I may quote as fairly typical the following observation supplied by a lady who cannot be called inverted:  “Like so many other children and girls, I was first taught self-indulgence by a girl at school, and I passed on my knowledge to one or two others, with one of whom I remember once, when we were just 16, spending the night sensually.  We were horribly ashamed after, and that was the only time.  When I was only 8 there was a girl of 13 who liked to play with my body, and taught me to play with hers, though I rather disliked doing so.  We slept together, and this went on at intervals for six months.  These things, for the sake of getting enjoyment, and not with any passion, are not uncommon with children, but less common, I think, than people sometimes imagine.  I believe I could recall without much difficulty, the number of times such things happened with me.  In the case I mentioned when I did for one night feel—­or try to excite in myself and my girl-companion of 16—­sensual passion, we had as little children slept together a few times and done these things, and meeting after an absence, just at that age, recalled our childish memories, and were carried away by sexual impulse.  But I never felt any peculiar affection or passion for her even at the time, nor she for me.  We only felt that our sensual nature was strong at the time, and had betrayed us into something we were ashamed of, and, therefore, we avoided letting ourselves sleep too close after that day.  I think we disliked each other, and were revolted whenever we thought of that night, feeling that each had degraded the other and herself.”

The cases in which the source is mainly central, rather than peripheral, nevertheless merge into the foregoing, with no clear line of demarcation.  In such cases a girl forms an ardent attachment for another girl, probably somewhat older than herself, often a schoolfellow, sometimes her schoolmistress, upon whom she will lavish an astonishing amount of affection and devotion.  There may or not be any return; usually the return consists of a gracious acceptance of the affectionate services.  The girl who expends this wealth of devotion is surcharged with emotion, but she is often unconscious or ignorant of the sexual impulse, and she seeks for no form of sexual satisfaction.  Kissing and the privilege of sleeping with the friend are, however, sought, and at such times it often happens that even the comparatively unresponsive friend feels more or less definite sexual emotion (pudendal turgescence, with secretion of mucus and involuntary twitching of the neighboring muscles), though little or no attention may be paid to this phenomenon, and in the common ignorance of girls concerning sex matters it may not be understood.  In some cases there is an attempt, either instinctive or intentional, to develop the sexual feeling by close embraces and kissing.  This rudimentary kind of homosexual relationship is, I believe, more common