"Ever after that I locked the door carefully.
"This went on for a month and only once during that time was he allowed to even rub his cock between the buttocks of his wife. He was far from suspecting her of being his own wife and everything went well with one exception.
"Then it happened in broad daylight when he could not possibly contain himself any longer. I unfastened the full, Turkish trousers of the beauty and held her head between my legs. She took advantage of this to suck me gently while her husband agitated his prick between the cheeks of her bottom.
"This time it rather amused her. She did not pretend to help him and he kept asking me to tell her to move-her arse more. He had to spend, however, and I advised him to catch the sperm in his handkerchief. I did not care to receive the charge.
"To tell you of the delightful nights I spent with that lovely woman during that month would take me a very long time and become monotonous, so I will end by saying that all went well.
"It did not surprise Paillard that I should take the beautiful woman to France with me. On arriving at Marseilles, I pretended to leave her at the Hotel until she could be dressed as other women dress in Europe, and she started at once for Carpentras; her mother was to say that she had spent a month with her and everything would be settled all right.
"I parted with her reluctantly but she promised to see me again some day. I detained her husband a day in Marseilles in order to give her time to have everything settled.
"Thus ends my story.
"Ah, you want a conclusion; well, here it is!
"After leaving the husband at the station, I started for Paris where I remained some months and as I was about to leave the city, I received a letter from Theodore, announcing the birth of a boy whom he had named Alexis, with the full consent of his wife.
"Dear old Paillard-this act of courtesy was really due to me."
The Count had been very animated as he related this adventure, but now he became grave and melancholy and seemed pensive, shaking his head as though to cast off some thought.
"My dear friend, thrown as I have been for the past fifteen years amid pleasure, with no time to study the exact moment for my conquest, I have certainly committed acts which sober people might call indelicate.
"If indeed I have sometimes gone too far in my mad career, if I have brought grief to some hearts and pain to some young slits, at least once in my life I have had scruples.
"Let me confide this strange adventure to you; it will be a relief to me.
You have made a study of mankind and I feel certain that you will not laugh at me but will understand my feelings in the matter."
CHAPTER FIVE
"Three years ago, and about eighteen months before my trip to Algiers, I was on my estate, a few miles from Moscow. The winter was very severe and I went to the city as seldom as possible, even when it was a question of sensual satisfaction. Aside from one or two large landowners like myself, I saw no one, and spent the time looking after my servants, hunting wolves and reading a few erotic books, which were not calculated to calm my passions.
"I soon noticed the daughter of one of my farmers, a handsome girl, and the only one who appeared to be modest among all the girls and women with whom I was thrown in contact night and day.
"It was a rare thing to see her smile, but when she did, she showed beautiful teeth, and two dimples would make two deep holes in her rosy cheeks.
"She had luxuriant hair, as black as jet, which she wore in a braid that hung far below her waist; the short dress, which came just below her knees, displayed two handsome legs, round and firm, while her large black eyes were shaded by heavy lashes. She was beautiful, very beautiful, and just fifteen.
"As she was extremely modest, I did not know how to make propositions to her which many of the others would have quickly accepted. Several times I tried to enter into conversation with her. I questioned her first about her parents in a careless, indifferent manner, then I laughingly asked her if she had a betrothed. She looked at me quietly, surprised perhaps at such a question, but she did not answer.
"For a whole month I remained in this embarrassing position.
Sometimes I would wake up at night after dreaming that I had her in bed with me, that I had fully possessed her, and I would turn over and find myself alone with my prick at full stand. I would then make up my mind to fly from the spot that very day or force her to surrender, but the day would pass just as the preceding one and nothing came of it.
"Sometimes I surprised her looking at me, but the look was so frank, so innocent, that I did not dare to speak.
"I do not know how or why, but her mother perceived what was going on, and coming to me with tears in her eyes, told me the farm did not produce enough to support the family. Praising her modest daughter, she begged me to take her into my service. I was delighted with the proposition but was careful not to show it, and dismissed the woman without making any promises.
"A few days later I had a visit from the father and finally I consented to take the young girl.
"One day, a theft having been committed in the house, all the accusations fell upon the young girl and I had her summoned before me in order to question her myself.
"She scarcely deigned to defend herself. She had not stolen anything and suspected no one of the deed. This was all she would say. At the head of the female department of the household I had a dragon of a woman who was extremely strict and whose devotion to me was, without question, devout. She advised me to have the girl whipped to make her confess the crime. I was obliged to consent and ordered the whipping to be administered in my presence.
"The girl looked on calmly while the preparations were made for the torture, but what amazed me was to see her quietly undress herself, throwing to the floor one by one her articles of clothing until she was naked to the waist.
"Her back was turned to me. Ah, when the woman struck her on the back with the strap, I almost cried out, and ordered her to stop and retire.
"I got up, took the young girl in my arms and gently drew her on my knees as I tried to reassure her-it was only then that she burst into tears. I tried to draw her hands away from her face, which she had hidden in them; I wanted to see her bewitching eyes bathed in tears.
"She was so beautiful thus that I lost my head, threw her brutally on the sofa and rushed upon her like a hungry wolf.
"I kissed her tiny bosoms furiously. They were firm as marble. I stuck my head under her skirts and there was the peculiar perfume of a clean woman which made me delirious with lubric passion.
"Like an animal, I squeezed the firm, rosy lips of her hidden parts and rubbed my face against them. I was intoxicated by the delicious odour.
I stuck my tongue between the lips of her little pussy. I drew out and licked it like an amorous animal, for I too, was an animal then in my sensuous desire.
"Suddenly surprised at not feeling her move, I disengaged my head from her skirts and was not a little bewildered to find her sobbing as though her heart would break.
"I took both her hands in mine and placed my fiery lips upon hers. The tears streamed down her cheeks and dropped one by one on my breast.
Her mouth seemed insensible to my caresses.
"Finally calmed by the sight of so much grief, I suddenly awoke as from some horrible nightmare, picked up her clothing and covered her nakedness. This seemed to calm her somewhat and when my paroxysm was over I got her to talk.
"She swore on the image of the Holy Virgin that she was innocent and she gently reproached me for my conduct. It had hurt her so much that she began sobbing again.
"I was ashamed of myself and begged her pardon. I felt vile, degraded before this pure young girl and promised not to annoy her any more.
After talking about half an hour, I sent her back, consoled now, to her occupation, and told the other servants that I was convinced of her innocence and would not allow anyone to be wanting in respect to her.