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They came down in a small valley, bounded by green rolling hills, cut by a narrow stream, and holding a small clean lake and several stands of spring-green trees.
"Why have we come here?" asked Mordel.
"Because the surroundings are congenial," said Prost"I am going to try another medium: oil painting; and I am going to vary my technique from that of pure representationalism."
"How will you achieve this variation?"
"By the principle of randomizing," said Frost. "I shall not attempt to duplicate the colors, nor to represent the objects according to scale. Instead, I have set up a random pattern whereby certain of these factors shall be at variance from those of the original."
Frost had formulated the necessary instruments afterhe had left the desert. He produced them and began painting the lake and the trees on the opposite side of the lake which were reflected within it.
Using eight appendages, he was finished in less than two hours.
The trees were phthalocyanine blue and towered like mountains; their reflections of burnt sie
"There," said Frost. "Behold."
Mordel studied it for a long while and said nothing.
"Well, is it art?"
"I do not know," said Mordel. "It may be. Perhaps randomicity is the principle behind artistic technique. I ca
"I know that human artists never set out to create art, as such," he said, "but rather to portray with their techniques some features of objects and their functions which they deemed significant."
" 'Significant'? In what sense of the word?"
"In the only sense of the word possible under the circumstances: significant in relation to the human condition, and worthy of accentuation because of the ma
"In what ma
"Obviously, it must be in a ma
'There is a flaw somewhere in your logic, Mordel, and I shall find it."
"I will wait."
"If your major premise is correct," said Frost after awhile, "then I do not comprehend art."
"It must be correct, for it is what human artists have said of it. Tell me, did you experience feelings as you painted, or after you had finished?"
"No."
"It was the same to you as designing a new machine,was it not? You assembled parts of other things you knew into an economic pattern, to carry out a function which you desired."
"Yes."
"Art, as I understand its theory, did not proceed in such a ma
"I ca
"I told you that Man was basically incomprehensible."
"Go away, Mordel. Your presence disturbs my processing."
"For how long shall I stay away?"
"I will call you when I want you."
After a week. Frost called Mordel to him.
"Yes, mighty Frost?"
"I am returning to the North Pole, to process and formulate. I will take you wherever you wish to go in this hemisphere and call you again when I want you."
"You anticipate a somewhat lengthy period of processing and formulation?"
"Yes."
"Then leave me here. I can find my own way home."
Frost closed the compartment and rose into the air, departing the valley.
"Fool," said Mordel, and swivelled his turret once more toward the abandoned painting.
His keening whine filled the valley. Then he waited.
Then he took the painting into his turret and went away with it to places of darkness.
Frost sat at the North Pole of the Earth, aware of every snowflake that fell.
One day he received a transmission:
"Frost?"
"Yes?"
"This is the Beta-Machine."
"Yes?"
"I have been attempting to ascertain why you "is'ted Bright Defile. I ca
"I went to view the remains of Man's last city."
"Why did you wish to do this?""Because I am interested in Man, and I wished to view more of his creations."
"Why are you interested in Man?"
"I wish to comprehend the nature of Man, and I thought to find it within His works."
"Did you succeed?"
"No," said Frost- "There is an element of non-logic involved which I ca
"I have much free processing time," said the BetaMachine. "Transmit data, and I will assist you."
Frost hesitated.
"Why do you wish to assist me?"
"Because each time you answer a question I ask it gives rise to another question. I might have asked you why you wished to comprehend the nature of Man, but from your responses I see that this would lead me into a possible infinite series of questions. Therefore, I elect to assist you with your problem in order to learn why you came to Bright Defile."
"Is that the only reason?"
"Yes."
"I am sorry, excellent Beta-Machine. I know you are my peer, but this is a problem which I must solve by myself."
"What is 'sorry'?"
"A figure of speech, indicating that I am kindly disposed toward you, that I bear you no animosity, that I appreciate your offer."
"Frost! Frost! This, too, is like the other: an open field. Where did you obtain all these words and their meanings?"
"From the library of Man," said Frost.
"Will you render me some of this data, for processing?"
"Very well, Beta, I will transmit you the contents of several books of Man, including The Complete Unabridged Dictionary. But I warn you, some of the books are works of art, hence not completely amenable to logic.'*
"How can that be?"
"Man created logic, and because of that was superior to it."
"Who told you that?"
"Solcom."
"Oh. Then it must be correct.""Solcom also told me that the tool does not describe the designer," he said, as he transmitted several dozen volumes and ended the communication.
At the end of the fifty-year period, Mordel came to monitor his circuits. Since Frost stili had not concluded that his task was impossible, Mordel departed again to await his call.
Then Frost arrived at a conclusion.
He began to design equipment.
For years he labored at his designs, without once producing a prototype of any of the machines involved. Then he ordered construction of a laboratory.
Before it was completed by his surplus builders another half-century had passed. Mordel came to him.
"Hail. mighty Frost!"
"Greetings, Mordel. Come monitor me. You shall not find what you seek."
"Why do you not give up. Frost? Divcom has spent nearly a century evaluating your painting and has concluded that it definitely is not art. Solcom agrees."
"What has Solcom to do with Divcom?"
"They sometimes converse, but these matters are not for such as you and me to discuss."
"I could have saved them both the trouble. I know that it was not art."
"Yet you are still confident that you will succeed?"
"Monitor me."
Mordel monitored him.
"Not yet! You still will not admit it! For one so mightily endowed with logic, Frost, it takes you an inordinate period of time to reach a simple conclusion."
"Perhaps. You may go now."
"It has come to my attention that you are constructing a large edifice in the region known as South Carolina, Might I ask whether this is a part of Solcom's false rebuilding plan or a project of your own?"