“Don’t worry, darling, by murdering him at least you will be nullifying the prophecy and allowing yourself to live in the world instead of growing older monotonously in the tower —and to miss marriage is no hardship—I know—living with a man is fine for a while, you have a great time and think you’ll do anything for each other—but it inevitably drags into dull affectionate dislike—or into actual dull loathing. For an intelligent person, the decision to get married is really the same as the decision of the person who is so annoyed that he will risk the horrors of guilt and execution so that he can have one three-minute orgy of satisfaction in killing the person who has so annoyed him. Many poor fools think it’s their own faults that neither they nor their partner can go on living for ever, and bitterly reproach themselves and each other. So it’s no harm to miss marriage.”

“Your mother is a very intelligent woman,” remarked Ool-dra. Her voice is always expressionless.

“Thank you, Ooldra,” nodded the Dictatress.

I looked from one to the other of them, as much as I could see of them in the dark inside of the rattling carriage.

“How will I be able to live in a world like this?” I entreated.

“Oh, it’s not a question of instinct, Cija. It’s a question of knowing the right rules. Most people only work those out for themselves after years of heart-breaking and back-breaking experience, but I’ll give them to you to start off with now.”

“Do tell me,” I begged, feeling my voice a strain. I was feeling more and more nervous and unhappy.

“You must remember that it is very important never to believe more than one quarter of anything anyone says. Well—if they are someone you know well and whom you think trustworthy and honest you can permit yourself to believe as much as half. If their motive for telling lies isn’t for some kind of ambition or gain, it is pride or the wish not to appear ridiculous. It is also extremely important to learn to tell satisfactory lies—be able to think up a good watertight lie on the spur of the moment. Tell lies as seldom as possible. You get a reputation for truth and then people will believe your lies too.”

I was feeling sick now. The carriage was slowing.

Perhaps we were nearing our destination!

The pounding behind my breasts ricocheted from side to side, quite sickening.

Will I be able to stand alone?

Ooldra’s eyes kept being lit as the carriage passed spheres more and more frequently. Every time Ooldra’s eyes reappeared again from the darkness they were looking at a different part of the window.

Her eyes make me dizzy. Can’t she stop looking around?

The Dictatress laid a heavy motherly steadying hand on my knee.