"Get dressed. The others are waiting for you."
"Others?"
But she didn't answer. Forrester looked frantically around the room for anything that looked even remotely like a dressing room. As a last resort, he was willing to settle for a screen. No room, no screen. He was willing to settle for a chair he could crouch behind. There was none.
He looked hopefully at the Goddess. Perhaps, he thought, she would leave while he dressed. She showed no sign of doing so. He cleared his throat and jerked at his collar nervously.
"Now, now," Venus said sternly. "Don't tell me the presence of your Goddess embarrasses you." She raised her head imperiously. "Hurry it up."
Very slowly, he began taking off his clothes. There was, after all, nothing to be ashamed of, he told himself. As a matter of fact, Venus ought to be getting used to the sight of him undressing by this time.
Somehow, he finally managed to get the chiton on straight. Venus looked him over and nodded her approval.
"Come along now," she said. "They're waiting for us. And one thing: don't get nervous, for Hera's sake. You're all right."
"Oh," Forrester said. "Sure. Perfectly all right. Right as rain."
"Well, you are. As a matter of fact, I think you'll make a fine Dionysus."