on't think I was as
unreasonable as she said in smashing that robot. The thing just
wouldn't let me alone!"

"I guess," Henry suggested, "it was conditioned to obey Marcia-Joan,
not you."

"Well, that shows you! Whose orders are to count, anyway? When I tell
a robot to do something, I expect it done. How would you like to find
robots trying to boss you around?"

"Are you talking about robots," asked Henry, "or the girl?"

"Same thing, isn't it? Or it would be if I'd decided to bring her home
with me."

"Conflict of desires," murmured Henry.

"Exactly! It's maddening to have a perfectly logical action interfered
with because there's another person present to insist--_insist_, mind
you--on having her way."

"And for twenty-odd years, you've had your own way in every tiny
thing."

Somewhere in the back of Robert's lurked a feeling that Henry sounded
slightly sarcastic.

"Well, why shouldn't I?" he demanded. "I noticed that in every
disagreement, my view was the right one."

"It was?"

"Of course it was! What did you mean by that tone?"

"Nothing...." Henry seemed lost in thought. "I was just wondering how
many 'right' views are left on this planet. There must be quite a few,
all different, even if we have picked up only a few by television. An
interesting facet of our peculiar culture--every individual omnipotent
and omniscient, _within his own sphere_."

Robert regarded him with indignant incredulity.

"You don't seem to understand my point," he began again. "I told her
we ought to come to my house, where things are better arranged, and
she simply refused. Contradicted me! It was most--"

He broke off.

"The _impudence_ of him!" he exclaimed. "Signing off when _I_ wanted
to talk!"

--H. B. FYFE

* * * * *

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