our hundred guineas at the
least.

At last it came to an end, and I asked her in the presence of her mother
where she would spend the night with me, there or at my house. The mother
said that we would settle it after supper, and I made no objection, not
liking to tell her that in my house the supper would be more succulent,
and a better prelude for the kind of exercise I expected to enjoy.

When we had supped the mother took me aside, and asked me to leave with
the company and then to come back. I obeyed, laughing to myself at this
foolish mystery, and when I came back I found the mother and the daughter
in the parlour, in which a bed had been laid on the floor.

Though I did not much care for this arrangement, I was too amorous to
raise any objection at a moment when I thought my triumph was at hand;
but I was astonished when the mother asked me if I would like to pay the
hundred guineas in advance.

"Oh, fie!" exclaimed the girl; and her mother left the room, and we
locked the door.

My amorous feelings, so long pent up within my breast, would soon find
relief. I approached her with open arms; but she avoided my caress, and
gently begged me to get into bed while she prepared to follow me. I
watched her undress with delight, but when she had finished she put out
the candles. I complained of this act of hers, but she said she could not
sleep with the light shining on her. I began to suspect that I might have
some difficulties thrown in my way to sharpen the pleasure, but I
determined to be resigned and to overcome them all.

When I felt her in the bed I tried to clasp her in my arms, but found
that she had wrapped herself up in her long night-gown; her arms were
crossed, and her head buried in her chest. I entreated, scolded, cursed,
but all in vain; she let me go on, and answered not a word.

At first I thought it was a joke, but I soon found out my mistake; the
veil fell from my eyes and I saw myself in my true colours, the degraded
dupe of a vile prostitute.

Love easily becomes fury. I began to handle her roughly, but she resisted
and did not speak. I tore her night-gown to rags, but I could not tear it
entirely off her. My rage grew terrible, my hands became talons, and I
treated her with the utmost cruelty; but all for nothing. At last, with
my hand on her throat, I felt tempted to strangle her; and then I knew it
was time for me to go.

It was a dreadful night. I spoke to this monster of a woman in ever