'Tallow,' he replied, his eyes watering and his nose still Itching.' Jephraim Tallow, at your service!'
'At my service!' She clapped her hands and the echoes reverberated around the hall. 'At my service!' She clapped and laughed until the hall resounded with the applause and laughter of a vast audience.
A voice, like the last trump, boomed and crashed into Tallow's startled ear-drums. ' Do you require me, madam?'
Staring through the gloom as the last echo fluttered in distant corners, Tallow was surprised to see that the hollow trumpet voice emanated from a bent and wizened ancient, clad in faded finery of gold and silver, tarnished and varnished with long years of wear. Pandora answered the servant: ' Dinner, Fench!' she cried.' Dinner for two - and make it good!'
'Yes, madam.' With a swirl of dust, the bent one vanished through a barely discernible door.
'One of my servants,' whispered Pandora confidingly. She frowned. 'The other one's his wife-damn her!' She cursed quite viciously; softly and sibilantly, like a snake spitting.
Tallow, knowing nothing of the place, wondered how an old woman could arouse such wrath in Pandora. But a thousand reasons swam into his head and he rejected them all. He was not a man to jump to conclusions. Conclusions were too final they led to death. She clutched his hand and led him through the hall to where wide oak stairs twisted upwards. ' Come, Jephraim,' she murmured.' Come my tender Tallow, and let us get you dressed!'
Tallow recovered his self-confidence and rushed like a rabbit up the stairway, his long legs stepping high. They polka'd hand in hand to the third floor of the vast, dark house. Their hair, his red, hers black as jet, flew behind them and they laughed all the while, happily insensitive to everything but themselves.
Up to the third floor they bounded, and she. led him to a door, one of a number, as solid as its fellows. He was slightly out of breath, for he was not used to climbing so many stairs.
As she strained to turn the knob on the door, using both hands, bending her body and screwing up her face until eventually the door creaked open, he began to hiccup.
Meanwhile, the wind which had driven Tallow on to the sand bar was howling around the golden barge as it pushed calmly onwards towards whatever victories or dooms awaited it.
'Jephraim,' whispered Pandora, as he sat back in his chair, sipping brandy from a glass as big as his head.
He grunted questioningly, smiling foolishly. The meal had been liberally diluted with night-red wine.
'Jephraim-where are you from?' She leant forward across the small table. She had changed into a dress of dark, sentient blue which flowed off her smooth shoulders to cascade like dangerous ice down her body, to flare suddenly at the knees.
She wore two rings on her left hand; sapphires and emeralds and around her soft throat hung a thin chain of gold. Tallow's new emotions were rioting through him and a childish awe for his good fortune still stuck in part of his mind, even as he stretched but a hand and groped for Pandora's taloned fingers.
Pinpricks of excitement and anticipation were becoming too much to bear and his voice throbbed.as he spoke, echoing his heart-beats.
'From a town many miles away,' he said, and this appeared to satisfy her.
'Where were you going, Jephraim?' This question was asked idly, as if she didn't expect him to answer.
'I was-I am-following a golden ship which passed your house just before I ran aground. Did you see it?'
She laughed, and her laughter hurt him causing him to withdraw his hand.' Silly Tallow,' she cried.' No such ship passed and I didn't see it for I was in the garden a long while - watching the river. I never miss the ships.'
'You missed this one,' he muttered, glaring into his glass.
'Your jokes are hard to understand, Jephraim,' she said more softly. ' But I'm sure I'll like them - when we know each other better.' Her voice dropped lower and lower until it was almost inaudible, but the timbre of it was enough to churn Tallow's thoughts into other channels almost immediately. Some of his self-assurance, so badly shattered recently, returned to him and he folded his ten fingers around the brandy glass, lifted it, and poured the entire contents down his throat. He smacked his lips and gasped, then put the glass down with a bang, clattering the dirty cutlery.
He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, the scarlet sleeve of his new corduroy jacket somewhat impeding this action, and looked around the small candle-lit room until it blurred. Pettishly, he shook his head to clear it and, supporting himself with hands spread on the table, stood up. He looked intently into her eyes and she smiled hesitantly.
'Pandora, I love you.' He was relieved now that it was over.
'Good,' she purred. ' That makes it so much easier.'
Tallow was too drunk to wonder what it was which would be easier. He ignored the statement and rocked towards her. She stood up, slowly, carefully, and glided towards him. He gathered her in and kissed her throat. As she was standing up, he couldn't quite reach her mouth. Her breasts pushed against his chest and her arms slid up his back, one hand caressing the nape of his neck; The other hand moved startlingly down his back and around his hip.
'Ouch!' he moaned a moment later. 'That ring hurts!' She pouted, then smiled, and took her rings off. He wriggled in his tight, black velvet trousers and wished that he were naked.
'Shall we go to bed, now?' she suggested at just the right moment.
'Yes,' agreed Tallow with earnest certainty.' Yes.' She supported his reeling body as they left the room and made their way up the flight of stairs to her own bedroom.
A week throbbed by. A bedded week, wearing for Tallow, but delightful. Pandora's expert lessons had taught him, among other things, that he was a man; a man, to boot, who had learned to please Pandora. The week had taught him something else, something subtler, and he now had a tighter rein on his emotions; could control both appetite and expression to a greater degree.
Tallow lay in bed beside a sleeping Pandora, attempting to shift the sheet which covered her. His eyes were as yet unsatiated by the sight of her lying naked and at his mercy. The truth was, he had to admit, that for the most part he was inextricably at her mercy. But Pandora was a woman, and took only the right and honest advantage of her superior position. Tallow remained in love with her and the love grew strongly and he was content.
Her yielding and her occasional pleas were rare, but could be savoured for their rarity. Weariness, however, was encroaching to make a wreck of Tallow. He slept longer, made love a trifle less violently, though with more skill, and even now, after ten hours of sleep, he did not feel rested, but none the less, he was content. He felt happiness and sometimes sadness when Pandora unknowingly outraged him, but the joy far outweighed the pain.
He had just laid bare her breasts, when she awoke. She blinked and then opened her eyes as widely as she could, looked at him, looked down and gently drew the sheet back towards her chin. Tallow grunted his disappointment, raised himself on one elbow, cushioned his head in his. hand, and stared down at her.
'Good morning,' he said with mock accusation.
"Morning, Jephraim.' She smiled like a schoolgirl, stirring tenderness and desire in him. He flung himself upon her in a flurry of sheeting. She laughed, gasped, was silent for some Seconds, and then kissed him.
'I earned it, didn't I?' she said, staring into his eyes.
'You did,' he rolled over and sat up in bed.
'You need me, don't you?' she said softly, behind him.
'Yes,' he said, and then paused, thinking-he had answered! the question too quickly. Before he had considered it again properly, he had said: ' At least -I think so.'
Her voice was still soft, unchanged: 'What do you meanyou think so?'
'Sorry,' he smiled, turning towards her and looking down at her.' Sorry -I don't know what I meant.'