f oiling the hinges well and attaching a
weight with a pulley, to make the entrance open easily and without the
least noise, and I had also made some small apertures in the roof from
which I could keep a lookout.

I immediately took possession of my hiding place and closed the
entrance, resolved to take the chance of Laura's coming if I had to
wait there the whole day, for I knew the precaution I had taken would
prevent anything being known of my being in the neighbourhood until the
return of the party, who had made the necessary arrangements for taking
refreshments with them, and were not to be back till the evening.

I waited with patience all the forenoon, comforted with the idea that
in all probability Laura would find herself at leisure after luncheon,
at which time some of the elder part of the company who had not joined
the expedition usually drove out.

It happened as I had anticipated, and very soon after the ordinary
luncheon hour I was rejoiced to see Laura approaching. I was very
certain, from the manner in which she looked about her as she drew
near, what her object was, and I made my arrangements before she
arrived so as to be able to keep perfectly still till the proper time
came. After taking a walk round the place apparently to make certain
that no one was in the neighbourhood, she came in, and taking out one
of the books, sat down to peruse it. Convinced that my only chance of
success was to catch her in the critical moment when she would be too
much overwhelmed by her voluptuous sensations to offer any resistance,
and afraid that any precipitate movement on my part might enable her to
retain that self-command of which she possessed so large a share, I
waited quietly for the effect of the seductive entertainment I had
provided for her. Nor was it long before it began to produce the
expected result. Her colour heightened, she moved backwards and
forwards upon the couch apparently unconsciously, and at last her
fingers stole under her petticoats and reached the part which was the
principal scene of her excitement and which I could see from the
motions of her arm she was attempting to allay. In a few minutes she
appeared to be unable longer to withstand the temptation which the
opportunity offered, and rising up, she went to the hiding-place and
took from it some lascivious pictures and the little object with which
she intended to solace herself.

After heightening her desires by an attentive examinat