Quickly rising and dropping her clothes, I placed an armchair behind her, and loosened the pulleys, till she rested comfortably in it, then left her to recover herself, feeling pretty confident that she was now not far from surrendering herself to me, rather than continue a resistance which she could not but see was utterly useless. This was what I wanted to effect. I did not propose to let her off any single one of the indignities I had in store for her, but I wanted to make her suffering the more keen through the feeling that she was, to some extent, a consenting party to actions that inexpressibly shocked and revolted her. The first of these I intended to be the removal of her clothes, and, as soon as Alice became more mistress of herself, I set the pulleys working and soon had her again standing erect with up-stretched arms.

She glanced fearfully at me as if trying to learn what was now going to happen to her. I deemed it as well to tell her, and to afford her an opportunity of yielding herself to me, if she should be willing to do so. I also wanted to save her clothes from being damaged, as she was really beautifully dressed, and I was not at all confident that I could get her garments off her without using scissors to some of them.

‘I see you want to know what is now going to happen to you, Alice,’ I said. ‘I’ll tell you. You are to be stripped naked, utterly and absolutely naked: not a stitch of any sort is to be left on you!’

A flood of crimson swept over her face, invading both neck and bosom (which remained bare); her head fell forward as she moaned: ‘No!… No!… oh! Jack… Jack… how can you…’ and she swayed uneasily on her feet.

‘That is to be the next item in the programme, my dear!’ I said, enjoying her distress. ‘There is only one detail that remains to be settled first, and that is, will you undress yourself quietly if I set you loose, or must I drag your clothes off you?