How was Stefanie so easily tricked into betraying me? Was there no way toescape this fate? I could not even utter a word of protest as the onlysounds ...manating from my gagged mouth were unintelligible.Dominus whispered that he had a treat for me and the large gathering ofowners and citizen passengers. I was to entertain them all by beingdisplayed on the posing rack. A strange contraption was placed behindme. It was like a stick man made from hinged metal rods hung by very thinalmost invisibles. The 10th or the 17th. Would that work?”“Yes, sir. I’ll spend ten days with my parents, which should suffice so they’ll be glad I’ll be away again. One more thing?”“Yes?”“When’s the cruise and what are its ports of call?”“We’ll get you the brochure tomorrow. See you in the morning.” Foster tossed three shillings on the table and left.Well, I thought, that takes care of my immediate problem. I looked about the Arcade a bit. But, until I visited the tailor, I’d put off any purchases. Except some. I was to stay alone at home and I too had holidays. I was upstairs in my room reading a Sydney Sheldon. I was wearing a black off shoulder dress with a zipper behind. It knee length long. Suddenly the doorbell rang and I went down and opened the door to find three of my brother’s friend who was more or less of my brother’s age, Nikhil, Amit and Karthik. They asked if my bro was at home. I said no. They asked me I if could give them a cd that my bro had taken from them and that they needed it. I. He took a deep breath. So thatwas the kind of person he was transforming into. He had been foolishnot to realise it before. It made perfect sense: an almost completechange.He refastened his shirt and went back to the camp. The hunter looked upat him. "Is all well?"Stephen nodded. "Yes. Yes, I think it is." He looked at the hunteragain, seeing for the first time not just as a travelling companion buta man, a young and healthy man. There was the flicker of excitedtension again. He exhaled.