thegoodfellas/blogset-br huggingface dataset:
They were bothdaring, albeit in different ways, and Louis would definitelyappreciate hearing about Elizabeth.Icalled earlier because I wanted to come over, but obviously youwerent there.Imsorry.Dontbe. James went off with his stupid friends right after I called, sothe main person I wanted to get away from left anyway. I took Peterupstairs and we played with the little ones for awhile. It was sortof fun. I need to be a good big brother now, since James is solousy.Thatwas kind of you. Ive been trying to make an effort to see Coramore, Henry told him. Shes a good girl. She likes Martinbetter than she likes me, though.Louislaughed. All the little ones here feel the same way about Peter,except for Alice. Alice doesnt like either one of us all thatmuchbut shes still as obsessed with you as ever. Shes reallydetermined, you know, and she is the right age...Ugh.No offense, Louis, but I do notwant to think about marrying your little sister. Shes just ababy.Wecould marry each others sisters, though, Henry. Did you ever thinkabout that?Itry not to think about getting married, period.Wedbe related for real. I mean, youre like a brother to me anyway.Wevegot yearsSevenfor you, if you get engaged to Alice. Louis chortled to himself,enjoying annoying Henry.yearsbefore we need to think about getting married. Im not thinkingabout it until I have to! Henrys voice grew pressured andfretful.Allright, Henry, all right. Calm down. Louis didnt even try tohide how amused he was. Youre going to have to get over thisfear of girls eventually, though, you know.Imnot afraid, Henry insisted, and he wasnt.Thencome with us to a dance hall tonight, Louis said cajolingly.Gordon learned about one that sounds promising from one of hisfamilys footmen so were all going to give it a try.Icant, Henry said, trying to sound as if he were sorry about it.He recalled the idea that Jesse had put in his head. I have to becareful, he said. Look at the trouble James is in. I dontneed some working-class chippy claiming I got her pregnant. My fatherput the fear of god into me about messing around with cheap girls andIm not inclined to cross him.Whendid thishappen?Henrythought quickly. After the slave party, he said. He warnedme off slave girls, and then he warned me off regular girls. If Idont want to be disowned, Im to stay away from girls, period.Hewouldnt disown you, Louis scoffed.Maybenot, Henry agreed, but I dont want to risk it.Oh,Henry, Louis sighed. Youre such a good boy.Henryhad expected this would be Louis response, had even wanted Louisto feel this way, but it still stung a little. Sorry to disappointyou, Louis.Youregetting left behind, Louis reminded him. I dont want you toget left behind, Henry!Idont care, Henry told him, wanting very much to change thesubject. Weve talked about this already, and Im sure itllbe fine. Grasping for a new topic he asked, Say, uh, have youheard if anyone elses slaves have the clap?Oneof the Spanglers footmen, that little redheaded fellow, has it,but I dont know about anyone else from school, if thats whatyou mean.Oh!Henry was taken aback.Iwonder where he got it? Louis mused. Tom
us cleaned up. Ill be right back.Henrysighed and flung his arm across his eyes to block out the light.After a few minutes, he felt the bed shift beneath his back, thenMartins hands and the warm, wet cloth he used to wash Henryscock.Martinset the basin aside and stretched out alongside Henry. You canhold me now, if you want.Henrygathered him close and kissed the side of his head. So you likeRuss all right, then?Henrycould feel Martin smile against the skin of his chest. Yes, I do.He didnt come right out and say it, but he gave me a lot ofhints...I think he and your cousin are like us, dont you?Jessedidnt come out and say anything directly, either, but Im surethey are. I-I thought about telling him about you and me, actually.Youdid? Martin lifted his head from Henrys chest to look at him,surprised.Ithink they do everything we do, Henry said, but I dont thinkJesses like me, not really. Hes in love with that Elizabeth,and he desires her. Hes not exactly a normal man, I guess, buthes not queerlike I am.Whydidnt you tell him? I dont think he would use it against you,and it might be good to have someone you can talk to while your uncleis away.Whatif he sees that difference between us, that I dont want women atall, and thinks less of me for it? Or what if he tells Eli, and thenLyle and my other cousins? What if it gets back to my father? Jessewouldnt even need to be trying to hurt me to slip up and tellsomeone he shouldnt. After all, he told me about him and Eli.Idont think he would possibly think less of you, but I see yourpoint about discretion. Perhaps you should get to know him a littlebetter first.Henrynuzzled Martins hair, strands sticking to his lips. He asked meagain if Id consider playing his game.Martintensed with interest. He did?Iturned him down, but he told me the invitation still stands. I knowyou wanted to do it at Reggies farewell partyOh,IYoudid, Henry said. It was obvious that you did, and I felt badthen for not letting you show off, but Im just so...so possessiveof you, Martin! I didnt say it to him, but Ill say it to younow: Im thinking about it, all right? Because I know youd loveit, and I want you to be happy.Martintried fairly unsuccessfully to hide how excited he was at this news.Oh, thats...thats very interesting. Whatever you decide,Ill be happy to go along, I really will.Henryfelt Martins cock stiffen, pressing into his thigh, and laughed.I dont doubt youd be happy to go along, he said, nudgingMartins erection with his hip. Dirty boy.Inthe time before Martin had to go down for his dinner, Martinstraddled Henrys chest and touched his own cock while Henrywatched. When he came, he got spunk in Henrys eye and it stung,and Henry let himself be fussed over long after the pain haddwindled.Martinwent downstairs and Henry rolled over and dozed, dreaming that helicked Martins hole while Jesse watched and then wrote a letter toElizabeth to tell her all about it.Onthe last Monday of winter
sailors. Theo shook Dooleyshand and kissed Jeanettes cheek, followed by George, Boot, andElmer and the rest of the well-wishers. Food was brought up from thegalley along with the kegs of ale and the musicians began to play.Dooley danced with his wife and the rest of the men danced togetheror danced by themselves.Thinkingof their own upcoming lessons, Henry said, Do you think Theo hasever danced with George?Wouldthey have had the opportunity?Henrythought back. I recall Theo went to a masked ball years ago, buthe just danced with women, of course.Georgegot to attend, though?Yes,George was there with him.Imexcited to go to a ball with you, even if I wont be dancing.Youknow Id rather dance with you than any girl.Martinsmiled in acknowledgement, then said, You dance so beautifully,Henry. I hope Im a good partner for you during the lessons.Iknow you will be. He stretched out his hand and squeezed Martinsknee. Youve never disappointed me.Itskind of you to say so. Martin looked well-pleased with himself.Theodidnt dance with George, unfortunately, but he did dance withJeanette and again entreated her to remember anything, anything atall that might be of use in the apprehension of her terrible father.Thecrew spent the rest of the day in feasting and merriment. The windswere favorable, their sails full. As the sun began to go down, themen began ribbing Dooley about his wedding night, causing both thegroom and his bride to become flustered and bashful, and so Theointervened, encouraging the newlyweds to go to her cabin to escapethe intrusive questions and bold remarks.Heshad sex before, dont you think? Henry said. Probably withsome sailor.Oh,certainly. Ill bet lots of times. But this might be the first timethat hell be doing the penetrating.Asthe sun went down and the sky grew darker, Theo and George went downto their cabin and once again pored over the Orders map in searchof any clue. George was undressing Theo for bed when there came anurgent knock at the cabin door.Itwas Dooley, looking ashen. Captain Drake, theres something youneed to see.Itsyour wedding night, Theo reminded him. Cant it wait untilmorning, lad?ItsJeanette, Captain. I-I think you need to see.Jeanettescabin was too small for four people, and they were quite on top ofeach other. Jeanette sat on the bed looking somewhat disheveled, eyesdowncast and hands twisted in her lap.Dooleyexplained that hed been helping his new wife to undress when hedseen the tattoo on her back, but when hed asked her about it, shehadnt known what he was talking about.Jeanettesaid, I believe my father must have marked me while I was drugged.While in his care, I would often awake with new aches and pains andgrew quite accustomed to such discomforts. He would never tell mewhat had been done to me while I was unconscious, so I gave upasking. But perhaps its best if I just show you, Captain.Jeanettestood and turned to face away from them and her dress was open,exposing her naked back from her neck to the top of her hips. Herback was described as graceful and slender, but what was most notableabout it was the tattoo across her lower spine: a set of latitude andlongitude
Sir? asked George.Alifetime ago. I was crew on a merchant ship that was damaged in astorm and the Sanctuary was the nearest port where we might seekrepair. It was an old pirate who supplied the coordinates. Most of uswere callow lads and didnt understand what sort of place we weregoing to, but some of the men knew and were superstitious, fearingthat we were aligning ourselves with devils simply by entering theharbor.Whatsort of place is it, then? Theo asked. Is it a bad place?Ittolerates the bad, conceded Martin in Montgomerys croak. Itdoesnt punish the bad, not unless enough people think it needspunishing. But that was forty years ago and more. It may be adifferent place now, you understand, lads.Theylistened to more stories about Montgomerys time on VerborgenEiland. Montgomery described the ways in which men settled theirscores there, the drinking games and tests of skill that were oftenused in lieu of violence. Men who didnt follow local rules wouldmore than likely end up dead at the hands of ad hoc vigilantes.Sowe might corner DeSade, but not be allowed to end him once and forall? Theo asked. These local rules wouldnt permit it?Youdhave to tread carefully, Montgomery advised. Determine whatsort of local support the man has. If hes well-liked, your ownlives are likely at risk. If hes not, however, you may be able toachieve your ends. There are challenges you can make, challenges anyself-respecting man will have to meet.Ican guarantee they wont be involved in any gun duels, Henrysaid confidently. The islands honor code wont allow it orsomething.Imsure youre right, said Martin. Shooting a gun wontrequire enough of a mans natural skill.Bare-fistedfight to the death, Henry predicted. Except no one will die.Wehave to go, Sir, said George. We have to try. If theres evena chance to end him, Sir, then its a chance we should take.Georgeis up for anything, Henry said fondly. Theos lucky to havehim. When Martin didnt respond right away, Henry quickly added,As Im lucky to have you.Iam up for anything also, Martin pointed out.Thisseemed quite true. Henry thought of Martins obvious desire to suckhis cock in front of Jesse, Martins seeming willingness to havesex with groups of his fellow slaves for an audience. The needs forprivacy and monogamy had been fairly well bred out of him. Thesethoughts were equally exciting and upsetting and Henry tried to putthem out of mind as best he could. Keep reading, he urged.Theyleft Montgomerys house having promised to return after defeatingDeSade. Back on board the Dauntless,Theo gathered all the men on deck and told them what he and Georgehad learned. Some of the men had heard rumors of such a place, or hadknown men who claimed to have been, but none of the Dauntlesscrew had any first-hand experience of the Island.Webelieve that this Island is where DeSade is hiding, Theo told themen. In following him there, well be going against him on hisown turf, and we know how cunning he can be even when he doesnthave such an advantage. This is a dangerous mission, men, and ifyoure not up for it, this is your last chance to
opt out. We setsail for the Ile Inconnue in an hour, wind permitting.Nota man among the hundred was willing to miss out on the chance tofight Dr. DeSade. A rousing cheer went up for Captain Drake, for theDauntless,for their mission. Gratified, Theo made his way among the men,shaking hands and offering encouragements. He was on deck when theDauntlesssailed from the harbor, the salt spray in his face, but went down tohis cabin shortly thereafter, George close behind. They looked at themap together.Wereputting a lot of faith in this girls tattoo, Sir, said George.Doyou think Im wrong to do so? Theo sounded surprised.Notat all, Sir. Its a risk worth taking.Wellbe there in a week, less if we have the winds behind us. We need tobe ready for him, George. We need to be ready for anything. Martinmade Theo sound a little worried.Georgewasnt worried. You just described us, Sir: ready for anything.They exchanged a long look, gazing into each others eyes, resoluteand stalwart in the service of good.Allthis gazing into each others eyes cant just be about braveryand justice, Henry remarked.Martinsnickered. I do agree with you, Henry. Well, thats it for thismonth, he said, folding the magazine closed. To be continued.Comelook into my eyes, Henry suggested, reaching for him. Martinlaughed and leaned over him. Be brave, Henry said, pulling himdown for a kiss. Do good.Martintook his glasses off and stretched to put them on the nightstand andgave Henry another, deeper kiss. I love you, Henry.Thewords had such a profound effect on Henry every time Martin saidthem. He was overcome with the urge to grab hold of Martin, to drawhim close and closer still, to merge their bodies. He wanted to bethe sort of person who deserved Martins love and had the uneasyfeeling that he was not, that he had somehow fooled Martin intobelieving him worthy.Ilove you, too, he said. More than anything.Winterterm was over and Henry was anxious about his grades. He expectedhed get an A from Mr. McLachlan and Cs from the rest, but for thefirst time it was possible that hed get better than a failinggrade from Dr. Foster. He was afraid that if he failed again, Fatherwould reprimand Martin for not giving him better help, and, really,Martin had helped him immensely and shouldnt be blamed for Henrysinability to do well on tests. Of course, he hadgotten a D on the final test of the term, barely a D, admittedly, butstill better than an F, and that was encouraging.Doany of the slaves get grades other than As? Henry asked from thebed, watching Martin move about the room putting away Henryslaundry. Youre all so smart.Martinsmouth twisted wryly. Well, were all good at school, but youknow that isnt the only way to be smart, Henry. And, yes, some ofus do better than others.Whosthe stupidest slave?Oh,well, I-I couldnt really say. Martin appeared flustered.Comeon, Martin. Tell me. Whos the dummy?Well...Milesand Alex each got several Cs last term. Mr. Brands family doesntseem to care how Miles does, but Mr. Maxwells father was veryupset about Alexs grades. Were supposed to get good grades, ofcourse, and most of us
do so because its a point of pride. Mr.Maxwells father threatened to file suit against Alexs House forbreach of contract.Thatwas serious! Joshua had not said anything about Miles grades, butHenry was surprised he hadnt heard anything about Davidstroubles with Alex.Alexhas been told he has to get better grades this term, Sir, but hedoesnt seem to take it seriously. Hes so strange.Youllbe getting all As again, I suppose.Martinducked his head, proud but embarrassed. I hope so. Ive done mybest.Henryhad done his best, too. When he got his report card on Monday, he wasdelighted to find he had received a D in Latin. He could not stopsmiling, and Dr. Foster remarked that in all his years teaching hednever known anyone to be so happy with such a poor showing, but heseemed almost kind in saying so. While it was not the C Fatherwanted, it was an improvement, and Father acknowledged as much,giving all the credit to Martin. He even called Martin into hisoffice for a private conversation wherein he received praise andencouragement. Martin was greatly affected by this, behaving as ifGod Himself had singled him out for special notice. Martin had, ofcourse, received all As but downplayed this achievement as beingsomehow less remarkable than Henrys D.Iknow the grade is all because of your help, Henry told him, butI do think I understand Latin a little better on my own now. I didbetter on the last test, even.Improud of you, Henry, Martin said. I think you understand it alittle now, too.Additionally,Henry had received a B-minus in English, which he felt was partly dueto Martins influence, Martins superior vocabulary. Martin wasimproving his life in every way, just as he was meant to do.Onthe first Tuesday in March, the boys loitered in the arcade down thestreet from Gill's Dancing Academy awaiting the hour of their lesson.Spending all his pennies, Henry tested his strength, had his fortunetold, and looked at peep shows with Martin lounging at his elbow. Thegirls were having their lesson first, and the boys planned to justhappen to be outside of the dance schools door when the girls werelet out. Louis kept an eye on the clock; it was very important to himto not miss the opportunity to speak with Albert's twin sisterAbigail.Thegirls and their slaves spilled out from the door onto the sidewalk.They stood in giggling, chattering clumps, waiting on their driversand pretending that they did not notice the boys, who were all doingtheir best to seem like hardened, indifferent men. A very pretty girlwith Albert's blond-and-blue coloring came up behind Albert andtugged at his elbow. Are these your friends, Albert?Oh,Abigail, Albert said. I forgot you'd be here.Ofcourse, I'm here, silly. I'm being debuted, not you, she said withan edge of sass. She tossed her flaxen ringlets and looked up atHenry with a coy smile. Who is this,Albert? Aren't you going to introduce me?Oh,sure. Haven't you met before? Abigail, this is Henry, HenryBlackwell. Henry, this is my sister, Abigail DeWitt.Abigaildipped a little curtsey and held out her hand, so Henry gave her alittle bow and bent over her glove.It'ssovery nice to meet you, Mr.
provingmost mortifying to their targets. Louis was told he was clumsy andhad elbows that flapped like chicken wings. Other boys wereclod-footed, graceless, and shamed for being out of breath. Henrybegan to worry as he waited his turn, thinking that perhaps he andMartin should have at least danced a few steps together at home, buthis fears were for naught. In fact, he and Martin were so well-suitedas partners that he began to worry the other boys would guess whatthey really were to one another. Martin floated across the floor inhis arms, so responsive and pliant that it felt as though their feetscarcely touched the ground. It was terribly exciting to be able tohold one another in public, and to do something so romantic, and haveit all be sanctioned by society.Asthey traversed the floor, Mr. Gill signaled to his wife to stopplaying and turned to Henry, pointing a long finger. You, the tallone. Mister...?Blackwell,sir.Youand your slave, Mr. Gill said. Very nice. To the room as awhole, he said, That is how you allshould be doing it. This earned Henry many disgruntled sidelongglances, but for once he didn't care what other people thought ofhim. He blushed at the praise, but he was proud of himself, him andMartin both.Theyproved equally adept at polka and mazurka. Henry ignored the dirtylooks that the otherseven Louisgave them when they were praisedyet again. It didn't matter; he was having fun. The exercise broughtcolor to Martin's cheeks, the same kind of hectic glamour that cameover his face when Henry fucked him hard, and Henry had to put hishand deep in his pocket and give his cock a cruel pinch to keep fromgrowing erect when he came to the comparison.Afterthe lesson, as they all changed out of their dancing pumps and intotheir street shoes, the cloakroom was full of disheartened, defensiveand angry boys, and the air was thick with cursing and complaints.Youhad fun, though, didn't you? Louis asked Henry, seeming tobegrudge him the experience.Martinwas crouched at Henry's feet, tying his boots, and when he was done,Henry offered a hand to pull him up. He sighed. He didn't want toseem like he was gloating about the lesson, but he really had enjoyedhimself.Ilike dancing, he said with a shrug. I always did, you know.You'vegot a good partner, Louis pointed out. Peter and I are terribletogether. He claims he was a good dancer back at Endymion, but Idon't see how that could be possible.FromHenry's perspective, it seemed verypossible. Louis had been a poor dancer as a child, and he was a poordancer as a young man. Peter was surely adequate, at worst. But allHenry said was, It's bad luck, and shrugged again.Philipcame up behind Louis and elbowed him. Hey. Did you two noticeAdam?No.What about him? Louis offered Peter his hand and Peter got to hisfeet.Hedoesnt have a companion, right?Right...oh,but then whoFootman,Philip said with a snicker. Hes dancing with one of hisfamilys footmen!Theyall laughed unkindly at Adams predicament. Henry supposed dancingwith any kind of slave was better than not participating in the ballat all, but not by much.Atdinner Wednesday, Mother was in good spirits. I had