could prove. Still it seemed to warrant an investigation.'
'I agree completely,' I said.
'Two officers and I went to the same address,' she said.
'What occurred in the confrontation?' I asked.
'There was no confrontation,' she said. 'The apartment was empty. It was not even furnished. There were no drapes, nothing. The superintendent claimed it had been empty for a week. There was no reason for the officers to disbelieve him. Perhaps he was paid off. Perhaps he was in league with the heavy man. I do not know. The officers, angry, gave me a stern warning about such pranks and let me go. The entire matter has been a pain and an embarrassment to me.'
'It certainly seems an elaborate hoax,' I said.
'Why would anyone go to such trouble?' she asked
'I do not know,' I said.
'Do you think I have anything to fear?' she asked.
'No,' I said, 'certainly not.' Then I lifted my hand, to call the waiter.
'I must pay half the check and leave half the tip,' she said.
'I'll take care of it,' I said.
'No,' she said, suddenly, irritably. 'I will be dependent on a man for nothing.'
'Very well,' I said. I saw that Miss Henderson had a sharp edge to her. I supposed that a Gorean slave whip, if there were a Gor, would quickly take that out of her.
We then, at the hat-check counter, secured our wraps. The girl behind the counter was blond. She wore a white blouse and a brief, black skirt; her legs, well revealed, were clad in clinging black netting. Miss Henderson received her light cape. She placed a quarter in the small wooden bowl on the counter. I received my coat. I gave the girl a dollar. She had lovely legs. She had a pretty smile. She pleased me. 'Thank you, Sir,' she said. 'You're welcome,' I said.
'Scandalous how some women exploit their bodies;' said Beverly, when we had stepped away from the counter.
'She was very pretty,' I said.
'I suppose you would not mind owning her,' said Beverly.
'No,' I said, 'I wouldn't mind owning her at all. She might be very pleasant to own.'
'All men are monsters,' said Beverly.
I donned my coat. She held her wrap.
'Why are you dressed as you are tonight?' I asked. 'Are you not frightened that some of your 'sisters' in your department will see you? Can you afford the risk?'
She seemed momentarily apprehensive. I had been joking. Then I saw that it was not truly a joke. One student can, subtly, belittle and undermine another student in the eyes of her peers and in the eyes of the faculty. It can be done with apparent innocence in the dialogue in a seminar, by an apparently chance remark at a coffee or tea, even by an expression or a movement of the body in a classroom or a hall. The rules for conformance and the sanctions against difference are seldom explicit; indeed, it is commonly denied that there are such rules and sanctions. They are reasonably obvious, however, to those familiar with the psychology of groups. Such things, unfortunately, can ruin graduate careers. Most obviously they can be reflected in the evaluations of the student's work and in his letters of recommendation, particularly those written by strict professors of the correct political persuasions, whatever they happen to be at the particular institution in question.
'Surely it is all right,' she said, 'for a woman, sometimes, to be a little feminine.'
'Perhaps,' I said. 'The question is indeed a thorny one.'
'I have heard it debated,' she said.
'Are you joking?' I asked. I had thought I had been joking.
'No,' she said.
'I see,' I said.
'In my view,' she said, 'it is all right for a woman, once in a while, to be feminine, if just a little bit.'
'I see,' I said. I wondered if there were a world anywhere where women, or at least a certain sort of woman, would have no choice but to be totally feminine, and all the time. I smiled to myself. I thought of the fictional world of Gor, which obviously did not exist. Gorean men, as I understood it, did not accept pseudomasculinity in their female slaves; this, then, left the female slaves no alternative but to be true women.
'But you are not just a little feminine tonight;' I said. 'You are deliciously feminine.'
'Do not speak to me in that fashion,' she said.
'Even if it is true?' I asked.
'Particularly if it is true,' she said.
'Why?' I asked.
'Because I am a person,' she said.
'Would you settle for a `deliciously feminine person'?' I inquired.
'Do not demean my personhood,' she said.
'What about `deliciously feminine little female animal'?' I asked.
'What a beast you are,' she said. 'It sounds like you want to put a collar on me and lead me away to your bed.'
'That would be pleasant,' I said.
'You think I'm sexually attractive, don't you?' she asked. 'Yes,' I said. 'Does that disturb you?'
'No,' she said, 'not really. I am aware that some men have found me sexually attractive. Some have even tried to take me in their arms and kiss me.'
'Horrifying,' I said.
'I did not permit them to be successful,' she said.
'Good for you,' I said.
'I insist on being totally respected,' she said.
'Have you ever considered,' I asked, 'that your desire to be respected may interfere with the development of your sexuality?'
'Sex,' she said, 'is only a tiny and unimportant part of life. It must be seen in its proper perspective.'
'Sexuality,' I said, 'is radically central to the human phenomenon.'
'No, no,' she said. 'Sex is unimportant, irrelevant and immaterial. Better put, it must be placed in its proper perspective. This is something which is understood by all politically enlightened persons, both men and women. Indeed, sexuality is a threat and a handicap to the achievement of a true civilization. It must be ruthlessly curbed and controlled.'
'Nonsense,' I said.
'Nonsense?' she asked.
'Yes, nonsense,' I said. 'Sex may be a handicap to the achievement of a certain sort of civilization,' I admitted, 'but I do not think I would relish that sort of civilization in which it would be a handicap. Surely it is possible to at least consider a civilization which would not be inimical to the nature of human beings but compatible with their desires and needs. Perhaps in such a society, sexuality would not need to be suppressed but might be permitted to flower.'
'It is impossible to talk with you,' she said. 'You are too unenlightened.'
'Perhaps,' I said. 'But one thing, amidst all these complexities, stands out clearly.'
'What is that?' she asked.
'That you,' I said, 'undeniably and nonrepudiably, are an extremely lovely and exciting young woman'
'You are terrible,' she said, head down, smiling.
'It is easy to see why the slavers of Gor would be interested in you,' I said.
'What a beast you are,' she laughed.
I was pleased to see that I had relieved her mind on this issue.
'And your outfit tonight,' I said, 'like yourself, whether you like it or not, is deliciously feminine.'
She looked down at herself. She, without really thinking, smoothed the sheath on her hips. It was a very natural gessure. I supposed slaves might be taught such a gesture. But with Miss Henderson it was totally natural.
