“And, as such,” she said, “in the possession of such literature, well aware of its political impropriety, you have behaved inexcusably.”
“Mrs. Rawlinson!” protested Jane.
“Stay on your knees, sluts,” she said.
“Sluts!” protested Jane.
She had called us this before.
“Who else would read such things?” she asked.
Eve burst into tears.
“Yes,” said Mrs. Rawlinson, “‘sluts,’ all of you, and less than that, far less, if you but knew.”
I did not understand her.
I was afraid.
“You must be punished,” she said.
“No!” said Jane.
“No!” I said.
“I see,” said she, “that expulsion from the house is in order.”
“No!” we cried. “Please, no!”
It is difficult to convey my feelings, and, I suspect, the same might have been said for Eve and Jane. We were afraid, uncertain, and confused. In a moment we might be lost. In a sense, we were helpless. We were before the house mother, awaiting her pleasure and decision, on which our future might depend, and, as she would have it, unshod, and on our knees.
The thought came to me, unbidden, sudden, that I was where I belonged, on my knees.
“Be kind!” I begged.
“You will be punished,” she said, “all of you, and exquisitely, in a way which will be wholly appropriate to your fault, in a way which will both conceal you and reveal you.”
We understood nothing of this.
“I will see to it that you will pay for your indiscretion,” she said. “I will see to it that you will suffer for it. I will see to it that you will be profoundly and exquisitely humiliated, that you, all of you, will be openly and publicly shamed, excruciatingly so, deliciously so, and yet in such a way that only we, you and I, understand fully what is occurring.”
Eve, Jane, and I exchanged frightened glances.
“You are familiar to some extent with the Gorean world,” she said. “That is clear from the books found in your rooms. Therefore, it is only fitting that such things be considered in your punishment.”
“Mrs. Rawlinson?” stammered Eve.
“We shall arrange a party,” she said. “To some, perhaps more than you suspect, it will be clear that it is a Gorean party; to others it will be no more than a delightful, exquisite entertainment, a costume affair, with a Roman or Greek flavor, hosted by the house, to which selected members of particular fraternities will be invited.”
Such parties, and others, I knew, innocent and pleasant, but subtly, implicitly, and unmistakably stimulating, were not unknown on prestigious, sophisticated campuses
Needless to say, we were much relieved.
“The highest fraternities!” said Eve.
“Of course,” said Mrs. Rawlinson.
These would be the fellows from whom even we hoped for attention, and dates.
Such a party, eagerly arranged and planned by our sisters, would be the talk of the campus, and the envy of other sororities, our rivals, which, I suspected, would soon address themselves to similar affairs.
“It will take some days to prepare,” said Mrs. Rawlinson. “There is the question of a proper decor, an apt menu, and such. It will not be difficult to arrange music. Dancers, too, may be obtained.”
“Is this a punishment?” asked Eve.
“For you three, yes,” said Mrs. Rawlinson.
“I do not understand,” I said. “May I rise to my feet?”
“No,” she said.
“There would be the matter of costumes?” said Jane.
“Quite right,” said Mrs. Rawlinson.
“How could one come by a proper wardrobe?” asked Jane.
“It would have to be improvised,” said Mrs. Rawlinson.
“Robes, and such,” said Eve.
“Yes,” said Mrs. Rawlinson.
“But the women would have to be veiled,” said Jane.
Mrs. Rawlinson regarded her.
“It must be unpleasant to drink through a veil,” said Jane.
“It shows crudeness, to be sure,” said Mrs. Rawlinson, “but low-caste women, in public, commonly do so. But do not be concerned. Our party will be intimate, and private. In such circumstances high-caste women commonly dispense with veiling.”
“But they might enter, veiled?” said Jane.
“Yes,” said Mrs. Rawlinson, “and, if they wish, they may eat and drink behind the veil.”
“I did not know that,” said Jane.
I did not know it, either.
“Much may be done with a veil,” said Mrs. Rawlinson, “at the discretion of its owner, an adjustment, an inadvertence, a slight laxity, a glimpsed cherry lip, a sparkling eye, and the knife is turned about in the heart of some luckless fellow.”
“Delightful,” said Eve.
“How will we distribute the garments, the roles?” asked Jane.
“Would not everyone choose those of high caste, even those of Ubaras?” I asked.
“We will select the roles, and distribute them by lot,” said Mrs. Rawlinson.
“Very well,” said Jane. “That seems fair. It would not do to have thirty Ubaras in the house.”
“The lots, to some extent,” said Mrs. Rawlinson, “will be rigged.”
“How is that?” asked Eve.
“I think that Nora will be our Ubara,” she said, “and certain of her friends the Ubara’s confidantes, or attendants.”
“Why is that?” asked Jane.
“My choice,” said Mrs. Rawlinson.
“Oh,” said Jane.
I was sure that Mrs. Rawlinson was very much aware of certain interpersonal relationships obtaining in the house. There was no secret about such things.
“I hope,” said Eve, “I will be of the Merchants. Their robes are yellow and white, or gold and white. I think I would look stunning in such robes.”
Eve had strikingly dark hair.
“I trust I will be of the Builders,” said Jane. “Their robes are yellow.”
“Their official caste robes,” said Mrs. Rawlinson. “Goreans do not always wear their caste’s colors.”
“I did not know that,” said Jane.
Mrs. Rawlinson looked at me. “And you?” she said. “Perhaps you would care for the robes of the Scribes?”
“No,” I said. “They are poor. I do not know why they are a high caste.”
“Perhaps then,” said Mrs. Rawlinson, “the green of the Physicians. They are a high caste.”
“No,” I said. “They, too, are not rich enough. I gather their pleasure is in their healings, and not in their fees. They are too devoted to their work, to their research, serums, and medicines, and distributing the benefits of their administrations and learnings indiscriminately, denying such to no one.”
“That is in their caste codes,” said Mrs. Rawlinson.
“They are fools,” I said. “People sometimes need their skills and knowledge, even desperately. That is when they could make others pay, and well.”
