Free Venus in Furs by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch Page A

knew this woman, understood her, and now I see I have to begin at the very beginning again. Only a little while ago her reaction to my dreams was violently hostile, and now she tries to carry them into execution with the soberest seriousness.
    She has drawn up a contract according to which I give my word of honor and agree under oath to be her slave, as long as she wishes.
    With her arm around my neck she reads this, unprecedented, incredible document to me. The end of each sentence she punctuates with a kiss.
    “But all the obligations in the contract are on my side,” I said, teasing her.
    “Of course,” she replied with great seriousness, “you cease to be my lover, and consequently I am released from all duties and obligations towards you. You will have to look upon my favors as pure benevolence. You no longer have any rights, and no longer can lay claim to any. There can be no limit to my power over you. Remember, that you won't be much better than a dog, or some inanimate object. You will be mine, my plaything, which I can break to pieces, whenever I want an hour's amusement. You are nothing, I am everything. Do you understand?” She laughed and kissed me again, and yet a sort of cold shiver ran through me.
    “Won't you allow me a few conditions—” I began.
    “Conditions?” She contracted her forehead. “Ah! You are afraid already, or perhaps you regret, but it is too late now. You have sworn, I have your word of honor. But let me hear them.”
    “First of all I should like to have it included in our contract, that you will never completely leave me, and then that you will never give me over to the mercies of any of your admirers—”
    “But Severin,” exclaimed Wanda with her voice full of emotion and with tears in her eyes, “how can you imagine that I—and you, a man who loves me so absolutely, who puts himself so entirely in my power—” She halted.
    “No, no!” I said, covering her hands with kisses. “I don't fear anything from you that might dishonor me. Forgive me the ugly thought.”
    Wanda smiled happily, leaned her cheek against mine, and seemed to reflect.
    “You have forgotten something,” she whispered coquettishly, “the most important thing!”
    “A condition?”
    “Yes, that I must always wear my furs,” exclaimed Wanda. “But I promise you I'll do that anyhow because they give me a despotic feeling. And I shall be very cruel to you, do you understand?”
    “Shall I sign the contract?” I asked.
    “Not yet,” said Wanda. “I shall first add your conditions, and the actual signing won't occur until the proper time and place.”
    “In Constantinople?”
    “No. I have thought things over. What special value would there be in owning a slave where everyone owns slaves. What I want is to have a slave, I alone, here in our civilized sober, Philistine world, and a slave who submits helplessly to my power solely on account of my beauty and personality, not because of law, of property rights, or compulsions. This attracts me. But at any rate we will go to a country where we are not known and where you can appear before the world as my servant without embarrassment. Perhaps to Italy, to Rome or Naples.”
           * * * * *
    We were sitting on Wanda's ottoman. She wore her ermine jacket, her hair was loose and fell like a lion's mane down her back. She clung to my lips, drawing my soul from my body. My head whirled, my blood began to seethe, my heart beat violently against hers.
    “I want to be absolutely in your power, Wanda,” I exclaimed suddenly, seized by that frenzy of passion when I can scarcely think clearly or decide freely. “I want to put myself absolutely at your mercy for good or evil without any condition, without any limit to your power.”
    While saying this I had slipped from the ottoman, and lay at her feet looking up at her with drunken eyes.
    “How beautiful you now are,” she exclaimed, “your eyes half-broken in ecstacy fill me with joy, carry