traordinary hairy covering that Miss
Frankland possessed, and with which I had so often toyed, all other
women appeared as nothing in that way. My aunt, after donning a
night-robe, sat down to her toilet, and proceeded to let down her
massive bunch of tresses. Here, she was, indeed, richly gifted, her
hair was all her own, in the utmost profusion, and, tall as she was,
fell much below her buttocks, and was so thick that she could let it
spread over both back and front, and completely cover her nakedness.
Titian must have had such another magnificent head of hair for one of
his models, for it exactly resembled, except in being somewhat of a
fairer hue, his celebrated Magdalen, in the Pitti Palace, at Florence,
where she is represented covered only with the rich profusion of her
ringlets. Such was my aunt, and often and often afterwards has she
indulged all my fancies, by showing herself off in every voluptuous
attitude with this, the greatest ornament of woman, flowing in the
utmost profusion over her glorious and mighty charms. Meanwhile, the
doctor had undressed, but it may well be supposed perfectly unnoticed
by me. I had better game in view. He, too, had donned a _robe de
chambre_, and sat down by his wife to have a chat over the occurrences
of the day. Of course, their conversation very naturally turned upon
myself. They began by congratulating themselves that the good fortune
of the family was partly reflected on them by the circumstances of my
being put under the doctor's care. The lady remarked how doubly
fortunate it was, as the little scandal that had happened had, for some
time, prevented their having any pupils at all. The doctor said--

"Never mind that, my love, this little fellow will soon be the decoy
duck for others; he seems a nice, gentle lad, but I shall seek to have
some talk with him to-morrow, and see what he is made of; boys, under
women's instructions, are generally mere milk-sops."

"I don't think you will find it so in this case," added my aunt. "I am
not a bad judge of character, and I feel certain that Miss Frankland is
too stern and firm of purpose not to have bent any boy's will to her
bidding; I fear, on the contrary, she has, if anything, been too severe
with him, for my sister told me that she had full power to wield the
rod, but, after one or two severe bouts, she completely mastered them,
and that their progress was really very great, and most satisfactory,
as Mr. Nixon, Charles's gua