This ale was getting toPhædrus. Still his head seemed strangely clear.

He studied Lila somemore: her legs were crossed and her skirt was above her knees. Wide hips. Shinysatin blouse. V-necked and tucked tight into a belt. Under it was a bustlinethat was hard to look away from. It was a defiant kind of vulgarity, a kind ofMae West thing. She looked a little like Mae West. C’mon and do something,if you’ve got the nerve, she seemed to say.

Some X-rated thoughtspassed through his mind. Whatever it is that’s aroused by these cues isn’t putoff by any lack of originality. They were doing all kinds of things to hisendocrine system. He’d been alone on the water a long time.

DO A LITTLE DANCE…

MAKE A LITTLE LOVE…

GET DOWN TONIGHT…

GET DOWN TONIGHT…

Do you know her? heshouted at Rigel.

Rigel shook his head.Don’t have anything to do with her!

Where’s she from?

The sewer! Rigel said.

Rigel gave him anarrow-eyed glance. Rigel sure was giving a lot of advice tonight.

The door opened and morepeople came in. Capella returned with an armload of cans.

DO A LITTLE DANCE…

MAKE A LITTLE LOVE…

Capella shouted inPhædrus' ear, NICE, QUIET, REFINED PLACE WE PICKED!!!

Phædrus nodded up anddown and smiled.

He could see Lila startto talk to one of the other men at the bar and the man seemed to answerfamiliarly. But the others kept a distance and held their faces stiff as thoughthey were on guard against something.