to her, as a temporary expedient, that she consider placing herself under contract to the company, embarrassing and regrettable as such an act might be, by means of which act she would come again under its aegis, and might once more profit from its power, protection, and solicitude, which contracts he was authorized to prepare and execute. The misunderstanding might then, at a later date, be corrected, all errors rectified, the contract canceled, and such. Indeed, he assured her that she would doubtless receive a profound apology from the company, small compensation though this might be for her humiliation. More tangibly, of course, he suggested that she might expect a full restoration of her canceled credits and, doubtless, a substantial compensatory bonus posted to her account. Gladly then did she put her name and personal number, having to do with her world of birth, species, and such, to the contract, for which act a certain number of credits were immediately posted to her account. “I am now a contract person,” she had laughed. “Yes, you are,” he had smiled. He had then conducted her to a small side room, which was bare, with no furniture, rugs or such. She was locked in this room. Later, toward the end of the working day, he opened the room, and handed her a small, neatly folded, white camisklike garment. This garment was narrow and fitted over the head. Its sides were open, except that by means of strings, on both sides, on both edges, under the arms, at the waist, and at the thighs, it could be tied modestly shut. It was a plain garment, except that at the left shoulder, tiny, and discrete, was placed the company logo. He then retired discretely while she changed. She was somewhat dismayed to discover the brevity of this garment. Also, when he first returned, he discovered she had retained undergarments, leg coverings and shoes. He then retired again, that she might remove these objects, which she did, putting them neatly to one side. She was to wear, it seemed, only the light, brief, white garment, literally that, and nothing else. When he returned, matters were in order, as was proper. He then carried her garments from the room, leaving her disconcerted within, in only the brief white garment. When he returned again he had her put her hands behind her back and put them in bracelets. “Routine,” he had assured her. He had then had her sit on the floor at the back of the room and put a small chain and disk on her left ankle, locking it there. “This marks you as company property,” he informed her. “ I am a free woman1” she exclaimed. “Of course,” he had reassured her. He had then gagged her and left her in the room, locked within. That night, still gagged, she was conducted from the room. He permitted her to see her clothing disintegrated. Then, hooded, she was transported from the office to the spaceport in an air car. In due course she found herself in a cell on a freighter, with five other females, none of whom spoke her language, and two of whom were not of her species. When she shrieked or complained, she was not fed. In time she found herself on Damascus where she, or, more exactly, her contract was put up for sale at auction. For the purposes of this sale, of course, not even the brief white garment in which she had been placed was permitted to her. In such sales, as you can easily understand, it is important for the bidder to be in a position to form a reliable conjecture as to the worth of the contract. On Damascus, as on a number of such worlds, although the young lady did not understand it at the time, incidentally, sales of contracts tend to be somewhat informal. Whereas the company would receive its credits for the sale, it would not receive any information, nor would any be kept on Damascus, of the disposition of the contract. In this there is, incidentally, a borrowing from slave handling. Suitable endorsements, however, as one would expect, are kept in the contract itself. Similarly, such endorsements are commonly kept on slave papers, where such papers are kept on a slave. Her contract was purchased by a native of the planet, a zard, who had recently negotiated the opening of a concession, a bar, on Abydos, at Company Station. In his bidding he