Author: Jack Saul (possibly ghost-written)

About: Written 12 years before Teleny by Saul, this account of Victorian cross-dressing and rent-boys is a legend all its own. Based on the true story of a male brothel in Cleveland Street (later shut down.)

Subtitled: "or, The Recollections of a Mary-Anne." The "Cities of the Plain" are of course Sodom and Gomorrah.

Excerpt:

“Jack,” he said to me the other day, “what a fool you are not to go in for the same lay as I do. You would get hundreds where you now only get tens.

“I had a rare lark with a Jewish man the other day. I knew he belonged to some city financial firm. He was too smart to get drunk; but took me down to the Star and Garter at Richmond on a Saturday afternoon (no doubt he had been to his synagogue in the morning). Well, we had a first-rate dinner, and by way of dessert I handled and sucked his rather worn-out prick 'till he spent, and he did the same to me; but I don't like Jews or any dark complexioned types, I so prefer the fair-haired sort, so I made up my mind to make him pay well for it.

“At length when he ordered a last bottle of fizz, and took out his purse to pay the bill, I could see he had very little more than a tenner left, which no doubt was intended for me; and so it was. Directly the waiter was gone out of the room, he tossed it across the table to me, saying; There's a little bit of paper for you, George. It's good pay for an hour or two, my boy. I wish I would make money as easily!'

“Of course I pocketed the flimsy; but never made any remark, except: Is that all for what I have let you do?'

“Why, you don't even thank me for being liberal!' he remarked rather angrily.

“'Nothing to thank you for; I could wipe my arse on that! I mean to have a cool hundred; as I know it's nothing to you, who can swindle more than that any day in the city. Shall I call at your Cornhill office for it on Monday, or will you give me an I.O.U.?'

“'You bugger! You shan't have a damn'd penny more?' he growled out, putting on his hat. Tm going!'

“'Not 'till you square me, Mr. Simeon Moses!' I said, speaking as loudly as possible. 'You know you have been acting indecently towards me, and showing me a volume of the “Romance of Lust!” Would you like a bobby to find that book on you?”

“You should have seen him start as I mentioned his real name.

“'Hush! Hush! for God's sake speak a little lower! What do you want? I'll sent you the money.'

“'No you won't! I'll call for it anywhere you like to leave a hundred quid for me; but you must give me the rings off your fingers as security, to be returned when I get the money, on my word of honour.'