Tipping the Velvet

Nan observes that Diana’s marriage has been erased, with no sign of her husband. Diana is 38 when she meets Nan, has no children, and employs only female servants. When Nan tells Ms. Milne that she has found a new place to live, Gracie responds badly, sad that she will not see Nan again. After she collects her things, Nan walks back to Diana’s carriage, parked out of sight of Ms. Milne’s house. As she returns to Diana’s home at St. John’s Wood, Nan sees Florence waiting for her outside the talk about women’s and labor rights.

Over dinner, Nan asks Diana how she maintains her lifestyle without secrecy and with safety. Diana explains that she found Blake, one of her servants, in a reformatory, serving time for having relations with a house maid. After dinner, they have sex, and Diana commands Nan to sleep in her room afterward.

Nan relates the circumstances of her “confinement” at Diana’s house (268). Surrounded by perfumes and luxury, she has no real relationships with the other servants, including Blake or Ms. Hopper. Diana, Nan relates, often goes without her to visit other friends. When she returns, Diana insists on Nan’s attention, rousing her to unlock the chest that holds the dildo called “Monsieur Dildo.