"Consider your answer carefully," I said to her, from behind her.
Hearing my voice she suddenly uttered a shriek of misery, flung her hands up in the wrist rings, until the chaining impeded their further movements, and jerked helplessly in the chains. Then she lowered her hands and wavered. I feared she might faint. Then she bent over at the waist and put her head down, and turned half about, on her knees. Then, lifting her head a little, she looked up at me. I looked down at the slave, my arms folded.
Then she again, quickly, put her head down.
She then turned again, on her knees, to face Aemilianus. "I am a slave!" she cried, prostrating herself before him, her chained wrists under her thighs. "Forgive me, Master! Have mercy on me, Master!"
She had seen me on the ship, standing there, a free man, among peers. She had had some concept, doubtless, of what I had done on the wall, if nowhere else. I did not think she was under any delusion as to who would be believed in any conflict of testimonies. Too, of course, Lady Claudia, still a free person, who could render free testimony, not even extracted under torture, for example, had been present. Too, the young crossbowman, though she would not know his identity, as she had been hooded, had been there later, when she had, by the code of whimpers, acknowledged herself a slave, and before him, and me, had performed an enticing, placatory slave behavior. She was surely under no delusion, now, as to whether Aemilianus and the others knew the truth. They had merely been playing with a slave.
"It is a serious matter," said Aemilianus to her, "when a she-tarsk claims not to be a she-tarsk."
"I did not claim explicitly to be a free woman, Master!" she wept.
There was laughter from those about. Even Aemilianus smiled. Her entire behavior had been calculated to deceive those about as to her status.
"Please forgive a slave, Master!" she wept. She lifted herself a little, timidly. There was laughter.
I had not wanted her to assert, explicitly, in response to the question of Aemilianus, concerning her status, that she was a free woman. although she did not realize it at the time, she was already then in deep enough difficulties. In making clear to her the futility of such a lie, sure to be devastating in its consequences, and, indeed, the futility of attempting to prolong her entire absurd charade. I had saved her subjection to hideous tortures, and perhaps her life. It is a very serious "cause for punishment" on the part of a slave to conceal or deny her status. Normally, of course, there is very little danger of this sort of thing occurring, as she is usually collared and branded, and, usually, is clad in a distinctive manner.
"Kneel," said Aemilianus.
The girls struggled up, in her chains, and then knelt before him. She crossed her chained hands over her breasts, covering herself. This was interesting, this sudden, poignant touch of frightened modesty, now that she was aware of her slave vulnerability.
Aemilianus' eyes were upon her. She lowered her hands. He continued to regard her. She then knelt back on her heels. Still his gaze did not leave her. She then, blushing, opened her knees.
"How did you become a slave?" he asked. He knew, of course.
"I confessed my natural slavery," she said, "and then spoke words of self-enslavement."
"At which point," said Aemilianus, "you ceased to be a person, and became a property."
"Yes, Master," she whispered.
"An animal."
"Yes, Master," she said.
"Do you think it is acceptable for properties, for animals, to pretend to the status of persons?"
"No, Master!" she said.
"But yet you did so."
"Forgive me, Master!" she begged.
"I have a mind to turn you over to free women," he said.
"Please, no, Master!" she wept, terrified.
"What do you think should be your disposition? he asked. She looked up, startled. It seemed she thought wildly, excitedly, for a moment. But then she put down her head, humbly, fearfully. "Whatever master pleases," she said.
"It is a suitable answer," said Aemilianus. I drew a deep breath. That, I feared, had been a close one.
"You are in slave chains, observed Aemilianus.
"It is fitting for me, Master," she said. "I am a slave."
"What is your name?" he asked.
"I have no name," she said. "I have not yet been named."
"You were eager to serve Cosians," he said.
"Or any man, Master," she whispered.
"You were not pleasing," he said.
"Forgive me, Master!" she said.
"Put her to one side," said Aemilianus, "and bring forth the other female." Two men took the former Lady Publia, now an unnamed female slave, by the arms and pulled her to one side, where they put her on her on her belly on the deck, her chained wrists under her.
In another moment another figure, also in sirik, was produced. The sturdy collar of the sirik, from which the central vertical chain depended, could not be seen on her in front, or at the sides, because of her veil. One could see it, of course, at the back of her neck, below the white, scarflike turban. Too, of course, once could see, in front, the dependent chain, the wrist rings and ankle rings, and such. I saw the figure's eyes, frightened, meet mine as she was drawn forth, with small, hurried steps. She was put on her knees before Aemilianus. She looked to one side and saw the former Lady Publia, naked, in sirik, lying on her belly, on the deck.
"Consider," said Aemilianus, "the exciting costume in which the prisoner appears before us, the baring of so much of the arms, the baring of the calves, the ankles, the feet, the cling of it, indicating it conceals no undergarments but only female, how closely it resembles in may ways that of some simple, humble, impoverished, low-caste maid, and yet how cleverly it is contrived to display its occupant, and in a fashion calculated to stimulate the capture appetites of vigorous men, men accustomed to look upon females as slaves and loot, as prizes and pleasures." There was assent to this. I am sure that more than one man there wished to tear those taunting rags from the beauty they bedecked.
The former Lady Publia, lying at the side, groaned. A fellow kicked her. She was then silent.
"Are these ingenious rags yours?" asked Aemilianus of the figure kneeling before him.
"No," she said.
"They belonged once, did they not, to a woman called Lady Publia, of Ar's Station?"
"Yes," she said.
"Why are you wearing them?" asked Aemilianus.
"I wore them that I not be recognized," she said.
"You would fear then," he asked, "to be recognized?"
"Yes," she said.
"You had wished to be taken, perhaps, for the former Lady Publia, of Ar's Station?"
"Yes," she said.
"Let us see who this woman is," said Aemilianus, "who has disguised herself as the former Lady Publia, and who for some reason, it seems, fears to be recognized." He made a small sign. A man then, carefully, not hurrying, removed the veil and turban.
The free woman knelt very straight. She held her head up, her neck in the closely fitting, now-visible collar, not trying to hide anything.
"Is she recognized? asked Aemilianus.
"She is," said more than one man, grimly.
"I think I understand now," said Aemilianus, "why you feared to be recognized." Lady Claudia was silent.
"You are the traitress, Lady Claudia," he said.
"Yes," she said.
"You attempted escape," he said.
"Yes," she said.
"But you have not escaped, have you? he asked.
"No," she said. "I have not escaped." In a way, I thought that this was ironic. On the piers, had Cosians swarmed over them, doing slaughter, and, where it pleased them, making slaves, her beauty, which was considerable, bared and submitted, might have found favor with conquerors. She might even have been thrown chained to an officer, thenceforth to be his and serve him with perfection, at least until, say, he might tire of her, and, say, give or sell her to another. She might even have served in her way as a souvenir to one fellow or another of the action at Ar's Station. More mercy might she then have found in the wielder of a bloody sword on the piers than in the abstractions of the justice of her own city. The man with the sword is at least swayable; he is at least human and real.