Page:Edward Prime-Stevenson - The Intersexes.djvu/174

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sexualism but added fuel to the fire. For, with advancing puberty, such illustrations became powerfully stimulative to sexual feelings. Especially as I began to add pictures of male statues to it, having procured some fine old Exhibition catalogues, by a boyish thievery that might have got me into trouble! I remember one afternoon, looking at this remarkable assemblage of "types", and being then stimulated for the first time to solitary masturbation, by a sort of irresistible impulse. Hitherto when alone I had not had done this. I may add that though I could have collected feminine types quite as easily and numerously, I never had any interest in them. I always let them pass, or tore them up disdainfully. There was in our neighborhood a certain remarkably good-looking young Hebrew merchant, who came into a business-post there. His good looks took deep hold on me. I used to haunt the large shop where he was employed. One day, I walked after him along the street. He happened to notice it, and presently spoke good-naturedly to me. The chat upset me with pleasure and sexual excitement for the next few days. It led to the young Hebrew's taking a decided interest in me, the more as I was a robust, handsome, eager lad, and as he must have seen how I-was sentimentally drawn to him. He asked me to call at his lodgings. I hid this invitation from the members of my family, and did not tell friends of it. I went to my new acquaintance's home (he lived in an attractive lodging near my father's house) and what did I do, the very first time of so going, but take with me my picture-gallery of male subjects of all sorts—from criminals to classic marbles! My new friend looked over them with me, saying that he too "was interested" in such pictures. He questioned me cleverly, to see how far he could rely on my discretion. After we had finished looking at the pictures, he gradually "led the situation up" to our beginning, then and there, sexual relations of the most passionate sort. I was fully potent at four-

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