A few days later I suddenly remembered that I had completely forgotten to ask her where she lived. Of course, I visited old man Brambur again, but he went into long stories about his business dealings with my father and I was unable to find out anything about his daughter.
I was extremely discouraged that night when I walked down the streets and could not forgive myself for not having made any arrangements to see her again. And I also could not forgive her for not trying to get in touch with me and I called her names, accusing her of being ice cold and a coquette.
Somebody tugged my sleeve. It was Dorothea. She slipped a note into my hand and disappeared into the darkness again. I walked over to a street lantern and read:
“If you believe that you can justify your presence with a lady who admitted and proved to you her burning love, even though it was in the dark, then you will find your guide at this place around nine o'clock. But if your heart is as filled with love for Madame Flamman as hers is for you, I beg you to stay away since I despise shared love.”
Good Gracious! That made quite an impression upon me. I went home quickly to reread the message and see if I had not been mistaken. I had not, and it became extremely difficult to make up my mind.
How the devil had she found out?
It was almost nine o'clock; I wanted to be there, so I put on a light coat and left. But you are in love with Madame Flamman! You quite possibly might not have fallen in love with her, if you had seen your paramour in the dark… Amidst these and many other soliloquies I reached her front door, and now I followed Dorothea up the dark stairs, this time without any investigating, and soon I was again in that dark anteroom. My fair lady appeared in the doorway; I could almost feel her presence.
“And you have the audacity to show up? Do you honestly believe that you can convince me that Madame Flamman means so little to you?”
“Excuse me, my dear lady, when I have to admit to you that Flamman has made a very strong impression upon me, that her lovely picture has been imprinted indelibly upon my soul…”
“Stop! Enough! Do you have no compassion for my feelings?”
“Maybe I have spoken too quickly, but I beg Madame's indulgence. I did not, unfortunately, have the pleasure of seeing your beauty. What if my imagination got the better of me, and at the same time I happened to meet Madame Flamman?”
“I see, dear sir, that you did not come here for the purpose I thought you would. Would you please be kind enough to leave me.”
“Destroy the picture of Madame Flamman in my soul, and I will love you forever…”
“No more, milord; your being here has become an indiscretion and I hope that you will take immediate steps to correct it. Dorothea will show you downstairs.”
Dorothea came into the room, carrying a light. I thought I would faint and had to sit down quickly. My fair lady smiled and Dorothea left again.
Could I trust my eyes? Was this a game or was it my imagination?
“Take the gentleman downstairs,” said the beautiful lady, and Dorothea returned this time without her lamp.
I jumped up, ran into the room, got the lamp, lifted it and just stood there. The vista in front of me was unforgettably lovable. I put the lamp down and embraced the lovely Madame Flamman.
“How could you have kept me in this terrible uncertainty?”
“I will more than adequately compensate you for your suffering.”
“Angel.”
“Without pretense. You can judge the strength of my love for you by what I am risking. I would like you to stay with me tonight, I have made all the necessary preparations. Follow Dorothea and expect me to follow soon.”
I still had trouble realizing that it was not a dream. Dorothea took me by the hand and pulled me with her. We tiptoed in the dark through a long corridor, then down some stairs, into a room, before a bed.
“You take off your clothes now, and lie down,” said Dorothea.
“Where am I, dearest girl?”
“In Madame's bedroom. Now quickly; see, I have put your clothes up here, and in case of emergency… but Madame will undoubtedly tell you all about that.
“But if you think it is smarter, then you can also lie down here between the bed and the wall. It is narrow and deep, but we have made sure that it will be soft.”
Dorothea left.
I found everything the way she had told me, laid myself down, and was thinking about heaven knows what.
Dorothea returned.
“Are you comfortable? My master is taking Madame to her room. Please be quiet and do not worry.”
She left again to fetch a lamp and returned.
Oh, truly, it would be far from the truth to tell you that I was not worried.
Madame and her husband entered.
“Oh, I am sorry, my darling.”
“I don't think it is anything to worry about, my pet.”
“I hope not, because… oh, if only I were not so busy tomorrow.”
“Don't worry, I assure you it is nothing, I will feel a lot better tomorrow, it is just a little tension.”
“Then why doesn't the girl stay here?”
“Oh, no, my pet, why do you have to worry so much?”
The old graybeard did not run out of questions. He finally left, but not before having promised to look in on her before he went to bed, to see how she was doing.
She listened at the door till she heard the lock of his room door click and then she turned her own key.
“Well, my dear Baron, how do you feel?”
I crawled out of my hiding place.
“How can I ever thank you, heavenly woman?”
“By loving me fully and completely.”
I helped my paramour undress herself. There are no words or phrases strong enough to give even a slight impression of the beauty of her body. It was polished marble come alive. Not a blemish, no bone visible, and the dimensions were perfect. Even the most jaded aesthetic would have to admit that even his critical eye could find no fault. Her breasts were sheer delight; the soft globes were more beautiful than anything Phidias' chisels could have created.
The lines of her body were smooth and flowing. The little mound of her love grotto was half-covered with silken velvet; the opening was a little bit high but the rose-colored lips of her lovely slit were so pretty that it looked as if her sex smiled at me.
My eyes were insatiable, I could not stop looking at her marvelous charms.
And the way she sidled up to me! The manner in which my lips encountered her thrusting bosom; the way in which her snow-white, cool skin took on a deeper blush and warmer feel. And how her lovely passion pit made itself ready for things yet to come!
Dear reader, despite all your imagination, you will never be capable of creating a picture of all this beauty in its full glory.
I sat down upon the sofa and she was standing next to me.
“Do you want to go to bed?”
“And have the bed curtains and the blanket hide all this beauty from me?”
I laid her down upon the sofa.
Her eyes were shining, her lips were luscious! She panted! We embraced tightly when I slipped into position on top of her. I was no longer just a man, I was a god, uniting with the most beautiful of women! We were drifting on a cloud of bliss and we emptied the cup of ambrosia with long drafts; we gloried in the joys of man's greatest pleasure. We were united into one soul, one body!
Excuse me, dear reader, when this seems exaggeration to you, but I assure you that I had never experienced love to such an indescribable degree.
“Do you believe me, dear Karl, when I tell you that this is for the first time in my life that I am experiencing the true pleasures of love? So far I have only known the unsatisfied lust and the fearful turmoil of unknown feelings; but the marvelous relaxation in the arms of a real man… that is a feeling I have never known before.”
Passionate kisses accompanied her little speech, and she was so close to me that I could feel the pounding of her heart. The clock struck eleven; she lit a night lamp and we went to the bed.