"Does it seem fair to you," I asked Lady Claudia, "that Lady Publia should have such an advantage over the other women of Ar's Station?"

"I do not know," said Lady Claudia.

"It does not seem fair to me," I said. "When you were going through our friend's pouches over there, did you find any small knives, such as a hook knife or a shaving knife?"

I had a belt knife myself, which was sheathed on the sword belt, to the right, but at the moment I preferred something lighter-bladed, smaller and sharper, if it were available.

"One fellow had a shaving knife," said Lady Claudia.

"Bring it to me," I said.

"What do you want if for?" said Lady Publia, anxiously. In a moment Lady Claudia had returned with the implement.

"What are you going to do!" cried Lady Publia.

"Hold still," I said.

"No!" she wept. "no!"

In a few moments I discarded the small knife, throwing it to the side. Lady Publia was lying in the straw, bawling. She clutched her head wildly, in dismay, in disbelief.

"Kneel," I said, "facing me."

Weeping, Lady Publia obeyed, her hands still on her head.

"Now," I said, "if Cosians come on you, you will be on the same footing as the other women of Ar's Station."

Tears filled her eyes.

I had left her enough hair so that I could get my hand in it, in the scrub of it, so that I might use it as the guard had earlier the hair of Lady Claudia, to control her. Too, thusly, it as now of a convenient length for a Cosian to seize it, should that eventually occur. It was of about the same length as that of Lady Claudia.

Lady Publia, half hysterical, kept her hands on her head. This lifted her breasts nicely. Then, seeing my eyes on her, she wept and put down her head, kneeling low, her hands still over her head.

"Prisoner," said I, harshly, "on all fours."

She assumed this position.

"Go to the place where you put the clothing," I said to Lady Claudia, "by the rope, the leash and collar, and wait there." Lady Claudia hurried to the place.

I then stood up and looked down at Lady Publia.

"Lift your head, prisoner," I said.

She did so.

"Lift up one end of the rope," I said to Lady Claudia.

She did so.

I them, abruptly, seized Lady Publia by the scrub of her dark hair and pulled her, she crying out, half crawling, half being dragged, over to where Lady Claudia waited. It was precisely so that the guard, earlier, had treated Lady Claudia.

"Kneel here," I said to Lady Publia, indicating the same spot where Lady Claudia had knelt, "up, off your heels, your arms at your sides."

Frightened, Lady Publia complied.

It was exactly in such a position that Lady Claudia had been knelt by the guard. I then took the free end of the rope from Lady Claudia's hand and, exactly as she had been tied, with the many coils, beginning near her waist, began to bind Lady Publia.

"What are you doing?" moaned Lady Publia.

"Put on her clothing," I said to Lady Claudia. "Hurry." The most recent assault force, the third of the morning, had been recalled. This meant a lull. At such a time men could be freed from the walls. Too, it was now late morning.

"What does she think she is doing!" demanded Lady Publia, outraged. "oh!" "As I recall," I said to Lady Publia, "you recommended that the ropes be made tight."

"Oh!" she said. Then suddenly, again. "Oh!" Then, "please," she begged, "do not make them so tight!" Then, Oh! Oh!" she said.

Then she was trussed.

"Your calves and ankles," I said to Lady Claudia, "are as attractive as hers." Lady Claudia flushed with pleasure at my compliment. Then she said, delightedly, touching the garment. "I have not worn clothes in days!" I smiled to myself. I thought she might as well enjoy clothes, while she was permitted them.

"Now put on the veil, and wrap the cloth about your head, quickly," I said, "as she had them." "What it the meaning of this outrage!" demanded Lady Publia, squirming in the ropes.

"That is very good," I said to Lady Claudia. She, like Lady Publia, had dark brown eyes. If one did not know Lady Publia personally, or if one did not know her all that well, I did not think there would be any difficulty in Lady Claudia's being taken for her.

"What is this all about?" asked Lady Publia.

"Go to the fellows over there by the wall," I said, "and cut free one of their tunics. I need some cloth."

Lady Claudia did so, using a belt knife, taken from one of the guards.

"What is this all about?" said Lady Publia, again, insistently, angrily. I then put the collar about her neck. Its leash was already attached. She then knelt there, as had Lady Claudia, leashed and collared.

"I do not understand!" said Lady Publia, angrily.

I stood up, and looked down at her. She was on her kneed, bound. She trembled. Women understand that position.

In a moment Lady Claudia had rejoined me, carrying a good bit of cloth. "Release me," demanded Lady Publia.

"You are going to help us leave the citadel," I told her.

"Never!" she said.

"I have a plan," I said.

"Doubtless you think she can pass herself off as me," she said, scornfully. "I think so," I said.

At that moment there was a great impact somewhere, perhaps a hundred feet away. Lady Publia, bound at our feet, winced. There was a noise as the leash ring moved on the collar ring.

"It is the artillery," said Lady Claudia, shivering. "It has begun again!" "She is pretty," I said. "Perhaps Cosians might spare her."

"I think so," said Lady Claudia.

"Why do you speak so explicitly of Cosians?" asked Lady Publia suddenly, apprehensively. "Am I not beautiful?"

"Yes," I said. "you are."

"Then would not anyone spare me?" she asked. "Perhaps not just anyone," I said.

"You understand, do you not, Lady Publia," I said, "that there are many ways, behavioral and psychological, in which one can determine whether or not a woman's bondage is meretricious?"

"Yes," she said, frightened.

"Even so," I said, "one might be found who might not choose to spare you." "What are you waiting here for?" asked Lady Publia, frightened. "Why do you not run? Why do you not flee?"

"We are waiting for a caller," I said.

"Who?" she asked, apprehensively.

"Surely you have not forgotten," I said. "He was to have been along in a few Ehn. I expect him in a bit, the assaults now having abated."

"If she is to be me," said Lady Publia, suddenly, frightened, looking at Lady Claudia, wearing her former rags, veil and scarf, "what then is to be my role in this farce?"

While we had been talking I had taken the cloth with Lady Claudia had brought from the side earlier, that which she had cut from the tunic of one of the guards, and had been tearing it here and there, and working with it.

"Can you not guess?" I asked.

"No!" she cried. "No!"

"Perhaps," I said. I was now wadding one of the pieces of cloth into tight ball. "Are you not a Cosian?" she asked.

"No," I said.

"What is your city?" she asked, frightened.

"Port Kar," I said.

She suddenly turned white.

"Glory to Port Kar," I said.

"Mercy!" she cried.

"Glory to Port Kar," I said, regarding her, evenly.

"Glory to Port Kar!" she cried, desperately, fervently.

"Three time," I said.

"Glory to Port Kar," she cried, thrice.

I then thrust the small ball of tightly rolled cloth into her mouth, where, instantly, as it was actually a rather large piece of material, it expanded. "Those may be the last word you ever speak," I said. She looked at me wildly, tears in her eyes, squirming, shaking her head, protesting, making tiny noises, but I then secured the wadding tightly in her mouth, with two rolled strips of cloth, pulled back tightly between her teeth, and tied in back of her neck.

"When the executioner arrives," I said, "who do you think he is going to find, waiting for him?"