Chapter five
Playing at Kittens - part two.
North London, September 1858.
Since she had disclosed that she had been spying in my room again, and my vengeance has been pronounced, I had been pressing Miss Mabel to spend a clandestine afternoon with me, but I could not think of a suitable ruse to enable her to escape the house.
The next day was Wednesday. Miss Mabel whispered to me that she had the answer.
"Just leave it to me Mr. Cowell", she said grandly. "All you have to do is to offer to escort me. Think of some business you have to do in the vicinity."
Next morning at breakfast, she produced a little note from her old Sunday school teacher Miss Butler, inviting her to tea.
"Mama, I really should go and see her; perhaps on Saturday afternoon. Oh Emmy, do please come with me, Miss Butler would be so pleased to see you!"
Miss Emily was in one of her frequent petulant moods this morning.
"You know I hate that stuffy old room, smelling of camphor and old lavender bags. Besides she will serve up an old dried-out seedcake and her weak-as-water china tea and talk religion. I should be bored rigid."
Mrs Bissell spoke up.
"Emily that is enough out of you. You are growing too pert by half. But really Mabel, I cannot allow you to go alone, and, as Emily declines to go with you..."
"But mother, really I should go. The poor old dear loves my visits, and I haven't really thanked her for the lovely Minton comfit dish she sent for my birthday."
"Oh yes," Miss Emily interjected, "she always remembers YOUR birthday."
I was a little late on my cue, but not enough to notice. Before Miss Mabel could reply and send the two of them to cap-pulling, I interrupted.
"I should be pleased to escort Miss Bissell," I suggested. "I have business at Mr. Blanchard's, the bookseller on Aldwych. He should have the new edition of Baines' Manual of Banking in for me, and he always has something good in his second-hand presses."
"Well, if it is not putting you out, that would be very obliging of you Mr Cowell."
So it was settled.
My next task was to find a house of accommodation were we could rent a room for a couple of afternoon hours. This proved to be simplicity itself. I considered my colleagues one by one, and decided which of them was most likely to have a use for such an accommodation, and might be prepared to divulge it to me.
I approached my first choice with a little circumlocution. But there was no need.
"You sly dog!" he guffawed, "So you've found your self a nice bit of home comforts. Good for you. How I wish I was a single man again."
The house he mentioned was in Embury Street, not far off the Aldwych, and on the way home I looked it over and made an approach. The fat, landlady chuckled, wobbling her three chins and her mighty bosom, and told me the price of a room with clean sheets was three shillings an hour, and if I didn't know an obliging young woman, she certainly did, or two if I liked.
Later that evening I told Miss Mabel almost all of this -- merely omitting the final offer.
On Saturday afternoon, Miss Mabel presented herself to me, looking a picture in her grey silk walking-out dress, merino jacket, grey stuff bonnet with violet silk lining that just caught the colour of her eyes, and one of the Nottingham lace shawls that I had bought for her and her sister. In her hand she clutched a reticule, ostensibly containing a small gift for Miss Butler.
"Do you think my old Sunday-school teacher would approve?" She asked, a mischievous look in her eye.
She took my arm and we walked through the streets to the house at Embury Street. We presented ourselves at the door and a slatternly maid in a sacking apron showed us up to the front bedroom. I was nervous myself, and from the convulsive way she gripped my arm and the whitening of her face, it was clear that Miss Mabel was positively frightened.
But she took possession of herself, and began to remove her bonnet and shawl, placing them on a chairback. Then, to my surprise, she lifted the skirts of her ankle-length dress, exposing her crinoline petticoat and proudly produced -- a cane with a pink ribbon tied in a bow around it.
I was taken aback. "But Mabel, do we really need to use that horrid implement?"
"Arthur dear," she said earnestly, looking up into my eyes, "I know you are a gentle person, but you must believe me. I behaved very badly indeed, searching your room and finding your most cherished letter, and reading it. It was inexcusable. Especially as you had expressly forbidden me to go in there."
If you are to forgive me, and I can feel truly forgiven, I have to take my punishment. Do you think I like the pain of being beaten? No! I dread it, but I know it will put things right between us."
"Very well then," I answered, but this time you shall remove all your clothes."
She giggled, blushed, but began to comply. I took off my jacket, necktie and weskit and rolled up my sleeves. Ad an afterthought I sat on the bed and removed my boots and stockings. Then I watched, entranced, as Miss Mabel disrobed.
First she unbuttoned her dress, turning her back to allow me to undo the difficult buttons down her back, then she drew the dress over her head.