"Heinlein, Robert A - The Worlds Of Robert A Heinlein" - читать интересную книгу автора (Heinlein Robert A)

your annoyance; you cannot object to her wearing clothes when you have
sniffed at her for not doing so.

There is no reason why she should wear clothes at home. The house is clean
Ч not somewhat clean, but clean Ч and comfortable. The floor is warm to
bare feet; there are no unpleasant drafts, no cold walls. All dust is
precipitated from the air entering this house. All textures, of floors, of
couch, of chair, are comfortable to bare skin. Sterilizing ultra-violet
light floods each room whenever it is unoccupied, and, several times a day,
a "whirlwind" blows house-created dust from all surfaces and whisks it out.
These auto services are unobtrusive because automatic cut-off switches
prevent them from occurring whenever a mass in a room is radiating at blood
temperature.

Such a house can become untidy, but not dirty. Five minutes of
straightening, a few swipes at children's fingermarks, and her day's
housekeeping is done. Oftener than sheets were changed in Mr. McKinley's
day, this housewife rolls out a fresh layer of sheeting on each sitting
surface and stuffs the discard down the oubliette. This is easy; there is a
year's supply on a roll concealed in each chair or couch. The tissue sticks
by pressure until pulled loose and does not obscure the pattern and color.

You go into the family room, sit down, and remark on the lovely day. "Isn't
it?" she answers. "Come sunbathe with me."

The sunny patio gives excuse for bare skin by anyone's standards;
thankfully she throws off the robe and stretches out on a couch. You
hesitate a moment. After all, she is your own grandchild, so why not? You
undress quickly, since you left your outer wrap and shoes at the door (only
barbarians wear street shoes in a house) and what remains is easily
discarded. Your grandparents had to get used to a mid-century beach. It was
no easier for them.

On the other hand, their bodies were wrinkled and old, whereas yours is
not. The triumphs of endocrinology, of cosmetics, of plastic surgery, of
figure control in every way are such that a woman need not change markedly
from maturity until old age. A woman can keep her body as firm and slender
as she wishes Ч and most of them so wish. This has produced a paradox: the
United States has the highest percentage of old people in all its two and a
quarter centuries, yet it seems to have a larger proportion of handsome
young women than ever before.

("Don't whistle, son! That's your grandmother Ч ")

This garden is half sunbathing patio, complete with shrubs and flowers,
lawn and couches, and half swimming pool. The day, though sunny, is quite
cold Ч but not in the garden, nor is the pool chill. The garden appears to
be outdoors, but is not; it is covered by a bubble of transparent plastic,
blown and cured on the spot. You are inside the bubble; the sun is outside;
you cannot see the plastic.