographer could produce so exquisite a picture as would give a just idea of the original. You have grown a splendid girl, Eve. Do you remember I used to call you 'Eve'?"

"Yes, and I used to call you Adam. But we must forget those times now, Percy."

"Why should I forget? Just when you are ten thousand times more winsome and lovely? Because I am a man with a man's strong passions? Eve, dear Eve, I am not likely to forget our frolics. I mean to renew them with you, I mean to repeat-"

"Oh, Percy-you must not talk like that! You must not refer to our old associations."

I laughed-I could not help it. In that laugh he saw the hollowness of my reserve. He became more confident-more passionate. He began in earnest to make love to me. He nestled close, put his arm round my waist and held the reins with the other hand.

"Percy! Percy! The horses will play tricks! For goodness' sake let go, and drive properly."

"Well, kiss me then, Eve-then I will."

I put my face up to his. I kissed him on the lips. He held me close.

"I was only a boy then, Eve, I am a man now. I only half had you in those days. I mean to have you in earnest now."

"Oh! Percy-if anybody were to hear you."

"The hood is up sufficiently to keep all to ourselves. He can neither hear nor see over it, and the noise prevents all chance."

"Percy, you frighten me. We cannot be too careful."

"Trust to me for that. I am caution itself. We will play at Adam and Eve once more. I cannot let you marry and go without having tasted a real man, little Eve. Do you agree, my beautiful one?"

"Oh, Percy, you are too bad; you are exciting me shockingly!"

"Do you hear, my sweet? We began early. We are going to complete the thing now. Oh, Eve! My blood boils-I long to begin!"

"Hush, Percy! Pray be careful!"

"If you knew how I long for you! How I pant to snatch off that pretty bodice and let loose those well-blown breasts. I want to kiss them, Eve. I want to riot in kisses all over your beautiful body. How red your cheeks are, my charming Eve. You know you are as bad as I am. You want to play again with Adam. I know you do."

I cannot repeat all the bold and lecherous things he whispered to me on the way. We arrived at Lewes all too soon for my part. Percy drove to the best hotel. We descended and entered. He ordered lunch in a private room. It all passed pleasantly. He had the good sense to calm himself, but I made no scruple in allowing him to see that my inclination was as strong as his own.

We drove home to Eastbourne by Polegate. The air came fresher than even over the South Downs. I nestled under the furs. Percy drove carefully. We had the hood quite up now. He was warm with the lunch and the wine. I shared his exaltation. A very little coaxing on his part induced me to keep my hand under the warm wraps upon his left thigh as he held the reins. I think a tailor must be an artist by birth. He always seems intuitively to understand that a gentleman's "unspeakables" must be cut much more commodiously on the left thigh than on the right. No doubt they take their measures, but as their absurd tape can hardly be supposed to produce the same effect as the delicate fingers of Eveline, I am at a loss to know how, unless they are as I suggest, artist by intuition, they can allow such gigantic inflammation as took place in that region on the present occasion. In fact, this tailor had not done his work at all as he would no doubt have done, had he only had the foresight to have employed his young daughter to take the gentleman's measure "up to the crotch." In any case, I was obliged to make more room for the increasing growth under my hand. I opened a couple of buttons; another flew off all by itself-my fingers closed on his stiff limb.

"Oh, Percy! What a dreadful thing! Why it's more than twice the size it used to be."

"I believe it is, Eve; your little hand is making me furiously lustful."

I could not keep up even a semblance of propriety. With him I subsided into the position of the little sister of old. With others it was different. I had a reserve to maintain, a presence to be insisted upon- a certain imperative necessity for prudence and forethought. With Percy I felt myself free from all restraint. I took up the position as of old. It saved my modesty, or what answered for it: my awkwardness and nervous apprehension of inspiring any other sentiment than desire.

I nestled close down to him. The sweet odor of his manhood pervaded my nostrils-stole over my senses with irresistible impulse. I even furtively sucked my fingers when I could find a decent excuse for relaxing my grasp. He had certainly realized my hopes and expectations. The volume of his limb was undoubtedly doubled since the time when we made our pleasant investigations into the mysteries of the sexes.