The girl approached and sat on the cushions. Zayata appeared kindly now, and the girl felt no resentment. She realized that she had been at fault.
“Tonight,” said Zayata softly, “is the night for your answer, Margaret.”
The girl nodded.
“You are ready to tell me?” asked Zayata.
Again, Margaret nodded.
ZAYATA was studying her closely. He seemed to read her thoughts. He knew that when the question came, the girl’s reply would be negative.
He did not ask the question. He called Chandra, who appeared with a tea table. Zayata offered Margaret some delicious pastries; then he tendered her a glass filled with a thick, white liquid.
“Drink,” he said, raising his own glass. “It is a nectar. You will enjoy it.”
The girl had never tasted so delicious a fluid. After the first sips, she drank deeply. She placed the glass upon the tea table and watched Zayata.
Time seemed strangely new. Each moment was prolonged. The girl could not understand this mental reaction. She did not know that it was the effect of hashish — the drug which Zayata had placed in the liquid.