"And so," she said, "I continued to run her errands, to answer her telephone ina pretty voice, to do her biding, to bring her her coffee, to address herdeferentially, to smile at her clients and walk in a certain way past them."
"I understand," I said.
"Doubtless she enjoyed having me do this," she said, bitterly, "my station insociety having been so superior to hers."
"Perhaps," I said. "I do not know."
"It was to be made clear to all her colleagues," she said, angrily, "that I wasonly a girl, fit for lowly labors and being pleasing to her superiors. Clearly Iwas a different sort of woman from her! ' "Perhaps you were," I said.
"Dressed as I was, forced to behave as I was," she said, "how could men see meas executive material?"
"Doubtless it would be difficult," I said.
"Yes," she said.
"You are very feminine," I said, "perhaps you are not executive material."
She squirmed, angrily.
"She well used my femininity, my meaninglessness, MY prettiness," she said, "tohighlight, to point up and accentuate, by contrast, her own quite differentimage, that of strength and competence, of decisiveness, of command, ofauthority and power."
I have seen such women naked," I said, "in a collar, kissing the feet of men."
"Oh?" she said.
"But they are not so beautiful as you," I said.
She was silent.
"Do you feel that your treatment by her was motivated by some insecurity on herpart, by fear for her position or status, that she may have seen you as athreat?"
The girl was silent for a moment. Then she said, "No, I do not think so."
"That is interesting," I said.
"I could not have begun to compete with her," she said.
"You were not that sort of woman," I said.
"No," she said.
"Do you think she disliked you, or hated you?" I asked.
"I don't think so, really," she said, slowly.
"Can you conceive it possible that she may have seen you rather more as youwere, than as you saw yourself?"
"Master?" she asked.
"She may have dressed you as she did," I said, "and treated you as she did, andmade you do the things you did, for a very good reason."
"Why?" she asked.
"Because you are feminine," I said.
She was angrily silent.
"Did you enjoy doing the things you were told?" I asked. "Did you enjoyobeying?"
"Sometimes," she whispered.
"Did you object, truly, to the clothing you were expected to wear?" I asked.
"No," she said, "not truly. I like pretty clothes, and the, eyes of men on me."
"As a Gorean slave girl," I said, "you will often find the eyes of men on you,though whether or not you will be permitted clothing will be a function of thedecision of your master."
"Yes, Master," she said.
"How were you taken?" I asked.
"After work," she said. "It was dark. I was driving back to my building. Istopped at a red light. Suddenly, to my horror, a narrow chain was looped aboutmy throat. "Drive as I direct, said a male voice, from behind me. I could notscream. The chain was tight. I was terrified. He had been hidden in the car,behind the back seat. He tightened the chain a quarter of an inch. I could notbreathe. I realized he could, if he wished, strangle me in an instant. A carhonked behind us. "The light has changed, be said. He relaxed the chain,slightly. "Continue on this street, he said, "in the outside lane, at a speednot exceeding twenty-five miles an hour. I pulled away from the intersection.
"You will obey all my directions, he said, "immediately and to the letter, andyou will address me as "Sir." " "Yes, I whispered. The chain tightened. "Yes,Sir, I whispered, fighting for breath. The chain then relaxed, slightly."
"You were already being taught to obey, and to treat men with respect," I said.
"Yes, Master," she said. " "Do not try anything foolish" he said, "such asstalling or damaging the vehicle, for I can slay in an instant, before I make mydeparture. "Yes, Sir, I said. "You may look in the rear-view mirror, if youwish. He said. "You have my permission. I looked in the rear-view mirror,terrified. About my throat, closely looped, was a narrow golden chain. It wascontrolled by two narrow wooden handles, in his hands."
"It was a girl-capture chain," I said. "It is to be distinguished sharply fromthe standard garrote, which is armed with wire and can cut a throat easily. Thestandard garrote, of course, is impractical for captures, for the victim, ineven a reflexive movement, might cut her own throat."
"Whatever it was," she said, "it was very effective. It controlled meperfectly."
"Of course," I said. "That is why it is used."
"In a few moments, the man made an adjustment in the chain, spinning one of thewooden handles. He could the control it with one hand. He tightened it, halfchoking me and then released it, slightly. He had well displayed his power overme. He then released it a bit more. "That's better, isn't it, Baby? he asked.
"Yes, Sir, I said. "Good," he said, "we have a long drive ahead of us. We thendrove on, I terrified, he giving me directions. From other can it would haveseemed merely that a man, leaning forward, perhaps smiling, perhaps conversingwith me, was in the back of my vehicle. If any saw the slender golden chainabout my throat they did not, doubtless, conjecture its significance."
"He was not masked?" I asked.
"No," she said.
"A mask would have aroused suspicion," I said.
"Yes," she said. "Do not fear to look upon my face, you wish, he said, "foryou will not see it again, after you have been delivered. "Delivered! Iexclaimed. "Yes, he laughed, "delivered, my pretty goods. We then drove on. Helet me engage in what, I suppose, are the standard threat and pleas of thecaptured girl, but, then, when he grew we of this amusement, he stopped me. Aslight pressure on chain sufficed. We then continued to drive on. The terrainbecame more remote, more desolate. Soon we were driving on graveled roads. Thenwe were driving on dirt roads, dark and lonely lined with trees. I grasped verylittle of what was going on. I was terrified. The chain was on my throat. Thebeams from the headlights seemed wild on the road ahead of me. "Slow down here, he said, "and pull into those trees, an stop. I obeyed his commands. I switchedoff the car lights and turned off the car engine. I had delivered myself, thoughto whom, or what, or for what I had no idea. He took me from the car by thechain and soon I was in the hands of other men. He left, dropping the chain,with its handles, in the pocket of his jacket. I was thrown to my stomach in thegrass. My hands were fastened behind me in some sort of metal restrainingdevice. It was snug, and inflexible. My ankles were crossed and tied togetherwith a short piece of rope. A metal anklet of some sort was fastened on my leftankle.
"A girls identificatory anklet," I said. "It is removed after her delivery toGor."
"A boxlike device was then placed near my head," she said. "It was hinged at oneend and, on the other side, where it opened, there were matched, semicircularopenings. My head then, by the hair, was placed in this box, and it was closed,enclosing my head, and shutting snugly about my neck. This opening was thenfurther closed by wrapping thick cloth about my neck and thrusting it up, sothat it filled the space between my neck and the edges of the now closedsemicircular openings."
"Interesting," I said.
"My head enclosed in the box," she said, "I heard a car being driven away. Itwas doubtless my own, driven by the fellow with the chain."
"That is quite likely," I said. "He would wish to have means to return to thecity and, of course, it would be important to abandon or dispose of the car farfrom the scene of the abductors' rendezvous."
"And I must remain behind," she said, bitterly.
"Of course," I said. "You were then only a delivered capture."