Trilby O'Farrell

In 1894, Trilby, by George Du Maurier was published serially in Harper's Monthly. The novel's hero is an artist, Little Billee (won the award for 'best name in a periodical' for 1894 - doesn't that just exude sexual magnetism...Little Billee. It's like Tinky-Winky...it says 'I'm small down there and I don't care who knows it'"), and the heroine, Trilby, is a grisette, his true love, who models for him.

For Henrietta this character is moderately racy. However it should be noted that Henrietta was reasonably supportive of sex in literature - just not in real life.

Trilby is Svengali-dependent. If she has a Svengali that keeps her busy, she stays busy. She might also luck out and get lent out to an activist beetle. But on her own, her plot is thinner than a pre-depression dime.

Trilby O'Farrell

When you first met Svengali, he was an impoverished music teacher living in Paris with his companion Gecko. You were a model, so he pretended to be an artist in hopes that you would pose for him. You were raised in Egypt where your will was strangely broken by terrible orgiastic rites you were subjected to as a young girl. These rites claimed your parents but you were for some reason let go.

Fortunately, Gecko announced that Taffy and the Laird were returning and they must flee. As they left, you began to sing - Svengali was apparently impressed by your voice, and thus began your troubles. You had no idea that he was also a Jew, and a master hypnotist.

You met Billie, who was also smitten with you. You guess you just inspire that kind of devotion. Billie was of a higher social class than you, but that didn't seem to matter to him.

You decided to move in with Taffy and The Laird to look after them. Someone had to. Over the next few weeks, you and Billie fell in love and you agreed to marry him. However, when Billie mentioned taking you back to England with him, you weren't so sure.

A few minutes later, Svengali showed up saying that he'd been looking everywhere for you. You told him you hadn't worked that day because of a headache. Seizing the opportunity, Svengali offered to cure your headache and proceeded to hypnotize you. While you were under, he said that he discovered that "the roof of your mouth is like the dome of the Pantheon" (perhaps he meant Parthenon). He also cured your headache, as promised, and told you to come to him if the headache returned.

That night, you rose from your bed, donned your blue dress, and shuffled off into the darkness. Arriving at Svengali's, you had no idea where you were or how you'd gotten there, or why you'd chosen that particular piece of clothing, but couldn't seem to leave. Svengali asked if your headache had returned. You said it had, but when he tried to hypnotize you again, you resisted and ran away.

The next day, Billie walked in on you posing naked for an art class and fled in disgust. Shamed, you fled the room. Later, Svengali encountered you, obviously upset. While he comforted you, you realized that you were not good enough to marry Billie. You left a note for Billie saying goodbye, and letting him know you were going away forever.

You didn't realize that when Billie got your note, he'd vow to find you; nor did you think that when the police found some of your clothing on the banks of the river they'd assume that you committed suicide.

The truth is that Svengali transformed you into a great singer and was touring Europe with you posing as his wife. You felt there were two of you, the singing machine, and the real Trilby. Conceited, derisive, and malicious, Svengali alternately bullied and fawned in a harsh, croaking voice. Though you were repelled at first by his greasy, dirty appearance and regarded him as a spidery demon or incubus, you became completely his creature under his hypnosis. Gecko, a young fiddler, small, swarthy, shabby, brown-eyed, and pockmarked, helped Svengali train you so that Svengali might exploit you.

The tour traveled to England, where Taffy, The Laird and Billie attended a performance, discovering that you were still alive. Completely under Svengali's control, you didn't recognize them, except for a brief moment when Svengali's control lapsed. With one look he snapped you back into his power.

Back at the hotel, Svengali put you into another trance. He once again made you say you loved him. You hated him, but you had no choice.

Unknown to you, Billie followed Svengali across Europe, vowing to break Svengali's spell on you. Fearing that Billie's love might actually be able break his hold on you, Svengali canceled appearance after appearance. Finally, Svengali confronted Billie and told him that you would be giving your last performance that night and then you could decide on your future.

The performance began but Svengali soon collapsed, dying of a heart attack. Billie ran to your side as you collapsed too, no longer able to sing in tune. Knowing he was about to die, Svengali prayed to God to "grant him in death what he denied him in life."

You were very weak. It was as if part of you was lost. You began to write your will, and discovered a portrait of Svengali. Once again you were entranced, singing Chopin's Impromptu in A flat as you had on the stage. You realized that you must seek him out.

You thought you were free, however you soon discovered that it was merely a ruse. Svengali was not dead, he had merely faked his own death and taken up the guise of Dr. Nikola, an Italian.

You are thoroughly under his sway, and will do as he commands. Recently he has commanded you to carry messages back and forth the a horrible Egyptian deity - a terrible deformed beetle. You cannot talk to anyone about these messages, or about the beetle, though you can say that you have seen something that is terrible, and tell how it makes you feel. You are certain your parents were sacrificed to this thing, and you have been forced to be involved against your will in its orgiastic rites. Its call to you is stronger even than Svengali's

This terrible creature is somehow concerned with the production of gold which you carry back to Svengali.

You have been seeing Dr. Roquelaure to be treated for your feelings of depression and hysterical anxiety, however you cannot tell him any of what upsets you.

What you most want is to get married.