And the stories they tell… WHAT AM I BID FOR THIS LITTLE SWEET TREASURE, THIS LITTLE TASTY MORSEL, THIS SPICY LITTLE PACKAGE I WAS TEMPTED TO KEEP FOR MYSELF, BUT OFFER TO YOU AS AN UNIQUE OFFER! XXX And the covers of the palanquin part, and a slim, pale hand beckons, and the slave trader runs down and prostrates himself, the body guards of the emperor frisking him, and giving him a kick in the face on general principles for treating civilians. And she hears the voices, from the brutes holding her, from the slack mouth of the slave trader, from the crowd close to the platform, speaking in fear, in loathing, in envy, in worship, in wonder: “The emperor? And if the madam buys here, her virginity would be sold to the highest bidder, for the privilege of having the first night with her, and then she would be rented for the night to the officers of the ships, and later, when worn with her duties,
