The prisoner made a small, pleased noise.

"The question remains, of course, as to why you might do such a thing." She lay quietly, not moving.

"The question may be easily decided, of course," I said, "by seeing whether or not these garments, unlike the garments of free women, can be easily, swiftly and provocatively removed, and, say, whether or not, in the typical fashion of free women, even of the lower castes, you are wearing underrobes." Her small fists clenched in fury.

"Accordingly," I said, "rise up on your knees, and turn and face me." She did so, in fury.

Then her fury turned to fear, timidity and docility as I held her veil. I drew it toward me, gently. Instantly she fell forward on all fours, to relieve the pressure on the veil, to keep it on her. Her eyes were now wild over it, held out from her.

"No," she said, "please do not take my veil."

"I shall not do so," I said.

She gasped in relief.

"Lady Claudia will do so," I said.

Tears brimmed in her eyes.

"Surely you have looked upon her, unveiled," I said.

The prisoner sobbed.

"Stay on all fours," I cautioned her. In this way she would be unable to interfere. Too, she could not put her hands before her face.

The prisoner sobbed, and trembled.

"Remove the veil, carefully," I cautioned Lady Claudia. I had my reasons for not wanting it damaged.

"Please, no!" begged the prisoner.

The veil was fastened with a string and Lady Claudia, with two hands, lifted it gently from the head of our prisoner.

"She is beautiful!" said Lady Claudia.

"Please do not look at my lips!" sobbed the prisoner. But my hand was in her hair, holding her head up.

"She has excellent lips," I said. "Properly trained, she could probably kiss well."

"How beautiful she is!" breathed Lady Claudia.

"No more beautiful than you," I said.

"Truly?" asked Lady Claudia.

"Yes," I said.

Lady Claudia caught her breath for an instant, suspecting then, perhaps, how attractive she herself might be.

"You may kneel back," I told the prisoner, releasing her hair. She lost no time in scrambling back to her kneeling position, and put her two hands before her face.

"Put your hands down," I said.

"I do not have my veil!" she said.

Her lips, her mouth, her features, in all their expressiveness, with all their delicacy, sensuousness and beauty, it was true, should she lower her hands, would be bared. They would be exposed. One could look upon them, even idly. She had been face-stripped. Her face was now naked, as much so as that of a slave. "Now," I said.

She lowered her hands, sobbing.

I had denied her the delicacy, the modesty, the shield and defense of the veil, just as it is denied to slaves.

"Did you not expect to tear off your veil before Cosians?" I asked. She looked at me, angrily.

"I see you did," I said.

"One grows used to being without the veil," said Lady Claudia.

"Slave!" cried Lady Publia.

"I am as free as you!" retorted Lady Claudia.

"In the south," I said, "the women of the Wagon Peoples, even the free women, do not wear veils."

"Slave!" cried Lady Publia again to Lady Claudia.

"My face is no more naked than yours!" retorted lady Claudia.

"Naked face!" cried Lady Publia.

"Naked face!" responded Lady Claudia.

"On the other hand," I said, "the free women of the Wagon Peoples do wear clothes."

Lady Publia looked at me, suddenly, sharply.

"Those are pretty rags," I said.

She said nothing.

"Remove them," I told her.

Angrily Lady Publia removed the belt from her waist. It was a sturdy belt, flat, white, woven of ropelike material, quite capable of supporting the purse she had carried. It was, however, a hook-fastened belt. And she had unhooked it in an instant and, thus, freed, it fell back, behind her. She then, angrily, put her hands to the sides of her garment, up about the neck. It was a wraparound garment. She undid one hook there and, in fury, with her two hands, swiftly, easily, insolently, gracefully, slipped the garment away.

"Ah," said Lady Claudia, softly, admiringly.

Lady Publia straightened her body, pleased.

"Did you notice how she could do that, on her knees?" I asked Lady Claudia. "The garment is designed to allow that. You could perhaps imagine the difficulty of getting out of the customary robes of concealment while on your knees." "She is so beautiful," said Lady Claudia.

"You removed your garment well, Lady Publia," I said. "Doubtless you have practiced it many times. If I were a Cosian, however, I think you would have done it somewhat less insolently."

"Doubtless," she said.

"Under different circumstances," I said, "and if we had more time, it might be interesting to put you in a bit of slave silk, and teach you how to disrobe properly before a man."

She tossed her head.

"What formulas had you in mind to use to the Cosians?" I asked.

"I do not know what you are talking about," she said.

"Doubtless you rehearsed them well," I speculated.

She looked at me, angrily.

"Formulas?" asked Lady Claudia.

"'I bare my breasts before you. Make me a slave, "I surrender to you, naked. Spare me. I beg bondage, "I have endeavored to conceal my true nature from men, that I am a slave. Visit justice upon me, "I have stripped myself before you. let me live, that I may serve you as the most abject and loving of slaves, and such sayings," I said.

"Such saying stir my belly," said Lady Claudia.

"That is because it is the belly of a slave!" snapped Lady Publia.

"It would be easy enough to tell," I said, "if your belly, too, is that of a slave. I need only place my hand on you, and have you say such things, slowly, deeply and with feeling."

She regarded me with horror.

"But you are, of course, a free woman," I said.

"Yes!" she said. "Yes!" I saw then the nature of her belly, that she feared it would betray her.

"Had you never considered such sayings?" I asked Lady Claudia.

"Yes," she said, smiling, "often, but I had never really thought of them in such a formal way."

"But you never dared to kneel naked before a man, and say such things?" "No," she said, shyly. "I was much afraid. Bondage is a great step for a woman. It is so absolute, and different. It is natural for her to fear it. And now that I long to do so, he who is to me as master has forbidden it. It seems he wants to keep me as a free woman, at least for a time, for some reason."

That was true. I had my reasons.

"What did you expect to do," I asked, "if any, Cosians, or others, in darkened buildings or flaming streets, came upon you?"

"I had thought I would have had my letter of safety," she said.

"Do you think looting soldiers would have stopped to read your letter?" I asked. "Perhaps not," she smiled.

"So what would you have done?" I asked.

"What I suppose most any woman would do," she said. "I would have stripped myself and knelt, begging to be kept as a slave. Then, if I were fortunate, I suppose I would soon thereafter, my hands bound behind me, be following my master, on a cord and nose ring."

"It is not unlikely," I said.

"Slave!" hissed Lady Publia.

We then regarded Lady Publia, kneeling there, naked, in the straw, her tags back over her calves.

She had beautiful eyes and hair, and features. She had a marvelous belly, breasts, and thighs, a luscious love cradle. Women are so incredibly, so inutterably beautiful! They have been made for seizing in one's arms, and owning and collaring.

"She is very beautiful," said Lady Claudia.

I studied Lady Publia closely, to her acute discomfort, as she looked away, frightened, not wanting to meet my eyes. Yes, I thought, it is true, she is very beautiful, and those small, white limbs would look well in shackles, and that face, those breasts and thighs would exhibit well on the block, under the torches of an auction.