Another way of doing it would be to introduce the subject into the conversation by simply making a remark that suggested you knew. You could, for example, give somebody a cup of tea and then say something like, Would you like a piece of cake as well – now that you’re pregnant? That would allow the other person to answer, Well, cake is always welcome when one is eating for two. Or she might say, What makes you think I’m pregnant? That could be awkward, because you could hardly say, I thought you were pregnant because you’re looking so large. There were some people who became larger simply because of fattening foods, of cake or the like, or because they were traditionally built by nature rather than because of… because of anything else. They might resent an inference that they were too large, and indeed there were those who might be trying to become pregnant and not yet succeeding; they might be upset if you reminded them of something they wanted but were not achieving. Or there might be people who could conclude that you thought that they should be pregnant, and they, in turn, might think, What business is it of yours whether or not I’m pregnant? There was no getting away from it: it was very difficult all round and even a discussion of maternity leave would have to be handled very carefully. There were undoubtedly many employees who were easy, with whom you could raise any issue without having to take care to be tactful, but Mma Makutsi, for all her many merits, was certainly not one of those.