would have been disposed of in a market from which she, or it, could not be traced.”
“Yes,” she said.
“You know that your contract was vended in such a market,” said Brenner.
“Yes,” she said.
“And that you cannot be traced?”
“Yes,” she said.
Brenner looked down at the liqueur, which he had not yet touched.
“There are many such markets,” she said, “Naxos, for example, and Sybaris, and Megara.”
Brenner did not take his eyes from the soft, ruby fluid in the small glass. He could see a lamp obliquely reflected in its surface. “And doubtless women might be shipped from such worlds to other worlds,” he said.
“Of course,” she said, “as I was brought to Abydos from Damascus.”
“It is interesting to conjecture the fate of such a woman on, say, an openly stratified world.”
She looked at him, puzzled.
“A world, for example,” he said, “in which pretenses are not maintained with respect to rank and hierarchy.”
“A world on which there might be slaves?” she said.
“Yes,” said Brenner.
“Doubtless on such a world she would learn quickly to obey and serve well,” she said.
“As would you?” asked Brenner.
“Yes, sir,” she said.
He gazed upon her. He found her very beautiful. She put her head down.
“Do you regard yourself as iniquitous, or ill?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “I regard myself as a woman.”
“That was your crime?”
“Yes,” she smiled. “That was my crime.”
“Sexual needs do not exist,” said Brenner, quoting one of the slogans of the home world.
“I have sexual needs,” she said. “And they are such that only one such as you can satisfy them.” She looked up at Brenner. “This, you see,” she said, “puts me much at your mercy.”
“You should have knelt before my friend, Rodriguez,” said Brenner.
“He is not of the home world, is he?” she asked.
“Once, I think,” said Brenner. “But he has been many places.”
“That seems clear,” she said.
Instantly Brenner was jealous of Rodriguez.
“It is before him that you should have knelt,” he said, angrily.
“No,” she said.
“No?” asked Brenner.
“I am not discontented,” she said, “that I was called forth to kneel before you.”
“Oh?” said Brenner.
“No,” she said. “I had no choice in the matter, but had I choice, it would have been before you that I would have knelt.”
“Better Rodriguez,” said Brenner, angrily. “He knows what to do with a woman there.”
“I am sure he does,” she said.
“You would fit in well with him,” said Brenner. Then he laughed.
“What is wrong?” she asked.
“I was thinking of the women of the home world,” he said.
“In what way?” she asked.
“It is absurd!” he laughed.
“What is?” she asked.
“Think of the women of the home world,” said Brenner.
“Yes?” she said.
“Rodriguez thinks that women wish to be dominated, to be subdued, to be subjugated.”
“Perhaps they do,” she said.
“He thinks it is what females want! Can you believe that?”
“Yes,” she said.
“How can you believe that?” he asked.
“I am a female,” she said.
“Surely it is not what you want,” he said.
“I am a female,” she said.
“It is what you want?” he asked.
“Do not make me say it,” she whispered.
“Speak,” he said.
“Yes!” she whispered.
“You want it?”
“Yes!” she said.
“Do not expect such from me,” he said.
“No, sir,” she said.
“I shall respect you,” he assured her.
“Yes, sir,” she said.
He looked at her.
“You chained me well!” she said.
He shrugged, angrily.
“Quite well,” she said. “And when you unchained me you freed the clip on the floor ring first. Do you not know why you did that?”
“Why?” asked Brenner, angrily.
“To have me in the collar, and on the chain leash, longer,” she said.
“Nonsense,” said Brenner, angrily.
“And you ordered me upstairs, a female, in suitable fashion, decisively, familiarily, even vulgarly.”
“It just slipped out,” said Brenner.
“It is interesting that it slipped out that way,” she said. “Too, I liked it. I oiled when you said it.”
“‘Oiled’?” said Brenner.
“Never mind,” she said. She put down her head. She blushed scarlet.
“I must be leaving,” said Brenner.
She looked up at him, suddenly, genuinely frightened. “No!” she said.
“Yes,” said Brenner.
She crawled quickly to him and put her hands, pleadingly, at the sides of his knees. “You cannot leave!” she said. “It will be thought that I have failed, that you do not like me, that I was not found pleasing! Please show me mercy! I am sorry if I was cross with you today. Forgive me! I am on my knees before you, contrite and helpless! I beg it on my knees, helplessly! Please do not go away! Do not abandon me now, unless it be your intent to see me severely punished! Is this your vengeance upon me? To so arrange matters that