rapes hung from the
walls. Sweet, spicy incense curled bluely from the burners by the
window.

Before the mirror, Milly edged in the narrow line of her pink eyebrows
with a pencil. She folded her lips in, rubbing them together, licked
them, making them a glistening red. She pinched her cheeks.

"I wonder when they'll catch Crescent?" she said.

Anne yawned languorously. "It won't be long."

"I wouldn't want to be in her shoes," Milly said.

Anne patted her mouth lazily. "She ought to have known she couldn't run
away."

"What do you think Miss Bestris will do to her?"

Anne stood up, brushing out the wrinkles in her dress. "I should care."

"But what will she do?"

Anne shrugged. "Whip her, maybe. How should _I_ know?"

"Don't you feel you'd like to run away, once in a while?" Milly asked,
turning to look at the other girl.

Anne laughed coldly. "I've got better sense."

"But don't you _want_ to?"

Anne tossed her purple hair. "Where is there to go? Who is there to go
to?"

"Yes.... I guess you're right." Milly turned back to her reflection.

_Buzzzzzz_....

Both girls turned their heads to the buttons on the wall. The white one
was glowing.

"It's Miss Bestris."

"We'd better go," Milly said.

Together they walked down the heavily carpeted stairs to the sitting
room.

The Madame was waiting. She was a large woman, rolling in creases of
fat, and her pink hair was rough and clipped short. She had a pair of
dimples in her cheeks and a single gold band around her right wrist. She
was leaning against the piano.

"Hurry now, girls, hurry right along," she said.

More girls were entering the room; they spread out, sitting on the
chairs, curling at the Madame's feet. Their eyes--amethyst, gray or
golden--were on her face. Many had pink hair, others had tresses of
purple or salmon.

"Now, girls, I suppose you know there's an Earth ship in port?"

The girls nodded.

"So I expect we'll have visitors tonight. I want you to all look your
very best." She smiled at them. "Anne, why don't you wear that low-cut,
orange plastic with the spangles, and June, you the prim white one? You
look like an angel in it." June smiled. "And Mary...?"

"Yes, Miss Bestris?"

"Mary. Did you buy that neo-nylon I told you about?"

"No, Miss Bestris."

"Mary, Mary, Mary. I just don't understand you at all."

"I'm saving my money, Miss Bestris," Mary said intently.

"Yes, dear, I know that. We're _all_ saving our m