to his mother's
(my aunt,) which was to come off in the holidays. The look of the little
child's cunt, as I described it, convinced him that the picture was
correct, and that a cunt was a long slit, and not a round hole. That
cast doubt on males putting their pricks into them, and we clung somehow
to the idea of a round hole, and we quarrelled about it.

It must have been about this time, that I was walking with my father,
and read something that was written with chalk, on the walls. I asked
him what it meant. He said he did not know, that none but low people,
and blackguards wrote on walls; and it was not worth while noticing such
things. I was conscious that I had done wrong somehow, but did not know
exactly what. When I went out, which I was now allowed to do for short
distances by myself, I copied what was on the walls, to tell Fred, it
was foul, baudy language of some sort, but the only thing we understood
at all, was the word cunt.

Just then, being out with some boys, we saw two dogs fucking. I have
no recollection of seeing dogs doing that before. We closed round them,
yelling with delight as they stuck rump to rump, then one boy said that
was what men and women did, and I asked, did they stick together so, a
boy replied that they did; others denied it, and all the remainder of
the day, some of us discussed this; the impression left on my mind is,
that it appeared to be very nasty; but it seemed at the same time to
confirm me in the belief, that men put their pricks up into women's
holes, about which I seemed at that time to have grave doubts.

After this time my recollection of events is clearer, and I can tell not
only what took place, but better what I heard, said, and thought.

CHAPTER II.

My godfather.--At Hampton-Court.--My aunt's backside.--
Public baths.--My cousins' cunts.--Haymaking frolics.--
Family difficulties.--School amusements.--A masturbating
relative.--Romance and sentiment.

My godfather (whose fortune I afterwards inherited) was very fond of me;
somewhere about this time he used perpetually to be saying, "When you
get to school, don't you follow any of the tricks yourself, that other
boys do, or you will die in a mad-house; lots of boys do." And he told
me some horrible tales; it was done in a mysterious way. I felt there
was a hidden meaning, and not having knowledge of what it was, asked
him. I should know fast enough, said he, but mark his words. He repeat