Her friendstook her by the arms and they led her away, the girl looking backjust once before disappearing into the black-coated throngs.WhenHenry turned around, Tom was helping Julian to his feet and Gordonwas skating toward the shoreline with David and Albert beside him.Some of the other boys were just skating up and clamoring to knowwhat was going on. Henry didnt want to go anywhere near Gordon. Heskated towards Julian.Areyou all right?Julianwas ashen and trembling. He was terrified, and Henry didnt blamehim.Y-yes,Sir, Julian said, clearly lying. Just a little shaken up, Sir.Hekicked you.Impretty well-padded with this coat, Sir. Ill be fine, Sir.Whatwere you thinking?Tom demanded in a low, pressured voice, not caring that Henry heard.You, more than anybody, should know better than to mess about withgirls. Hes too jealous!Itwas stupid, Julian admitted. Please dont yell at me, Tom.Im going to get it bad enough from him when we get home, I knowit.Henryfollowed them over to where the rest of the slaves huddled, Martinincluded. Martin made his shaky way to Henrys side and clutchedHenrys arm briefly, more for comfort than for balance this time.Gordonhas a habit of ruining these get-togethers, Henry remarked.Tohis surprise, Martin seemed less upset by Gordons behavior, butrather was angry with Julian.Julianshouldnt have been with those girls in the first place, Sir. Heknows what Mr. Lovejoys like, and he knew perfectly well that itwould make Mr. Lovejoy angry. What kind of slave deliberatelyprovokes his master? With a sniff, Martin haughtily added, Ofcourse, hes from Hyperion, Sir. Theydont have the proper dedication.Really?Henry was interested in hearing Martins thoughts on other slavingHouses. Did everyone think Hyperion slaves were sub-par, or was thatjust Martins opinion?Julianwould neverhave been made a companion at Ganymede, Sir, Martin said withconfidence.Whynot?Martinremembered where they were, who they were with. Might I tell youat home, Sir? I dont want to go into detail here, if you dontmind.Weshould go anyway, Henry said. Its too cold to be standingaround out here, and Im hungry.Theysaid their goodbyes, unbuckled their skates, and headed across thepark for home.Didyou enjoy yourself? Henry asked. Except for the bit at the end,I mean.Idid, Sir. Martin bestowed his beautiful smile upon Henry. Iloved skating with you. Youre a good teacher, Sir. Very patient.Tomhelped you a lot, too, I think. Henry meant for this to soundfair-minded, but it was also a kind of test.Martinshrugged. He did, Sir, but I liked skating with you better.Martinhad passed the test. Henry walked the rest of the way home suffusedwith a feeling of satisfaction.Theyhad a simple lunch of tomato soup and cheese sandwiches that waswarming and filling, then went upstairs and Martin ran them a bath.The maids had laid a fire for them while they ate, and they undressedin front of it, leaving their clothes heaped on the floor. Martinpiled his hair on top of his head and made it stay in place byshoving a pencil through the mass of it. Martin helped Henry into thebathquite unnecessarily, Henry thought, though he didnt refusethe assistanceand climbed in after him.Wheredo you want me to sit?Comelean on me, Henry said, patting his chest in invitation. It wouldbe an