maidens go to their mating bed afraid. For men
and their ways are a mystery to us. And one is frightened of what one
does not know.'
41 He took her hand, kissing it. 'That kind of fear,' he agreed, 'you
may have. But I will assure you, from me you will know only gentleness.' So with this understanding we accepted his proposal."
42 "And did he keep his promises?" questioned Red Cat.
43 "Yes," the woman assured, "in every way. I always wanted
to build things, to design them, and watch men put them together. So he
hired the best Teachers available. They taught me all about buildings,
and I designed and built many."
44 "Have I seen any?" asked Red Cat.
45 "You're sitting in one!" the woman announced. Red Cat was impressed.
"And what of your sister, who does not like to speak?" he inquired.
46 "She wanted to be a Healer, a Surgeon. He had her trained, also. The
first couple of times she tried operating, she got sick. But now, she's
very good. Her specialty is young children. She can take a heart that
barely beats and fix it so it will be almost as strong as anybody
else's!"
47 "Did he ever punish you for anything?" asked Red Cat.
48 "Only once," the woman admitted.
49 "Why?" demanded Red Cat, "And, how?"
50 The woman looked to her mate and he nodded. "About a season after we
had mated," the woman explained, "we did something shameful. We thought
we had kept it a great secret, but when we got home, he was waiting at
the door. He told us he knew what we had done, and his shame was almost
beyond bearing. He ordered us into our room and made us take
off our clothes.