in fact a boy and not a girl. As can be imagined, the next few years of my life were not particularly happy, although, with the resilience of childhood and a habit of living in the present mom- ent, I soon grew accustomed and reconciled to my new life. I never quite forgot my frocks and petticoats, however, and often looked jealously at girls my own age in their dainty things. In the children's section of my father's shop I would sometimes gaze with envy on the young girl's dresses and underthings, and wish I could do more than just look and touch.

One day, when I was twelve, my sister asked me quite suddenly whether I recalled having been dressed as a girl. "Rather, I said, and just stopped myself from saying I wished I could again. To my surprise, she said, "Would you like to be in girl's clothes. again? It would be rather fun to dress you up and see what sort of girl you would make now." She seemed to mean it, and, after hes- itating, I replied, "Yes, it would be fun. I'd like to, but we can't do it. Father would be annoyed." "But," said Nell, "he'd never know. We'd do it in my room when and mother were out. Come on, let's try it now. They won't be home until a late supper." This was exciting. Nell and I fairly ran up to her room. Once inside she said, "You've got to do it properly, or I shan't play. All your dull boy's things must come off, and you must have only girl's things underneath. You can have a set of my undies and I'll lace you into a young lady's corsets. If you like it and it's successful, I'll get hold of some corsets and underclothes from the shop downstairs and we can keep them up here, so that you can dress up in them whenever we get a chance."

I was delighted and so excited that I could hardly keep still enough to undress. Nell got out a lace-trimmed soft silken vest and told me to put it on while she got together some other things. She clasped a little corset round my waist and pulled in the laces tight. It was a little irksome at first, but I soon got to like it and quite girlishly ran my hands over my new figure. Soon I was completely dressed in a pale-blue silk frock of Nell's with frilly petticoats and lacy knickers underneath. I felt quite grown-up and got a lovely thrill as she smoothed a pair of long silk stockings up my legs and attached them to the little suspenders inside my knickers. I loved the look and the feel of these, my first, long

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