Chapter Twenty-Four
“Miss Penny wants him kept standing. That why he’s chained high,” 54 explains. “Part of his daily torment. After many hours, whether he’s run in harness or not, there comes exhaustion... and begging. Miss Penny enjoys it when he begs.”
54 lectures as she stands on a low stool swabbing the naked flesh of 88. Miss Penny departed, the testicle spanking tiring, a mint julep deemed more inviting at the end of a hot afternoon. She has left 54 to explain the role of a groom. Thus she cleanses. In the nearby aisle, a Mastiff attentively sits upright, guarding... perhaps more aptly described as supervising... the naked, tattooed and branded Nusquam trio.
“As you can see, he’s been defanged, so that despite his feistiness you need not be overly cautious about biting. As Miss P
