thegoodfellas/blogset-br huggingface dataset:
at the slaves, at Martin. You canalways change your mind, you know, and join in. Dont worry aboutwhat Charles said at his party. Youll always be welcome.Theymade their way to Bethesda Terrace and went to loiter at the dryfountain, looking out over the lake. Peter hopped up to walk on therim of the fountain and Martin climbed up after him.Speakof the devil! Louis waved at Freddie, standing on the oppositeside of the fountain with Wendell and their slaves.Martinand Tom seemed as happy to see one another as they ever did, andPeter and Ralph were likewise pleased to be in each otherscompany. Henry wished he could listen in on Martin and Tomsconversation. He wanted to hear tales of Tom stealing in the servicedoors of houses all up and down 5th, slipping into bed with footmenand chambermaids and companions of both sexes. If anyone ever lookedthe part of libertine, it was beautiful Tom.Theslaves were now all walking around the rim of the fountain, trying topush each other off and laughing.Hewants sex all the time, see, Freddie was telling Louis. It gotannoying, him always offering. He cant get enoughbut I can.Freddie shrugged. I mean, hes got such a pretty face, but hesdefinitely not a girl, and Id much rather have a girl! I likehaving him around, of course, but once Im ready for bed, he can dowhatever he wants so long as hes home by morning to look afterme.Theidea of Tom wanting sexfrom Freddie!all the time was a littleshocking, but neither Wendell nor Louis seemed surprised. It seemedamazing that anyone, even someone with a strong preference for girls,could have a fellow like Tom begging for his cock and not want tohelp him out.Ralphhas a girl at our neighbors, Wendell was saying. I wasntplanning on letting him court her, but Im starting to feel alittle cruel now, keeping them apart. Hes a good slave and Ishould reward him, I think.Thatshow I feel about Peter, Louis said. Hes an awfully goodsport. He helps me out so much and I want to do something nice forhim in return.Iwas thinking about giving him one night off a week, Wendell said.Unlike you, Freddie, Im not totally bored with sex yet, so Illneed him around the rest of the time.Wendell,Freddie and Louis all laughed, so Henry hurried to join in. OverWendells shoulder, Henry saw the slaves all climbing down, Martintaking Toms hand for just a second to help him off the fountainsedge. They headed toward Henry and his friends in a group, Martincatching Henrys eye and smiling happily. He came directly to Henryand put a hand on his arm.Excuseme, Sir.Whatis it?Iwas showing my friends my new waistcoat, Sir, and I told them aboutyours, and theyd like to see it, if it isnt too much bother.No,they can see it, Henry said happily, pleased to have theopportunity to show it off. Hed hoped to show it to Wendell andFreddie, but he hadnt wanted to interrupt the sex conversation.Martinhas a patternedwaistcoat, Sir, Tom was saying to Freddie. It looks ever sosmart, Sir.Ireally like it, Sir, Ralph told Wendell. You should take alook, Sir, and
did finally visit your stables lastnight, Tom said.Oh!Tell me! Was it just Jerry, or was it both of them? Martin soundeddelighted and giddy.Henrywas surprised. Jerry? HisJerry? Devoted-to-Marigold Jerry?Atfirst, Arthur wouldnt deignto let me suck his cock, Tom said. And I think he was mad atJerry for bringing me in, but he eventually came around. He was veryenthusiastic in the end, very appreciative.Jerryand Arthur were...a couple, maybe? Henry was surprised to hear this.It had never occurred to him that either groom might have any loveother than horses. He supposed they were both handsome young men,wiry and strong, and if they both had the inclination then it wouldbe very natural for them to come together.Allin all, we had a lovely time, Tom continued. Jerry especiallyhas a very nice cock, not that youll ever have a chance to seeit.Idont mind, Martin said, and he sounded cheerful and sincere.Im content not seeing other cocks. But I do love hearing yourstories, Casanova.Ralphsvoice broke in. Tom, are you bragging about your conquests?Itsjust more of the same, Tom told him. Tell us about this girl ofyours.Henryturned his attention to his friends, who were now discussing spoiledCharles Ross, whose parents had bought him his own red-painted spiderphaeton and a pair of coal-black carriage horses.Robertshis best friend, but he went out with him just the one time and nowhes scared to ride with him again. He says Charles is a terribledriver, Freddie told them.Iwant a phaeton of my own, Louis asserted. Id be an excellentdriver.Henrylaughed; he couldnt help it. Youd drive too fast and scareeveryone else off the road, he predicted.Louisscowled, deciding whether or not to have hurt feelings.Henryhad not intended to insult Louis, who had perhaps been rubbed alittle raw by James protracted presence in the Briggs home. Me,Id be scared of turning a phaeton over, Henry said with ashrug. If I never drive myself in my whole life, that would befine by me. Im not bold like you, Louis.Louisdecided not to be hurt after all, though he did make a dig at Henry.That waistcoat tells a different story, he said, and everyonelaughed, master and slave alike.Theyall made their way south again, towards home, Freddie and Wendell andtheir slaves breaking off and exiting the park a few blocks beforeHenry and Louis did so.Atthe Briggs gate, Louis paused and said, Thanks for stopping by,Henry. I know you dont really want to come over with James athomeno one doesso I appreciate you inviting me out.Henryblushed, unwilling to admit that Louis was right about his reluctanceto visit, but unable to deny it, either. Im glad you werehome, he said. What are you doing tomorrow? Besides church, ofcourse.Mymother has plans for all of us, I think, but if I can get away, Illtelephone.Theywaved goodbye to Louis and Peter and walked the two blocks to theBlackwell house.Itwas nice to see our friends, wasnt it, Sir? Martin helped Henryoff with his coat and handed it to Paul to be hung up.Itwas, Henry agreed. I have some questions for you, though.Aboutwhat, Sir?Henrycut his eyes at Paul, who was coming to take Martins coat.Upstairs, he said.Henrylocked the door
behind them and crossed to the bed. I heard youtalking to Tom, he began. I-I was eavesdropping.Whatdid you hear? Martin asked warily, looking uneasy. Itsharmless, really, just me listening to Toms stories.No,no. Im not mad or anything. Im just curious, Henry tried toassure him. Come sit. He patted the bed at his hip. So, Tomwas talking about having sex with myJerry and Arthur...are Jerry and Arthur a couple?Martinrolled his eyes and came to sit. A couple of idiots, he said.You heard all of that?Yes.How do they even know Tom?Well,they have time off, and so does Tom, and there are places slavescongregate. Tom took a liking to Jerry awhile back, and obviously itwas mutual.Doall the slaves know about Jerry and Arthur?Iimagine so. Martin seemed surprised Henry would ask. Theycertainly dont keep it a secret. Theres no need among slaves,you understand.Youresaying it doesnt matter if its two men?No,not at all.Soif I were a slave, we could be together and no one would blink aneye?Martinburst out laughing. I cant imagine you as a slave, Henry! But,yes, if we were both slaves, it would be just as normal as a man anda woman. I think maybe its different because we slaves canthave children; were only having sex because its fun, withoutany pretense that its for some higher purpose.Arethere other couples amongst my familys slaves?Oh,yes, Martin said readily. Mr. Tim and Dora are as close tomarried as any slaves can be.Timothy?And the housekeeper?Martingave Henry a stern look. Whats so strange about that? heasked, eyes narrowed.Truthfully,Henry had never had much to do with Dora. She was just a middle-agedwoman with a grey dress and a bun. Its just that I know Timothyso well and dont know Dora at all, he explained sheepishly.Youdont know Mr. Tim thatwell, Martin pointed out, his tone a bit sharp, since youdidnt even know hes married!Henrywinced; that hurt a little. Fair enough, he said. Are thereothers?Well,Jack and Vida have a somewhat tempestuous relationship.Henrythought hard: who was Vida?Shesa scullery maid, Martin reminded him.Henryblushed. Yes, of course.Themaids Katie and Ruth are very close, as well, but they both havegentlemen in other houses in addition to one another. They keepbusy. Martin thought on it a minute and then summed it up:Really, most slaves have a great deal of sex.Socompanions arent even having the most sex, necessarily. Henrywas quite surprised to learn this.Oh,no. You and I do have a lot of sex by anyones standards, I think,but most of my friends see far less use, and dont necessarily havepermission to follow their hearts otherwise. Its the rank-and-fileslaves who typically have the most sex. No one cares what a parlormaid does on her day off as long as she does her work.Areyou unhappy that I dont give you...days off? Henry wasntquite prepared to ask about denying Martin lovers.Ilike being with you, Henry. Martin smiled at him so very warmly.But if you need time alone, you should send me away. You needntworry about what I want.No,no, Henry rushed to assure him. I want you with me. Hesupposed there might come a day when he wanted time away from Martin,but that
were just as discreet as free people, after all, perhaps evenmore so, and they followed the conventions of free society in theirpublic displays. Besides, it seemed unlikely that Martin wouldcooperate and keep his opinions to himself while Henry subjectedhimself to such a tattoo; it was a far-fetched and impractical plan.Heconsidered what of himself he might be ready to share with his uncle.If he told Reggie his secrets, then surely Reggie would help him.Reggie would know things Henry needed to know, such as the placeswhere men who shared his inclination might congregate. Henry knewMartin would be wary of visiting any such place, but he decided hedovercome that hurdle when they came to it. First he had to know wherethey should go. He felt confident there had to be places where hemight behave as he liked with Martin, if only because he wanted sobadly for such places to exist.Whatare you thinking about, Sir?Henryturned to look at Martin, who offered a dazzling smile that Henrycouldnt help but shyly return.Justthinking about the spring, Henry told him. Im lookingforward to riding more often when its not so cold.Oh!Are you too cold now, Sir? We should go back if youre cold.Henryshook his head. No, Im not too cold. Besides, were almost tothe reservoir anyway. Dont you want to run?Martinbeamed at him, teeth gleaming and his hair full of ruby sparks. Youknow I do, Sir!Theygalloped around the top of the reservoir, as they usually did,Partita just a little faster than Marigold, her hooves kicking upcrescent sprays of snow. Laughing, Martin turned to look back atHenry, his pleasure in the informal race apparent. Henry was gladPartita was the faster horse, glad that Martin could so easily bemade happy.Athome, they stripped before the fire, and Martin was sweaty under hiswinter layers, slick and salty, and Henry licked him from nape totailbone and bent him over the armchair. He imagined bending Martinover like this in the park, pressing him up against the bark of atree or rolling him over in the grass. The idea of semi-public sexwas wildly exciting, and it seemed a real possibility, and he wasnearly breathless with arousal as he slid his cock into Martinsclenching hole, wet with nothing but his spit.Later,following long, hot showers, they ate their soup and sandwiches, andHenry formulated plans for their future, both grandiose and vague.Hed find out where they might go, what they might get away with,and somehow hed get Martin to go along with his decisions, andthey would be happy together, unimaginably happy, accepted andadmired.Thursday,mid-month, late in the afternoon, they were surprised by a knock onHenrys door. Martin pulled on Henrys dressing gown and Henryburrowed beneath the blankets. Martin went to the door and thenstepped out into the hall. Henry waited for him to return withincreasing impatience.Martincame back inside and closed the door softly. Henry? Miss Pearlwants me to let you know that your uncle has asked you to lunch onSaturday. What shall I tell her?Yes!Henry was emphatic. He had so much to say to Reggie, so much to ask.Where and when?Martinwent into the hall again with a pencil and a notebook
a part of thecity Henry wasnt terribly familiar with except by reputation.Artists live here, he told Martin. Artists and foreigners.TheThird Eye Cafe was possibly associated with both. The sign featureda large blue eye, curly gilded script, and some vaguely Egyptianiconography. They could see Reggie from the sidewalk, sitting at atable in the window with Benjamin standing at his back. He wastalking to a waiter, waving his hands in dramatic arcs. Reggie hadalways been so theatrical; that was part of what Henry had lovedabout him as a child.Theinterior of the restaurant was a bit cramped, but it appealed to theeye with voluminous draperies and rich colors. Images of eyes wereeverywhere, which did give Henry the slightly unsettling feeling ofbeing closely observed. As they entered the restaurant, Reggie caughtsight of them and waved them over. He stood and hugged Henry, kissinghim on one cheek and then the other. Darling Henry! Thank you forcoming! He wore a green velvet jacket with an enormous,peppery-scented carnation pinned to the lapel and, as before, hesmelled voluptuously of flowers and amber.Allyou have to do is ask and Ill come, Uncle, Henry assured him,sitting down in the chair Martin held out for him. I was happy toreceive the invitation.Ireally invited you and your mother both, but of course she wouldntcome. What shall we do about her?Henryhad no idea, but didnt think Reggie actually expected him to haveany answers.Thatsa lovely tie, by the way, Reggie said. Such an unusual color.It looks so nice on you, darling.Reggiewas already drinking tea, but ordered coffee for Henry while Henrylooked over the menu. This restaurant belongs to an old friend,Reggie told him. An actor who came into a little money andinvested it here. Its not as fashionable as it once was, ofcourse, but I didnt think youd mind.Itsan interesting place, Henry assured him. Jesse would like it, Ithink.Yourcousin has such an artistic sensibility, Reggie said in agreement.Hes a wonderful young man.Fathernever wanted me to be close to Bette or Jesse before, but somehownow, after Christmas, I feel like he might let me see them moreoften. Henry washopeful about this.Theyredelightful people, darling. Youre going to enjoy each other somuch. Its too bad you missed out on growing up together, butperhaps you and Jesse can help each other become better men.Reggie reached across the table and put his hand on Henrys wrist,gave it a pat and a squeeze. Thats partly why I invited you,darling; to talk to you about your father and his decisions. I dontwant you to have the wrong idea about what happened.Atthat moment, the waiter arrived to take their order. Henry orderedroast chicken which came with a side of something called couscousthat Reggie assured him he would like.So,Reggie began. So, darling, I know youre upset with your fatherfor sending me away. Knowing your father as I do, I expect he hasnttold you anything about the situation one way or the other. Hepaused and cocked his head, waiting for a response.Henrycleared his throat. Thats correct. The idea that Reggieactually knew his father was a surprising one, thoughplausible. Reggie had been 16 when Father married Mother,
27 when hefled to Italy; those eleven years were surely time enough to gainsome insights into Fathers inner workings.Iunderstand that Jesse gave you a somewhat simplistic explanation,Reggie continued. I dont want you to feel guilty, darling. Itwasnt justthat he didnt want you to turn out a fairy like meHere,Henry blushed furiously and stared at the tablecloth.buthe was tired of all the nonsense I put him through. He was supportingour entire family, darling, all the useless Wiltons, but I wasterribly ungrateful. I borrowed money to start businesses that Ididnt have the sense to run and never even triedto pay him back. I was friends with some terribly silly people andmade a spectacle of myself all over town, embarrassing him immensely.It wasnt specifically because of my particular nature that he wasangry, Henry. Im sure he would have been just as upset with me ifId been some young rake chasing after women. Here, Reggiestopped and turned to Benjamin. Benjy, darling, some more tea,please?Benjaminpoured the tea from the pot on the table and Reggie smiled up at himand said, Thank you, Benjy, in a low, intimate tone, thenturned his attention back to Henry.Hiramand I also disagreed about how we ought to proceed in regard to yourmothers delicate health, and we fought. I thought he was too coldtoward her, and I still believe that, but I didnt broach thesubject with him in a thoughtful way. Your father is right about somuch, so often, that its difficult for him to see when hesactually wrong. Reggie sipped his tea and smiled at Henry. Yourevery quiet, darling. Am I telling you things you dont want tohear? I thought youd want to know, but if Im wrong, Im veryhappy to talk about anything else.Henryshook his head and blushed again. No, I want to know.Well,all right, then. So, I wanted him to try different therapies for yourmother, different cures, and he wanted her to snap out of it, justlike he would have done in her position. But, of course, your motherisnt like him at all.No,Henry agreed. I honestly dont understand why they even marriedin the first place. Did they ever get along?Ithink you understand, darling, that they were never in love, but themarriage was advantageous all around. However, they were certainlyhappy when they were first married and the house was being built.They seemed very content while Louisa was pregnant with Hiram Junior.But when the baby died, your mother needed comforting and your fathercouldnt help her. He was too sad, and it came out as fury. I dontthink they ever understood one another after that.Butthey kept trying to have children... Henry thought of how dismalit would be, to engage in mechanical sex with someone you didntmuch like, only to have it all end in failed pregnancy after failedpregnancy.Andthey did have you, darling, and you were perfect. Reggie pattedhis arm again. And your baby sister seems to be such a lively,charming child. Im looking forward to knowing her better when mybusiness overseas is concluded at last.Whatis it you have to do, anyway?FrederickMr.Ellsworthleft me a house and some land and Ill need to sell it.I
thought about trying to rent it out, but I think it will be betterto just let it go. He also left an antiquarian book business that Ineed to find a buyer for. Im going to be particular about who Ilet the business go to; Frederick had an excellent reputation inthose circles and I dont want someone slippery besmirching hisgood name.Theirfood arrived and Henry immediately tried the couscous and found itquite delicious, with hints of saffron and spices. He wanted to letMartin taste it, as he was quite confident Jesse would have done withRuss, and tentatively suggested to Reggie that he might do it.Darling,please, do as you like. I love to share new things with Benjy. Heraised his hand to summon the waiter. Might we trouble you for afork?Withthis fork in hand, Martin stood at Henrys left and bent over hisplate, his tail of hair hanging over his shoulder. May I, Sir?Please,Henry said. Go ahead.Martinforked up a mouthful of the fluffy, fragrant grains. As Martin ate,Henrys gaze alternated between Martins face and the room aroundthem, apprehensive that someone might take offense at Henry feeding aslave from his own plate. No one seemed to notice, and Henry wasoddly disappointed; he wanted to be admired for his daring.Doyou like it?Martinswallowed and beamed at him. Its delicious, Sir. Thank you forsharing. He set his fork down on Henrys bread plate and steppedback.Itseasy to see how fond you two are of one another, Reggie said.Henryfelt his cheeks go hot. I made a good choice, he managed.So,back to your father, darling. Hiram was paying all mybills, all my familysbills, and he expected us to behave ourselves. He expected us to showsome gratitude. That doesnt sound unreasonable, does it? I was 27,and Id fallen into an association with a profligate young man whowas simply a terribleinfluence. I thought I was in love, but of course it was only achemical attraction. We would go out drinking every night, takingcocaine and dancing, and it was a gay old time. Your father had tobail us out of jail more than once. Reggie actually looked alittle happy at those memories. Of course, nowadays my partner incrime is a very upstanding gentleman with three children and a babyon the way. He rolled his eyes and gave Henry a wry smile. Am Ibeing too frank, darling?No,Henry said, shaking his head. I want to hear this.Well,your father has made enemies in business, I think you know this, andthose people delighted in my exploits and spread stories, insinuatingthat if your father couldnt even control one little fairybrother-in-law, what elsemight be beyond his control? Your father lost out on some big dealsbecause of my behavior. And then, on the home front, I think he was alittle jealous of my influence over Louisa and you. You were alwaysso excited to see me, darling! It made me so terribly happy!Ofcourse I was excited! You were the only person besides Nurse whoseemed to actually care about me.Yourfather cares, Henry. Im sure he doesnt show it, because thatsjust how Hiram is, but he does care very much.Henryshrugged, not believing this.Maybeyou cant see