Transvestia

employees could gather and have fun. There was al- ways a chaperone to introduce newcomers and to see that there was no rough stuff; there were tea and cookies and cigarettes and a phonograph for dancing I quickly became a popular dancer; I loved to dance and I still do. There is a wonderful thrill in hav- ing a man put his arm around your tiny waist and hold you tightly while he leads you about the floor - and also a certain humor in that he does not know what he is holding.....

In short, after three months I decided that I would rather stay at Harrod's than go back to school at London University. I still intended to be a doc- tor and to continue my medical course, but I was young and there was no hurry. I did carry out a course of reading of the medical text books, and occasionally I could attend a lecture after working hours and I kept myself registered as a student and paid my tuition but really I was having too much fun as a girl clerk to give it up for a future career. That could wait.

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It was an exciting life. The Employees Club was open every evening and there were always people there to play with cards or dancing or just talk. For clothes, we had the whole store to choose from and we always knew when the next bargain dresses were to be sold. One particular dress well, one of the boys was to give a birthday party and we girls de- cided to dress up especially for it; I saw this dress which I simply had to have; it was called a "Four-inch Dress" because the waist line was four inches smaller than usual. First you put on the special corset and then have the dress, a dark green satin sheath, fitted to your new figure. It was irresistable to me, and I bought it. The fitters were experts indeed and easily, well, fairly easily, laced me into the required eighteen inches. It was a heavenly feeling, to realize what curves I had. wore it three days to become accustomed to it, went for my fitting of the dress itself.

then