"I have been a stranger in a strange land." (
Book of Exodus
, 2:22)
Early the following morning, before anyone else was up and about in the Temple, I left once more for the Maidenhall. For some reason I expected to find the place virtually deserted. Instead, the lobby, which wasn't very large, was crowded with both Knights and Maidens. The latter wore their little dresses, so I assumed that they had been ordered to, that this was the price of re-admission to their residence. There was no tension or evident animosity. The mood was almost creepily normal, considering the events of the past twenty-six hours. On seeing me the males nodded and the females bowed their heads -- there is a difference -- and went about whatever was their business.
I went to my office to clear up some paperwork. Helping to create the new Maidens' uniform had been a stimulating exercise, but now I had to handle the tedious and less glamourous administrative tasks pertaining to its introduction. After an hour or so I find myself something to eat. Two Maidens were already there in the kitchen, including Jessica. She was the oldest of the Maidens and one of three former
Maîtresses
, including Olivia, still members of the Order. Known as
Châtelaines
, which might be translated as "House Mistresses", they assisted the
Maîtresse
and formed an informal advisory committee that I had consulted a couple of times. In a few months Jessica would be awarded her doctorate (in the arcane discipline of matrix mechanics, another confirmation that the
Demoiselles
were a brainy bunch). She would then graduate to the Guild of Templars and achieve sexual equality. In the meantime, she was decorously deferential to the callow freshman who'd helped organize her captivity the previous day. I declined, with thanks, her offer to make me breakfast, and she and her friend immediately departed. I suspect they were worried I would ask them to join me at the table. I wasn't offended.
When I returned to the Temple, it was mid-morning. My role in the occupation of the Maidenhall and the abduction of its residents still weighed heavily on my mind and conscience. I was also feeling a little resentful that, although a member of the Council of Knights, I had been left out of the loop in the aftermath of our operation. I didn't actually mind being excluded from the decision-making; but having been complicit in the deed itself, and thus responsible for its consequences, I felt that I should have a more direct stake in the proceedings.
So when I arrived back at the Temple I was shocked, appalled, even a little disgusted.
For the first time ever, two Knights were stationed at the doorway to guard against unauthorized entry. They nodded a silent acknowledgement as I and other Knights approached and passed through. On the floor in the middle of the lobby were two steel cages, cubes about a metre high, long and wide. Crammed into each were six of the prisoners. They were squeezed together so tightly that there was barely enough room to breathe, let alone move. There were thick bars on all sides, although as a concession to minimum comfort the floor of each cage was padded with carpet. The women inside were stark naked, but facing inwards so all one had was a rear view, with backs and backsides pressed against the metal grid. Several were clutching the bars on top, lifting their arms, it seemed to me, to create a little more space between the bodies. They were sweating, their shoulders heaved from heavy puffing and panting. I could not see any faces. From one of the cages I heard whimpers and soft moans. In the other however, our indomitable captives were carrying on a lively conversation, in subdued tones so I couldn't make out the words; but I did recognize Alice's voice.
Two Maidens were in attendance with water buckets and sponges. Nearby was a small stack of drink bottles. There were, on the other hand, surprisingly few spectators. I suppose that the exhibition had been going for some time and even this novelty had worn off. But that just meant it had been a long ordeal for the twelve women. It was far from over.
***
The end of winter is celebrated at the university with the Spring Carnival. This festive occasion is a chance for students, and staff, to make merry before the new countdown to exams and assignment deadlines. As in May, there is a ten-day recess (including fore and aft weekends) during which classes are suspended and in their place are organized all sorts of fun activities. Each of the student residences holds its own events and some of these, not surprisingly with the Communal Housing Project at the leading edge, have made the Spring Carnival into a veritable bacchanalia.
The Order of the Temple, however, has a different perspective. It was in the month of September that two of the most portentous episodes in the Order's history occurred -- the suppression of the women's revolt in the 1980s and the defeat of the Maiden's breakaway attempt a decade later. These debacles confirmed and consolidated the males' domination of the Temple. And though, as I'd discovered in the course of my research, they are almost never talked about during the rest of the year, they are commemorated, if not exactly celebrated, each September.
The Knights' initial ceremony this time was, as traditional, comparatively sober; but on the first Saturday the Maidens held a rather raucous remembrance in the Annexe, to which males were strictly non-invited. We let them be when every so often two or three would enter the Temple via the service passageway to access the kitchen. They all wore the little white dress, as an emblem of their Maidenly pride, but they did not, when they saw a Knight, draw down their shoulder straps.
