She laughed again, much amused at the dilemma in which she was placing him. And indeed, he did not at first know how to answer her declaration of independence.
'I cannot imagine why you should be so anxious to show yourself to people you do not know,' he said. 'Or perhaps you fancy they may be friends--you think that if they recognise you--but that is absurd. I have told you that if you have friends in the world you may go to them, and you say you have none.'
Zoë's tone changed again and became girlishly petulant.
'It is nothing but curiosity, of course!' she answered. 'I want to see the people you like. Is that so unnatural? In a whole month I have never seen one of your friends--'
'I have not many. But such as I have, I value, and I do not care to let them get a mistaken impression of me, or of the way I live.'
'Especially not the women amongst them,' Zoë added, half interrogatively.
'There are none,' said Zeno, as if to cut short the suggestion.
'I see. You do not want your men friends to know that there are women living in your house, do you? They are doubtless all grave and elderly persons, who would be much shocked and grieved to learn that you have bought a pretty Greek slave. After all, you came near being a priest, did you not? They naturally associate you in their minds with the clergy, and for some reason or other you think it just as well for you, or your affairs, that they should! I have always heard that the Venetians are good men of business!'
'You are probably the only person alive who would risk saying that to me,' said Zeno, looking at her.
'What do I risk, my lord?' asked Zoë, with a sort of submissive gravity.
'Yes sir, I understand. Your anger--but pray, my lord, how will it show itself? Shall I be beaten, or put in chains and starved, or turned out of your house and sold at auction? Those are the usual punishments for disobedient slaves, are they not?'
'If you were,' answered Zoë, turning her face from him to hide her smile, 'you would probably wish to tear out my tongue!'
'It might be a wise precaution!' she laughed.
Zeno looked at her sharply now, for the words sounded like a threat that was only half-playful. She knew enough to compass his destruction at the hands of Andronicus if she betrayed him, but he did not believe she would do that, and he wondered what she was driving at, for his experience of women's ways was small.
