Mordel emitted a high-pitched whine as he consideredthe terms.

"You wish to base it upon your admission of failure,rather than upon failure itself," he said. "There can beno such escape clause. You could fail and refuse toadmit it, thereby not fulfilling your end of the bargain."

"Not so." stated Frost. "My own knowledge of failurewould constitute such an admission. You may monitor meperiodically—say, every half-century—to see whetherit is present, to see whether I have arrived at the conclusion that it cannot be done. I cannot prevent thefunction of logic within me, and I operate at full capacityat all times. If I conclude that I have failed, it will be apparent."

High overhead, Soicom did not respond to any ofFrost's transmissions, which meant that Frost was free toact as he chose. So as Soicom—like a falling sapphire—sped above the rainbow banners of the Northern Lights,over the snow that was white, containing all colors, andthrough the sky that was black among the stars. Frostconcluded his pact with Divcom, transcribed it within aplate of atomically-collapsed copper, and gave it into theturret of Mordel, who departed to deliver it to Divcomfar below the Earth, leaving behind the sheer, peace-likesilence of the Pole, rolling.

Mordel brought the books, rimed them, took themback.

Load by load, the surviving Library of Man passedbeneath Frost's scanner. Frost was eager to have them all.and he complained because Divcom would not transmittheir content?, directly to him. Mordel explained that itwas because Divcom chose to do it that way. Frost decided it was so that he could not obtain a precise fix onDivcom's location.

Still, at the rate of one hundred to one hundred-fiftyvolumes a week, it took Frost only a little over a centuryto exhaust Divcom's supply of books.

At the end of the half-century, he laid himself open tomonitoring and there was no conclusion of failure.

During this time, Soicom made no comment upon thecourse of affairs. Frost decided this was not a matter ofunawareness, but one of waiting. For what? He was notcertain.

There was the day Mordel closed his turret and saidto him, "Those were the last. You have scanned all theexisting books of Man."

"So few?" asked Frost. "Many of them contained bibliographies of books I have not yet scanned."

'Then those books no longer exist," said Mordel. "Itis only by accident that my master succeeded in preserving as many as there are."

"Then there is nothing more to be learned of Manfrom His books. What else have you?"

"There were some films and tapes," said Mordel,"which my master transferred 'to solid-state record. Icould bring you those for viewing."

"Bring them," said Frost.

Mordel departed and returned with the CompleteDrama Critics' Living Library. This could not bespeeded-up beyond twice natural lime, so it took Frost alittle over six months to view it in its entirety.

Then, "What else have you?" he asked.

"Some artifacts," said Mordel.

"Bring them."

He returned with pots and pans, gameboards and handtools. He brought hairbrushes, combs, eyeglasses, humanclothing. He showed Frost facsimiles of blueprints, paintings, newspapers, magazines, letters, and the scores ofseveral pieces of music. He displayed a football, a baseball, a Browning automatic rifle, a doorknob, a chain ofkeys, the tops to several Mason jars, a model beehive.He played him recorded music.

Then he returned with nothing.

"Bring me more," said Frost.

"Alas, great Frost, there is no more," he told him."You have scanned it all."

"Then go away."

"Do you admit now that it cannot be done, that youcannot be a Man?""No. I have much processing and formulating to donow. Go away."

So he did.

A year passed; then two, then three.

After five years, Mordel appeared once more uponthe horizon, approached, came to a halt before Frost'ssouthern surface.

"Mighty Frost?"

"Yes?" .

"Have you finished processing and formulating?"

"No."

"Will you finish soon?"

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. When is 'soon?* Define the term."

"Never mind. Do you still think it can be done?"

"I still know / can do it." ; There was a week of silence.

Then, "Frost?"

"Yes?"

"You are a fool."

Mordel faced his turret in the direction from which hehad come. His wheels turned.

"I will call you when I want you," said Frost.

Mordel sped away.

Weeks passed, months passed, a year went by.

Then one day Frost sent forth his message:

"Mordel, come to me. I need you."

When Mordel arrived. Frost did not wait for a saluta- ^tion. He said, "You are not a very fast machine." U

"Alas, but I came a great distance, mighty Frost. X 'sped all the way. Are you ready to come back with me now? Have you failed?""When I have failed, little Mordel," said Frost, "I will tell you.

Therefore, refrain from the constant use of the interrogative. Now then, I have clocked your speed and it isnot so great as it could be. For this reason, I have arranged other means of transportation."

"Transportation? To where, Frost?" • ^ ^;

"That is for you to tell me," said Frost, and his color ,?,; changed from silverblue to sun-behind-the-clouds-yellow. ^, Mordel rolled back away from him as the ice of a - hundred centuries began to melt. Then Frost rose upon a -l',^cushion of air and drifted toward Mordel, his glow gradually fading.

A cavity appeared within his southern surface, fromwhich he slowly extended a runway until it touched theice.

"On the day of our bargain," he stated, "you said thatyou could conduct me about the world and show me thethings which delighted Man. My speed will be greaterthan yours would be, so I have prepared for you a chamber. Enter it, and conduct me to the places of which youspoke."

Mordel waited, emitting a high-pitched whine. Then,"Very well," he said. and entered, The chamber closed about him. The only opening wasa quariz window Frost had formed.

Mordel gave him coordinates and they rose into theair and departed the North Pole of the Earth.

"I monitored your communication with Divcom," hesaid, "wherein there was conjecture as to whether I wouldretain you and send forth a facsimile in your place as aspy.Jollowed by the decision that you were expendable."

*'Will you do this thing?"

"No, I will keep my end of the bargain if I must. Ihave no reason to spy on Divcom."

"You are aware that you would be forced to keepyour end of the bargain even if you did not wish to; andSolcom would not come to your assistance because of thefact that you dared to make such a bargain."

"Do you speak as one who considers this to be a possibility. or as one who knows?"

"As one who knows."

They came to rest in the place once known as California. The time was near sunset. In the distance, the surfstruck steadily upon the rocky shoreline. Frost releasedMordel and considered his surroundings.

"Those large plants ... ?"

"Redwood trees."

"And the green ones are ... ?"

"Grass."

"Yes- it is as I thought. Why have we come here?"

"Because it is a place which once delighted Man."

"In whal ways?"

"It is scenic, beautiful... .""Oh."

A humming sound began within Frost, followed by a series of sharp clicks.

"What are you doing?"

Frost dilated an opening, and two great eyes regardedMordel from within it.

"What are those?"

"Eyes," said Frost. "I have constructed analogues ofthe human sensory equipment, so that I may see andsmell and taste and hear like a Man. Now, direct myattention to an object or objects of beauty."