Anonymous

The Boudoir No.1

THE THREE CHUMS: A TALE OF LONDON EVERYDAY LIFE

CHAPTER I

The Young Man from the Country Charles Warner, the son of a wealthy squire who owned a large estate in the Midlands, had just arrived in town, and taken up his apartments in Gower Street, for the purpose of becoming a medical student, as of course being only a younger son, and the freehold property all entailed, his jolly parent could think of nothing better in which his sharpest boy, as he called Charlie, would be so likely to make his way in the world.

"Be a good lad, Charlie; stick to your profession, and I'll set you up with ten thousand when you marry a girl with some tin; that's the only thing a younger son can do. Should I die before that it's left you in my will. Your allowance is?300 a year, to be?500 when you come of age; but mind, if you disgrace me or get into debt, I will turn you adrift without a penny, or pay your passage to Australia to get rid of you. My boy," he finally added, a tear in his eye and a slight quiver of the lip, as he said tremulously, "you have always been a favourite; your old dad reckons on you to keep away from the girls and bad companions."

He was thinking over these last parting words of his father as he sat by the fireside after tea awaiting the call of his two cousins, Harry and Frank Mortimer, who had written to say they would call to take him out, and see how he liked the rooms they had found for him.

He presently rang the bell to have the table cleared, and a remarkably pretty maid servant answered his summons.

"And what is your name? As I am going to live in the house and should like to know how to call you. I'm so glad Mrs.

Letsam has a pretty girl to attend on the lodgers."

"Fanny, Sir," replied the girl, blushing up to her eyes. "I have to wait on all the gentlemen, and a hard time I have of it running up and down stairs all day long."

"Well," said Charlie, "I shan't ring for you more than I can help, although it is not at all strange if some of them trouble you so often, if only for the pleasure of seeing a pretty face.

I suppose it isn't proper here in London to kiss the servants, although I often did at home; the girls were older than me, and had been used to it for a long time."

"La, no Sir, you mustn't, indeed you mustn't, if Mrs. Letsam knew it she would turn me out of the house in a moment," exclaimed Fanny, in a subdued tone, as if afraid of being heard, as she turned her face away from his unexpected salute.

"You mean to say you mind a kiss from a boy like me?

What harm is there?"

"I–I don't know; I can't say," stammered Fanny. "But it's so different from those old fellows downstairs, who always give me half a crown after, not to tell." Here she blushed tremendously. "I–I didn't mean, Sir, that I want to be paid, but that you are so different than them; they're old and ugly, and you — "

She could not say any more, for Charlie pressed his lips to her rosy mouth, saying, "Well then, give me a kiss for forgiveness. If you only keep good friends, and look after my small wants, I shall buy you ribbons and little things of that sort, so that you can think of me when you wear them."

His only answer was a very curious look as she returned his kiss; then slipping away took up her tray and was gone.

"I'm in luck," soliloquised Charlie. "Dad may lecture me to keep away from the girls. Polly and Sukey at home didn't kiss me for nothing; the sight of this pretty Fanny and the thoughts of last night when they had me between them for the last time, makes me feel quite so-so. In fact that girl has given me the Irish toothache; it was all very well for dear old dad to caution me, but they say like breeds like, and I know he got a girl with twins before he was eighteen, and had to be sent away from home to get out of the scrape/'

Here there was a tap at the door of his room.

"Come in, my boys; I know who it must be," shouted Charlie, expecting his cousins, but to his surprise Mdlle.

Fanny re-enters.

'If you please, Sir, there's two young gentlemen for Mr. Warner, they have sent up their card."

"Where is it, Fanny?" asked Charlie, holding out his hand for the bit of pasteboard.

"Well, I am pleased, they've come early," he said, catching her by the wrist, "and especially as it gives me the chance of another kiss!"

"For shame, Sir; you'll keep them waiting in the hall," as she struggled to get away from his encircling arm.

"Just a moment, Fanny, I want to say to you they are my cousins, who will often come here, and are much better looking than me, so don't you make me jealous by taking any notice of either of them. Now, ask them up, quick, please; then run for a bottle of fizz, and keep the change for yourself," he said, handing her a sovereign. "We must wet the apartments the first time they call."

It is not necessary to refer to all the greetings and enquiries of the cousins when they first met; but presently, when the champagne was opened, Harry and Frank asked if Charlie was too tired to go out for the evening, saying, "You need not come back here to sleep, but turn in with us, as you know the governor will be so pleased to see you at breakfast in the morning. We know three jolly sisters ¦-little milliners — who work in Oxford Street, such spooney girls, and as three to two is sometimes awkward you will just make the party complete; they live in Store Street, close by, and if we call about nine o'clock they will be expecting us, and glad to see you; it is awfully jolly, and not too expensive, we only have to stand supper. The girls think too much of themselves to take money, although nothing else comes amiss from jewellery to dresses. Nothing coarse, no bad language, and they only permit liberties when the gas is turned out."

"I'm with you," replied their cousin; "and what do you think of the little servant here?"

"Charlie, you ought to be in luck there," answered Harry,

"it's so convenient to have a nice little servant to sleep with sometimes, or now and then to let off the steam with her on the sofa, it keeps you from going out too much. My advice, Charlie, is not to live too fast, save your money for a good spree — say every ten days or so. Your racketty ones don't get on half so well with their governors, who are always grumbling. Now our dad thinks us quite good, never out after half-past eleven or so; but we make up for it with the servants at home, and keep the housekeeper square, by taking turns to poke her on the sly. She once caught us both in the girls' bedroom, but we went into hers to beg her not to tell, and what with kissing and telling her what a fine figure she was (she was half undressed when she came to see after the servants) that we took first one little liberty then another, till seeing she was on the job I ran out and left Frank to roll her on the bed, which he must have done to some purpose, for she kept him all night."

"Ah, Charlie, I never thought a woman of fifty could be so good at the game; how she threw her legs over my buttocks, and heaved up to meet every push of John Thomas; she was a perfect sea of lubricity, and drained me dry enough before morning," added Frank, in corroboration of his brother's assertion. "You must try her for yourself, a fair lad will be a treat to her after us two dark fellows, and there's no fear of having to pay for kids with her, as she is past the time of life, but I believe all really warm-constitutioned women get hotter the older they are. We use French letters for safety with the slaveys, or we should soon do their business, they want so much of it when we get in their room, or they slip into ours for a drop of brandy and a 'bit of that,' as they call it; there's nothing like good brandy to put you up to the work, but never drink gin, my boy, or your affair won't stand for some hours, it has such a lowering effect."

A couple of hours of similar conversation soon slipped away, and then going round to Store Street Charlie was introduced to the sirens his cousins had spoken of.

CHAPTER II

Three Pretty Milliners "My cousin, Charlie Warner, just from the country to become a medical student. Miss Bessie, Annie, and Rosa Robinson, three as pretty and lovely little milliners as you ever saw or will see again," said Harry, making the introduction as they entered.

The brothers kissed all three girls, and as it seemed the correct thing Charlie was not slow to follow their example, beginning with Rosa, the youngest, a fair, golden-haired, little beauty of seventeen; then Annie, with her light brown hair and hazel eyes, and finishing with Miss Bessie, a twentyyear-old darling, with dark auburn hair, and such a pair of glancing eyes as would almost ravish the soul of any softhearted youth who had not a stronger mind than our young hero, who looked on all girls as playthings rather than as being worthy of serious love.

"What a pretty supper the confectioners have sent in for you — fowls, tongue, and champagne — it made us rather expect something unusual, and we are so pleased to see Mr.

Warner; besides you know there is no jealousy here, and his fair face is a delightful contrast to you two rather dark gentlemen," said Annie, adding, "and you, Frank, are my partner for the evening, as Harry was my cavalier last time; and I'm so glad there's Mr. Warner for Rosa, although Bessie and I shall feel rather jealous about it, we can wait for our turns another day."

"This is the jolliest place I know of," said Harry, handing Bessie to her seat at the table; "everything ready to hand, and nothing cleared away till we are gone; no flunkeys or parlourmaids to wait on us or listen to every word, and we can do as we like."

"Not exactly, Sir," put in Annie, "even when the light is out you must behave yourselves."

"We have a little longer this evening for our dark seance," said Frank; "we are taking Charlie to the theatre, and to Scott's for supper, so they don't expect us till half past

twelve or so, and the housekeeper will sit up for her reward, won't she, Harry?"

"What's that," pouted Rosa, giving a sly look; "oh, those two boys are dreadful, just as if they would want any more of 'that' when they got home."

"Oh, she never tells tales, so we kiss her," answered Frank.

"Tell that to your grandmother. As if you could kiss without taking other liberties, Sir," said Annie.

This kind of badinage lasted all supper time, but Charlie pledged the sisters one after the other so as not to show any marked preference, still at the same time in a quiet sort of way he tried all he could to make himself particularly agreeable to Rosa, who evidently was rather taken with him.

"It's so nice to have you to myself," she said archly, as the supper had come to an end, "but mind you are not too naughty when they turn out the gas."

Something in her deep blue eyes and look so fired his feelings that taking her unresisting hand under the table he placed it on his thigh, just over the most sensitive member of the male organisation, and was at once rewarded by the gentle pressures of her fingers, which assured him she quite understood the delicate attention. The others were too absorbed in some similar manipulation to notice Charlie and Rosa, as he adroitly unfastened about three buttons of his trousers, and directing her hand to the place, and presently felt she had quite grasped the naked truth, which fluttered under the delicious fingering in such a way that very few motions of her delicate hand brought on such an ecstatic flood of bliss as quite to astonish Miss Rosa, and necessitate the sly application of a mouchoir to her slimy fingers, as at the same time she crimsoned to the roots of her hair, and looked quite confused, whilst he could feel that a perceptible tremor shot through her whole frame. Fortunately just at that moment Bessie turned off the gas, and instinctively the lips of Charlie and Rosa met in a long impassioned kiss.

Tongue to tongue they revelled in a blissful osculation.

He could hear a slight shuffling, and one or two deepdrawn sighs, as if the ladies felt rather agitated.

There was a convenient sofa in a recess just behind Charlie's chair, and Rosa seemed to understand him so well that he effected a strategic movement to the more commodious seat under cover of the darkness. There he had the delightful girl close to his side, with his right arm round her waist, whilst his left hand found no resistance in its voyage of discovery under her clothes. What mossy treasures his fingers searched out, whilst for her part one arm was round his neck, and the warm touches of her right hand amply repaid his Cytherian investigations in the regions of bliss. His fiery kisses roved from her lips all over her face and neck, till by a little manoeuvring he managed to take possession of the heaving globes of her bosom. How she shuddered with ecstasy as his lips drew in one of her nipples, and gently sucked the delicious morsel; a very few moments of this exciting dalliance was too much for her. She sank back on the couch, so that he naturally took his proper position, and in almost less time than it takes to write it, the last act of love was an accomplished fact.

Then followed delicious kissings and toyings; no part of her person was neglected, and when, as a finale, she surrendered the moist, dewy lips of the grotto of love itself to his warm tonguings, the excess of voluptuous emotion so overcame her that she almost screamed with delight, when the crisis came again and again in that rapid succession only possible with girls of her age.

They had been too well occupied to hear or notice anything about Bessie and Annie with their partners, but now an almost perfect silence prevailed in the apartment, till presently Harry spoke out, saying, "I think the spirits have had long enough to amuse themselves; what do you say to a light?"

This was agreed to, and they spent another half hour with the ladies before taking leave of them for the night. It was as curious a feast of love as Charlie could possibly have imagined, and he was quite puzzled to make out what manner of girls these three sisters could be who bashfully objected to a light on their actions, and yet were as free with their partners as any of the mercenary members of the demimonde could have been.

"What a darling you are!" whispered Rosa to Charlie as he took a parting kiss, "but I shan't have you next time unless there is an undress romp in the dark."

Bessie pressed them to come to an early tea on Sunday, and have a long evening, when they would arrange some pretty game to amuse them. This was agreed to with many sweet kisses and au revolt, Sec.

CHAPTER III

Mrs. Lovejoy and the Servants in Bloomsbury Square It was nearly one a.m. when the boys got home to the Mortimer mansion in Bloomsbury Square.

"How late you are," said Mrs. Lovejoy, the housekeeper, opening the door to them, "and you have brought Master Charlie with you. I'm so glad to see him; your father has gone to bed hours ago, and I thought you would like a second course after your oyster supper at Scott's, so there's a little spread in my own room upstairs, only we mustn't keep it up too late."

"You're a brick," said Harry, "we'll go upstairs so quietly past dad's door, and kiss you when we see what you have got for us/'

Mr. Mortimer pere being a rather stout gentleman, who objected to many stairs, had his bedroom on the first floor;

Harry and Frank's room was on the next flight, where their sisters also had their rooms when at home from school; the two servants and Mrs. Lovejoy located above them.

"There's my kiss," said Frank, as on entering Mrs. Lovejoy's cosy room he saw a game pie and bottle of Burgundy set out for their refreshment.

Harry and Charlie also in turn embraced the amorous housekeeper, who fairly shivered with emotion as she met the luscious kiss of the latter.

"He's only going to stay this one night, so it's no good taking a fancy to my cousin; besides, can't you be content with Frank and myself?" whispered Harry to her.

"But you are such unfaithful boys, and prefer Mary Anne or Maria to me at any time," she replied, pettishly.

"Yes, and Charlie is no better; he hasn't been in London one whole day yet without making up to the pretty Fanny at his lodgings; oh, she's a regular little fizzer, Mrs. Lovejoy."

The second supper was soon discussed, and Mrs. Lovejoy had placed hot water and spirits on the table just for them to take a night-cap as she called it, when there was a gentle tap at the room door, and a suppressed titter outside.

Harry, guessing who it was, called out "come in," when the two servant girls with broad grins on their faces walked into the room, only half dressed- in petticoats, stockings, and slippers, with necks and bosoms bare.

On perceiving Charlie they blushed scarlet, but Mary Anne, a regular bouncing brunette, immediately recovered her presence of mind, and said, "We beg your pardon, Mrs.

Lovejoy, but we thought only Master Harry and his brother were here, and felt so thirsty we couldn't sleep, so ventured to beg a little something to cool our throats."

"Well make a party of it now," said Frank; "this is only our cousin Charlie, so don't be bashful but come in and shut the door."

"Gentlemen don't generally admit ladies, especially when only half dressed, as we are," said Maria, a very pretty and finely developed young woman, with light brown hair, rosy cheeks, and such a pair of deep blue eyes, full of mischief, as they looked one through.

"No, but ladies admit gentlemen," put in Charlie; "don't mind me," getting up from his chair and drawing the last speaker onto his lap. "I guess we're in for some fun now."

The housekeeper looked awfully annoyed at this intrusion, but Harry laughingly kissed her, and whispered something which seemed to have a soothing effect, as she at once offered the two girls some lemonade and brandy. Hers was a very comfortable apartment, being furnished the same as a bachelor's bed and sitting room combined; the bed was in a recess, and there were two easy chairs besides a sofa, table, amp;c, in the room.

Harry secured the sofa, where he sat with Mrs. Lovejoy on his lap, and one of his hands inside the bosom of her dressing gown, whilst her hands, at least one of them, were

God knows where, and very evidently gave him considerable pleasure3 to judge by the sparkle of his eyes, and the way he caressed her, as well as the frequent kisses they interchanged.

Charlie was admiring and playing with the bosom of Maria, who kissed him warmly every now and then, giving the most unequivocal signs of her rising desires for closer acquaintance.

"We shall never be fit to get up in the morning if you keep us out of bed; let the girls go now," said Mrs. Lovejoy.

Each said "good night," and Harry, having something to say to the housekeeper, stayed behind. Frank and Mary Anne quickly vanished in the gloom of the outside corridor, and Charlie, at a loss where he was to sleep, asked Maria to show him to his room.

"You'll sleep with me, dear, if you can, and I won't keep you awake," she whispered, giving him a most luscious kiss; then taking his hand she led him into a very clean but plainly furnished bedroom.

"Mary Anne won't be back tonight, so you shall be my bedfellow. I guess by this time Master Frank is being let into all her secrets," saying which she extinguished the candle, which had been left burning, and jumped into bed, Charlie following as quickly as he could get his things off.

"I've got a syringe, so I'm not afraid, although Harry and Frank will always put on those French letters. Do you think they're nice?" asked Maria, as she threw her arms around him, and drew him close to her palpitating bosom.