Granger 44
- This article is a Biography
- Chapter 44 - Getting to know people
I have already mentioned that the first &mall article in the Daily Sketch brought our first Fan mail letter from Albert Mari, who had been tracking her around from previous contacts such as Mme Verneau, Mrs Stafford and Dr Hellman, so after the pictures appeared in the W.S.M. and Empire News it was not long before we had lots more of them and some appeared in person, while other wrote or phoned to arrange meetings with them.
Albert wrote more fully and turned out to be a fellow eccentric, interested in tight lacing, high heels, and piercings. He had eventually got his nipples pierced by another doctor. He had pierced &M stretched his ears until they had 1 1/4 in disco, but then they tore like Ethel's had done. But be did get them repaired and gave us the name of a Harley Street specialist, to whom we might go to get Ethel's torn ear done. When I told him about Ethel's piercings, he immediately decided he wanted to have 13 piercings in each ear and also his nostrils done, and to do the piercings with pieces of nylon thread. His septum was already pierced and it was done with a leather punch, so he had a big hole through it. He then had two rings pierced though each breast nipple and they were stretched quite loose on the piercings. He also had two rings, pierced crossways in the end of his penis, and said his wife enjoyed him more like that. He says his wife Andree was to have some extra piercings done in her ears and also her nostrils. He it was that mentioned seeing the girl in Paris with two gold nails through her nostrils, held by a gold ring in her septum, which I thought was a charming idea, and why did I not get Ethel to have her upper lip pierced and her labia majora too, which in fact I had already suggested to her long ago.
Letters soon came from George Gay of Finsbury Park, who was most interested in small waists and especially high heels. He offered to make her a stainless steel belt and that he had some high heeled shoes we might like to buy or see. We met him many times later. We had a letter of congratulations from W. Truel in Ireland and Mrs R Bensham and Mrs Spilsbury, both for information as to how they might also get tiny waists like Ethels. Then we had letters from Mr L. Wall of Billericay and Mr G. D. Fanshawe of Farley, who wanted to come down to see her in person. This turned out unfortunately for they both came together. Mr Wall was mainly interested in waists and heels, a tall middle aged man, whom I rather liked. I gathered be wore corsets himself. I think he was living alone in a caravan, so he was either unmarried, or without a wife. We did in fact visit him in his caravan, and wrote annually from then on. However the other man, was I think a complete snob, for he did not want us to go to see him, or to write in case his wife saw it. He was amazed at her tiny waist, but I could see we should never hear from him again. He tight laced himself, but not his wife. Finally we had a phone call from a Mr Andrew Rice, from the Savage Club, who was insistent that we make a date when next up in London to have dinner with him, maybe at the Savage Club. This was a wrong impression, for I was told women are not normally admitted there. It was very interesting to learn that tiny waists are so much sought after but so very few exist. Another correspondent was Paul F. Burridge, whom we also met later several times, a most interesting character.
On the Saturday afternoon, a big car drew up in front of the house, and remember we had our big market garden, and a notice in the window about what, we had for sale, probably cherries. The tall military-looking gentleman got out, knocked and asked about some fruit, but from the look of him I gathered he was interested in other things and didn't really bother about fruit at all. He wanted to see Ethel, and he did, for she was just going down the garden again from whence she had just returned, so he saw her in all her muck. Sure her waist and earrings were there O.K. as usual, but she was not dressed to kill by any means, but she shook him completely, nevertheless. He said he was Lt. Col. Jack Horner, and was much interested in wasp waists and everything appertaining to them. It wasn't a minute or so, as we walked down to garden, before he spotted her earrings and said how unusual they were. Then he said he liked them very much, and that he could see they were all pierced in place separately, even the ones through the centres. Then he said, "And I can see that you have had your nose done too. What happened to it?" So Ethel showed him that they were still pierced, by taking out one plug and then fitting a diamond in place. He said, "It is amazing, I never thought anything like this was still to be seen. Who did all the piercings for you? As for your waist, even now I can see it is fantastic, and to think you do all this work down here like that. I would never have believed it possible. Apparently he had arranged a party of tiny waist enthusiasts several times and knew many quite well, but he said Ethel surpassed anyone he had seen before. He suggested that sometime, when it could be arranged, he would like us to dine with him sometime or other. But it never came off. Several of these new writers wanted corsets made, but Barclay didn't want to make tiny waist corsets to order, although they had made the first class ones for Ethel, because they had to under contract, but many times I could see that they wanted to get out of it if they could, and that tight lacing was anathema to them.
Then we had a very nice letter from a John G Wolcott of USA, an American writer and painter who was writing a book on "The History or the Corset" and he wants Ethel to pose for drawings and pictures or photos to put in. If so she ought to make the frontispiece and go down in history. He did the cover of my first book on Ethel.
Wilhelmina had returned from Italy, so we could get away to London for a day or more, as she could be left in charge of the animals, cats, chickens and ducks, but I did wish often she had stayed away a few more months, for Ethel was ready for more piercings, and no doubt I would have pierced her lips and cheeks, labia too, and also try some on myself. However both Wolcott and Rice fixed up to meet us up in London and I arranged that we should see them both on the one day.
So up to London we both went. When the train came in, we were met, by a tall military-looking gentleman who came up and introduced himself as Jack He was a charming man, and said that unfortunately he was waiting to go into his studio, so we should be unable to spend the evening with him, but he did give us an invitation to spend a few days with him when it was available. Ethel was wearing her black nylon dress with a studded belt, which she had had worn for the Empire News photo, a new attractive hat, long gloves, and she put in her nostril stud. He was entranced by her wonderful figure and we went into Regent's Park, where he took a number of photos after she had discarded her light coat. He said he was quite an authority on tiny waists but had never seen anything to compare with Ethel. As an artist he wanted to have an early opportunity to sketch her figure, and also in her corsets, and then to have the time to paint her portrait if she would pose for him. Ethel had brought up a change of dress for the evening, her green and white panelled dress, with her laced green belt, and white gloves for the evening, so we did nip into the new flat to enable her to change her shoes, dress, lace on her belt new earrings and a green centred nostril stud and in these Wolcott said she looked magnificent. He told me that he wore corsets regularly and that accounts for his upright stance. We bade goodbye and took the tube to Piccadilly from where we walked down Shaftesbury Avenue, looking in the shops attracting a lot of attention, directed at Ethel, on the way. We came into Dean Street at the pre -arranged time, and there in front of Gennaro's International Restaurant was a middle-aged man with a wry neck, for which he apologised, saying it was the result of the war.
He introduced himself, and soon proved to be a charming man, with whom we were soon on friendly relations. He escorted us inside this famous restaurant, saying that lie hoped we would enjoy the food and he had reserved a table for us. Also that he had taken the liberty of asking along a couple of friends who might like to meet us. He said that if the lady might appear a bit of a snob, to take no notice anyway. Then Ethel discarded her coat and showed her figure in the green dress in its unsurpassed beauty. Andrew's eyes were fixed in an unbelieving stare at it, and the waiter and cloakroom attendant gave an audible gasp. He said he was thrilled to see such a wonderfully tiny waist, and we had honoured him by coming. Also he was entranced to see her wearing a nostril stud as we hadn't mentioned it before, but he thought it was most attractive, as were her elaborate ear adornments. He escorted Ethel and myself to the table reserved in the centre of the room and as she made her way there from the entrance, I could hear a murmur all round and every eye was turned towards this phenomenon, making her noticeable entrance.
No sooner had we become seated than waiters from all around made some excuse to visit our table. We had not been seated but a few moments before an elaborately coiffured lady and a tall gentleman came up. Andrew rose and brought them over to be introduced as Mrs and Mr Constant. I could tell by bar corsage and dep ­ortment that she was obviously well corseted and probably laced in too, but her figure was not a patch on Ethel's. Both of them looked at Ethels figure and frankly admitted that they had never expected to see anything like it. Also they were struck with admiration at her daring to wear such unusual ornaments in ears and nose, so before long they had to be assured that at they were actually all pierced in place.
It was surprising with what aplomb Ethel was now wearing the stud in her nostril and she showed surprising confidence in public as though she had done this sort of thing for years. We had a splendid meal, which we both enjoyed, and Ethel showed she was capable of absorbing a full meal without any difficulty whatsoever to the astonishment of every one from the waiter to our table companions, and at the same time keep up a vigorous level of conversation. The evening passed very quickly, as we talked about the many mutual interests we had between us. In the end, Andrew took us by taxi to King's Cross, where we took our leave for Peterborough, home.
We had already been making arrangements to come up again in August, first of all, to see about her ear repair and call on Wolcott in his studio. Also we hoped to see Albert and Andree, who was expecting Albert to put a second piercing in her ears, and also had designs on her nostrils and breast nipples for the future. No doubt if she gets as far as having her lips and cheeks done, then Ethel might be willing to follow suit and let me do hers at the same time.
I have tried to get her to pierce my penis, as she had said she would like to do its but when it came to the point, she could not screw herself up to the sticking point, so I made up my mind to do it myself. And that is what I did. I used the spring plunger piercer, and after carefully sterilising it with spirits inside and out. I gave it a good spray with ethyl chloride to numb it. It was a bit of a job getting it fixed into what I thought was about the right place, with the nozzle about 3/8 inch down from the tip and the cork in tightly to flatten it as much as possible. When it was as near right as I could get it, I quickly pushed down the catch, the spring was released and I felt a sharp agonising pain in the end of my penis.
I released the cork at the back and was overjoyed to see the point now protruding at the back. I pulled the tool away, and there was the silver tube driven through from front to back and except for that brief sharp pain there was now little pain to be felt. I put a loop of pink plastic thread through the end, passing through from front to back, pulling out the tube as I did so. There was very little bleeding and what there was soon ceased. I tied the two ends of the thread together tightly and left it there and after a few days I could not feel anything of it so the thread could be moved back and forth with ease. The piercing was done but I hoped before long to increase the size by some of the old well tried methods until I could get the 5/32 in ring through. I had plans at a later date for another piercing, lower down, from side to side, but only when the first one had been stretched big enough.
In a few days I had also put a third piercing in one ear, leaving a tiny piece of pink plastic thread in place, fixed with a little spot of New Skin at each end. Within a week it had healed up to leave a clean hole, but I replaced the thread for another month or so. Now I had to do the other car to match. As an experiment it was highly successful so long as it was not in the gristly part of the ear, where I found it took months to really become permanent.
I have tried many experiments on myself, piercing with the old spring plunger I used on Mary, with the hand tools of various sizes, with either a cork or half a cut potato held behind. Also by clipping in rings with the pig ringer and shooting the needle through with the spring plunger. But the most thrilling experiments were with a little clockwork photographic Autotimer used for taking ones own photos which would take about 60 seconds to close. By putting ones ear between the base and the needle, winding it wide open, then releasing the catch, it would take a minute before it ran down and the needle was driven into the cork. I tried this first with a chisel ended needle. Wound up the spring, put my oar lobe between the point and the cork and held it there by a clip, then pressing down the starter, to hear the thing begin to whir and the needle began very slowly to descend. Gradually the point approached the surface of the skin, then it touched and made a small depression in the flesh and I could feel it. Then a small plop as the point went through the skin, after which a most satisfying feeling as it was driven inexorably through until another tiny plop and it was through the other side into the cork. The clip was unscrewed and released and there was the needle right through. I later tried it on my nostril and then very daring I put my lower lip in between the point and anvil, to see if it was as painful as had been suggested by what I had read. It was painful, but not so much that one could not stand it and it felt quite exhilarating to see my lip penetrated by the thick needle.
Of course it bled a little when I removed It but in a couple of days the hole had disappeared. However it did give me the feeling that I might have if undergoing piercing treatment from Ethel or some third person, for once the machine had been started it was difficult to stop so had to grind on inexorably to a conclusion. I heard too about piercings being done with a red hot needle and realised what was probably meant was that the needle had been sterilised by heating, for unless one could be extremely quick I doubted that the needle could be made red hot, removed from the heat and driven into the mark before it lost most of its luminosity and so had only black heat left, for a needle is so thin it heats up quickly, but just as quickly looses its heat. But I wanted to try something like it and I did just that.
I got a short length of nichrome wire such as one uses on an electric bar heater. Trying a length across the poles of an old 6 volt accumulator and shortening the length I found that it could he made to heat up to a bright red, if short enough. The thinner the wire, the quicker it did so. So I used a small transformer and rectifier and had it fixed up; had a short length cut off and fixed one end to the terminal. With a dog clip gripped on the other end of the wire I could see it come to a red heat in a few seconds. I sharpened the loose and to a chisel point and using it like a needle thrust it through my ear quite easily. The wire was now through the flesh, and after a moments hesitation I took the dog clip and snapped it on to the other end of the wire at the back. Then I pressed down the switch.
Immediately I felt an excruciating pain in the ear and the flesh round the wire began to steam and then burn, but after a few moments the wire was red hot and moved gently back and forth through the ear piercing, but strangely enough the pain had now gone, no doubt because the nerves were burned away and the wound completely cauterised, charred through from back to front. Switching off and removing the wire I surveyed a quite obvious clear piercing, blackened all round. It was there for a long time, but as it was only an experiment, before I felt like exposing my ears as pierced, and did not want a permanent hole, I had to take deliberate steps to make it grow over and close up, which took a couple of months before it had gone. While the first two moments were terribly painful, it was also thrilling to do and endure it.
The plastic threads in my penis soon settled down and I started to enlarge the holes until I could get a piece of 1.5mm silver wire through. Then using the tapering rod I had used on Ethel's breasts and plastic rods I gradually increased the size up to a full 3/16 in and even for a short time to be large enough to take the ½ in ring. After which I removed them and the holes were large and clear ever since. I put diamante studs in place and Ethel liked the effect of them.
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