It was on the basis of considerations such as these, and perhaps cumulatively, taking into consideration their conjoint weight, that a determination might be made as to whether or not it was fitting that she be made a slave. Her begging for a Cosian collar but moments ago, and her open admission of the fittingness and rightness of her being collared, interestingly, would probably not be considered at all. In most cities such things are taken for granted, the natural righfulness of slavery for females, and such, and are accordingly seldom regarded as germane with respect to the legal imposition of a sentence of bondage.

"You do not think then that these charges should be dismissed out of hand!" she asked, faltering.

"I would certainly not think so," said Aemilianus.

"I see," she said, frightened. She was kneeling up, off her heels.

We heard a Vosk gull screaming overhead.

From where I stood I could see the linked ankle rings on her fair ankles, and part of the long chain running from the ankle-ring chain up, before her body, to the staple on her collar. The wrist-ring chain, in front, was attached to the same long chain. I could see also the metal collar on her neck. It was in plain view, of course, as I had cut her hair.

"What then is your decision upon the charges, Commander? she asked. "'Charges'?" he asked.

"Yes," she said.

"Charges," he said, "are appropriate to free women."

"Commander?" she asked.

"They might be involved, for example," he said, "in a trial."

"Of course, Commander," she said.

"Whereas in your case," he said, "such considerations, being pertinent to free women, may be simply beside the point."

"But surely I have been on trial!" she said.

"Perhaps, rather," he said, "as I suggested earlier, we are not engaged her in a trial but in something quite different." "I do not understand," she said.

"Perhaps this is more in the nature of a little hearing, a quire informal little hearing, or inquiry."

"Commander?" she faltered.

"And perhaps what we are really concerned with here are not charges, which are pertinent only to free persons, but causes for punishment, which are pertinent to slaves."

She looked at him in terror.

"To be sure," he said, "anything, with or without reason, may be done to a slave."

"Commandera€”" she said.

"I do not think we need now concern ourselves with matters such as intentional misrepresentations of caste, violations of decorum, arrogation of advantages, jeopardization of fellow citizens, and insufficiency of patriotism. We must rather consider matters which, I believe, are more pertinent in your case, and, I fear, unfortunately for you, far more serious."

"What matters?" she asked, terrified.

"Chief among them," he said, "would seem to be misrepresentation of status." "Ia€”I do not understand," she whispered.

"Impersonation of a free woman," he said.

She did not dare to speak.

"And, of course," he said, "there are several associated considerations, such as arrogant speech, speaking without permission, and failure to use the proper forms of address."

She shuddered.

"You may speak," he said.

She lifted her hands toward her collar. "You can see that the only collar I wear," she said, "is a portion of my chaining. You can see that I am not branded!"

"Are you, or are you not, a free woman?" asked Aemilianus. "Speak clearly." She squirmed, kneeling on the deck. She trembled in the chains. She looked from one face to another, before her, and at the sides. Wildly she must have been considering whether or not there might be any there who had heard her speak the self-irreversible words of self-enslavement on the upper battlements. Then, kneeling up, again off her heels, she straightened her back, and, I fear, was preparing to respond boldly, and negatively, to the question of Aemilianus. She lifted her head, she drew in her breath.

"Consider your answer carefully," I said to her, from behind her.

Hearing my voice she suddenly uttered a shriek of misery, flung her hands up in the wrist rings, until the chaining impeded their further movements, and jerked helplessly in the chains. Then she lowered her hands and wavered. I feared she might faint. Then she bent over at the waist and put her head down, and turned half about, on her knees. Then, lifting her head a little, she looked up at me. I looked down at the slave, my arms folded.

Then she again, quickly, put her head down.

She then turned again, on her knees, to face Aemilianus. "I am a slave!" she cried, prostrating herself before him, her chained wrists under her thighs. "Forgive me, Master! Have mercy on me, Master!"

She had seen me on the ship, standing there, a free man, among peers. She had had some concept, doubtless, of what I had done on the wall, if nowhere else. I did not think she was under any delusion as to who would be believed in any conflict of testimonies. Too, of course, Lady Claudia, still a free person, who could render free testimony, not even extracted under torture, for example, had been present. Too, the young crossbowman, though she would not know his identity, as she had been hooded, had been there later, when she had, by the code of whimpers, acknowledged herself a slave, and before him, and me, had performed an enticing, placatory slave behavior. She was surely under no delusion, now, as to whether Aemilianus and the others knew the truth. They had merely been playing with a slave.

"It is a serious matter," said Aemilianus to her, "when a she-tarsk claims not to be a she-tarsk."

"I did not claim explicitly to be a free woman, Master!" she wept.

There was laughter from those about. Even Aemilianus smiled. Her entire behavior had been calculated to deceive those about as to her status.

"Please forgive a slave, Master!" she wept. She lifted herself a little, timidly. There was laughter.

I had not wanted her to assert, explicitly, in response to the question of Aemilianus, concerning her status, that she was a free woman. although she did not realize it at the time, she was already then in deep enough difficulties. In making clear to her the futility of such a lie, sure to be devastating in its consequences, and, indeed, the futility of attempting to prolong her entire absurd charade. I had saved her subjection to hideous tortures, and perhaps her life. It is a very serious "cause for punishment" on the part of a slave to conceal or deny her status. Normally, of course, there is very little danger of this sort of thing occurring, as she is usually collared and branded, and, usually, is clad in a distinctive manner.

"Kneel," said Aemilianus.

The girls struggled up, in her chains, and then knelt before him. She crossed her chained hands over her breasts, covering herself. This was interesting, this sudden, poignant touch of frightened modesty, now that she was aware of her slave vulnerability.

Aemilianus' eyes were upon her. She lowered her hands. He continued to regard her. She then knelt back on her heels. Still his gaze did not leave her. She then, blushing, opened her knees.

"How did you become a slave?" he asked. He knew, of course.

"I confessed my natural slavery," she said, "and then spoke words of self-enslavement."

"At which point," said Aemilianus, "you ceased to be a person, and became a property."

"Yes, Master," she whispered.

"An animal."

"Yes, Master," she said.

"Do you think it is acceptable for properties, for animals, to pretend to the status of persons?"

"No, Master!" she said.

"But yet you did so."

"Forgive me, Master!" she begged.

"I have a mind to turn you over to free women," he said.

"Please, no, Master!" she wept, terrified.

"What do you think should be your disposition? he asked. She looked up, startled. It seemed she thought wildly, excitedly, for a moment. But then she put down her head, humbly, fearfully. "Whatever master pleases," she said.