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C00005 00003		Some people said it was all Mr. Fong's idea, it never would have
C00006 00004	Diana falls in love with the Obsek's son.
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\ctrline{CHILDHOOD IN THE LAND OF PRINCES AND PRINCESSES}
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\ctrline{by John McCarthy}
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	My first visit to Mr. Fong's
palace was on my sister Jane's birthday.  I guess
I must have been four years old.  Vassili, the
helicopter pilot, took us all over to see old Mr. Fong.  They said that
Mr. Fong was the ``Founder of the Kingdom'', and often invited the
children to his palace on their birthdays.  Mr. Fong was from Taiwan and
very rich.

	Mama told us that and told us not to forget to curtsey politely to
Mr.  Fong and not to let on if we were surprised by the wonders of Mr.
Fong's palace.  Mama said she couldn't come because she and Papa were
going to a November 7 reception at the Obsek's dacha.  ``Nothing like
keeping the natives well buttered'', Papa always said.  ``Having a new
helicopter gunship to give him also helps''.  ``Don't drink too much'', my
sister said in her precocious way.

	My governess Lucia wanted to wait for us with Vassili till the
party was over, so Jane's governess Natasha took us in and promised
to send out some coffee from the servant's kitchen.  Why Lucia wanted
to wait outside in the cold and kerosine fumes was more than I, at that
age, could understand.  Natasha took us each by a hand and led us in.

	The first wonder was the airshaft.  Lucia had been taken up and
down it before and pretended to be brave, but Natasha was afraid.
She was muttering, ``Yesli pogibnu, proshu schitat kommunistom'' or some
such incantation and crossing herself repeatedly.  Finally,  Mr. Fong's
grandson Billy put the earmuffs on me, took me by the hand and led through the
revolving door onto the narrow shaft platform.

	The airblast roared up and even with the muffs it hurt a little.
``This side is for little people'', said Billy, and I could hear him through
the earphones.
	Some people said it was all Mr. Fong's idea, it never would have
happened without him.  Others said it was historically inevitable.  I'll
tell you about it, and you can decide for yourself.  That Mr. Fong organized
the syndicate and made the first trip to the future magic kingdom cannot
be denied.

	Why Mr. Fong chose Gladishev and not some other Obsek is unknown.
Certainly his choice worked out.  Fong always said it was a simple matter
of business

Diana falls in love with the Obsek's son.

Up-to-date people do their own "conditioning" of stubborn servants.
The old fashioned still call the people's militia, but the up-to-date
ones are better respected by everyone.

Should there be a foolish sentimentalist from America who keeps getting
into trouble by stirring up the servants.  No Americans are rich enough,
and they often have unsuitable ideas.

Mr. Fong is the head of the "humanist" party, which believes in human
servants, while Lance Asimov is the head of the "robotics" party.
Vassily's self-sacrificing loyalty, arising from what will happen to his
family if his "gospuda" aren't rescued, proves more powerful than Asimov's
robot that gets into a Talmudic puzzle.