"Yes, sir. I only had twelve meld and so I told her, but she said that would be all right. Like Dectaron told you, sir, she was very pressing, like."
"And you weren't, I suppose?" asked Mollo. "Is that it?"
"No, sir: I can't deny as I was willing enough. I spent the rest of the night with her and early this morning we were both asleep when Dectaron came back off guard."
"And what happened then?" said Mollo sardonically to Dectaron. "You were delighted, I suppose?"
"Well; sir, as soon as I come in I realized what must have happened-that's to say, that she'd taken on another man to make herself some more money. But I wasn't angry, like I might have been if it had been some man as I didn't know. Only you see, sir, Lortil and me, we've been together all through the campaign, ever since we joined up-"
"I know," said Mollo. "Share and share alike, eh? You seem to have stuck to that very thoroughly. Well, go on."
"Well, sir, I woke the both of 'em up, and told the girl it was highjime for her to be going before the tryzatt come round. I didn't want anyone finding her in my shelter, you see."
"Didn't you really? Well, so what did she say to that?"
"Well, sir, this was when all the trouble began, and I'm sure I'm very sorry for it-we both are-but we didn't go to start it, sir, and that's as true as I'm here. First of all the girl set out to try and make us jealous of each other. Anyone could see she hoped we were going to get angry- start fighting an' that. Only of course that didn't work, for the reasons as I've explained. So when she saw that was no good, sir, she got up off the bed, just as she was-with nothing on, I mean-and she says, 'Oh,' she says, 'I want another hundred meld before I'm going out of here.' So I told her I hadn't got any more money to give her even if I'd a mind to, which I hadn't, and Lortil told her the same. So then she said, 'Well, you'd better go out and get some, then-borrow it or something o' that, because I'm not going else, and if you try to make me I'll kick up such
a shine as'U bring your tryzatt and officers here as fast as hounds,' she says.
"Well, at that, sir, we both of us did get angry, I'll admit. So Lortil, he says, 'Don't you try that stuff with us,' he says. 'Gome on,' he says to me, 'if she won't put her clothes on, we'll just have to put 'em on for her, won't we?' So he goes to grab her and stuff a cloth in her mouth, sir; keep her quiet, see, while we was getting her clothes on. But she was too much for us, sir, and that's the plain truth. She bit my finger very near through, and then she flew at Lortil, sir, scratching and biting, and at the same time she'd begun screaming at the top of her voice, just like she'd said she would. So I thought, well, this has got to be stopped quick, I thought. She had her arms right round Lortil, sir-only he still had nothing on, you see-and she was biting and scratching at his shoulders and his neck. So I tried to pull her away from him, only I couldn't-she was locked against him that tight there was nothing I could get a hold of. Well, I wasn't thinking too clearly, sir: I mean, the girl was carrying on like a wild animal, really, and we were both just about frantic. She had her teeth sunk in Lortil's shoulder, and I took her by the head and jerked it back-well, it was hard, I don't deny it was- only I felt I had to get her off him at all costs, you see. And then all of a sudden she just went limp and fell on the ground, and Lortil, he says, 'Oh, Cran almighty,' he says, 'I reckon her neck's broke!' And so it was, sir; she was dead as a rat. There was nothing we could do. So as soon as we realized that, Lortil says, 'Well, there's no help for it,' he says. 'Only thing to do is make a clean breast of the whole business.' So we went straight off and reported to tryzatt Miarn. And that's the truth, sir, every word. We're both very sorry this should have come about, only there was provocation, like."
"Do you want to ask these men any questions, Captain Mollo?" said Elleroth.
"We're only got your word for all this, haven't we?" said Mollo. "You've no other evidence to put forward?"
"No, sir, 'ceptin' for the bites and scratches, and we had no reason to want to kill the girl, sir. Neither of us had had any drink-it was early morning, like I said: and as soon as we realized what we'd done we come straight forward, sir."
"Do you want to ask any questions?" said Elleroth,
turning to Bayub-Otal, Zen-Kurel and Zirek. They shook their heads.
"Is the guard outside?" asked Elleroth.
"Yes, sir," answered the second tryzatt.
"Take them outside and keep them somewhere nearby," said Elleroth. "Tryzatt Miarn, will you stay behind, please?"
When the two soldiers had gone he said, "Now, I want your personal opinion of these men, Miarn."
"They're both good men, sir. Done well in Chalcon, sir, and in the battle, too."
"Do you believe they're telling the truth?"
"Seeing what you said about the dead young woman, sir, I'm very sorry to have to say it, but yes, sir, I think they are."
"How much money did you find in her clothes?" asked Elleroth.
"Forty-two meld, sir; all in one-meld pieces."
"Thank you, tryzatt; that's all."
The tryzatt saluted and went out. Elleroth sat silent for almost a full minute. At length he said, "I confess this defeats me. Here's this obviously very brave and charming girl, who went to Bekla and helped to kill Sencho-one of the most heroic exploits I've ever heard of in my life- and according to these men-and they are decent enough men in the normal way, as I know myself-wouldn't you agree, Mollo?-"
"Two of the best I've got. Can't expect soldiers to be basting saints, that's it, 'specially after a campaign like this-"
"Excuse me, sir," said Zirek. "I'm afraid the truth is that what seems so strange to you is perfectly understandable to me. I knew Meris very welclass="underline" I believe every word the soldiers said and I can tell you why."
The others listened as he told them all he knew of Meris, from Belishba to Lapan.
"Poor girl!" said Elleroth, when he had finished. "Well, she's not the first and she won't be the last. Thank you, Zirek: that makes everything very clear. So you'd agree, Mollo, that she really brought it on herself?"
Mollo nodded morosely. "But they can't be let off altogether."
"Oh, no. They're both guilty of condoning a woman in breaking curfew and whoring round the camp; and on top
of that, Dectaron's guilty of leaving his duty while on guard, and that's a serious offense. What do you think?"
"I'd offer them their choice between dishonorable discharge and a flogging."
"But-er-wouldn't that just mean that you'd lose two good soldiers?"
"Not a bit of it! The men are all convinced they're going to be looting Bekla in two weeks from now. That's what they've marched and fought all the summer for-to line their pockets. Offer Dectaron twenty lashes and Lortil twelve. They'll take them; you'll see. And it'll be very good for morale, Elleroth, believe me, when word gets round that you and I evidently think discharge now would be a punishment as bad as a flogging. The men'll all be sure that you must know for certain we're on the point of taking Bekla, that's it."
"Very welclass="underline" I agree," said Elleroth. He became pensive once more. "Poor Meris! You've told us, Zirek, that she enjoyed making trouble. She certainly managed it this time, but it was rather expensive for her, wasn't it? And to think she only had to wait a little while to be rich and secure for the rest of her life! Human nature's a strange thing." He stood up. "Well, we'd better go and finish our job, I suppose-which I don't relish."
"Nor I ours," murmured Zirek. Elleroth looked up at him inquiringly, and he said, "Someone's got to tell Maia."
Bayub-Otal and Zen-Kurel exchanged a glance. There was a short silence.