parents waited.The woman cleared her throat. The man shuffled his feet. The clock onthe wall went tick-tick, tick-tick.
"I'll give you eight hundred and thirty _dordocs_," the Madame said.
"Well...."
Miss Bestris bent forward, holding out the picture. "Here, then. Takeit. I wouldn't offer that, but I need a girl right now. One of mine ranaway last week, and I'm afraid she won't be able to work for a month orso after they bring her back. I'm being generous. Eight hundred andthirty, or take your picture and don't waste my time."
The man and woman stared at her. And the clock went _tick-tick_.
"Take it, Chav."
"... All right," the man said. "We need the money."
Miss Bestris leaned across the desk, pressed a button on her panel.Almost immediately, a door slid silently open and her lawyer enteredwith a white, printed, standard-form sales contract in his hand.Efficiently and rapidly, he entered the particulars. "Sign here," hesaid, and the parents signed.
"Now," said the Madame, "if you'll bring in Lavada tomorrow at nine,I'll arrange for a doctor to be here. If his examination issatisfactory, the money will be ready."
The lawyer left, and the woman said, "You understand, we wouldn't dothis but for ..."
"I understand, perfectly," Miss Bestris said. "You don't need to worry.This is the best kind of house--Earthmen only, you know, and they'revery particular. My girls are given the best of care. I'm like a motherto them, and if they are thrifty and diligent, they'll be able to saveenough money in a--a very short time to redeem their contract asprovided by law. You needn't worry at all."
"Well," the woman said, "I feel better after talking to you. I feelbetter about the whole thing to hear you talk like that."
The clock went _tick-tick_.
"Uh," the man said, "you won't--? That is, our little daughter issometimes wilful and ... uh ... well ... Sometimes."
Miss Bestris smiled. "We know how to handle girls."
"You'll treat her...?"
"As I would my own child," Miss Bestris said; she took out anothercigarette, lit it. "I think we'll call her--well--Poppy. Earthmen liketo feel at home, you know."
The clock went _tick-tick_.
"Well, uh," the man said. "Uh. Thank you."
* * * * *
In one of the rooms upstairs Mary sat before the dressing table with herback to the mirror, while June and Adele occupied the two overstuffedchairs. Night sounds drifted up from the yellow canal, and fresh flowerscents whispered on the warm air. The diaphanous glass curtains rustledat the open window.
"They're too expensive," Mary said. "I'm sure Miss Bestris overchargesus for them."
"Hush," said June, glancing around at the walls nervously. "Hush, Mary."She smoothed at the delicate, plutolac lace fringe above her breasts."Imported material like this costs money. You can't get it for nothing,and we have to have the best."
"I still think she charges too much."
Adele shrugged delicately and crossed shapely ankles. "I think MissBestris must like you, or she wouldn't let you wear that dress againtonight. You ought to watch out that you don't get on the wrong side ofher."
Mary laughed, her amethyst eyes sparkling. "I won't care. Not aftertonight."
"You're not going to run away?" June asked breathlessly. "You wouldn'tdare do that. You'd catch it, sure!"
Mary shook her head. "Not _run_ away."
Adele leaned forward and said huskily, "You got enough money to redeemyour contract?"
Again Mary shook her head. "No. It's nine hundred and ten _dordocs_. Ihave only ninety-three. But I'll have enough in the morning!" She stoodup and crossed to the window, looked out toward the spaceport.
"How?"
"Tell us, Mary!"
"Tell you what?" Anne asked, coming into the room. Languidly she drewthe door closed behind her and rested against it. "Tell you what?" sheinsisted, narrowing milky eyes.
"Mary says she can redeem her contract tomorrow."
Anne's wide mouth curled contemptuously. "Nonsense!"
"It's not," said Mary without turning.
Anne glided sensuously across the room to the bed, her tight fittingplastic rippling with her tigerish muscles. She sat down.
"He said he'd take me away, this trip," Mary continued. "He'll sign off,and then we'll both get a ship and go to one of the frontier planets.Where it won't matter about--all this."
Anne laughed harshly. "My God! You believe _that_?"
"We've both been saving our money," Mary said dreamily. "He's in lovewith me. He said so."
"Honey, that's what they all say."
Smiling, Mary turned from the window and leaned backward, stretching."You don't know him. He's different."
"They're all the same," Anne said, her mouth twisting bitterly."They're just alike. Don't believe any of them."
And Mary said, "With him, it's different. You'll see."
After a moment, Anne said, "That Earthman? That what's-his-name?" Marynodded, and Anne brushed an imaginary something off her knee. "AnEarthman," Anne said. "They're the worst of all."
"You don't know him, or you wouldn't say that."
Adele looked away from Anne. "You love him, don't you, Mary?"
"Yes."
"You're a fool," Anne said. "Listen to me. _Love_ a man? God! You'llsee. After him, there'll be another and another, and--just likeRosy--you'll watch 'em leave you and laugh at you until finally you'rehurt so bad you don't think you can stand being hurt any more, and thenalong comes another one, and it starts all over again, and then onenight you take a razor blade and go to the sink and stick out yourthroat and...."
"No! No! You're wrong! He's not like the rest!"
Anne leaned back carelessly, resting, propped on one hand. "See. Youknow I'm right, already."
"You're not!"
Anne shrugged. "Honey, tell me that tomorrow night."
"I better go take my cake out," Mary said. She fled the room in a swirlof shimmering glastic.
Anne sneered, "I don't see why Miss Bestris puts up with her the way shedoes."
"You're jealous," June said quietly.
Anne did not answer.
"Mary's decent," Adele said. "Maybe that's why. She's from the sticks,and her parents still come to see her on visiting days, and there'ssomething about her so--so innocent. Maybe that's why Miss Bestris likesher."
June said, "I think she's better than the rest of us. I think MissBestris feels sorry for her in a way."
"Don't make me laugh," Anne said, facing June. "The only one that'llever feel sorry for her is herself!"
"You shouldn't have talked like that to her!" June snapped. "Why don'tyou let her alone? She'll feel bad enough without you helping!"
Anne rolled over on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. June took ahelox lamp from her drawer and started to bake her hair darker. ThoseEarthmen were so funny about colors.
In the kitchen, Mary took the cake out of the oven. It was steamy andlight and fluffy, and it smelled sweet and warm. She set it on the tableand mixed a two-minute green frosting which she spread, carefully, overthe cake. She patted here and there with the spatula and stood back, hereyes proud and serious.
She hummed a little tune under her breath as she scrubbed the pots andpans. Her hands moved in practiced rhythm, and the water splashed andgurgled. When the kitchen was again spotless, she looked once more atthe cake, and then, turning out the light, she went back to her room.
Anne and Adele had left, but June was sitting quietly in the duskymoonlight. Her white dress seemed vaguely luminous.
Laughing, Mary flicked on the light.
"It's a wonderful cake," she said. "The best one I ever made. Just theway it should be."
"I wouldn't feel too bad, Mary, if he doesn't come to eat it," Junesaid. "I don't want to sound like Anne, but there was a lot of sense inwhat she said."
"It's just like a real wedding cake." She hummed the snatch of Martiantune. "Like in the tele-papers." She laug
hed with her eyes. "Thebridegroom takes the silver knife and cuts two large pieces of the cakewhile the bride, dressed in filament coral, stands at his right hand.She carries a bouquet of--Anne just likes to be