The House Rules

Before leaving for a month, Daniel gave his house-sitter, Ruth, six pages of instructions. They covered everything from the washing machine to the exact position of the living-room curtains. Ruth appreciated the care, although she wondered how much could go wrong in such a quiet house.

During the second week, a neighbour knocked on the door in heavy rain. She had been locked out and needed somewhere to wait for her partner. One of Daniel's rules said, "No visitors." Ruth hesitated, then invited her into the kitchen.

Later that day, a storm damaged the fence. The same neighbour helped Ruth move loose panels away from the pavement and gave her the number of a reliable repair company.

When Daniel phoned, Ruth explained both events. He sounded more concerned about the visitor than the fence. Ruth pointed out that the instructions said nothing about a neighbour standing outside in heavy rain.

They spoke awkwardly for several minutes. Finally, Daniel admitted that the rule was intended to prevent parties, not ordinary kindness. He had tried to remove every possible uncertainty by writing things down.

Together, they revised the instruction to say what he actually meant. Ruth kept the folder, but Daniel added one line to its first page: "If a rule seems wrong for the situation, call me."

It was the least exact instruction in the folder and, Ruth thought, the most useful.