thegoodfellas/blogset-br huggingface dataset:
But I dont care becauseit just reminds me of everything we did.Martin laughed.Well, thats how I feel about my ass, Sir.They were at theBriggses front door. Patrick let them in and took their coats.Mr. Briggs isexpecting you, Patrick informed them. Youre welcome to goupstairs.Louis was sitting onthe floor of his bedroom, a surly expression on his face, slumpedback against the footboard of his bed, arranging a handful of toysoldiers with the air of a cat toying with a mouse.TheyreTeddys, he explained. I took them away from him.Why? Henryasked, baffled.Louis shrugged. Ifelt like it. He flicked at a soldier with his fingernail and thewhole lot of them fell like dominos, scattered on the floor. Helooked up at Henry and his eyes were full of anguish.Henry sat on thefloor beside Louis; Martin went to sit with Peter a few feet distant.Henry didnt haveto ask Louis any questions; he began speaking without preamble. Itwas pretty awful, Henry. She cried a lot, Louis said, soundingremorseful. She wouldnt take the money, so I gave it to herfriend to give to her later. He hesitated and sighed. I dontknow, Henry. Maybe I made a mistake.Henry felt almostpositive that he had, but again did not say so. Well, you know youwerent ever going to be able to marry her, he pointed out,hoping to make Louis feel better. I know you had fun with her, butits probably better that you got out before things got tooserious.Thats the sortof girl I ought to be with though, Louis said. Someone wholikes me, someone who likes sex, someone whos not alwayslooking over my shoulder to find a more handsome guy.Therell begirls like that, Henry promised. When were of an age tothink about marriage, therell be a girl, I know it.She really likedme, Louis said, almost in wonderment. She thought I was funny.His voice heavy with regret, he said, And in the end, I treatedher like a whore.You know,Henry suggested hesitantly, scooping up one of the soldiers to fidgetwith, Ive been thinking...doing things James way might notbe the best for you, actually. You and James are pretty different,after all.Louis was quiet along minute. You couldve said something before. Louissounded more than a little accusatory. If I thought youwere going to do something stupid, Id say something.I didnt saystupid! Henry insisted. Just...maybe you didnt needto treat her that way. Maybe you couldve just said goodbye nicely,if you had to say goodbye at all.You dont eventhink I should have broken it off with her, do you? Now Louissounded blatantly hostile.Henry was beginningto wish he hadnt come over. I-I didnt say that, either. Ifit was time to end it, youd know better than I would. You dontneed to take your mood out on me.Louis seemed torecognize the truth in what Henry said. Sorry. I just feel like Imade a bunch of mistakes, one after another, and now I feel bad abouthurting her feelings.Could you make itup to her? Henry stood the soldiers up in a row.I doubt it,Louis told him. She made it pretty clear she doesnt want tospeak to me ever again.Well... Henrydidnt know what to
until Mr. Maxwellwas asleep and left his room to go spend the night with one of theMaxwell chambermaids, and they both got thoroughly drunk on liquortheyd stolen, and when Mr. Maxwell woke up, Alex wasnt there.Henry imaginedwaking up and finding Martin gone; he would be frantic. Perhaps Davidwasnt as attached to Alex as Henry was to Martin, but it must havebeen disconcerting at the very least.What do you thinkhe was trying to accomplish? Louis asked. Did he want awhipping?He doesnt makea lot of sense to me, Sir, Martin said. I dont know if heeven considered what might happen. As you know, I dont getalong with him, and his incomprehensible behavior is one reason.He considered the situation a moment, then added, I think he justwanted to hurt Mr. Maxwell. Its quite a betrayal just for him tohave told the rest of us slaves about the sex they have, and thentrying to make Mr. Maxwell look like a chump by deceiving him andtalking about it...it would never be my way, Sir, norPeters.No, of coursenot, youre good slaves, Louis agreed. So did David have tohunt him down? How did this all play out?They searched allover the house for him, Sir, Mr. Maxwell along with some of the otherMaxwell slaves, and they found him still drunk and naked with thisgirl. Mr. Maxwell was furious, of course, and dragged Alex out of thegirls bed.What day wasthis? Louis asked. Remember, Henry, there was that day whenDavid missed English and showed up for Mr. Grangers class in afoul mood? That must have been it.Henry did remember.He wouldnt tell anyone why he was late. Hes got more sensethan his slave, then, I guess. Henry turned to address Martin andPeter. Because Alex had to have told you all of this himself,right?Yes, he did, Sir.He was bragging about it, Martin said. Mr. Maxwell Seniordecided that it wasnt worth punishing Alex over, so he felt likehed gotten away with something.It sounds likehes crazy, Louis noted. Actually not right in the head. Ifeel bad for David having a slave whos nuts.Ive neverliked Alex, Sir, Martin reminded them, his tone a little snooty.What house is hefrom, again? Louis asked. Im trying to picture his mark...Nereus, Sir,said Peter.Nereus is a newerhouse, of course, Sir, Martin said in the same judgmental tone.But I know they go through the same sort of psychological testingthat Ganymede slaves do, so he must have been very crafty to pass.We had to passtests, too, Sir, Peter added. Everyone does. No one is supposedto act like Alex is acting, no matter which House hes from.Louis seemed quitecheered. This is very interesting information, he told theslaves. Why didnt either of you tell us before?Martin lookedabashed. We really shouldnt have told you at all, Sir. Itsnot done to spread gossip about mastersEven when theslave is asking for it, like Alex is doing, Sir, Peterinterjected.Its not done,Sir, Martin continued, because we dont want our own masterstalked about.Martins verycareful anyway, Sir, Peter noted. He never talks about Mr.Blackwell at all. Peter darted a glance at Henry and gave him aquick smile. And I never have anything to
talk about with you,Sir, since you just tell all of your friends everything anyway. Helaughed and Louis joined him. But some of the others are not sodiscreet.Like who?Louis asked. Tell me more! Obviously, this gossip was cheeringLouis up a great deal.Henry also wanted toknow more but felt shy about saying so. It was a relief to think thatMartin really didnt talk about him with the other slaves, but italso reminded him that Martin could, and if Martin wereindiscreet, Henrys life would be ruined.M-maybe I couldtell you some things without using names, Sir? Would that be allright? I would feel better about betraying confidences if I could doit that way. Martin was understandably hesitant; he was, afterall, betraying his friends for the sake of entertaining Louis.Louis thought on ita moment. Well, its not as fun that way, but I guess it wouldbe all right, he allowed.Martin also took amoment to gather his thoughts. Theres one of your friends,Sirs, who makes his slave compliment him on his cock, making him say,Oh, Sir, your cock is so big, and Oh, Sir, your cock is sobeautiful, and makes him pretend to choke on it, but of course hiscock isnt big in the least. Quite to the contrary, Sir, and hedoesnt come anywhere near close to satisfying his slave. Aftera brief pause, Martin added, Of course, its not a mastersjob to satisfy the slave, Sir, but most do at least try.Louis snorted inamusement.Lots of themasters want to be reassured their cocks are impressive, Sir,Peter pointed out.Im not worriedon that account, Louis said, laughing and clearly bragging. Henrylaughed with him but of course gave no indications as to the natureof his own cock, satisfactory or otherwise, and Martin maintained apolite, bland expression while the others chuckled.Another of yourfriends is worried that having sex with his companion will turn himinto an invert, Sir, Martin said. Hes very concerned thathell get too accustomed to seeing a boys body during sex andwont be attracted to a woman when he finally has one in front ofhim. So he bought his slave a gown, Sir, and makes him dress up andpaint his face before they have sexHe makes himsimper and act coy, Sir, like how he imagines women act, Peteradded. He even calls him by a girls name sometimes, can youimagine?Louis looked atPeter. Petra, he said. He turned to look at Martin. Martina.Then he began to laugh again, deep belly laughs, and clutched hissides. Louis was still rolling on the floor when Peter began to speakagain.Did you know,Sirs, that theres at least one master who kisses hisslave? Peter said. He caught Martins eye and said, You knowwho Im thinking of, and Martin nodded reluctantly, seeming alittle uncomfortable with the tack the conversation was taking.Really? Louiswas riveted, definitely interested. And the slave toldyou?He only toldbecause he wanted advice, Sir, Peter explained. He doesntlike it at all, but he doesnt want to get his master in troublewith his family, and if he told the masters father or the fatherscompanion, then his master would definitely be in hot water. He justwanted advice on how to get
his master to stop.Henry felt sorry forthis master who surely intended his kisses to be pleasant for hisslave, and he also felt badly for the slave who had to put up withunwanted attentions. Henry thought it deplorable that slaves had toput up with malicious acts by their masters, but it must be nearly asterrible to endure affectionate acts that were unwelcome. Yet, for agood slave, were any acts actually unwelcome? Wasnt it part of thecompanions job to be receptive?What did you alltell him, then? Louis asked. How to get the master to stop?No one had goodadvice, Sir, Martin admitted. Most just suggested eating lotsof onions or being deliberately bad at kissing. Things like that. Ifa master is determined to kiss a slave, Sir, theres really nothingthe slave can do about it without souring the relationship entirely.Yeah, I can seehow going to the masters dad or the dads companion isntreally a good option either, Louis mused. The dad would getangry at the master for acting like a fairy, at the very least, andit would be embarrassing all around. He thought another moment,then added, Ill bet a lot of the masters have beeninappropriate with their slaves, though, right? He looked betweenPeter and Martin, both of whom wore studiously blank expressions andaverted their eyes. Fine, dont say, but I know Im right.Some of the guys have confessed things to meTo you?Henry said, surprised. Louis was not known for keeping secrets,though he supposed Louis might be considered a sympathetic ear.I can keepa secret if I have to, Louis said, defensive and a little proud.And Im not going to name names, but some of our friends havegone a little further than theyre supposed to, lets just say.Henry desperatelywanted to know which of their friends Louis was talking about, butdidnt think he could press him for names. Maybe Martin would tellhim later, because surely Martin would know.Were young,Henry said with a shrug. People make mistakes when theyreyoung, right? Considering his own behavior, he was more thanwilling to be a little generous with their friends who might havestrayed from the righteous path.Louis shook hishead. I worry about some of these guys, Henry. Touching slaves,after all...its a slippery slope, and theres a big pile-up atthe bottom. He laughed, though. Of course, all of our friendsare rich, and almost anything can be smoothed over with money. Maybethey dont have anything to worry about, after all.Henry laughed, thesound of it very false to his ears, but seemingly believable to theothers. Yeah, probably not. Money solves most problems.It was time forPeters dinner, then, so they took their leave. Louis was in muchbetter spirits as he told them goodbye, and Henry was grateful toMartin for cheering him up.I could tell itmade you uncomfortable to share that gossip with him, Henry said,jumping a puddle as they crossed the street. I really appreciatethat you did it, though. You helped my friend, Martin. Thank you forthat.Martin looked verypleased at the praise. Youre welcome, Sir. I dont likeseeing Mr. Briggs so unhappy, either.It was a mistakefor him to break up with Miss OMalley, though.Oh, definitely,Sir.You told me totelephone
him and I didnt do it, Henry noted. I shouldvelistened to your advice.Oh, well, Sir,whats done is done, Martin said, clearly uncomfortable withthis line of conversation.They got home andwent upstairs before Martin would have to go down again for his owndinner. Henry hurried to his room, tugging Martin along by the wrist.Inside, he held Martin close and felt such gratitude for what theyhad together. He would never have Louis problems. He would neverhave to mess around with dance hall girls, would never have to worryabout whether he was only liked for his money. Thinking of the otheryoung masters, he couldnt imagine a scenario in which Martin wouldbetray or defy him, and he felt quite sure that Martin wasnt lyingabout enjoying sex with him. Their relationship was perfect. He wouldnever have to worry about Martin leaving him. He would have Martinfor the rest of his life, and having Martin made that life worthliving.Coras birthdaywas on Wednesday, which Henry would not have remembered, but Martinhad learned this from Nurse and on Tuesday morning reminded Henry ashe dressed him for school.So what should wedo? Henry asked. Unless things had changed a great deal since hisown childhood, there wouldnt be a party, as such. He lifted hischin so that Martin could tie his necktie.Well, Nurse saystherell be cake upstairs in the afternoon and that wed bewelcome to join them when we get home from school. Little Miss wouldbe so happy, dont you think? Shed love to see you.Henry snorted. Ithink its you she wants to see.Martin smiled at himin the mirror. Shell be happier if were both there, then.After school, theywalked to the toy store in search of a suitable present, again atMartins suggestion. Henry was at a loss as to what Cora mightappreciate. She had plenty of dolls. There were board games, but ifHenry got her one, hed then have to play it with her. Maybe itwould have to be a doll after all; he would have to ask Martinsopinion as to which one might be best, since Martin knew more aboutCoras existing assortment than he did.Henry put down thegame hed been looking at. Martin?There was no reply,and Henry looked around and saw no sign of Martin up or down theaisle. Henry frowned, displeased that Martin had just wandered offwithout saying a word. He went looking for him, and found him twoaisles over examining the contents of a large pasteboard box.Martin. Henrywas prepared to be annoyed with him.Oh, there youare, Sir. Look what Ive found. I think Little Miss would lovethis, dont you?You just wanderedoff, Henry said in an accusatory tone, but he looked at the boxMartin showed him and lost all interest in being blameful. Oh!Thats really good. Good job, Martin.The box held abrightly-colored toy circus, very detailed, with jointed woodenanimals, clowns, a ringmaster, and a cloth tent to house them all.Look, Sir,theres even a dancing bear, Martin said, giving it a littlepoke with his fingertip. Do you think shed like it, Sir?Shell love it.Its perfect. He put his arm around Martins back and gave hima squeeze before he realized what he was doing.
Flushing a furiouscrimson, he pulled his hand back and looked around; no one had seenhim embracing his slave. Im glad you found it.Henry paid for thecircuswhich was quite expensiveand the big box was wrapped inbrown paper and tied with a narrow red ribbon. Martin carried it tothe omnibus stop, but once they were on the omnibus, Henry held thebulky package in his lap while Martin stood in the aisle.Henry was tempted totake it directly to Cora, so confident was he that she would love it,and so eager was he for her thanks, but Martin convinced him to waituntil the morrow.Shell like iteven better if she gets it with her cake, Sir, Martin told him.Shell like it better on her actual birthday.Martin was right, ofcourse. Henry then had to resist the urge to unwrap the box himself.It was a charming toy; he could certainly see his way clear toplaying with it, should Cora want his company.Henry woke onWednesday still full of enthusiasm about the toy circus and thoughtabout it from time to time throughout the day. He would have likedsuch a toy himself when he was small. He couldnt remember many ofhis childhood toyshe hadnt been attached to many of them, notlike Cora was with her dolls. Hed had a stuffed mouse named Pinkythat he slept with until hed been brought down out of the nursery,but he didnt remember what had happened to him. Nurse would know.After classes wereover for the day, Henry was impatient to return home but wasunwilling to admit to his friends that he was in a hurry to attendhis little sisters birthday party, so lingered with them on theforecourt of the school discussing their holiday plans. Several ofHenrys friends were going with their families to visit relativesout of town for Christmas, but most boys would be staying in the cityover the holidays.While they loiteredin the chill air, Henry and his classmates made plans to get togetherover the upcoming break. Henry was happy to receive the invitation toCharles Ross' New Year's Eve party. It was his first invitation ofthe year; hed missed out on all the previous parties because ofhis feelings about swapping, and it felt good to be included. He feltconfident, then, that this would be a regular party; Charles wouldknow better than to invite him to a swap party.The adult Rosseswere having a fancy dress party of their own, and Charles and hisfriends were to have their children's party in a separate wingof the house.There'll be somuch liquor around, Charles promised. Last year, even thechambermaids got drunk. All the slaves, really. It was a madhouse.Believe me, we'll be able to get our hands on whatever we want.This sounded verypromising! Most of their class was invited, excepting Adam Pettiboneand his few cronies, for which Henry was grateful. He had done hisbest to avoid Adam since their fight in October, and for once Adamseemed content to stay clear of him, as well.To Louis dismayhis grandmother was coming to visit from the Midwest and he would beexpected to spend more time with her than he thought she actuallywarranted.At least you havea
grandmother, Henry said, unsympathetic to Louis complaints.Henry had no grandparents and rather envied the Briggs children theirbossy, loving Grandma Ida. Henrys Grandfather Wilton had died longbefore he was born. Grandmother Wilton had held on until he was 10,but he remembered her only as a querulous and addled old woman withwispy hair and clothes that smelled of mothballs.Henry would bespending Christmas as he always did, with his mothers people, theWiltons. To the best of his knowledge, there were no Blackwell peopleto spend holidays with at all. Henry liked the Wiltons but rarely sawhis mothers relatives outside of their holiday party. Theydseen the Wiltons more often when Henry was youngerMother hadinsisted on it then; she no longer fought Father on the matter now,though Henry wasnt sure whether shed lost the will to do so ormerely the interest.There were quite alot of Wiltons, actually. Henrys grandparents had only threesurviving children, Mother and her brothers, but Grandfathers twobrothers had had larger families, one with five children and theother with seven, and many of these cousins of Mothers had largefamilies of their own. They were Wiltons and Carmichaels and Bensonsand Hatches. Besides Henrys cousins, Bette and Jesse, there werealso innumerable second cousins of all ages, many of whom would makean appearance at the Christmas party.Henry always feltlike an outsider at these Wilton parties, and certainly he wasone. He had not grown up within this big, friendly family, but on theperiphery of it, and felt it keenly. However, he did enjoy the littletime he got to spend with the Wiltons, and wished he could have more,though he had never asked. Father didnt like the Wiltons and Henrydid not wish to cross Father.Henry was cold andhis nose was running. Louis seemed like he could talk for hours moreand Henry didnt want to wait. Ive got to go. Ill see youguys tomorrow, he said to the group as a whole with a wave of hishand. Come on, Martin.Martin broke awayfrom Tom and the rest of his friends and hurried to Henrys side,smiling broadly. Are you eager to see your sister, Sir? I cantwait to see what she thinks of her present!Henry grinned, alittle embarrassed to be so excited about a toy. Me, neither.Plus, therell be cake.They hurried to theomnibus stop. The car was crowded enough when they got on that bothhad to stand, and Henry feigned an unsteadiness he didnt reallyfeel so that he could sway and lean against Martin, who admonishedhim in a low voice but snickered as he did so, clearly amused.At home, theyhurriedly changed their clothes, Henry wearing his bottle-green suitand the green-striped waistcoat.I do so like youin this, Martin said, and Henry wondered if he remembered that itwas what Henry had been wearing when theyd met. He had oftenwondered what had happened to Martins tight Ganymede breeches; hehad not seen them again since that first afternoon.Henry kissed him,fond and lingering, and it was tempting to put off going upstairs,but then Martin was giving him little placating pats on the arm andpulling away.Lets goupstairs, Henry. Im sure Little Miss is waiting very impatiently.They went up to thethird