'You know I cannot read.'
'Not even your collar?' he asked.
'No,' I said.
'Well,' he said, 'do not worry about it. It is not necessary for you to be able to read your collar. All that is necessary, from your point of view, is that it is locked on you, that you cannot remove it, and that it can be read by free men.'
'Are you going to teach me to read?' I asked.
'Such skills would seem to have a very low priority,' he said. 'For example, can you play the kalika?'
'No,' I said.
'Do you know the exercises and luscious movements of slave dance?' he asked. 'Not really,' I said.
'So why should you be taught to read?' he asked.
'I could spy on your mail,' I said.
'I had not considered that,' he admitted 'It could improve my price,' I said. 'That is probably true,' he said.
'Many men,' I said, 'enjoy having a girl who can read. It gives them pleasure to make her serve as well, or better, than an illiterate girl.'
'I shall think about it,' he said.
'Thank you, Master,' I said. Whether I would learn to read or not was not up to me. In final analysis, it was up to masters. It would be done with me as they wished.
'Tell me, please,' I asked, 'what is on my collar.'
'A speck of dust,' he said. 'There, I have removed it.'
'Please,' I said.
'It is simple,' he said. 'It says, 'I belong to Drusus Reneius, of Ar.' I kissed him. 'It speaks the truth not only of my legal condition,' I said, 'but of my heart.'
He then, again, began to touch me. 'Thank you, Master I breathed, again. I did not know whether or nor I would be taught to read. Then, in a few moments, gently, softly, I began again to yield to him.
I lay on one elbow, regarding Drusus Rencius. 'What did you pay for me?' I asked.
'It is not important,' he said.
'I am curious to know,' I said.
'Curiosity is not becoming in a Kajira,' he said.
'Nonetheless,' I said, 'we are notoriously curious. Doubtless the saying would not otherwise have gained such wide currency.'
'That is probably true,' he said.
'I would like to know,' I said.
What is the difference of a coin or two?' he asked.
'I know it was not much,' I said.
'Oh?' he asked.
I laughed merrily, and he reddened. I knew I had triumphed!
'You paid for me!' I laughed. 'You know what you paid! What did I cost you? What did I bring Miles of Argentum!'
'I do not recall,' he said.
'Miles of Argentum,' I laughed, 'when he saw me in Corcyrus, thought I would bring a whole silver tarsk! He, then, too had only seen me fully clothed, clad in the full regalia of the Tatrix. Only my face had been unveiled! Had he seen me naked he might have raised his estimate! Too, suppose he had seen me in a posture of submission or had had me writhe at his feet in slave chains! Suppose he had put me through detailed and methodical slave paces, or had had me bring him the whip in my teeth!'
'Perhaps he would have added a copper tarsk or so to your price,' speculated Drusus Rencius.
'Who knows?'
'You yourself,' I said, slyly, maliciously, 'in Corcyrus, as I recall, conjectured that I would probably bring only between fifteen and twenty copper tarsks.'
'That seems about right,' he said. 'In a normal market, under normal conditions, of course.'
'But that was untrained,' I said. 'Subsequently I was trained.'
'Yes,' he said, 'that is true. I suppose it would be only fair to improve your price by a copper tarsk or so in virtue of such a consideration.'
'But suppose a man particularly wanted a woman,' I said. 'Suppose she was, for some reason, very special to him. Perhaps she had been cruel to him. Perhaps he mightily desired her. He might then be tempted to pay at least a little more, might he not, to obtain her?'
'I suppose so,' said Drusus Rencius, irritatedly.
'What did you pay?' I asked.
'It doesn't really make a difference, does it?' he asked.
'I suppose not,' I said, 'but I would like to know.'
'I do not recall,' he growled.
'Miles of Argentum,' I said, 'truly at one time believed me, and with good reason, from his point of view, to be the Tatrix of Corcyrus. For that reason he paid fifteen tarsks for me, fifteen silver tarsks.'
'What an idiot,' said Drusus Rencius, darkly.
I laughed. 'Fortunately he was your friend,' I said, 'and for that reason would cheerfully accept a considerable loss in my resale.'
'I paid more than fifteen silver tarsks for you,' said Drusus Rencius. I clapped my hands with pleasure. 'I knew it must be 50!' I laughed. The face of Drusus Rencius was black with rage.
'what did you pay!' I asked. 'what did you pay!'
'More than twenty tarsks,' he said, angrily. 'How much!' I demanded. 'How much!' 'I paid fifty silver tarsks for you!' he said, furiously. 'Fifty!' I cried. 'Yes!' he cried, in fury.
'Wonderful!' I laughed. 'That is wonderful!' He scowled at me fiercely. 'I am surely the poorest investment a man has ever made in a slave girl,' I laughed. 'You will have to keep me forever. You will never recoup that loss!' 'Oh!' I cried, thrown to my stomach on the love furs.
Then my legs were thrust apart. Then as I gasped and clutched at the furs, almost before I could move, from behind, handled like the slave I was, I was pinioned, held and entered.
'You need not fear I will sell you,' he said. 'I have waited long to possess you.'
I squirmed, impaled.
'And do not worry about the economic aspects of the matter,' he said. 'You are going to make your sales price up to me in value, aren't you?'
'Yes,' I said, 'a thousand times!'
'Is that all?' he asked.
'A thousand times a thousand times!' I gasped.
'Is that all?' he asked.
'And more, and more, and more!' I cried.
'You will now move as I direct,' he said.
'Yes, Master,' I said. 'Yes, Master!'
'I love you. I love you. I love you!' I moaned. 'I love you so much I could die with the love of you.'
Then his lips were again upon me.
It was now in the early light of morning. In a few hours he would leave for Ar. I would accompany him, perhaps even in his chains, his.
'You are doing it to me again!' I moaned.
'Be quiet,' he whispered.
Then I melted to him again, soft and lost, held, in his arms, and then he swept me up again, willless, his collared slave, like a swirling leaf high into the clouds of ecstasy, and love.
