Harrigan took another draught of sherry and smiled reminiscently. "His enthusiasm was infectious until I got out into the open air and started thinking about Herman's practicability. Then of course Herman slid back to his proper plane and I saw Maugham in a more balanced perspective. He struck me then as another little man with ideas just a trifle too big for them. "In the ordinary course of events I wouldn't have seen Maugham again but about a month later he came up with another of those military valuable gadgets and I went out to get a propaganda story for Army Intelligence. I thought at the time that Maugham looked a little harassed but he was as co-operative as before when he knew what I wanted and he came through with just the right stuff for Army Intelligence. "After we had finished I naturally asked, 'And how's Herman?' "He brightened a little and said that Herman was coming along fine. Forthwith he left the room and came back with his robot. He had put clothes on him and for a minute, candidly, I didn't know it was Herman. "Maugham came up behind him and Herman said, 'Good day, Master.' "Of course, his voice had a flat sort of scratchy sound, like a phonograph, and there was no inflection of any kind but it was undeniably speech. "'Can he hear?' I asked. "Maugham nodded. 'He responds to an auditory mechanism very similar in principle to an electric eye. But he's far from perfect, Mr. Harrigan, very far.' "'I'd say he was pretty good myself,' I said. "But Maugham only shook his head. "'What's the trouble?' I asked. "'He's too mechanical,' said Maugham. "'You couldn't expect him to be human.' "'No, but a little more human than he is,' Maugham answered. "I had my doubts but I kept them to myself. After all I'm just a reporter. I've seen a lot of things I never dreamed were possible but none of them has warped my objectivity. Maybe he could make Herman more human but I doubted that he could. "Herman looked as human as a typical product of the Prussian military machine. If he'd come in saluting and saying 'Heil, Hitler!' you could almost have believed in his humanity--if you'd call it that, all things considered. So I held my tongue and watched Herman. "That robot could move around and get things for Maugham--an ashtray, his bedroom slippers, a tray with a decanter and glasses on it. He could dust things but he was pretty awkward at that and now and then knocked something over. Maugham had removed all the breakables, I noticed, so no harm was done. I saw Maugham watching Herman with undeniable triumph and self-satisfaction but nevertheless there was an undercurrent of doubt in his eyes. * * * * *