The garage door slid open as the hovercar approached but the robomaid was not waiting to receive them and to take custody of the empty hamper.  Grimes was not concerned about this; no doubt, he thought, Seiko was busy with some domestic task.  He led the two girls into the house, toward the lounge.  He heard the voices of his mother and father, although it was his mother who seemed to be doing most of the talking.  She sounded as though she were in what her husband and son referred to as one of her flaring rages.  What's the old man been up to now? wondered Grimes.

"Either that thing goes or I go!" he heard his mother declare.

"But I find her more satisfactory..." his father said.

"You would.  You've a warped mind, George Grimes, as I've known, to my cost, for years.  But you'll ship that toy of yours back to Tokyo and demand your money back..."

"Hi, folks," said Grimes as he entered the room.

Matilda favored him with no more than a glance, his father looked toward him appealingly.

"John," he said, "perhaps you can talk some sense into your mother.  You, as a space captain of long experience, know far more about such matters than either of us...."

"What matters?" asked Grimes.

"You may well ask," Matilda told him.  "Such matters as insubordination, mutiny.  In my own home...."

"Insubordination?  Mutiny?" repeated Grimes in a puzzled voice.

"And unprovoked assault upon my guests.  My guests."

Grimes sat down, pulled his pipe from his pocket, filled and lit it.  Shirl and Darleen did not take seats but looked questioningly at Matilda, who said, "Perhaps, dears, it might be better if you went to your rooms for a while.  This is a family matter."