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Maytera is on board-badly frightened, but on board She sits by the cabin and holds on with both hands, and will scarcely speak We bios can at least deceive ourselves into thinking weof our boats Maytera would die, and she knows it Hoping to distract her, I asked how she reached Mucor's Rock

"In a little boat I hter sat in the back I could see then, but she told o"

"Weren't you afraid?"

She nodded

"This can't be worse"

"It's a lot worse, Patera I-we" Our bow rose upon a wave larger than asped

"You don't have to worry, Maytera You really don't It's storood, stiff wind"

It seems extraordinarily foolish to write that there was fear in her eyes, when I carried one of those eyes inand the other is blind and blank; yet it was so

"Won't you be afraid on the lander, Maytera? Travel between the whorls is very hazardous A great ain

To comfort her I said, "You told us once that we shouldn't be afraid of death, because the gods aiting to receive us"

"When you caion you mean, Patera? Yes, I suppose I did I'm sure I did I always said that"

"Is it any less true now?"

"When ent out to the island

"Yes?"

"It was a long, long way out over the sea" Given so else to think about, she relaxed a trifle "I couldn't even see it from where I sat in the boat, not at first But aited till the sea was very, very quiet I forget how long it was" She paused, searching her memory for the information "Fifteen Fifteen days, and it was thethere were just tiny little hills of water"

"I understand"

"I tucked my skirt up under unwale to finger her nen "It's nice to have a habit again You had this uess at the size"

"It's a little big, but I like that If I want it tighter, I can wear so underneath it, or for winter I won't be entitled to wear a habit anymore, but it's nice"

"It's not really a habit," I told her, "just a gown in the same style-black with the wide sleeves, and so forth"

"Yes" Her hold on the gunwale resumed

"Would you like me to leave you alone?"

She shook her head vehe I had not understood her

"It isn't bombazine anyway, Patera Boether This is worsted twill"

"It was the closest they had"

Her small, hard hand found mine "Do you mind?"

In appearance, hers were the hands of an elderly woman; but I said, "Not unless you squeeze"

"When I findto hold hiht, I think, before we ever let go Then we'll hter a real woman A complete woman And then we'll start another Do you think I'll ever really get there? Will I be able to?"

"I'm certain you will"

"When I rowed out to the island, Patera"

"Yes?"

"I wasn't afraid My granddaughter toldat all, e pushed the boat in She was very patient with ood woman in her way"

"That hat Whatmyself I had to look after her, that she was just a child"

"But she wasn't I understand"

"Poor girl," Oreb irl"

"So it really didn't hter now I have to live for her"

Strange dreaht I was back in my cell on the Red Sun Whorl The torturers' apprentice was sitting on ot up and went to the door Through the little barredI could see the sea, quite slassy water All were robed in black The boy behind , "And Abaia, and they live in the sea"

I woke, not so htened as confused, and went out on deck Yesterday's wind, which had driven us so far so fast, had died away al The sea was exactly that which I had seen in h of course there were no woeny, and their black robes her black gown? It seeuess

Oreb talked to irl Say coo if he wished, and off he flew

"Where is he going, Patera?"

Maytera had spoken froht you pro, and she added, "It isn't easy for us It can take days"

"Are you still afraid?"

"Not as et to sleep, and then wake up, do you think I ain? On Sun Street?"

I shookto remember the last time The last ti wakes us Did you know? And nothing did until Maytera Corn came in Then I jumped up and fixed breakfast, but it was almost noon, and I never slept after that"