A series of mounting explosions shook both girls as one climax followed another in rapid succession. As they sustained the final tremor, the scene swam before Jonathan Relevant’s eyes like a violet phantasmagoria. It was so overpowering for Nancy that she lost consciousness for an instant.
Regaining her senses, the redhead automatically repeated her demand. “Again!” Their bodies moved in unison to comply. But—-
“Nancy!” Chancellor Hardlign stood at the head of the cellar stairs, quivering with indignation as he stared at the scene in the vat below him. His wife! Stark naked! And with Jonathan Relevant, a man the chancellor identified with and liked and respected! But a man older than himself, and making love to his wife! How could such a thing happen? The question found its way to his lips. “How could this happen?” the chancellor asked aloud.
“I was graped!” Nancy told him, dripping purple juice. She picked a bit of fruit pulp from between her small, upright breasts and repeated the accusation: “I’ve been graped!”
“Is that true, sir?” Despite his anger, there was deference in Chancellor Hardlign’s voice as he put the question to the older man.
“It’s accurate,” Jonathan Relevant granted, aware of sudden breastlessness, aware of having taken on both manhood and age under the chancellor’s gaze.
“I can’t believe that a man of your caliber would use force on my wife!” Chancellor Hardlign blurted out.
“It is hard to believe,” Jonathan Relevant agreed.
Nancy Hardlign blushed.
“Not that I haven’t wanted to use force on her sometimes myself, you understand,” the chancellor added.
“I understand.” Jonathan Relevant understood.
“I never knew that, dear.” Nancy Hardlign looked at her husband with surprise.
“There are lots of things you don’t know about me. You think I’m just a fusty old pedant. Well, many’s the night I’ve lain away phantasizing what it would be like to beat you black and blue. And tonight I just might do it!”
“Really?” Nancy climbed out of the vat and retrieved her purple-stained smock.
“Bursitis permitting.” The chancellor manipulated his stiff right arm with his left hand.
“A little exercise might be just the thing for that,” Nancy murmured. She pulled on the smock and went up the cellar stairs. “I’ll be waiting, dear,” she told her husband, patting his cheek as she passed him. “Don’t be too long.”
She wriggled provocatively and exited.
The chancellor stared after her, lost in speculation. Meanwhile, Jonathan Relevant climbed out of the vat, wiped the grape juice from his body, and dressed. He started up the stairs. The chancellor snapped out of his reverie.
‘Tm not a drinking man, but I do believe I need a Scotch and soda,” the chancellor said. He led the way to his study, motioned Jonathan Relevant to be seated, and proceeded to the liquor cabinet. “I suppose I should be violently angry with you,” he said as he mixed the drinks. “But somehow I don’t feel that way. Curious.” He handed Jonathan Relevant a drink.
“Thank you.”
“You know,” the chancellor continued, “when you’re married to a woman so much younger than yourself, you wonder about the possibility of her being unfaithful to you. Only somehow I was always sure it would be a much younger man.”
“At least a man,” Jonathan Relevant muttered to himself. He was still shook up by the trauma of his last manifestation.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Nothing.”
“Oh. Anyway, the fact that it’s not some young stallion, the fact that it’s you—well, I don’t want to be Noel Coward-ly about it, but in a strange way that‘s almost flattering. You see, I do admire you, sir. And to have my wife confirm my judgment so emphatically—- No doubt it’s horrendous, but I feel more pleased than outraged.”
“It’s not horrendous. It’s the way you feel,” Jonathan Relevant told him sincerely. “Why try to force a reaction that you don’t feel?”
“Because it’s expected, I suppose.”
“I don’t expect it. I don’t think your wife expects it. The question is, why should you expect it of yourself when it’s not the way you feel?”
“Precisely.” The chancellor tossed off his drink. “You know, my bursitis seems to be much better.” He laughed, a little embarrassed, and mixed two more Scotch and sodas. “Have you and my wife known each other long?” he asked conversationally.
“No. We just met tonight. Actually, I came here to see you.”
“Oh? What about?”
“The situation here at Harnell. The Ad Hoc Faculty Committee would like to arbitrate between the administration and the dissident students.”
“Arbitrate!” The chancellor’s voice was stern. “The faculty should be backing the administration all the way. That’s the only responsible position they can have!” A sudden twinge of bursitis stiffened his arm across his chest again.
“Someone will have to arbitrate. Why not the faculty?”
“Because their first responsibility is to the university!” The chancellor stuck his jaw out.
“Don’t they have a responsibility to the students too?” Jonathan Relevant asked.
“Of course. And it’s in the best interests of the students that a firm stand be taken. They have to learn that the rules of this university cannot be flaunted. Discipline must prevail!” Jaw jutting out, arm across his chest, hand inside his jacket, the chancellor came across to Jonathan Relevant as truly Napoleonic. “When will they realize that?” he added.
“Not tonight, Josephine,” Jonathan Relevant murmured.
“I’ve just come from a meeting with the Board of Trustees and representatives of HUAC—the Harnell University Alumni Commission,” the chancellor continued. “At my suggestion, an ultimatum has been issued to both groups of dissident students. They have until nine o’clock tomorrow morning to vacate both buildings. If they don’t comply, they will be forcibly removed!”
“That's just the sort of confrontation the faculty would like to see avoided.”
“Then let the faculty persuade the students to desist. If not, force will be met with force and in the end we will smash them!”
Listening to the Hardlign hard line, Jonathan Relevant heard the opening bars of the 1812 Overture. Onward to Moscow! A little snow never hurt anybody! So why worry?
“I’ve been in communication with both the mayor and the governor,” the chancellor told him. “If the students won’t leave voluntarily, then the police will remove them. And if the police can’t handle the situation, two units of the state‘s National Guard have been placed on standby at strategic positions.”
The chancellor was astride his white horse. Jonathan Relevant saw that clearly. And there seemed little chance of dislodging him before the battle was joined. “Isn’t all that force an overreaction?” Jonathan Relevant asked aloud.
“Perhaps. But once it was decided to take action, of necessity I had to delegate some of my authority to government officials. It’s unfortunate, but unavoidable that the situation here happens to fit into the local political picture. The mayor’s got his eye on the Statehouse and he’s determined to crack down hard on college rebellions. And the governor won’t be outdone when it comes to who can yell for law and order louder. Each of them is out to prove he’s tougher than the other.”