ankles not unnaturally knew it. Whenever possible she dressed so
as to show off their beauty to the best advantage--rather short
skirts and usually little high-heeled slippers--and was not
averse to showing them in a most distractingly coquettish manner.
She seemed to have a passion for treading upon things which would
scrunch or yield under her foot, such as flowers, little
windfallen apples and pears, acorns, etc., or heaps of hay, straw
or cut grass. As we wandered about the gardens--for we were left
to do exactly as we liked--I got quite accustomed to seeing her
hunt out and tread upon such things, and used to chaff her about
it. At that time I was--as I am still--fond of lying at full
length on a thick hearthrug before a good fire. One evening as I
was lying in this way and we were alone, A. crossed the room to
reach a bangle from the mantelpiece. Instead of reaching over me,
she playfully stepped upon my body, saying that she would show me
how the hay and straw felt. Naturally I fell in with the joke and
laughed. After standing upon me a few moments she raised her
skirt slightly and, holding on to the mantelpiece for support,
stretched out one dainty foot in its brown silk stocking and
high-heeled slipper to the blaze to warm, while looking down and
laughing at my scarlet, excited face. She was a perfectly frank
and charming girl, and I feel pretty certain that, although she
evidently enjoyed my excitement and the feeling of my body
yielding under her feet, she did not on this first occasion
clearly understand my condition; nor can I remember that, though
the desire for sexual gratification drove me nearly mad, it
appeared to awaken in her any reciprocal feeling. I took hold of
her raised foot and, after kissing it, guided it by an absolutely
irresistible impulse on to my penis, which was as hard as wood
and seemed almost bursting. Almost at the moment that her weight