“Oh, but she might hate it and make a fuss, Elaine!”

“Of course she would not-not for long. Girls are very understanding among themselves you know, and if she were a novice her delights would be threefold and we could teach her much. Then there is the mounting of a girl by a man. What a delight it is to watch! Supposing we could bring it about!”

My mouth parted, I could not believe what I was hearing, yet Elaine spoke not in a coy fashion but a very plain and practical one that stilled the amazed response I might otherwise have given. Indeed, I was dumbstruck, which she-perceiving my silence to be halfway towards assent on my part-took quick advantage of.

“It is perfectly possible, you know, for I have heard about it being done at hunt balls and such. It is called being put to the cock and many a fair young lady has been initiated thus during the revelry. Alas, Mama is very prim and proper, you know, and so has never let me attend one, nor my sisters. I have endeavoured to wheedle Papa into letting me accompany him on some pretext of going elsewhere, but he has resisted. For my part, of course, I have pretended ignorance to him of the goings on, merely saying that I wished to attend a grand affair, but he will not have it, saying they are by invitation only. All the world knows that, of course, but it would trouble him nothing to arrange our presence.”

“But in that case you would see nothing, for surely it is not done before the whole company and your Papa could scarce be present when you did.”

“You see how I have to educate you, my pet! Did it bother you a whit that Papa was not putting himself to his wife? Of course not! Did it bother Papa or Helen? Not for a second, Arabella. The pleasure is all. I mean to bring you to my way of thinking on this.”

“You said he had…”

I could not finish the sentence no more than I could stop myself from uttering it.