Perhaps it was a month after this, that I came down P***I**d P***e one night at about half past eleven. It had been raining hard, tho not at that moment, and it was a pitch dark black night, tho there was no fog. There were a good many women about, and I had one of my finger-stinking fits come on, and walked up and down, saying a kind word to women whose appearance I liked under the street lamps, and then felt their quims. This excited me, and at length one woman's cunt felt so nice, and clean, and smooth to me, tho perhaps it was my excited state which made me think hers better than the others. — But she was well dressed, that I said, “I've a good mind to fuck you but there is no quiet place about here.” — “They won't see us in one of the door ways.” (All the doors in that street lay back about eight feet between area railings.) She told me she often had gents there who were in a hurry, and at length I consented, gave her a small fee, saying that I hoped she wouldn't let me poke her if she was not quite well, nor if she had the least stain of poorliness in her. — No she was quite right. — “Walk with me till we've passed the Bobby and we'll go to a house on the right. The hall lamp is always out there about eleven, they are all going to bed.” — Yes, she had had gentle-men there before. — I did as she advised, let the policeman pass well down the street, then close to the dark coloured street door, and of a house midway between gas lamps, and up against the railings, she held her petticoats up, until my prick was well up in her, and we fucked quite as pleasantly as an upstanding poke can be.

The impudence of this pleased me, for it was within three doors of a house at which I frequently visited. — “I've not been long about it,” said I. — She replied laughing, — “No. Gentlemen are pretty quick when they won't come to my lodgings, — now I must go home and put a clean chemise on for you've spent such a lot, give me another half crown.” — I did and off she went. — I had given her five shillings, she asked me a sovereign, but accepted my offer, saying, “I'm not in luck tonight and it's late, come along.”

Just then I went one afternoon with a friend to one of the London docks. As we walked about outside, I saw a number of stout, vulgar looking, flamingly dressed women without bonnets, some in twos — some alone — some with sailors — talking baudily and openly in the public streets. It was to me quite a new phase of London life, for I had never seen it before — nor had I been at the docks for many many years.

My friend knew sailors' necessities, and their habits, and those of their female acquaintances ashore, for he was a large ship owner. He had been to the dancing places and taprooms, which sailors frequented, and knew the quarters where the women were to be found. To amuse me and satisfy my curiosity, we dined to-gether a few days afterwards, and after our dinner, visited several of the public houses. To avoid remark and possibly offensive behaviour towards us, we dressed in the shabbiest possible manner, and with caps bought just opposite the docks, and such as were worn largely by the working people in the neighbourhood, we flattered ourselves that we looked as common a couple of men, as ever rolled barrows along the street.

Thus costumed, we spent the evening at public houses, among sailors, whores, and working men — in an atmosphere thick and foul with tobacco smoke, sweat, and gas. We ordered liquors which we threw under the table or spilt when not observed, we treated some gay women, but in very modest way, and al-together had a very entertaining evening. It was difficult to act up to our disguise. At one time I had a whore on my knee, and my friend another. We asked the woman to bet which of us had the biggest prick, and the girls felt us outside quite openly. There was however nothing likely to shock people there. Of lewed talk there was plenty, tho no gross indecency was practised. — The barman, or potboys, or the master, were always there and checked it. — “Now you Sally, none of that; or out you go.” — “Now hook it smart you bitch,” were phrases we heard with others, used by the master or servants, when things got too hot. — At one house, they turned a woman and sailor out by force, who were too noisy and rather drunk. — “Let's go and fuck, Tom,” — said the woman, who was readier to leave than the man.

Coarse as they were, there was something about one or two of the women which gave me a letch. They re- minded me of some years back, when I had common women, and oftentimes only paid five shillings for their pleasures. — The next day I determined to have one, and to have a look at the quarters in which sailors' women lived. They are pretty numerous, and are distributed along the line of the docks from Tower Hill eastwards. I took a ramble in the day-time. I put on the same shabby things I had used when out with my friend, and took a cab to the locality, feeling much ashamed at my costume, and sorry that my servant should see me, but there was no help for that.

I walked thro several streets of small houses for some time, without finding the class I wanted, and up one or two courts with too many of the class. At length, in a quiet place I saw one or two stout women (they mostly seem to me to run stout) sitting at open windows, or standing at doors. Knowing their style, and that plain speaking was what they are accustomed to, I stopped at one, and asked her how she was. — “Why don't you come in?” — “I'll give you half a crown for a fuck.” — “All right, come in.” — In I went. — Then at once she began to ask me to double it, and if I'd been long ashore. — I refused but sprung to three and six-pence. — “Give us a glass then.” That I was quite ready to do, and produced the money.

At the door was a woman seemingly about thirty years old, with a little girl about three years old. — She was the landlady, decently clothed as was the child. She fetched the gin, and the woman asked her to have a glass which she had. Then I began to want fucking, and being alone, had the woman stripped to her chemise, paid her more than the agreed fee, and then felt her cunt. She was about twenty years old, tallish and quite stout. I had thought she was bloated, but found her flesh was quite firm. A spanking large, and handsome backside enclosed her cunt, which had darkish brown hair in moderate quantity. — She was in fact as good in all particulars of thigh, belly, bum, and cunt, as any woman of a better class. Her linen was clean tho coarse, so was her bed seemingly, and the room was full of feathers, and objects which seamen bring home. She said they were all given her by her man, who came to her whenever he was in England. She had a coarse voice and was as vulgar as may be imagined, and I should think drank hard.

“I'm frightened to fuck you,” I said — tho my prick was standing, and I had rubbed it up and down against her buttocks, as she knelt on the bed rump outwards for my gratification. — “What are you feared on,” and she turned round, and laying on the side of the bed opened her cunt lips. “Look for yourself, I'm all right” — but I resisted. “Sailors bring such diseases.” — “No more than other men,” — she replied sitting up. — “Give us another glass, I'm a bit low to-ay.

I complied, gave more gin, and the landlady and child came in, and drank with her. — I of course did not. — She asked if I was a teetotaller. No, but I wasn't well. — I'd been trying in conversation to assume a knowledge of ships, and shipping, but had failed, for bluntly she said. — “You don't come often to the docks. Were you ever in this street before?” — I was clearly found out, for then she called me a gent. — “This gent's frightened to fuck me,” said she to the landlady and laughing. — “Lord you needn't, there's not a cleaner woman about here,” the landlady re-marked.

Then the conversation took the subject of fucking generally, the landlady joined in congenially and got familiar. I encouraged it. “Perhaps he ain't got one to do it with, Polly.” — “Oh yes he has, and a good un and a hard un.” — After a little more talk, the landlady left, and again I looked at Polly's charms and still timid said, “That will do, I'm going.” — She was again kneeling on the bed with bum outwards as I spoke. Turning her head round without moving her backside. “What are you feared on? — Don't be a bloody fool! Fuck me, I'm as clean as a new pin.” — Then able to resist no longer, I put Polly on her back, mounted, and fucked her. — “Don't you be afeared,” said she as she got up and washed her cunt. — “Did you spend?” — “No. You've left it hot.”