"She'll think it was a dream; most likely the old girl doesn't often feel like that," laughed Charlie to himself as he sneaked out of the room, little guessing that Mrs. Letsam had been thoroughly awakened, and stepped out of bed the moment he was gone, peeping out into the corridor to see who it was.
"Ha, Mr. Warner, it's you, is it? It won't take me long to be even with you for this lark!" she said to herself as she got into bed again. "I wish the dear boy had got into bed though; his touches gave me most exquisite pleasure."
Meanwhile Charlie had got to a door at the furthest end of the corridor, which opened at once as he turned the handle, and sure enough it was Fanny's room, for there lay the object of his desires in a broken restless sleep, with nearly all the bed-clothes tossed off. What a sight for an impressionable youth! There she lay almost uncovered as it were, her right hand on the spot which so many men who scandalise the fair sex say they always protect instinctively with their hand whilst asleep for fear of being ravished unawares.
However that may be, Fanny's hand was there, and Charlie conjectured that it was not so much for protection as digitation, judging from the girl's agitated restless dreams; for she was softly murmuring,
"Don't! Pray, don't. You tease me so. Oh! Oh!"
He could see everything as he shaded his little lamp so as not to let the light fall on her eyes – her lovely thighs and heaving mount of love, shaded by the softest golden-coloured down, whilst one finger was fairly hidden within the fair lips of the pinkest possible slit below the dewy moisture which glistened in the light.
"By heavens! What a chance!" said Charlie to himself.
"Perhaps I can give her an agreeable surprise."
Quick as thought he extinguished his lamp, which he placed on a table, then in the dark groped towards the bed where the pretty Fanny lay quite unconscious of his presence.
The sleeper having tossed off most of the bed covering it was quite easy for him to lay himself by her side; he kissed the inviting globes of her firm plump bosom, but without awakening her, she simply moaned soft endearing words; as if she felt herself caressed by someone she loved so much.
His right hand pushed hers aside and took possession of the tender cleft it had been guarding and pressing at the same time; then he gently placed one leg over hers, pressing his naked person close to her body. What thrills of delighted expectation shot through his whole frame, he quivered from head to foot. The temptation and the intensity of his feelings would stand no further delay. So, he glued his lips to hers in a long luscious kiss, whilst one arm held her firmly embraced, and the other was delkiously occupied in manual preliminaries for the attack on her virgin fortress below.
"Fanny," he whispered, as she unconsciously responded to his kissing. "It's me, darling; let me love you now?"
At first he thought she was going to scream, but he sealed her lips by the renewal of his fiery kisses, which seemed fairly to stop her breath. She did not speak but appeared awfully discomposed; deep, long drawn sighs came from her as her bosom heaved with excitement, and her hands feebly tried to push away his intrusive fingers. But desire evidently over48 came modesty; her return of his willing kisses became more ardent, and her legs gradually gave way to his efforts to get between them, and instead of repulsing his advances her arms were entwined round his body.
"By Jove!" thought Charlie. 'Tm not the first; she's too easy!" but to his delight he did not find the citadel of her chastity had been stormed before; the battering ram of love had to be vigorously applied before a breach was made sufficient to effect a lodgement. What sighs; what murmurs of love and endearment were mixed with her moans of pain.
"My pet, you are a woman now," he whispered, lovingly, at the conclusion of the first act, kissing her again and again.
"Oh, Charlie, what a darling; you have been so gentle with me. How I love you now; you will always love me, won't you, dearest? But you can't, you can't marry me, I know." Here she sobbed hysterically as that thought broke upon her mind.
Our hero did all he could to comfort her, but found nothing so conducive to that end as drawing up the curtain for a second scene in the drama of love.
"I don't know what upset me so in my sleep; but dear, I went off thinking of you, and suppose I must have wanted you; your kissing has made me feel so uneasy and all-overish since you came to the house. No one ever upset me like that before," she confessed to him in her simplicity, as they lay toying and kissing till daylight. She advised Charlie to take leave of his new love, and retreat to his own room for fear of discovery.
Charlie was so enamoured of Fanny that when she brought up his breakfast he urged upon her a repetition of the pleasures of the night.
"How dare you, Sir, talk to me like that by daylight?" she answered, repulsing his bold advances. "What I may do in the dark is no excuse for this. Mrs. Letsam is always watching me like a cat, to see I don't stop in the lodgers' rooms a moment too long."
It was very reluctantly he let her go. After breakfast having nothing particular to do, and feeling rather sleepy, he tried to take a nap on the sofa, when just as he was dozing off there was a light tap at the door, and in answer to his "Come in," who should it be but the landlady with his night lamp in her hand.
There was quite a grin upon her full, round, good-looking face, showing a beautiful set of pearly teeth.
"Mr. Warner," she said, seating herself quite familiarly by his side on the sofa. "I didn't think you were such a young rake as to ravish my maid servant only a couple of days after coming here. Don't say a word; I know all about it, and have seen the stains in the girl's bed, as well as found your lamp in her room; a pretty scrape you'll be in if the girl falls in the family way!"
Her eyes sparkled, and she looked so curiously towards a certain part of his person, that Charlie saw at once he would have to square the fat, fair, and forty lady to prevent unpleasantness.
"My dear Mrs. Letsam, how can you accuse me of such things? Now if it had been you – " he said, laughing.
"That's exactly it, Mr. Warner, you despised my more mature charms for a chit like Fanny. Pray what were you doing in my room last night – as if I could sleep and not be woke up by the rude hand you pushed under my bed-clothes.
I ought to call a policeman and give you in charge for an indecent assault."
Her soft hand had been placed on his thigh, right over Adam's needle, which fairly throbbed under the pressure.
"And this is the thing to run away from a lady? I shall now take as great liberties with you, young Sir," she said, proceeding to take possession of his manly jewel as it now sprang forth in all its grandeur when she opened the front of his dressing gown.