With people talking in the house it was still necessary to put the
machines under master automatic and manual control. Some of the less
sophisticated robots might pick up some chance phrase of conversation
and interpret it as an order if left on audio.

"Ben," said Betty, getting up to meet him, "you're late."

Ben was too good a salesman to argue that. Instead, he took her in his
arms and kissed her. It was a very good sixty seconds later that she
pushed him away with a severeness destroyed by a blush and a giggle to
say, "Late but making up for lost time, huh? And sober, too. You must be
feeling good for a change."

"Sure--and you feel even better, sugar." He reached for her again. She
slipped away from him, laughing, but his wrist tel-timer caught on the
locket she always wore, her only memento from her parents, dead in the
old moon-orb crash disaster. She stood still, slightly annoyed, as he
unhooked and his mood was, not broken, but set back a little. "What's
got into you tonight anyway, Ben?"

"Oh, I don't know. Did I tell you, the O.M. may give us a vacation?
Remember some of those nights up at that new 'Do It Yourself' Camp last
summer?"

"Ben!" She blushed, smiled. "We won't get any vacation if we blow our
house-warming pitch tonight, you know. And we have three couples due
here in less than a half hour. Besides, I have to talk to you about
Nana."

* * * * *

"That damned new CD-IX model. Now what?"

"She's very upset about Bennie. I'm not sure I blame her. This afternoon
he simply refused his indoctrination. All the time he should have been
playing store with Playmate he insisted on _drawing_ things--himself,
mind you, not Playmate. On the walls, with an old pencil of yours he
found someplace in your things. Nana couldn't do a thing with him. She
says you've got to give him a spanking."

"Why me? Why not you?"

"Now Ben, we've been over that and over it. Discipline is the father's
job."

"Well, I won't do it. Bennie's just a baby. Let him do a few things
himself. Won't hurt him."

"Ben!"

"That Nana is an officious busybody, trying to run our lives."

"Oh, Ben! You know Nana loves little Bennie. She only wants to help
him."

"But to what?"

"She'd never dream of lifting a finger against Bennie no matter what he
did. And she lives in terror that he'll cut her switch in some temper
tantrum."

"Hmph! Well, I'm going up right now and tell her if I hear another