thegoodfellas/blogset-br huggingface dataset:
He reached and took the glass from Henryshand. Ill just be a moment, Sir.Heleft Henry standing with Arthur, both blushing furiously, neitherknowing what to say. Henry reminded himself he had no obligation tospeak to a slave under any circumstances, but it felt horribly rudeto just ignore poor Arthur.Howare the horses, then? Henry asked, cringing a little. It would bebetter if he knew something more about Arthur, so he might ask abouthis life. Well, actually, he didknow about Arthurs relationship with Jerry and his dalliance withTom, but he couldnt exactly discuss those things with him, afterall.Oh,theyre quite well, Sir, Arthur assured him. By this timenext month, I imagine it will have warmed up enough youll beriding again on a regular basis, Sir.Imlooking forward to warmer weather, Henry said. He could just seeMartin over the heads of the dancing crowd. Here, Martin played withhis eyes open, watching the dancers, seeing how they reacted to thetune he played; they had finished the first waltz and were nowplaying a polka. Henry willed him to look up, to see Henry looking athim, but he kept his gaze focused on the whirling couples.Hereyou go, Sir. Tom was at his elbow with a fresh glass of punch.Hed brought one for himself and one for Arthur, as well.Thankyou, Tom. But, really, you dont have to take care of me. Youshould enjoy the party.Martinwould want me to look out for you, Sir, Tom insisted. Mr.Caldwell would, too.Actually,since Henry didnt share Martin, Freddie probably wouldntwant Tom to help Henry out, but Henry did not wish to argue the pointwith Tom.Well,I wont expect you to stick with me, Henry told him. Iimagine youre going to want to dance at some point.Oh,certainly, Sir, Tom said brightly, sipping his drink and lookingaround the room. He waved at someone across the room and said toArthur, Oh god, I hope she doesnt come over here, in a lowvoice.Thegirl in question was a redhead, petite and pixieish, and she didindeed come over, skirts swaying.Well,hello, Tom. What trouble are you in tonight?Imlooking after Mr. Blackwell for Martin, Tom told her, gesturingtoward Henry.Henryblushed and gave her a short nod.Thegirl dipped a little bow at Henry. Good evening, Sir. Thank youfor the party. So, Tom, youll dance with me later, I hope?Wellsee, Tom told her. My duties take precedence.Mr.Blackwell looks capable of taking care of himself for the length of adance.ButMr. Blackwell might become hungry at a moments notice, Tom toldher cheerfully. His throat might become parched. I intend to be atthe ready.Thegirl frowned, annoyed and perhaps a little disgusted. Imbeginning to think I made a mistake in taking you seriously.Ifyou took me seriously, Tom told her, then I agree you made amistake. Im no better than a clown, not to be taken seriously atall. He laughed and reached playfully for the girls hand, whichshe pulled back with a petulant sound.Arthurlaughed but clapped his hand over his mouth to shut himself up.Illdance with you later, Tom decided, if you still want to dancewith me, that is, but thats all we can do. Ive got other plansfor after the party.Thegirl cocked an
eyebrow at Arthur, who blushed anew as Tom slipped anarm around his shoulders.Youreso presumptuous, she said with a haughty sniff. How do you knowI dont have plans of my own?AmI to believe you came over here out of friendship alone? Tomasked. I think we know each other better than that!Witha frustrated toss of her head, the girl said, Find me later for adance, you cad. If we dont dance tonight, were through forgood. She stalked away, back stiff, while Tom laughed and squeezedArthurs shoulders.Henrydid his best to pretend he hadnt heard a word of theirconversation, but he did not think he was convincing.Mr.Blackwell, Sir, would you like more punch? Or perhaps something toeat?Er,no, Im fine, thank you, Tom.Martinplays beautifully, doesnt he, Sir? I expected he would, ofcourse.Yes,he does. Am I remembering correctly that you play piano?Yes,Sir. How kind of you to remember.Doyou play for Freddie?TheCaldwells have a piano that Im allowed to play, Sir, but I dontthink anyone particularly cares to listen.Thatstoo bad, Henry said. I love to hear Martin play.Youand Martin are well-suited, Sir, Tom said.Henryfelt his face grow hot and turned away to hide the color in hischeeks. He did not know what sort of response would be proper;agreement felt like it would be admitting too much.Therewas a slightly longer break between tunes while Martin stripped offhis jacket and rolled up his sleeves. He was sweating a little, hisface slightly pink, and as he looked out over the crowd he soughtHenry out and gave him the dazzling smile that he so loved.Itwas during the next waltz that Henry began to notice all the kissingand fondling that was taking place in the crowded room. Men kissedwomen, men kissed men, women kissed women. Tom was nuzzling Arthursneck. Billy and Jane stood near the musicians with their arms aroundeach others necks and their flower crowns askew and kissed likethey were in private. If Henry were also a slave, he could kissMartin here, in this room with dozens of people looking on, and noone would think anything of it. Surely somewhere in this city therehad to be a place where a free boy could kiss another boy withoutworries.Imgoing for more punch, Sir. Ill be happy to bring you somethingback, Tom said.Allright, Henry agreed. Is there any punch without alcohol in it?Ibelieve so, Sir.Someof that, then, and maybe a little to eat after all.Verywell, Sir. Tom turned to Arthur. Come with me, Artie. Illneed help carrying it back.Leftalone, Henry watched Martin sway and dip and bounce on his toes, justas he would do in private. Even in these lively songs, Henry couldstill hear the plangent, erotic qualities of the violins voice asif it were speaking only to him. A cluster of young women stood nearthe musicians, gazing rapt at Martin as he played; was it onlybecause he was a handsome young man, or did they hear what Henryheard?Mostof the dancing couples were made up of men and women, but Henry sawthe occasional pair of men go whirling past, as well as a few femalecouples. Henry was surprised at first, but remembered that slaveswould all have
grown up taking turns leading and following, so itwould be natural for them to dance however they might be inclined. Hewished he might have such freedom to dance with Martin.Thewaltz ended and a polka began. High-spirited people whooped andhopped around the floor. Tom and Arthur returned with full glassesand plates.Tomsaid, Make way for Mr. Blackwell to sit, please, in animperious tone and five girls stood up from their chairs and hurriedaway. Oh, nice, Tom said to Arthur. We can all sit, then.Henrysat with his plate and glass of pink punch, and Tom sat beside him,but with an empty chair between as buffer.Igot you a nice selection of food, Sir, Tom said, let me know ifyoud like more of any particular thing.Henryate a bite of sausage roll and followed it with a sip of his plainpunch. Youve been very helpful, Tom. Thank you.Martinis my dearest friend, Sir. I know he would do the same for mymaster.Martinwould, Henry supposed, if Henry were to allow him to go gallivantingall over the neighborhood socializing on his own, which Henry did notthink likely to ever happen.Yourea good friend to him, Henry said a bit grudgingly. Henry felt surehe knew what Tom really wanted, but, so far as he knew, Tom was neverinappropriate, never untoward, and so it wouldnt be fair to faulthim for a desire he never acted upon.Tomcolored a little, pleased at the faint praise. Thank you, Sir.Henryate a moist little cake that tasted of honey and some spice he wasntfamiliar with. Tom, do you know what this is?Itsmarriage cake, Sir. Its got cardamom and honey which are...lovefoods.Oh,Henry said, blushing. Thank you. Hetaeria food! Hed hopedthered be some evidence of the slave beliefs at this party.Hethought a moment, then asked, What about the flowers and greenery?Do they mean anything? I know red roses are for affectionWell,no, Sir, theyre for love, Tom pointed out.Henryblinked at this. Affection and lovewerent they the same thing?Tomsaw his confusion. Its a subtle difference, Sir, but itmatters. No one offers red roses casually.Oh.Henry thought about Martins protection stone, the permanence of apainted rose, and felt a warm surge of hope in his breast.Tomcontinued. So, red roses are for love and sex, and red and whiteroses together are for joining, for unity. Ivy is for a happymarriage. The other greens all mean something, too, Sir, but I dontremember what. Artie, do you remember what else the leaves mean?Arthurturned around in his chair to squint up at the swags hanging on thewall and then leaned to look around Tom at Henry. Besides the ivy,I only recognize cedar and juniper, Sir. Its said that cedar isprotective, and juniper draws positive energy.Martinhas told me youre interested in our beliefs, Sir, Tom said.You really dont think theyre foolish?Ithink theyre very interesting, Henry said. They make just asmuch sense to me as any church beliefs, or maybe a little more sense,actually. I like how everything is based in the worldrealfriendships, real materialsand isnt just a lot of talk.Oh!Tom said, startled. You surprise me, Sir! He seemed as thoughhe liked being surprised, however.Thewaltz came to a close and the
music stopped.Oh,theyre taking a break, Tom said, setting his plate aside andgetting to his feet. Artie, get up and wave to Jerry.Henrystood, too, so Martin could see him. Martin smiled at him, chinlifted, peering over all the heads, and began to make his way throughthe crowd, being stopped frequently along the way to be praised andcongratulated. Jerry came through the crowd from a different angle. Awoman went to sit down at the piano in Jerrys place, and a maleslave with a battered-looking violin stood where Martin had beenstanding. These two began to play a slow waltz and a few couples tookto the floor, circling at a languid pace.Sir!Martin reached for Henrys arm as he pushed through the crowd. Howdid we do, Sir?Oh,how Henry wanted to kiss him! He settled for rubbing his hand up anddown Martins upper arm, squeezing the muscle. Yourewonderful, Martin. Im so proud of you.Martinbeamed at the praise and then glanced around. Oh, Tom is here! Ishe taking care of you, Sir?Heis, Henry admitted. He volunteered. He looked over at Tom,who was all wrapped up in Jerry and Arthur, and blushed to see theevidence of their intimacy. He leaned close to Martin and whispered,I wish I could be like that with you.Martinmet his eyes with a gaze filled with erotic promise. I would likenothing better, Sir.Theystared into one anothers eyes, the air growing ever-more chargedbetween them, until Tom interrupted.Martin,Mr. Blackwell, Sir, do you want something to drink? Some food?Oh,thank you, Tom, but I can get my own food, Martin said.No,you stay with Mr. Blackwell. Do you want liquor or plain punch?Hmm,plain, I think. Thanks so much, Tom.Jerry,Arthur and Tom all went for refreshments, leaving Henry and Martinalone.Imhaving so much fun, Sir. I really enjoy playing for a party,Martin admitted. Theres such good energy from a crowd likethis.Thatmade sense, Henry supposed: all these friendships feeding into oneanother, all the energies combining.Martinleaned close, holding onto Henrys arm. Im all keyed-up,Sir, Martin said in a hoarse whisper. All this attention ismaking me so amorous.Henrywent immediately hot, imagining Martin playing for this crowd as hedplayed for Henry in the past, naked and hard with his hair loose. Hisbreath caught as he asked, Will you want my help with that?Afterthe party, Sir, Ill need you so much, Martin promised him. Heslipped his fingers inside Henrys for just a second, a briefsqueeze. Here come Tom and the boys, Sir. Lets behave ourselvesfor now.Tombrought Henry more pink punch, more sausage rolls, and more of thehoney cakes, and he brought the same for Martin. Henry and Martin satand ate with their plates on their laps; the other three stood andate from a shared plate stacked high. Tom and Arthur were continuingto drink the yellow punch and they encouraged Jerry to drink and fedhim bits of honey cake while petting and teasing him.Youplay magnificently,Tom said to Martin, breaking away to let Arthur monopolize Jerry fora brief interlude. I expected as much, as I told Mr. Blackwell,but its still a wonder to hear it.Martinlaughed. Youre exaggerating, Tom. I think you must be a littledrunk.Oh,thats certainly true, Tom agreed. This
Henry decided. He didnt want to waste any ofMartins break time being apart.Theymade their way through the crowd toward the hall and the food tables.As they neared the buffet, they saw Ruby, the talkative scullerymaid, making her way through the crush from the opposite directionwith a tray of steaming sausage rolls.Makeway! Make way, please! She saw Henry and stopped short. Sir!Hello, Mr. Blackwell. Hello, Martin. Sausage roll for you? Theyrevery hot, Sir. See that you dont burn your tongue!Thankyou, Ruby. The sausage rolls were like coals in Henrys hand; hewould wait a minute before attempting to eat them. Martin got him aglass of punch and one for himself.Doyou want to go out to the bonfire, Sir?Bonfire?Theresalways a bonfire, Sir, Martin assured him. Lets go outside.Therewas a neat ring of bricks set up in the center of the side yard, wellaway from the house, with a roaring fire enclosed within. Slavesstood close by, some shivering without their coats despite the fire.A group huddled in the corner, out of the wind, passing a cigarettearound their circle. As Henry watched and munched his roll, a steadystream of people threw leaves and twigs and bits of paper on thefire, occasionally murmuring a few words as they did so.Whatare they doing? Henry stuffed his second sausage roll into hismouth. He was cold in just his jacket, and Martin had onlyshirtsleeves.Wishesand releases, Sir. You write what you want on a leaf or scrap ofpaper, and you let it disperse into the universe in hopes it will begranted. Or you let go of things, Sir. Hard things, or bad things, orsimply things that just need to be in the past.Doyou want to do it? Henry wanted to do it.Rightnow, Sir, Ive got everything I want. I dont want to be greedy.He paused a moment and then said, Oh! Sir! Did you want to try?Bashfully,Henry said, Yes. Id like to, I think.Letsfind you something to write with, then, Sir. He turned to a nearbytrio. Excuse me, do you have a pencil for Mr. Blackwell?Afterasking a few more people, Martin came up with a pencil and a slip ofpaper and then bent over before Henry, making his back into a desk,their punch glasses at his feet.Henrydidnt know exactly how to put it. He wrote Iwant a place where I can be free with Martin,and meant that to take into account his desire for their relationshipto be considered acceptable as well as his longing to be with Martinfree of his familys expectations.Martinmust have felt that Henry had stopped writing. Do you have it,Sir?Yes,sorry. He rubbed Martins back and gave him a pat. So nowI...just throw it in?Concentrateon what you asked for, Sir, and then, yes, you just throw it in andhope its answered. Martin was shivering and Henry wanted badlyto put his arms around him. He would have to hurry so that Martincould get back inside.Hedidnt exactly pray, but he imagined that both Zeus with hisGanymede and Apollo with Hyacinthus might be sympathetic to hisdesire, so he thought of them, and of Reggie and the promise of hisknowledge, and tossed the scrap
of paper into the flames. It waseaten up immediately, floating ash whirling in the eddies of the air.Doyou feel good about it, Sir? Martin asked, and he was reallyshivering now.Ido, Henry said. Lets get you inside.Mr.John caught up with them near the kitchen door. There you are,Martin. We wanted to get started again. He saw Henry behind himand said, Oh! Hello, Sir. John at your service.Henrygave him a nod. Hello.Martinturned and said, I have to go, Sir. Will you be all right on yourown?Ofcourse. Ill be fine.Illneed you after, Sir, remember.Henryblushed, pleased and a little excited. I remember.Martinsmiled and gave him a little wave and disappeared into the throng.Henryhad carried his glass in from the yard and filled it now with thestrong yellow punch. He made his way back into the crowded mess hall,where couples stood with their arms around one another, ready for themusic to start. Martin stood, violin in position, and shifted hisweight from one foot to the other. The light flashed off the lensesof his glasses; he was searching the crowd, and when he found Henry,he smiled. He counted off and the music began.Arthurand Tom were both dancing, each with a pretty girl, and when the tuneended, each found a new partner for the next dance. Henry watchedMartin play and drank his searingly alcoholic punch and tapped histoe. He would love to dance, he really would, but it wasnt reallydone for a master to dance socially with a slave. A master could getaway with more than a mistress, of course, but it wouldnt lookgood, and he supposed it could have a negative impact on the slavesreputation amongst her own, as well.Peoplewere drunker, and it was later, and there were even more publicdisplays of affection in this second half of the dance than there hadbeen in the first. A man and woman next to Henry broke off kissingand headed for the hall holding hands, no doubt seeking a privatecorner. Their place was taken by a pair of young men who began to petone another. One of the men, a delicate-looking boy with tawny hairand a smattering of frecklesHenrys typemade insistent,hungry whimpers as he kissed his dark-haired partner, and Henry foundit incredibly arousing. He watched them out of the corner of his eye,trying to be discreet, his cheeks hot and his breath coming short. Hereminded himself that he would have Martin afterward, and he would dowhatever Martin wanted to do.Tomwas dancing with the petite redhead whod had misgivings about him,but now she looked quite wholeheartedly taken with him, laughing asthey spun around the floor.Henrytossed back the last of his punch and considered going for more, buthe didnt want to leave the kissing men, not while they were beingso interesting. He alternated between watching Martin dip and swayand eyeing the kissing pair. The tawny-haired boy straddled thedark-haired mans thigh and rubbed against him, moaning andclutching at his back.Letsgo find a place, the dark-haired man said, keeping his voice low,but not so low Henry couldnt hear. Someplace where I can suckyou.Youcan fuck me, the tawny boy said breathlessly. You can doanything you want.Theyshared
one last kiss, a string of spit between their lips as theydrew apart, and then the dark-haired man took his friends hand andled him through the crowd towards the hall.Henrywatched them go and wanted to follow, wanted to see what they didtogether. He had the right to do that. He was permitted everything.These people were in his house and they were subject to his wishes.He hesitated a moment and then headed for the hall. He could get morepunch, at the very least.Henrythought he had lost the men in the crowd, but they had stopped tokiss again and instead he almost walked into them. He skirted themand made his way to the punch bowl, looking frequently back over hisshoulder to see what they were doing. They began making their waythrough the crowd again, the tawny boy in the lead now.Henryfollowed them, punch sloshing in his glass as he hurried to keep up.Letstry down this way, the tawny boy said, heading down the crowdedeast corridor. There were storage rooms here, Henry knew, and threeslave bedrooms which were unused but not unfurnished.Thebedroom doors were standing open and people were moving freely in andout of the rooms, so Henry was taken aback when he peered in thefirst doorway and saw not just one but several couples fucking. Therewere a man and a woman crosswise on the bed, two men at the foot ofthe bed, a woman with two men tending to her needs on the rug, andthree couples leaning up against the walls in various stages ofundress. None of them took any notice of Henry, nor of any of theother people who wandered in and out again.Thesecond room was also full of fornicators, including a gasping girlwho had another girl kneeling beneath her skirts, but not Henryscouple. Henry moved on quickly to the third room, where his young menhad found a place against the wall, next to a man who was fucking awoman from behind, her skirts thrown up above her waist and her armsbraced against the wall.Thetawny boy was ready to come; Henry could see it in his face, in theway he trembled. His dark-haired friend was on his knees before him,holding his narrow hips. The relief on his face as his friend tookhim into his mouth was beautiful to behold. His eyelids fluttered andhe groaned, pawing his friends head as he quickly came, his criesquite distinct to Henrys ears out of all the carnal noise in theroom. The boy opened his eyes quite suddenly and looked at Henrywatching him and smiled. The dark-haired man turned to see who hesmiled at and also looked at Henry, noting his collar and tie, andgrinned.Henrybolted, hurrying back to the mess hall and the dancers, back toMartin. His face was on fire, throbbing with embarrassment. What hadhe been thinking, following those boys? Hed let a bunch ofstrangers, a bunch of strange slaves,see him ogling a queer pair. Of course, he could claim he was lookingat any of the men and women in the room and no one could proveotherwise. Still, his hands shook, and he tossed back the last