O. did not dare to tell Jacqueline what Rene called the "true state of things." True, she remembered the words spoken to her by Anne-Marie, who warned her that when O. finally left her, she would become a different person. At first, O. did not attach much importance to these words, but now she was convinced of the opposite.

Soon Jacqueline, pleased and refreshed, came back to Paris. As usual, she did not pay attention to the fact that she was not personally concerned. In turn, O. did not try to hide her nakedness, even the thought of it seemed to her unnatural. She was not going to hide from her friend, even when taking a bath or dressing, and continued to behave as if she was alone in the apartment.

The next day after her return, Jacqueline accidentally walked into the bathroom at the very moment when O. rose from the water and was about to stand on the floor, but inadvertently touched the iron disk by the enameled edge of the bath. Hearing the sound of iron, Jacqueline drew attention to a strange device, located in O. between the legs, and noticed traces of blows on the chest and thighs.

- - What is it with you? - - Jacqueline was surprised.

- - These are the traces left by Sir Steven, - O. answered, and after a while she added, without embarrassing or hiding anything: - - Rene presented me to him. And he chained my body to this iron. Look: here is the name of Sir Stephen.

She put on a terry robe and moved closer to Jacqueline so that her friend could read the inscription on the disk. She took the disc in her hands and began to examine it. Then, throwing off her robe, O. turned and, pointing to the letters that were burned on her buttocks, said:

- - You see, he marked me with his seal. And this - traces of the whip. Sir Stephen loves to torture me with his own hands, only occasionally giving this occupation to his black maid.

Jacqueline stood, looking intently at O. and did not dare to say anything. Noticing this, O. laughed and tried to kiss her friend. Jacqueline recoiled in horror and rushed out of the bathroom.

O. began to slowly wipe herself, sprinkled her clean body with perfume, and combed her hair. Then she put on a corset, pulled on her stockings and, entering the room, looked in the mirror, with whom stood Jacqueline and with a missing look, ran a comb through her hair. Their eyes met.

- - Button me, please, a corset, - asked O. - - Do you seem to be puzzled by something? You know, Renee fell in love with you. He didn't tell you anything.

- - I can't understand ... - - Jacqueline whispered. Shocked by what she heard, she immediately spoke about what terrified her the most: - - I think you are proud of it. I can not understand...

- - Soon Rene will take you to Roissy, and then you will understand. Have you slept with him?

Jacqueline blushed deeply and shook her head indignantly. O. again laughed.

- - On your face it says that you are lying, my dear. Stupid, no one can deprive you of the right to sleep with the person you like. And this does not mean that you are obliged to quarrel with me. Come on, I will caress you, and at the same time I will tell you what Ruasi is.

Maybe Jacqueline was afraid of the scene of jealousy, or maybe she was curious to listen to the story of O. and get answers to their questions. Or did she just like the slowness and passion with which O. caressed her body? After some time, Jacqueline gave way.

“Tell me,” she said.

- - Okay. But before I start, kiss the nipple of my chest, - asked O. - - You have to learn something if you want to like Rene.

Jacqueline did not make herself beg. She did what was required with such diligence that O. groaned with pleasure.

- - Tell me, - repeated Jacqueline.

What she heard seemed to her utter nonsense, despite O.'s simplicity and sincerity, as well as evidence that Jacqueline could only see with her own eyes.

- - And you are going to return there in September? - she asked O.

- - We will return from the resort, - she replied, - and I will take you to the castle, well, maybe Rene will do it.

- - I would like to go there, but only as a guest, you know? I just want to see ...

“Perhaps this can be arranged,” said O., but she herself was sure of the opposite. For herself, she decided that all she had to do was persuade Jacqueline to appear in Roissy, and there would be enough servants, shackles and whips to teach Jacqueline what she needed to comprehend. O. understood that Sir Stephen would be grateful for this service. She knew that he had rented a villa near Cannes, where they all - - he, she, Rene, Jacqueline and her young sister - will spend the whole of August. Jacqueline was supposed to take her sister with her, not because she herself wanted it; their mother bored her with her requests to take the girl with her. O. also knew that the room intended for her, where Jacqueline would, apparently, often spend her afternoon rest with her, was separated from the room of Sir Stephen himself by a special wall, which only seemed solid and soundproof, and in reality was nothing but a lattice partition with holes that will enable Sir Stephen to see and hear well what is happening in room O. And Jacqueline Sir Stephen’s naked body will look at all the smallest details and enjoy the spectacle that he will no doubt appreciate: . Caressing Jacqueline! Her friend finds out about it later, and O. was doubly pleased with this thought: she felt offended, realizing that Jacqueline despised her, as if she were a slave bound in iron, who could be punished day after day with the whip, and was proud of her current position.

* * *

O. for the first time in her life went to the resort, and everything here seemed unreal and incomprehensible to her: the languid, sleepy sea; the blue dome of the clear sky, the trees frozen on the seashore under the scorching sun ... "These trees are inanimate," she thought sadly, looking at exotic plants that were fragrant with spicy aromas, and felt stones covered with lichen that were unnaturally warm.

O. did not understand why the waves cast ashore rotting yellow algae, resembling manure in their appearance; I did not understand why the water is so green and the waves roll on the shore with such depressing constancy.

However, the villa was far enough from the shore and was a building where the farm used to be located. Nearby was a small, but very beautiful garden, and high walls fenced off this place from curious glances and annoying neighbors. One of the wings (the servants lived there) had a courtyard, and the windows of one of the facades looked out. The windows of the other and the terrace were facing east, into the garden, and here, on the second floor, was room O. Below, laurel trees grew near the house, and their tops were almost level with the tiled parapet enclosing the terrace. The reed roof protected it from the rains and the unforgiving midday sun, and the floor was tiled with red tiles. The same tile covers and the floor in the room of O. And the walls there were painted with lime, of course, except for the one that served as a partition and represented part of the wall of the alcove, above which there was a curved arch. A low barrier stretched along the wall with racks of carved wood, the same as the stair railing. The floor in the room was covered with a lush white carpet, and the windows were hidden behind curtains with a yellow and white pattern. Of the furniture there were two chairs, upholstered by the same white and yellow material from which the curtains were made; a wardrobe and a wide antique walnut chest, as well as a long, very narrow table, polished to such an extent that the room was reflected in it like in a mirror. In the corner lay, ...