Page:Edward Prime-Stevenson - The Intersexes.djvu/426

 walked to the other side of the room, caught up a large jug of cold water, poured it gently and slowly over the youth, talking away gaily all the time, and sat down to continue her study of his oustretched [sic] thigh when he was in—repose!

In the ornamental trades and callings, such as dressmakers, milliners, dealers in fine underwear and hosiery, costume-designers and so on, the Uraniad has a large field. Here she can come unsuspected into intimate bodily contact with beautiful women. Jeune filles appétissantes innocently can titillate daily her sexualism. Professional acquaintances second it. The professions of mantua-making, millinery, corset-ateliers and so on are recognized as screens for the Lesbian bawd in many great cities, especially Paris. The smart "hat-parlours," the rooms of corsetières, the establishments of discreet màsseurs, etc. are made useful for similisexualism between women; even to being recognized as rendezvous. Scandals of a sort imaginable have often darkened such establishments, not suspected save by the inner circles of initiées; thus emphasizing to us the fact that what the poet calls the "eternal womanly" often is anything but such in the beckonings—on of the mysterious intersexual passions.