were used to fasten the pockets shut so that I could not put my hands in them. Later the pockets were sewn up, and when new pants were gotten, they were bought both pocketless and without a fly. It was this fear of my aunt's about having our hands in our pockets and so being naughty by touching ourselves on 'playing with ourselves' as it was euphoniously called, which finally led to aunt getting kilts for Carol and and adopting the tunic or smock much of the time, so that with the skirtlike garments we would have no pockets to get our hands near our person.

my

me,

Aunt Louise had measured both Babs and me when we first came, so it came as a complete surprise one day when she ordered Carol and me upstairs into the nursery, where we were told to take off our outer clothes of short pants and blazer, and of course the inevitable pinafores we were wearing. By now it was getting cool weather, and both of us had been put into the old-fashioned liberty bodices to which were attached suspenders to keep up our long thigh-high stockings, the same as the girls wore. So we stood in our bodices, vests, knitted girllike panties and long stockings with strap shoes.

I could not help wondering what new indignity Aunt Louise had in store for me now, for anything 34

in the way of clothes was always an indignity for me, seeing she was so old-fashioned that her idea of a well-dressed boy was that of about fifty

years ago, when boys were kept in dresses until they were seven or so, and even longer. And since Aunt Louise downgraded us boys and treated us about six or seven years younger than our fifteen years, the clothes she chose were fitting for such a boy back in the period in which she really lived!

So while it was a shock, it was no surprise when Aunty produced linen baby blue smocks or tunics, saying that from now on we would be wearing these both in the schoolroom and for play. "Boys' shorts are through for you. You could not behave when in them, putting your hands in the pockets. Even when the pockets were sewn up they were not a wise garment for little boys, for when you had to do wee-wees, you were too lazy to unbutton them from your shirt-waists, as should have been necessitated by having no fly, but instead you brought your disgusting little person out the leg of your pants and underknickers. In these lovely smocks, you will use the toilet from now on like little ladies, that is, sitting on the toilet seat. Any sign of you bunching up the front of your smocks to try to use the toilet

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