ns to a masquerade. It was a rare lark in those days. A great fun
of mine was getting into a shady walk, tipping the watchman to let me
hide in the shrubs, and crouching down to hear the women piss. I have
heard a couple of hundred do so on one evening, and much of what they
said. Such a mixture of dull and crisp baudiness I never heard in short
sentences elsewhere. Although I had heard a few similar remarks when I
waited in the cellars of the gun-factory, it was nothing like those
at Vauxhall, and it amused me very much. There were one or two darkish
walks where numbers of women on masquerade nights went to piss, and many
on other nights.

At supper Laura said, "Where have you been the last hour?" I laughed.
"Tell us." "Hiding in the shrubs where ladies go by ones, twos, and
threes without men." Laura understood. "Serves them right, they should
go to the women's closets; but you are dirty." "Well it was such a lark
hearing them piddle and talk." Fred always coarse said he never knew a
woman piss off so quickly as Laura. Laura slapped his head. She had
not been gay, and was very modest in manner and expression; but loved a
baudy joke not told in coarse language.

The signal sounded for fireworks. Off we ran to get good places. I cared
more about women than fireworks, and lagged behind, seeing the masquers
and half-dressed women running and yelling ( fun was fast and
loose then). I passed a woman leading a little girl dressed like a
ballet-girl, and looked at the girl who seemed about ten years old, then
at the woman, who winked. I stopped, she came up and said, "Is she not
a nice little girl?" I don't recollect having had any distinct intention
at the time I stopped; but at her words ideas came into my head.
She,--what a small cunt,--no hair on that. "Yes a nice little girl,"
I replied. "Would you like to see her undressed?" "Can I fuck her?" I
whispered. The little girl kept tugging the woman's hand and saying,
"Oh! do come to the fireworks." "Yes if you like,--what will you give?"
I agreed to give I think three sovereigns, a good round sum for a
common-place poke then.

She told me to go out of the gardens first, get a cab, and stop at
a little way from the entrance. In three minutes the woman and child
joined me. At about five minutes drive from Vauxhall we stopped, walked
a little way, turned down a street, and after telling me to wait one or
two minutes, she opened the door of a respectable little house with a
l