"That is what it was," she said, softly.
"Dress, slave," he said.
"Yes, Master, she said.
In a bit Lavinia was bedecked in the robes which had been worn by Talena. "That is my clothing!" said Talena. "Tell that slave to take off my clothing!"
"I think she will attract little attention in the streets," I said. "indeed, I do not think that the great Milo in the company of a free woman in the streets will come as any great surprise to passers-by. To be sure, the woman would presumably take great pains to make certain that she was discretely veiled."
"I shall, Master!" said Lavinia.
"She-sleen!" said Talena.
"And if any know the tricks of Appanius," I said, "they will presumably smile to themselves, thinking that this mysterious free woman may find herself, perhaps even in a short while, clad somewhat more revealingly, indeed, perhaps in little more than a slave collar."
Lavinia laughed. Already, of course, within the robes, she was in a slave collar.
"And if anyone saw the new slave enter here earlier, when she was a free woman, they will presumable believe it to be her exiting, as well."
Talena sobbed with fury.
Lavinia stood before us. She was clothed now, save for her veiling, and the adjustment of the hood.
"How do you like your free woman, Master?" she asked Milo.
"You are not my free woman," he said. "You are my slave."
"But I am in the robes of a free woman," she said.
"I shall enjoy removing them from you later," he said.
"I shall look forward to it," she said.
"You must leave," said Marcus to Milo.
He nodded.
Lavinia then knelt before me. It seemed paradoxical to see a woman in the robes of concealment kneeling. "Thank you for giving me to Milo, Master," she said to me. She then, softly, in gratitude, kissed my feet. She then kissed those of Milo, her master. "I love you, Master," she said to him.
"Veil yourself," he said.
Then, kneeling at our feet, she veiled herself, and then adjusted the hood. "I wish you well," I said to Milo.
"I wish you well," said Marcus to him.
"My thanks for everything," said Milo.
"It is nothing," I assured him.
We looked down at Lavinia. She, over the veil, from within the hood, looked up at us.
"Do not forget to buy a whip," I said.
"I will not," he said.
"If I do not please you," she said to Milo, "punish me so terribly that I know I must please you."
"I will," said Milo.
She lowered her head, in submission.
"You are both wished well," said Milo to us. We then, in turn, Milo and I, and Milo and Marcus, clasped hands.
"Do not leave me here with these men, alone!" called Talena.
But Milo, followed by his slave, was gone.
We then turned to face Talena.
She shrank down a little, in her chains.
"You will never get away with this," she whispered.
"I have already gotten away with it," I said.
"I do not understand," she said.
"You belong to me," I said. "You are now my slave."
She looked at me with fury.
"Hail Talena," I said, "Ubara of Ar."
"Yes!" she said.
"No," I said.
"No?" she said.
"No," I said. "Do you not know you are mocked, slave?"
"It is a technicality!" she said.
"Not at all," I said. "You are my slave, in full legality."
She looked at me, in fury.
"Your slavery is complete," I said, "by all the laws of Ar, and Gor. Your papers, and certified copies thereof, will be filed and stored in a hundred places."
"You will never get me out of the city!" she said.
"That can be arranged in time," I said, "when I come for you."
"When you come for me?" she said.
"Yes," I said. "Tomorrow I will have your whereabouts conveyed to Seremides by courier."
"I do not understand!" she cried.
"He will not know that you have been enslaved," I said. "He will think only that you were foolish enough to leave the Central Cylinder without guards and perhaps fell in with brigands and were robbed. Surely you can invent some plausible story."
"He will rescue me!" she said.
"You will then resume your role as Ubara of Ar," I said. "Things will seem much the same, but they will be, of course, quite different. You are now, you see, my slave."
"You are mad!" she said.
"And you will not know when I will come for you."
She looked at me, frightened.
"And I will come for you," I said. "I promise you that."
"No!" she said.
"Yes," I said. "I will come to claim my slave."
"I will be in the Central Cylinder!" she said. "I will be surrounded by guards!"
"You will know that one day I will come for you," I said.
"Why will you not keep me now?" she asked.
"My work in Ar is not yet finished," I said.
"Your work in Ar?"
"Cos must be cast out of Ar," I said.
"Seremides will hunt you down! I will see to it!" she said.
"The downfall of Seremides," I said, "had already been arranged."
Marcus looked at me, puzzled.
I nodded to him. "Myron will accomplish it," I said.
"I do not understand," he said.
"You will see," I said.
"Kaissia?" he asked.
"Of a sort," I said.
"Guardsmen will turn Ar upside down for you!" she said.
"There is one place I do not think it is likely that they will look," I said. "What place?" she said.
"Curiosity is not becoming in a kajira," I said.
She jerked at the bracelets, angrily.
That place, of course, would be within their own ranks.
"Cos can never be cast out of Ar!" she said. "Cos is too strong! Cos is invincible!" she said.
"Ar was thought to be invincible," I said, "once."
"Ar will wear continue to wear the yoke of Cos!" she said.
"Do not be too sure of that," I said, "and, too, as you are a slave, it is you who may find herself in a yoke."
"I am not a slave!" she said.
"Amusing!" I said.
"Recall the papers!" she said. "I shall buy my freedom."
"You have nothing," I said.
"Seremides can arrange for their recall," she said.
"You would let him know that you are a slave?" I asked.
She blanched. Then she said, "Yes, if necessary!"
"But it does not matter," I said.
"I do not understand," she said.
"You are not for sale," I said.
"Sleen!" she wept.
"She is going to be here until sometime tomorrow," I said to Marcus.
"Accordingly, I will now feed and water her."
"Feed and water me?" she said, angrily.
"Yes," I said. "By tomorrow, at noon, I am sure you will be grateful to me for having done so."
"You are kind," she said, acidly.
"On the whole," I said, "if a slave is pleasing, and is striving to serve with perfection, I believe in treating her with kindness."
"I hate you!" she cried.
I went to the table and picked up the tray of dainties. "The wine is gone," I said to Marcus. I had poured it out on her, to rouse her. "Would you fill the decanter with water, from the back?"
"Yes," he said.
I, then, in a moment, crouched beside Talena.
"Do not touch me!" she said.
"You are not interested in offering me your favors, to buy your freedom?" I asked.
She looked at me, suddenly, sharply.
I regarded her.
"Perhaps," she said, coyly.
I put the tray of dainties on the floor to my left. The makings of the gag I had prepared for her were a bit behind her, to her left.
She inched forward, toward me, on her knees. She put her head forward, toward me, her lips pursed, her eyes closed.
I did not touch my lips to hers.
She opened her eyes.
"I had once thought," I said, "that Marlenus had acted precipitately in disowning you, but I see now that he, though your father, understood you far better than I. He recognized that his daughter was a slave."