He had been drafted for the army, and where could the poor creature go until his seven years are over? She doesn't know whether hell ever come back. He was last heard of in Siberia. He can't write, you see, and she can't read.” “Oh,” answered Grushenka with a flicker of pride. “I can read and write.” “That's fine!” retorted Gargarina kindly. “Then you'll be able to read us some stories out of books and write our love letters for us. You will be quite a busy person with that. But now you'd better clean yourself out”-and she looked at the juice which ran out of the love nest and wet Grushenka's legs-“because you couldn't serve down in the bath hall with a swollen belly.”
Gargarina brought a bowl of water and a towel. Grushenka sat down on the floor with the bowl, inserted a finger in her orifice-after she had wrapped the end of a towel around it-and rubbed herself, relieving her bladder at the same time. The hot gush of the liquid and the rubbing of the passageway made her feel quite good, and she enjoyed it. Gargarina, who was watching her, remarked: “Tomorrow, I'll show you a better way to clean yourself, down in the bathing hall. But now dress quickly; dinner will be ready in a minute.” When Grushenka came down to the dining room, she regretted that she had left her fine traveling dress at Marta's. All the other girls were dressed up fit to kill, and her peasant dress looked rather out of place. There were twice as many girls as she had seen downstairs, the additional ones being those who served in the bath for women. They all sat around a long table. At one end Mr. Brenna presided, at the other end sat his wife. She was a very small, thin woman of over forty, with a sharp, pointed nose, and looked like a greedy and hardened spinster. But if she was that type, she certainly did not take it out on the girls in regard to food. Two strapping maids served a rich meal, no less good and healthy than Katerina provided for her wards. The girl hurried through their meal, anxious to leave.
In fact only two or three stayed home that night, the rest having rendezvous or visiting their folks. For police identification, each girl carried a permit issued by Brenna. Grushenka chatted with the girls remaining in the attic. She learned that room and board was all Brenna paid for their services, but that they made many-and sometimes good-tips. They all were satisfied, and, while they were rough and used strong words, they seemed to get along in good-hearted comradeship. Grushenka went to bed early and heard the girls coming home during the night. The next morning she was up many hours before being called to breakfast Brenna's place opened up after noon, the first guests arriving only after two or three, and the whole job was done by seven in the evening. The arrival of any customer was signaled by the young fellow in the doorway, who, incidentally, had charge of the large stove in the basement, supplying the hot water, the heat in the wintertime and the steam for the steam room. He rapped with a stick against the door; when he rapped a few times that meant a man of money and a good tipper. All the men were more or less known to everyone. Grushenka, taken in tow by Gargarina, lined up with the other girls near the entrance and solicited the entering man. It meant tips, and, the more customers a girl could get, so much the better for her. Sometimes the girls fought about the customers, and that was the only thing Brenna would not stand for. He would beat them mercilessly with his fists, and the girls were very much afraid of that for he would go into a rage and not take care where he hit them. The first man who came in looked like a poet. He wore a long, flowing necktie and was young and blonde. Gargarina told Grushenka not to try to attract his attention because he had a steady girl, a plump, dark-haired creature with big, soft breasts. This girl took him by the hand and led him into one of the cabinets where they remained for a long while. Gargarina explained to Grushenka that he was a writer on a gazette and came every afternoon to save the soul of the dark-haired girl. However, his sermons always ended with a poke. After him came a wealthy coachman who kept many carriages and gave good tips.
All the girls besieged him, but Gargarina and Grushenka had no luck.
He was followed by a master baker, who was Gargarina's steady customer. The two girls went with him into a cabinet. Gargarina explained that she had to break in the “new girl.” The baker was a sturdy, short man with snow-white hair, bristly and unkempt. As soon as the door was closed, Gargarina started to make love to him, but he would have nothing of it. The girls undressed him leisurely, taking off his coat, vest, trousers and shoes. He wore no stockings but a kind of undergarment of cheap cotton which he slipped off himself.
Meanwhile he told them that he was “damn tired.” After getting through with his baking job, beginning at nine at night and finishing at three in the morning, his “old lady” had wakened him and had forced him to give her three rides. His shaft vouched for this statement; it hung sadly downward. In spite of his protest, Gargarina insisted on giving him a massage and he lay down reluctantly on the massage table.
Gargarina took a handful of liquid soap and began to knead his flesh.
She told Grushenka to do the same and, while she had one side of his back and legs in operation, Grushenka started timidly on the other half. Seeing how hard her teacher worked, she put her whole weight into her hands and soon found herself sweating. When his back was done and he was turned over, she avoided touching him between the legs.
This amused Gargarina, who, taking the limp weapon in her hand, asked Grushenka whether she would not kiss it a little and made a thousand jokes about it. The baker paid no attention to this chatter. He got up from the table before they were really through with him and walked over to a tub, which they filled with hot water. The linen was pulled over him, he leaned back and soon was soundly snoring. During the following hours, without waking him up, they kept pouring hot water into the tub, first carefully taking a bucket full of water out of it. A few more men entered, but other girls got hold of them.
Then came a tall, thin man whom none of the other girls wanted.
Grushenka held herself back instinctively. It was just her luck that he selected her. Gargarina stepped right up, explaining that the new girl was under her supervision. As all three entered a cabinet together, Gargarina whispered to her ward that this one was a pest.
He behaved in a very orderly way while they undressed him, telling Grushenka that he was the scribe with the new judge and that he came from Petersburg, where it was the newest fad with the ladies to paint their nipples a deep red. After he was naked he embraced Grushenka, pulled her tightly to his lean body and, running his long fingers up and down her spine, told her how beautiful she was and how soft her flesh felt. Meanwhile he pressed one of his thighs between hers and rubbed his shaft against the soft flesh of her leg. Soon enough this love instrument became stiff and Grushenka felt that it was very thin and very long. He then proceeded to put one finger in Grushenka's love nest and began to jab her. Gargarina meanwhile had gone behind him and embraced him from behind, rubbing her breasts on his back and her pelvis against his buttocks. She leaned her head over one of his shoulders just as Grushenka did and both girls were almost mouth to mouth. Gargarina made faces indicating that haste was in order, but Grushenka at first did not mind the man's playing with her. He had apt fingers and always managed to tickle just the right spot. As she became more excited, she showed it on her face and her love nest got wet. Her buttocks came slowly into swing. The scribe had his other hand on her buttocks, and now another idea struck him. He told her to take firm hold of him, and, leaving one hand lodged inside of her, extended his other hand until he found Gargarina's love nest and began to jab her also. Gargarina, who knew him already, received that finger right away, as if she were terribly excited. At last he got tired of this playing around. He had another idea. “Now, you both,” he said, Tie down on the massage table, side by side, bottoms up, and I will give you a massage.” Hie girls did so and he began to stroke and caress their buttocks, making comparisons between Gargarina's full and motherly buttocks and Grushenka's boyish ones. He then went to the foot of the table and started to give both girls at the same time a rimming with his index finger. “Let him do it,” whispered Gargarina, putting her arm around Grushenka's shoulders and taking her breast in her hand. “It won't hurt you.” For Gargarina already knew that they were in for a finger job in their back entrances. No sooner had the warning been given, than Grushenka felt him insert his longer finger in her rear door and rub up and down, up and down. Grushenka held still.