thegoodfellas/blogset-br huggingface dataset:
a letter fromReggie today, she said, offering this information equally toFather and Henry, though Father did not deign to respond.Howis he? I wrote to him about two weeks ago but havent heard backyet.Hetells me hes sold a great deal of his furniture already and gottena good price for it. Im not surprised it would sell, she said.Im sure he had lovely things. People like him always have suchexquisite taste.Henryblushed at people like him. He was one of those people, ofcourse, though he wasnt sure he had what anyone would describe asexquisite taste. The word Martin had used was baroque. But thematter of taste made him suddenly aware of a change in his mothersappearance.Isthat a new dress, Mother? Its very becoming. Rather than herusual black or grey, like mourning clothes or slaves dresses, thisgown was a rich dark blue and had a bit of frippery attached.Mothersmiled at him, grateful and gracious. Yes, it is, darling. Howkind of youto notice. She darted a sharp glance at Father, who was seeminglypaying no mind to either of them. Your Aunt Virginia and I wentshopping. Ive an entire new wardrobe, everything very smart andmodern.Alittle color looks good on you, Henry told her. It was true. Shelooked healthier, more robust. You seem happier, too, if you dontmind my saying so.Anothergracious smile. Be sure to tell Reggie when you write him next,darling. He worries about me so. She ate a bite of her chicken,chewed and swallowed, then thoughtfully said, I enjoyed spendingthe day with Virginia. I regret that we havent been closer to myfamily over the years.Ilike Jesse, Henry told her. I think weve become realfriends. Were going to try to see each other more often. Henrywanted to see Jesse again soon, but not toosoon; Henry was quite sure that Martin had not forgotten Henryspromise to consider playing Jesses voyeuristic games, and Henrystill wasnt sure what he might do.Icant tell you how happy that makes me, darling. I know thatGilbert and Virginia would love to know you better, too.Fatherlooked up from his papers. He was stone-faced, and Henry would haveguessed that he was unhappy to hear so much talk of Wiltons, but heturned to Henry and said, You know, Henry, you can take a carriageto visit your cousin any time youd like. You neednt askpermission.Th-thankyou, Father. Henry blinked, surprised. I might do that, sir.But, really, I dont mind taking the omnibus.Aslong as you dont feel that youre being kept from seeing yourcousin, Father said stiffly.No,sir. Thank you, sir.Motherwas looking at Father as if seeing him anew, but Father didntnotice, having turned back to his letters.Laterin bed, Henry spooned Martin and kissed the nape of his neck. Martinsnuggled back against him and said, It was good of you, Henry, tonotice your mothers dress.Sheseems so much better these days.Pearlhas been in very good spirits recently, too. Its been very hard onher, Sir, to have a mistress whos been so unhappy for so verylong.Mothersunhappiness certainly hasnt been Pearls doing, though.Butshe cant help feeling responsible. If you were unrelentingly sadfor a decade, Henry, Id definitely feel that it was at leastpartially my fault.
truly bad dancers and sothis time they were sequestered in a shameful corner of the ballroomfor remedial work taught by his son, also Mr. Gill, who they were tocall Mr. Gus for the sake of clarity. Mr. Gill split up the remainingadequate dancers into sets. Henry and Martin were in a set with Louisand Peter, Albert and Stuart, and a tall, gangly boy called StephenReinhardt and his slave Eddie, who were from another school.Saluteyour partners, gentlemen! Mr. Gill's voice was stentorian andterrifying. Henry bowed; Martin made a little curtsey, which Henryfound both silly and charming. They had been positioned as the #1couple in their set, which meant they would perform all the figuresfirst, unfortunately without the benefit of seeing any of the othersdo them and learning from their mistakes. Henry was rather concernedMr. Gill was giving him too much credit for his good performance onTuesday.Nowthat basic politeness was out of the way, the Gills attempted toteach them the first figure, a waltz. The #1 and #3 couples wouldperform the same maneuvers, as would the #2 and #4. Mr. Gill and hisdaughter demonstrated the #1 steps, first with invisiblecounterparts, then again with a pair of boys from the nearest set,people Henry did not know. It did not look terribly complicated, butthere were murmurs of anxiety all around the ballroom.Allof the #1s from each set were meant to act as one, and this mostcertainly did not happen. There was chaos around the room as Mrs.Gill began to play the piano. At a little nudge from Martin, Henryhurried his step to get into the middle of the set, holding Martin'sleft hand high with his own right. He paraded Martin around thesquare and spun him back into place. So far, so good.Rightand left, vis-a-vis,Mr. Gill called.Henryand Martin moved forward to meet Stephen and Eddie opposite them inthe #3 spot, each master taking the other's partner briefly by theright hand and passing by to the opposite side of the square, thentaking their own partner's left hand in left, spinning them intoplace. They repeated the crossing and returned to their originalpositions. Henry relaxed a little and smiled. It wasn't so hard.Therewas mayhem erupting all around them. Boys stood confused in thecenter of their sets. Boys had the wrong partners.Youstupid boys! You need only be able to count to four! Mr. Gillshouted, outraged. Surely, you can all count to four! Da, da, da,DA!Ittook several attempts for all the #1s to complete their steps in themeasures allowed, and only then could Mr. Gill move on to the stepsfor the #2s. Albert and Stuart stood in the #2 position and,thankfully, were reasonably adept dancers. Really, in all cases, theslaves were at least passably good dancersthey had to be, to havebeen sold as companionsand the fault for poor performance restedsolely on the shoulders of the clumsy, privileged boys who masteredthem.The#3s repeated the #1's actions, and the #4s repeated the #2's, seemingperhaps to have learned a little from watching the earlier couples.In the #4 position, Louis didn't do too badly, but became noticeablyfrustrated and embarrassed when he was off time. It did not
a big, ostentatious houseor something more fitting for a secret family? Did she have a fullcomplement of slaves? Were they all from Ganymede and Demeter? Whenher boy was old enough, would he go to Algonquin? Would Henry bestarting his last year at Algonquin at the same time Calvin Murdockwas beginning his first? What sort of boy was he? Did Father like himmore than he liked Henry? Henry did not think Calvin Murdock wouldhave to clear a very high hurdle to be better-liked than Henry.Henrysupposed Mrs. Murdock made Father happy, and maybe father deserved tobe happy, after all. Certainly Mothereven this better version ofherdid not make Father happy and didnt even try. Motherreserved all her love for Reggie and cared little for Father and onlyslightly more for her children. Someday, Henry himself might end upmarried to some woman who deserved better, but hed be in love withhis slave instead of her. Even Cora was fixatedfor nowon aninappropriate person in Martin. It was difficult to stay activelyangry with Father about his mistress when no one in his family lovedwho they ought.Aftertheir first lesson with Mr. Gill, Henry had asked that the Blackwellballroom be readied for his use, so the maids had dusted thechandeliers and the grand piano and waxed the floor and all was inreadiness for dance practice on Saturday morning after breakfast. Itwas too bad the room had not seen more use over the years. It was avast space with canary-yellow wallpaper and ornate plasterwork,glossy herringbone parquet, glittering mirrors on the walls, andgrand multi-tiered chandeliers at either end of the room. Henrythought it a magical place, the prettiest room in the house. Thegleaming black grand piano had last been played at the ball whenHenry was 7 years old. None of the Blackwells could play. When Martintried the keys, it proved woefully out of tune.We'llhave it tuned for you, Henry said. It should be played, don'tyou think?Iwould like that, Sir, Martin admitted with a pleased smile.Whatshall we do for music? Henry wondered. He had not thought of thisuntil now; should they hire a pianist, as well?Ican sing it, Sir, if youd like, Martin told him.Itwas not complicated music. Martin sang the piece as they danced,la-di-da, frequently breathless, and laughing with happiness.Henrydelighted in Martins delight. He wanted Martin to be this happyalways. He was taken with a sudden visceral urge to have Martin'scock in his mouth, the weight of it, the feeling of it throbbingagainst his tongue. He whirled to a stop mid-step and pulled Martinto him, running his hands up and down Martin's back, cupping his ass,and burying his face in his neck.Sir,Martin said, low and urgent, pushing him away. Sir, we mustn't.Not here.Werealone. No one will bother us, Henry said with unwarrantedcertainty. He leaned in and kissed Martin, a hand around the back ofhis neck, and put his other hand flat against the front of Martinstrousers, feeling the shape of his cock and balls.Martininhaled sharply but took a step back. No,Sir. Not here. Please.Take me upstairs if you want me.Itsall right, Martin Henry reached for Martins arm, his knobbywrist.Martinjerked his arm out of
Henrys grasp and backed out of his reach.Its not,Sir! Please.We mustnt get caught!Henrydisliked Martins refusal. He could order Martin to do whatever hewanted, and Martin would have to comply, and for an arrogant momenthe thought he would do exactly that, but just as quickly hereconsidered. He would never allow himself to be a man who wouldforce Martin to do things he didnt want to do.Martinhad retreated to the far side of the piano, eyeing Henry warily. Thelast thing Henry wanted was for Martin to be frightened of him, andhe felt his skin tingle with a flush of shame.Imsorry, Martin. I wont push. Henry held out his hand, wantingMartin to come back to him. Please. Ill be good, all right?Martincame back around the piano, though his eyes were still full ofmistrust. Take me upstairs if you want me, Sir, he repeated.InsideHenrys room, the door locked, Martin kissed him willingly, deeply,but he was shaking as he did it. He gave Henry a solemn look, hisface very pale. You frighten me.Ididnt mean to frighten you, Henry said, which of course wastrue. Hed only wanted to express his passion.Wecant take chances like that, Henry. What if someone had come in?What if Billy had found us, or Randolph?Itwould have been disastrous, of course. Even if the slaves didnttell Father, theyd know,and surely Billy would tell Paul, at the very least, and probably hisJane, too. No doubt the information that young Mr. Blackwell was afairy, and with his slave to boot, would be of interest to slaves andmasters all up and down 5th.Iwasnt thinking, Henry admitted. Youre right, of course.He wanted to make it up to Martin. Here, he said, setting towork on Martins trouser buttons, let me show you what I wantedto do.Laterat night, lolling sated in Henry's bed, Martin brought it up again.We have to be so careful, Henry. If we're caught doing somethinglike that, Im sure your father would take me away from you. Imight even be sold!Martinsworries seemed extreme, but then again, he might be right. Martin wasin fact Father's property and not Henry's, not until Henry reachedthe age of majority, and if Henry's behavior with Martin displeasedFather, it wasn't unthinkable that Father might take Martin away.Illbe more careful, Henry said, mollifying him. Ill keep yousafe, I promise. He rolled over on top of Martin and held himdown. Trying for levity, he said, But you have to do your part.You have to stop looking at me like you want my mouth on your cock.Martinlaughed, a low chuckle. I do no such thing, Henry. But then helooked at Henry just as he'd been accused of, and burst out laughingagain, and harder, arching up beneath Henrys weight. I do likeyour mouth.Theyrolled around making a tangle of the bedding in a mock battle fordominance. Martin ended up on top, and Henry was happy to lie beneathhim, thinking that this was what it would feel like to take Martinsweight if he let Martin fuck him. The very idea gave him a thrill ofterror; he pulled Martin down into a fervent kiss as he wondered, notfor the first time,
what that might be like, if it would hurt, if hewould love it. He had never played with his own ass, and he stillhadnt let Martin touch it, so he hadnt a clue what it mightfeel like to have even a finger inside his body, much less a cock. Hewanted to try it, though, he did. He kept waiting for the right time,but what if the right time never came? Maybe he shouldjust...acquiesce. The idea of doing just that made him quake withexcited fear.Henry?Are you all right? Martin pushed himself up to look down intoHenrys face with a concerned expression, brow furrowed.Beforehe could change his mind, Henry blurted, You can do it, if youwant. He felt his face grow hotter and hotter and could not meetMartins eyes. If he let Martin have this, maybe it would make upsomewhat for scaring him in the ballroom.Martinblinked, confused. Do what, Henry?Oh,god. He would have to say it. Touch my...touch me. You can touchme. My hole.Oh!Really, Henry? Martins delight was immediate and obvious, andhe beamed down at Henrys frightened face. He ran his hands up anddown Henrys arms in a soothing gesture. Itll feel good, Ipromise. You neednt be nervous.Icant help it! Henry insisted, his mood verging on irritable.Im not like you. And he wasnt. After all, there were noproscriptions on what a slave might do with his body. No matter whathe did, or what was done to him, Martin would always be a slave, butit was different for Henry. He had been steadily chipping away at hisgentlemanly veneer for months now, unable to stop himself frombehaving counter to the dictates of society. He was barelymaintaining an appearance of normality, and he felt that anythingMartin did to his asshole would all but eradicate these last vestigesof his civility.Immediately,Henry wanted to rescind the offer. I dont know...maybe IshouldntHenry?Martins face fell. Please, Henry. Just let me try. I thinkyoull really like it.Well,that would be the problem, wouldnt it? If Henry liked it, if heliked it anywhere near as much as Martin did, hed become adecadent, unrepentant fairy in no time, and hed be shunted offinto exile, and Martin would probably be taken away from him. Howcould Martin not see these worrisome possibilities?Butletting Martin do this would bring them closer together, and it wouldmake Martin happy.Martinwas lying beside him, kissing him, stroking his body with soothingsweeps of his hand. We dont have to do everything, Martinmurmured, his tongue tracing the curve of Henrys ear. Illjust...explore a little, all right? Youll tell me if its toomuch and Ill stop.Itwas already too much, and Henry had made a mistake, but he couldntbring himself to say it.Henrytook a deep, shaky breath and let it out. Okay. Ill tell you.Martinkissed him, a deep, searching kiss, a little bossy. Good boy.His hand dipped between Henrys thighs, stirring the fine hairs.Spread your legs for me.Henrysheart thudded with dread, but he inched his legs apart.Martinbent over Henrys chest and licked and bit his nipples while hefondled his cock and balls. His touch was leisurely and assured; hewas in no hurry to get to Henrys hole. After
brought his knees down and sat up, scooting back. No, youcant! Fingers were enough, more than enough.Henry?Martin looked puzzled. Whats wrong?Please,Henry said, embarrassed by his frightened shaking. You just cant,all right?Martinrubbed Henrys knee, ruffled the hairs on his shin. Im sorry,Henry. I didnt mean to scare you.Imnot scared, Henry lied.Itsjust, you know how much I like it when you do it to me.Imnot like you, Henry said firmly. And he wasnt.UnlikeHenry, Martin seemed to love himself and was comfortable in his ownskin to an enviable degree. He had enormous confidence in his body,both in its functions and its value to a partner. On those rareoccasions when Martin didnt readily accept Henrys mouth on hisass, hed just go wash himself and then let Henry get on with it.But Henry wasnt sure if hed know if he was ever clean enough.Itwas humiliating to shake like this. His cock was still hard, but hefelt quite prepared to ignore it and pretend none of this had everhappened.Iwont push, Henry. Im sorry. Martin put his arms around himand kissed his cheek. I can still make you feel good, cant I?Itsenough Im letting you touch, Henry insisted sullenly, mortifiedby his fearfulness. You dont have to lick me, too.Okay,okay. Of course youre right. Martin stroked Henrys hair andpulled him close. You were good to let me do that much.Despitehis embarrassment, Henry let Martin hold and soothe him. He wanted tobe cossetted and cared for more than he wanted another orgasm, andMartin seemed content to give this to him. Now, with the perspectiveof even a few minutes, he felt slightly ridiculous for reacting as hehad, but he just could not countenance letting Martin put his lipsand tongue on his ass.Iwont try to lick you again, all right? Martin asked. Butmaybe it would be all right if I put a finger inside?Henryhad been prepared to agree to this before, but the licking hadutterly derailed him. Another time. Despite how good it hadfelt, he didnt think it would be soon.Martinsighed, but he tightened his hold around Henrys shoulders.Aftera few moments silence, Henry said, Im sorry. I did get scared.Theresnothing to be scared of, you know. I love you. I want to make youfeel good.Iknow you do. Henry did know. And someday hed gather hiscourage, and he wouldnt think too hard about anything, and hedlet Martin do whatever he wanted. Someday.Afteranother short silence, Henry said, I really am sorry about pushingyou in the ballroom.Maybeits my fault, too, Henry. You said the way I lookat youHenrygave a derisive snort and a firm shake of his head. No. Its notup to you. I actually dont think it matters what you do, Martin. Ijust always want you, to greater or lesser degree, but I need tobehave myself. I forget sometimes how serious the consequences couldbe if we were caught.Theidea of being separated from Martin was sobering, and Henry did takeit seriously, but when he weighed the risks against the pleasures ofdoing just a little of what he wanted, he kept coming down on theside of pleasure. What he wanted was a life where he could kissMartin
in his familys ballroom and all anyone would mind about ifthey were caught was the impropriety of a display of affectionoutside the bedroom, not the level of intimacy between the two ofthem as men, or as master and slave. Every time they got away withsomething, he felt a little closer to this fantasy world he so wantedto live in.Butall he said to Martin was, Ill be more careful, and believedthat he would be, despite all evidence to the contrary.Afterbreakfast on Sunday, Henry had the idea to visit Cora, and waspleased with himself for thinking of this on his own, rather thanneeding Martin to remind him that he was someones brother.Doyou want to take her to the park, Sir, or do you want to play withher here? Is it too cold to ride, do you think?Nursewill think its too cold for her to ride yet, Henry said withconfidence. But we could go to the menagerie, maybe, or we couldjust play in the nursery. Shell want to play with you,anyway. Ill just end up watching.Ilike Little Miss, Sir, Martin said, seeming quite happy at theidea of playing with a bossy little girl. Shes a funny littleperson, dont you think?Theywent up to the nursery and Nurse was pleased to see them. Cora leaptup from her cross-legged seat on the floor.Martin!Henry! She ran to them and flung herself first at Martin, then ather brother. Did you come to play with me?Wethought we could go to the menagerie, Henry suggested. If Nursesays its all right, of course.Please,Nurse? Can we go?Nursepeered at the windows, at the abundant pale light. If its nottoo cold, Miss...let me check at the window. She crossed to thewindows and opened the nearest sash.Comesee, Cora said, tugging at Martins hand. You, too, Henry.Come see Martin.Sheled them to her dollhouse, dancing with excitement. See? There heis with Henry.TheHenry doll, to which they had been previously introduced, lay in bedwith his little china head on a miniature pillow. Next to him in thebed lay another boy doll, this one with reddish painted hair and apair of wire eyeglasses sitting crookedly on his nub of a nose.Hishair is short, Cora pointed out, but thats because theydont sell anyboy dolls with long hair. Isnt that stupid?Youcan imagine long hair, though, cant you, Miss? Martin smiledand adjusted the glasses on the dolls nose with a fingertip.Yes,I can, Cora agreed. See his violin? He cant really play it,though. Its just for show.Therewas a tiny violin laying on the floor beside the bed, a pretty pieceof craftsmanship, and Henrys first thought was that DollhouseMartin would step right on it if he got up from the bed; however, hedid not share this with his sister.Henrysurveyed the dollhouse rooms, curious about the other little bisqueinhabitants. The father doll was in the parlor reading a miniaturenewspaper, his faceless slave behind his chair. The mother doll layface down on the parlor floor in front of her wing chair as ifstricken down by the hand of a god, but her slave stood quiteunconcerned in her proper position. Honey the dancing bear sat in thekitchen with the