“I did⁠ ⁠… I did not feel well⁠ ⁠… I could not.”

“Yes? I thought so; something must have prevented you, matters little what (sharp teeth⁠—a smile). But now you are in my hands. You remember: ‘Any Number who within forty-eight hours fails to report to the Bureau is considered.⁠ ⁠…’ ”

My heart banged so forcibly that the iron bars bent. If I were not sitting⁠ ⁠… like a little boy, how stupid! I was caught like a little boy and stupidly I kept silent. I felt I was in a net; neither my legs nor my arms.⁠ ⁠…

She stood up and stretched herself lazily. She pressed the button and the curtains on all four walls fell with a slight rustle. I was cut off from the rest of the world, alone with her.