Synopsis: Sayali, a beautiful but undisciplined Indian teenager, encounters a personal tutor who is interested in taming her spirit for his own purposes, rather than to please her mother, who also has designs on him.
Returning to Neleema's home finally broke the grip that Ms Jorsay had on me. It seemed as if there was a small army of workmen doing all manner of things in the secluded back portion of her grounds. I immediately focused my attention to the deep hole that was being dug by a quartet of half naked men, their muscles flexing under the cruel sun as they heaped shovels full of earth onto the growing mound beside the pit. I could not help imagining how much easier this process would have been if they used modern machinery such as a backhoe. Unfortunately Neleema's home had not been designed with the thought of providing access to as large a machine as that, another example of the collision between the past and now.
They were making very good progress in creating Sayali's new home. I now turned my attention to the other major part of my scheme, the hoist. The main column had been erected and was now sitting within a concrete form that would be completely set by end of day. As I watched, two workmen were carefully sliding the metal arm into its nesting spot within the main column. A screw arrangement allowed the arm to be extended or retracted. A telescoping sleeve provided the means for raising and lowering the arm, which was the key element of the hoist.
In my mind's eye I could already see Sayali, naked as the day she was born, hanging by her bound wrists from the metal jaws at the arm's end as it swung her into position so she could be lowered into her home. In my vision she bore the marks from a fresh beating, lovingly delivered by my dedicated assistant, Ms Jorsay, and me. I could not yet bring myself to be so familiar as to refer to this exotic creature by her first name.
In my haste to see the status of this project, I'd been oblivious to the absence of Neleema and Sayali. I went inside in search of the pair. Neleema was seated in the living quarters, leafing through a book; Sayali was nowhere to be seen. "Where is she?" I asked. Neleema looked up and gave me a very tight smile. "She's in what used to be her bedroom. I've given her a task that she better have finished by the time I unlock the door."
Knowing that my pupil was secured within the house, away from the eyes of the workmen calmed me considerably. Neleema inquired about my lunch with Sayali's former teacher, and I immediately launched into a detailed description of what had transpired at our lunch. Neleema listened with her eyes closed against the sunlight that was beginning to intrude into the room. By the time I was finished, her features had hardened somewhat. My references to Ms Jorsay's exotic appearance and quick mind had for some reason not sat well with Neleema. It slowly dawned on me that Neleema looked upon this strange young woman as a rival for my affections. My male pride swelled at this realization, but my mind was not at all pleased with this potential for discord.
I changed the topic and inquired about the task that Sayali had been given. Neleema's face softened and her eyes took on a twinkle that I rarely saw. "She has to clean the sheets she stained last night." Neleema said. I was a bit perplexed as to why she found this job so amusing. I imagined the girl slaving over a washtub, scrubbing away the signs of last night's session. Then Neleema completed her answer and sat back with a smug look on her face. "I told her she has to suck every drop of filth from those sheets before I will allow her to put them in my washtub. I will personally inspect them and woe to her if I find any traces of what occurred on them last evening." "What will happen if you do find some evidence?" I challenged, trying to gauge exactly where she stood on the entire matter of my taking charge of her daughter and subjecting her to my harsh discipline. Her answer added some spice to the entire situation. "I shall beat her to within an inch of her life with a stick. Then you can have her afterwards for your own use, whatever that might be."