"I'm inclined to agree," said Uther.
"Ticia, what do you think?
Has anyone ever wanted to smell you?"
"I think that you are both lunatics! That's what I think." Aries said primly: "I know better than to fool with Yip girls. Do you think I want to be strangled and killed and burned alive and then stabbed just for a bit of naughty conduct?" Kiper said: "If your mother caught you at it, you'd fare even worse." Aries' face became a thundercloud.
"Let's leave my mother out of it, shall we? She has nothing to do with the case at hand!"
"What was the case at hand?" asked Kirdy, speaking for the first time.
"I've forgotten what we were talking about." Jerdys said plaintively: "Let's discuss something really wonderful and interesting, like the Medusa Cult."
"I'm willing," said Cloyd.
"Do you have a gentlemen's auxiliary?"
"Not now," said Jerdys.
"We used them all for sacrifices."
"Ha-hah!" Lexy cried out.
"Who is divulging secrets now?"
"Those secrets are well used and no good to anyone." Aries said: "Speaking of secrets, I have a splendid idea! Have you noticed that there are four Medusa-type girls here, and also four Bold Lions? Glawen and Kiper don't count; in fact, they were on the point of going home. I suggest that we join forces and go off to somewhere quiet where we can drink wine and sort out all our old secrets, and maybe work up some new ones."
"That's one of Aries' rare good ideas," said Cloyd.
"I'll vote yes."
"And I," said Kirdy, smiling self-consciously.
"There's two yes votes. Aries will probably vote yes also, which makes three.
Uther?" Uther pursed his lips.
"I think that I will reserve my vote until the ladies are heard from. I assume that they will all vote in the affirmative."
"Silence means assent," said Aries.
"So then--"
"To the contrary," said Lexy crisply.
"Silence in this case means shock and astonishment." Jerdys asked: "What do you take us for? This is the Medusa Cult:
a very select group!"
Cloe suggested: "Go try the Nixies or the Girls' Philosophy Club." Ticia rose to her feet.
"It's quite time that I was getting home."
"I wonder why we waited this long," said Jerdys with a sniff.
The girls departed. The Bold Lions looked after them nonplussed. Kiper broke the silence.
"How very odd! One mention of the Bold Lions and the girls dash away as if they were running a race."
Glawen stated: "Aries has written a book for the use of Bold Lions only. It is called Manual of the Erotic Arts. On the first page he should print a warning: "Never admit to being a Bold Lion! If you do, the warranty on this book becomes void."" Kiper said smugly: "I'm glad that I'm not a Bold Lion. What of you, Glawen?"
"I'm quite happy the way I am."
Aries declared grimly: "Neither of you will ever be invited into the group; you can be sure of that!"
Kiper jumped to his feet.
"Come, Glawen! Let's leave before Aries changes his mind!"
Glawen and Kiper departed. Uther made a wry comment: "For a fact, our public image seems to be, shall we say, not superb."
"Most odd!" said Cloyd.
"After all, we're not deep-dyed ruffians."
"Not all of us, at any rate," growled Kirdy Wook.
Aries demanded sharply: "What do you mean by that?"
