CONRAD'S QUEST FOR RUBBER

They both had absolutely literal minds. If you didn't ask exactly the right question, you wouldn't get the right answer.

That, and they were both so totally nice that they would never let you know you had hurt their feelings, so you had to work hard at not hurting them in the first place.

'If my cousin gave you a message for me, please tell it to me.'

'Yes, sir. Tom said that you needed a bodyguard. He said that you had already ruined me as a servant. He said that you might as well have me stand guard over you.'

She said that in her pleasant voice, with the same, unvarying plastic smile on her face, like a characterless automaton. Yet I knew that deep inside she was no such thing, any more than Anna was.

'He said that I had 'ruined' you? Was it because you slipped me that Handbook of Chemistry and Physics?'

'Yes, sir. Yes.'

She had to answer both questions, but she wouldn't expand on her answers unless you asked her to. Sometimes, you got used to it after a while.

'Do you feel that I have ruined you?'

'No, sir.'

'That's good, because I want to be your friend. I want you to like it here. You're not sorry that you came, are you?'

'No, sir.'

'Good, because this can be a very nice place. Now then. My cousin sent you here to be a bodyguard. Do you know anything about that job? I mean, do you know how to fight?'

'Yes, sir. Yes.'

'With what sort of weapons? Or do you fight empty-handed?'

'I fight with any weapons, sir. Yes.'

'Hmm. I know that you are a lot stronger than you look. Let's go through a few judo throws, slowly, without hurting each other. You can do that, can't you?'

'Yes, sir.'

I got up from behind my desk and walked around it toward her. Small and slender, she couldn't have weighed ninety pounds, while I am large. Slowly, with exaggerated motions, I pretended to swing a fist at her. And just as slowly, and a good deal more gracefully, she put me into a hip throw, had me completely airborne, and just as gently set me down on my back on the floor. At one point, there, she was supporting my entire weight with one hand around my belt.

'Yes. That was very good, Maude. You certainly know that part of your job. Can you handle a sword?'

'Yes, sir.'

'A knife? Our pistols, and other firearms?'

'Yes, sir. Yes.'

''Very good. Later on we'll go down to the armory and you can pick out whatever you want,' I said. 'Now then, up until now, you worked for Tom. He wanted you to be a perfect personal servant, and that's how you act. Now you work for me. I don't want you to act like a servant. Around here, even the servants don't act like servants. I want you to act like a human being. I want you to be a human being, for all practical purposes. Do you understand that?'

'No, sir'

'Well, first off, one 'sir' per conversation is sufficient, or better yet, call me 'your grace,' since that's my proper title. But only once per conversation. Clear?'

'Yes, your grace.'

'Good. From now on I want you to answer not only with I what I specifically ask for, but also with any further information that you think I might need, or want to know.'

'Yes… But how do I know what you already know? How do I know what you want to know?'

'You have to guess. Watch the other people around here, and listen to them. Try to imitate their word patterns. If and when you talk too much, or too little, I'll let you know. Just remember that I like you a lot, and just because I correct you, it doesn't mean that I don't like you.'

'Yes,' she said, with the same vacant smile.

On the one hand, it is difficult to become angry with something that looks like a pretty, naked blond girl who is being absolutely agreeable. But on the other hand, her literal mindset was driving me right up the wall! Deep down inside, she really did have feelings, and I wanted her to develop that side of herself. I didn't dare scream at her for fear of crushing her. All I could do was keep on prattling at her as though she was an idiot, which she certainly wasn't.

'Good. Next, I want to talk about facial expressions. You have been smiling all of the time, because that is what you were taught to do. Real people use their facial expressions to convey their emotions. When they're happy, they smile, when they're sad, they frown, or they cry. When they're angry, well, they look like they're angry. Understand?'

'Yes, but most of the time I don't feel anything.'

'I think you have more feelings than you realize. If you let them out more often, I think they will grow, in time. In fact, you might want to practice your facial expressions in front of a mirror, until you get them right. Sometimes it can work backward. Smiling can make you happy, just as being happy can make you smile.'

'Yes, I will do that when I can.'

'That was very good! One last item, before I take you out and introduce you around. Clothing. Tom didn't see any need for your sort of person to wear clothing, but now you have to do that. People here wear clothing, most of the time when they're not alone. We'll have to get you fixed up with a suitable wardrobe.'

For the first time, I saw her frown.

'But I don't like clothes. They're scratchy and uncomfortable. Do I have to wear them?'

'Your language and facial expressions are showing a lot of improvement. But as to clothing, yes, it will be necessary. It gets cold around here, after all.'

'I am comfortable at any temperature between minus ten and plus fifty degrees Celsius. I am not comfortable in clothing.'

'That's quite a range. Incidentally, remind me later to give you a set of conversion tables between the metric system that you are used to and the army system we use around here. But on clothing, well, there will be some times when clothing will be necessary. You can't go to church naked, for example. We'll find you some things that aren't uncomfortable. Something loose fitting and made of soft linen or silk, perhaps. On the other hand, behind closed doors, well, around here you can dispense with clothing if you have to.'

'Yes.'

'Good. Now, is there anything else we need to talk about right now?'

'Yes. Reproduction. Do you want me to start producing children?'

'Uh, no. Not for a while, at least.'

'But you are producing neohorses at a maximum rate.'

'True, but that's not quite the same thing. They look like horses and you look exactly like a human being.'

'But I'm stronger than humans are. I'm faster. I'm more honest. I have a perfect memory. There are many things that my daughters could do for you better than ordinary people could. Why should appearance be so important?'

I told myself to stand and take it. I'd asked her to act like a human, after all, and she was trying her best to do it. Also, her questions were good, and I didn't have any good answers for them.

'Maude, I haven't thought this thing through. Give me some time. For now, do not reproduce. Let's leave it at that for a while.'

'Yes.'

'Sometimes, you can just nod your head for 'yes.' '

I pressed the buzzer that called my secretary, Zenya, into my office. When she came in, she tried hard not to stare at or to even notice the naked girl in the office until I introduced them.