Granger 22
- This article is a Biography
- Chapter 22 - A little savage
We now began the most eventful years of our history, when as I have outlined, we made great changes in Ethel, both mentally and physically, in fact our whole way of life. I had taken up a great interest in astronomy, after reading one or two books I had purchased, also when I bought a small two inch telescope for rifle shooting. I had turned this on the night sky, which gave as an incentive to get something bigger when possible. Even with this small telescope I had spent many hours in the cold looking at the moon and such planets as I could find. Not only that, but I tear that the rest of the family came out to look too.
One day I took my daughter up to see the telescopes at the Cambridge University observatory, where we spent quite a wonderful night, looking at Saturn and Jupiter through these instruments. We went inside the famous dome of the Newell Telescope, one of the largest refractors in England, then in use by Dr Thackery but now gone, and the dome then was in process of disintegration, and the telescope was moved to a better climate. It was there that Dr. Thackery told me I should join the British Astronomical Association. Very soon afterwards I joined this national Society for Amateur Astronomers, and I have never regretted it, as I found then a most sociable and interesting group of people. I never join anything unless I can participate, so when ever I could do so, I went to several meetings on my own, but often with my daughter, who was up in London at Ballet School. But after our quarrel, I told her that she should also take an interest in the things I liked, and thus create a closer linkage in our interests and affections. So that she too was often coming to the meetings with me and taking an interest in the subject. I had in fact purchased a much larger telescope, which I had erected in the garden. It was a 16mm equatorially mounted refractor, with camera, which went inside an octagonal wooden building, with a hemispherical copper dome, and often she came down there at night with me to help me with the work I did.
As we were now often alone in the house, with my daughter away in London, and we could do as we liked without interference, I made up my mind that now was our chance to start work on Ethel's ears, nose, nostrils and breast nipples. I had reminded her of her latest promises and she readily agreed that she would submit to having them done, so long as it pleased me to have her so decorated. I had recently made a new type of ear piercer that I wanted to try out on her, although I had already experimented on my self and found that it worked. It was made on the pattern of the kind of tool which is often used to put rings into pigs or other animals, a type of pliers, with a round jaw, cut in half, on each side of the outer end, grooved to take a thin ring, which was pointed on one end. I made a number of rings with silver wire of differing thickness to fit the tool, and these were pointed at one end, but the other was turned into a small loop, which was bent back, so that when the ring was closed the point went through the loop. I also had two pairs of gold sleepers, as I had bought another pair in addition to the old ones, but those could not be used in the new tool. When the piercer was to be used, a ring was opened out and laid in the groove, then when the handles were squeezed the jaws came together and the point of the ring would go through the flesh and into the loop behind. Thus it would require no handling of the ring and the job should be done quickly and it should be fairly painless.
Furthermore I had got a tube of ethyl chloride spray to use to freeze the place as a local anaesthetic. To improve on this I had also purchased a hypodermic syringe and some Novocaine to give as an injection for complete anaesthesia of a local spot.
Now I have mentioned that I had pierced my wifes septum and enlarged it until she could wear a 4 inch plug through it, and on occasions a solid silvered ring, 2 inches diameter, 1/2 inch thick, or alternatively, a ring , of the same size and thickness, which heavily gold plated. This was extremely barbaric and heavy to wear, but I was not yet satisfied that she had gone as far as possible, so soon we recommenced the stretching process with two intermediate sized plugs until she was fitted with a huge plug, giving her a full 5/16 inch diameter hole. This allowed her to wear the full sized rings made for her ears, which were 5/16 Inch thick and 2 inches diameter, being heavily gold plated, or another pair of solid copper, 5/16 inch thick and 3 inches diameter, silver plated. One of these through her septum and she looked a complete little savage, and the weight was considerable, but the nose can take quite a heavy weight, as the lower part of the septum is gristle and will not tear.
I could now take an ordinary pencil and slip it through her septum. At this stage I noticed how the plugs were so big, they could be easily by anyone who was observant enough, and without the plug, daylight could be seen shining through her flesh. I therefore made plugs of pink celluloid which she wore with comfort and were less noticeable. She said she experienced quite a thrill when nose ringed so. I then got a full sized bull ring, which was solid copper and thicker than before. Should I carry on with the distension of her piercings until this could be worn? It was about 3/8 inch thick and would mean a tremendous hole. This was to be enlarged in four stages from 5/16 to 3/8 inch, and one day I commenced this task with the first spear and plug. After wearing the 5/16 inch plug for a long time the extra distension was not too difficult, so the spear, well greased, slipped through and the new and larger plug was installed. I left this one in place for about a fortnight before I could prevail upon her to try the next one. This was rather more difficult, but she stood the torture well, but her nose was now stretched considerably, and the plug was most distinctly evident.
Another month went by before I asked her to try the next one. It needed quite a bit of coaxing before she reluctantly consented. With some considerable trouble, the greased spear was pushed home, followed by the new, and terribly large plug to be inserted, nearly 3/8 inch diameter. As this was now actually the same size as the bull ring I left it at that, and the last one remained to be inserted, and in fact was never put in. After some weeks, the plug had settled down, but still was extremely obvious; so one day I removed the plug and we tried the new ring. Without too much trouble, it passed through, spreading her nostrils wide as it did so. She then submitted to having the screw put in, so she was now very barbarically ringed with a full sized bull ring, which pulled its heavy weight against her stretched and tortured septum, hanging well below her mouth and down to her chin, for it was well over 3 inches in diameter. Yet when in place, she flaunted it with amazing aplomb, as though she had worn such a savage ornament all her life, letting me kiss her through it or raising it aloft so I could kiss her under it.
When we took the ring out the hole looked terrifically large, so daylight shone through from side to side. I also made a tapering spear, which would fit the hole tightly, when pushed in to the middle part, and she would wear this all night, as it had a very savage effect, for it was about 3 inches long from tip to tip. Wearing it all night made the hole very obvious, for it tended to lift the nostrils on each side and they forced down the septum, thus bringing the hole into great prominence. Wearing this for a few nights and her septum, without the plug, hung down in a loop of pierced flesh. I hoped one day to insert the full 3/8 plug, but even as she was, it was amazing fact that an English woman, so dainty as Ethel, should walk about with such a terrific hole through her septum, greater than most savages wear. But all women are savages under the skin.
I may say that I had been following her, and it was into my septum the 3/8 inch plug went, and eventually I found I could stretch it much bigger than that.
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