As she went out, I heard her say to Ballaram, in Hindustani. 'What a sharp little fellow he is, that master of yours.'
Ballaram twirled up his moustache, cast upon her a glance of supreme disdain, but vouchsafed not a word. So the old hag began to hobble down the stairs, followed by the equally discontented damsel, whom I did not admire in the least, and who gave me an angry glance, which I replied to with
'a snipe'.
As soon as they were gone, I called Ballaram. 'You see,' said I.
'What I do, sar? how could I help it. Dam old woman understand too much well, but she try to put off her old stuff on you first. S'pose master like other young gentleman, griffin you call dem, you pay money first, and find out not right gal after. Old woman not know you not like other griffin, sahib.'
'But I want the girl, and I suppose she won't bring her now?'
'Not bring — never fear. She back 'gen presently.'
He was right, in about ten minutes she returned, and pushed the girl into the room with an angry gesture. 'There she is sir, take her and give me the money,' and she roughly pulled off the girl's muffler, and spite of her modest struggles to retain at least some part of it, presented the beautiful creature naked to me. She was the same girl I had seen wringing the water out of her hair in the school compound. I handed over the pagodas, which the old crone carefully counted; then, tying them up in a red cotton handkerchief, she hurried away. I sprang to the door, bolted it and then caught the dear girl in my arms.
She was quite young, but her breasts were fully developed, firm and pointed; only a slight quantity of hair had begun to sprout on her mons Veneris; her waist was small and round, and her hips singularly large and bulging, with the most splendid buttocks imaginable; her hands and feet were exquisitely small, and there was a pensive expression in her childlike face, which was very winning.
'Come, my pet,' said I, caressingly, drawing her on to my knee, 'let me give you a glass of wine; try these mangoes, they are very fine.'
'I feel so ashamed,' she said, trying to hide her face.
'Nonsense!' said I, 'never mind me, I'm only a boy, you know; now if it had been the old grey-headed colonel, I shouldn't be surprised; come, give me a kiss.'
This she did, and so electrified me, that I could not restrain myself, and began to kiss and pull her about, to all of which she made great resistance.
'Then you really never yet have had a man?' said I.
'No, never I assure you.'
'But you know all about it, I suppose, my dear?'
'Oh — yes — many of the girls have been with the officers four or five times, and they tell us about it; so, of course, we learn everything.'
'Well, my darling, drink a glass or two of wine, and have some mangoes, we will chat a little while.' She did so, and seemed to enjoy the fruit and wine. 'Now dip your pretty little paws in this basin of water, here's the towel, that's the ticket. Now let us make love.'
Presently I asked, 'What's the name of the old woman, my girl?'
'Mrs Aventura.'
'Do you like her?'
'Who, I, sir? I can't endure her.'
'No?'
'She's a dreadful old woman.'
'Is she though?'
'Horrid.'
'Why?'
'Oh she will make the girls do the most shocking things with quite old men — if they only pay her well.'
'Pooh, my dear, that is very natural, the old girl only wants to make up a purse, I suppose.'
'Yes, but most of the girls don't like it, especially the little ones.'
By this time I was frigging her with great assiduity.
'And you, my dear, how do you feel, do you think you shall like it?'
She cast down her eyes pressed her cheeks against mine, and whispered, 'With you I think I shall, but not with old men.'
I gently laid her down on the bed, and taking off my shirt and pajamahs (loose silk drawers), I lay down beside her and told her how I had seen her bathing, how much I admired her and how I was determined to have her. Then I mounted her and began to drive at her virgin cunny. What a tight little box it was. I'm afraid I put her to considerable pain, for she struggled and cried very much; but, what was curious, whenever I offered to release her, she only hugged me the closer, and tried to smile through her tears. This conduct on her part so captivated me that, thrusting with double vigour, at the fourth push I went through all obstacles up to the hilt. She groaned and sobbed, exclaiming, 'Oh, oh, how dreadfully you have hurt me. Oh, I shall die!' But presently a soft languor pervaded her frame, she kissed me gently and began to spend. What a delicious moment it was. After a time, my climax almost coming, I clung to her with fury, grasping and feeling every charm, and then sent a rushing torrent up the rosy passage.
For some minutes afterwards we lay without sense or motion, prostrate on the bed, but coming to by degrees, we began to toy and kiss, and soon wrought ourselves up to the same state of excitement we had before been in, only this time her shyness had a good deal worn off, and she seemed as willing for the play as myself. In fine, I passed a most delicious night, and so got into the good graces of my companion that she promised so soon as I joined my regiment at Cannanore, which I was to do in a fortnight (being only temporarily attached to the one I was then with), to endeavour to escape from the school and join me there.
But matters turned out very unfortunate for the furtherance of our little game. I suppose I may have indiscreetly talked to some of the officers of the regiment about the fine girl I had had, and at length it came to the ears of the colonel. He set his spies to work, and soon wormed out the whole story. Then I was sent for, and severely reprimanded for 'the great impropriety of my conduct'. I was
'reported' to the Adjutant-General, and was ordered to join my regiment forthwith. Having thus, rather unscrupulously, got rid of me, the old scoundrel sent for Mrs Aventura and asked her how she dared to let one of his subalterns take precedence over him and have the pick of the girls?
The old lady, plucking up some courage, replied with asperity that for her part those who paid best were the customers she most liked. That the young gentleman had very handsomely given her eighty rupees, while he, the colonel, never yet gave her more than fifty, and she added that she thought she had been bullied by him long enough. The colonel was furious, he swore that unless she immediately brought him the girl, for whom he would not pay her a single pice, he would send in such a report of her conduct as would lead to her being indicted 'for corrupting the morals and extorting money from young officers', when she might rely upon it her school would be broken up, and herself sent to jail.
Terrified at these threats, she drew in her horns, and promised compliance, so poor Lillias was carried off to the old rascal, spite all her tears and opposition. But she was a resolute girl and, indignant at the way her young lover had been treated, enraged at the compulsion employed upon herself, she defied the colonel to his face, called him a mean wretch, and upon his offering to salute her with a kiss she spat upon him. The colonel coolly wiped his face with his handkerchief, called his servants, and having made them tie her down upon the cot in his room, ravished her on the spot, in spite of her cries and struggles. Having done this, he unbound her, for she had fainted, turned her over, and tied her again in a different position, and having put a bolster under her belly to raise her posteriors well up, the cruel man administered a severe castigation with a rattan; then making her put on her clothes, he kicked her into the street. Poor Lillias managed to crawl as far as Mr A-, the District Magistrate, and told her story; a surgeon was sent for, who examined her, and the whole matter was reported to government.