In point of fact, however, Nob was a mild, near-sighted, well-meaning little man, a lawyer by occupation, known throughout Mala for his prize rose gardens and his collection of Earth stamps. In spite of a temperamental handicap, he didn't find his new job too difficult. The Earth books were there and Nob simply interpreted them as literally as possible. Whenever a problem came up, Nob thought: how would they solve it on Earth? Then he would do the same, or as near the same as possible. But dealing with the Empress presented problems of a unique nature. Nob couldn't find a book entitled _Ways and Means of Placating Royalty_. If such a book were obtainable, Nob would have paid any price for it. He took a deep breath, knocked and opened the door into the Royal Chambers. Instantly he ducked. A vase shattered against the wall behind him. Not so good, he thought, calculating the distance by which it had missed him. The Empress Jusa's aim was improving. "Nob, you dirty swine!" the Empress shrieked. "At your service, Majesty," Nob answered, bowing low. "Where are the pearls, you insolent dolt?" "Here, Majesty," Nob said, handing over the package. "It strained the exchequer, buying them for you. The Minister of the Treasury threatened to desert to the enemy. He may still. The people are muttering about extravagance in high places. But the pearls are yours, Majesty." "Of course." Jusa opened the package and looked at the lustrous gems. "Can I keep them?" she asked, in a very small voice. "Of course not." "I didn't think so," Jusa said sadly. She had been just another Malan girl, but had been chosen as Empress on the basis of her looks, which were heartbreakingly lovely. It was axiomatic that an Empress should be heartbreakingly lovely. The Malans had seen enough Earth films to know that. But an Empress should also be cold, calculating, cruel, as well as gracious, headstrong and generous to a fault. She should care nothing for her people, while, simultaneously, all she cared for was the people. She should act in a manner calculated to make her subjects love her in spite of and because of herself. * * * * * Jusa was a girl of considerable intelligence and she wanted to be as Earthly as the next. But the contradictions in her role baffled her. "Can't I keep them just for a little while?" she pleaded, holding a single pearl up to the light. "It isn't possible," Nob said. "We need guns, tanks, planes. Therefore you sell your jewelry. There are many Terran precedents." "But why did I have to insist upon the pearls in the first place?" Jusa asked. "I explained! As Empress, you must be flighty, must possess a whim of iron, must have no regard for anyone else's feelings, must lust for expensive baubles." "All right," Jusa said. "All right, what?" "All right, swine." "That's better," Nob said. "You're learning, Jusa, you really are. If you could just fluctuate your moods more consistently--"