“Yet they seldom do so,” said Mrs. Rawlinson.
“To neglect such opportunities seems to me unwise, and scarcely comprehensible.”
“The caste has its traditions, and codes,” she said.
“Such practices, and refrainings,” I said, “seem an unlikely route to the prestige of a high caste.”
“Perhaps,” said Mrs. Rawlinson.
“Where is their wealth, their power?”
“The personal physicians of Ubars do well,” said Mrs. Rawlinson.
“But the others?” I said.
“There are the traditions, the codes,” said Mrs. Rawlinson.
“Wealth is power,” I said.
“Only if it can purchase steel,” she said.
“In any event,” I said, “I would like, like Eve, to be of the Merchants. Surely there could be more than one.”
“Of course,” said Mrs. Rawlinson.
I, too, had dark hair. I thought it would look well against white and yellow, or white and gold.
I had little doubt that the Merchants was the wealthiest caste. It seemed to me, then, that it should be the highest caste. Of what value, for example, was the Scarlet Caste, the caste of Warriors, if not to protect the gold, the wealth, of the Merchants?
“None of you,” said Mrs. Rawlinson, “will be of high caste.”
“But,” said Eve, “if we are of low caste, of the Metal Workers, the Cloth Workers, the Workers in Wood, the Leather Workers, the Bakers, the Tarnsters, or such, we would have to be placed lower at the tables.”
“But,” said Mrs. Rawlinson, “you will not be placed at the tables, at all. As mentioned, the lots will be arranged. It will seem that it was merely your fortune, a matter of chance, that the lots fell as they did.”
“No!” said Eve.
“Never!” said Jane.
“Certainly not!” I said.
“Yes,” said Mrs. Rawlinson. “It will be your role to serve the feast. You will serve attentively, efficiently, and humbly. You will be alert to the needs of the guests, an empty plate, a glass in need of refilling. You will be swift to respond to summoning, of any sort, for example, to bring a laver of scented water to a place, that the guest may rinse his hands, or to lend your body, clothing, or hair, if a guest wishes, to wipe grease from his fingers. You will not speak unless you are spoken to. If spoken to, you will respond softly, with deference. Your head is to be lowered, unless you are ordered to raise it; you are not to meet the eyes of a guest, unless commanded to do so. You are to be self-effacing. You are prohibited from participating in the feast, in any way, either by eating or drinking, unless commanded by a guest. One may wish to feed you by hand, or cast scraps to the floor, which you are to retrieve on all fours, without the use of your hands. If a pan of water is set on the floor for you, you are to approach it on all fours, bow your head, and drink from it, humbly, as an animal. Each guest will be furnished with a switch, which he may use on you, if he is in any way dissatisfied with your service, or, if he wishes, for no reason at all.”
“Never!” said Eve.
“This is your punishment,” said Mrs. Rawlinson. “There is still time for you to leave the house.”
Jane began to sob.
“The guests, and your sisters, will think this all a matter of the lots,” said Mrs. Rawlinson. “Thus, in a sense, your fault, your punishment, will be concealed, and yet, in a way, its consequences will be well revealed.”
“You would have us be as kajirae?” said Jane, aghast.
“Slave girls-
“Precisely,” said Mrs. Rawlinson.
“But the fellows would not stand for such a thing,” said Eve. “They would object. They would rush to rescue us.”
“Do not be too sure of that,” said Mrs. Rawlinson. “I think they will see it as all in the spirit of good fun. Too, I suspect that most will be pleased to see you, or any number of other young women, so. Further, the young men will be informed that any attempt to interfere with matters will result in their immediate ejection. I think things will go splendidly.”
“How will we be clothed?” I asked.
“I have decided that,” she said.
“As I understand it,” I said, “kajirae are commonly clothed sedately, in long gowns, if with bared arms, at such feasts, that is, if free women should be present?”
One scarcely dared conjecture how they might serve, if free women were not present.
“Not always,” said Mrs. Rawlinson, “particularly if the kajirae would be recent captures from an enemy city, or, say, enslaved rivals of the free women attending the feast, or such.”
“I gather,” I said, “that we are not then to be allowed the dignity of lengthy, concealing gowns.”
“No,” she said.
“You would dare have us appear in public in less?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said.
“No, no!” said Jane.
“It is all in good fun,” she said.
“How then,” asked Eve, “are we to be clothed?”
“Obviously then,” I said, “in a garmenture appropriate to slaves.”
“Tunics, then,” said Jane, in misery, “tunics fit for slaves, slave tunics.”
“I am sure,” said Mrs. Rawlinson, “that you would all look quite fetching in such tunics, slave tunics, particularly of the sort designed by men, by means of which the beasts boast of the lineaments of their properties.”
“I will never put such a thing on!” exclaimed Jane.
“Never!” said Eve.
“Never!” I said.
“We might perish of mortification!” said Jane.
“Scarcely so,” said Mrs. Rawlinson.
“Still!” I exclaimed.
The thought of myself in such a garment was shocking, insupportable, so exhibited, so displayed! How unthinkable, would be such a thing!
It would be as though I were a slave!
“I gather, from men,” she said, “that such things are extremely attractive.”
“They demean a woman,” said Jane.
“How can one demean a slave?” she asked.
“But you need have no fear,” she said. “I have no intention of putting you in slave tunics.”
We exchanged glances, of relief.
“You will not wear slave tunics,” she said.
“Thank you, Mrs. Rawlinson,” we said.
“No,” she said, “you will not be allowed such dignity. You will serve in camisks, all of you, in the common camisk.”
“Never!” we cried.
“Remain on your knees,” she said.
The camisk is a narrow rectangle of cloth, with an opening in the center. It is slipped over the head, and belted snugly, commonly with a double loop of thong or binding fiber, this fastened with a slip knot at the left hip, that it may be convenient to a right-handed man. The double loop provides enough thong or binding fiber to bind the occupant, helplessly, hand and foot. The slip knot at the waist of the camisk is similar to the disrobing loop at the left shoulder of some slave tunics, by means of which the garment may be conveniently removed, a simple tug loosening it, permitting it to fall gracefully about the ankles of its occupant.
“We will never wear such things,” said Eve.
