DEADENDS

“Isupposethemurdereriscompletelyunknown,”Baleysaid.Gruer looked particularly uneasy. “No, I cannot say themurderer is

completelyunknown.Infact,thereisonlyonepersonthatcanpossiblyhavedonethedeed.”“Areyousureyoudon’tmeanonlyonepersonwho is likely tohave

donethedeed?”Gruershookhisbaldhead.“No.Onlyonepossibleperson.Anyoneelse

isimpossible.Completelyimpossible.”“Completely?”“Iassureyou.”“Thenyouhavenoproblem,”Baleyconcluded.“On the contrary.We do have a problem. That one person couldn’t

havedoneiteither.”

AlsobyIsaacAsimovavailablefromBantamBooks

TheFoundationNovels

PRELUDETOFOUNDATIONFOUNDATIONFOUNDATIONANDEMPIRESECONDFOUNDATIONFOUNDATION’SEDGEFORWARDTHEFOUNDATION

TheRobotNovelsI,ROBOTTHECAVESOFSTEELTHENAKEDSUNTHEROBOTSOFDAWN

NEMESISTHEGODSTHEMSELVESFANTASTICVOYAGEI,ASIMOV

WITHROBERTSILVERBERGNIGHTFALL

Allcharactersinthisbookarefictitiousandanyresemblancetoactualpersons,livingordead,isentirelycoincidental.

Thiseditioncontainsthecompletetextoftheoriginalhardcoveredition.NOTONEWORDHASBEENOMITTED.

THENAKEDSUN

ABantamSpectraBook/publishedbyarrangementwithDoubleday

SPECTRAandtheportrayalofaboxed“s”aretrademarksofBantamBooks,adivisionofRandomHouse,Inc.

Allrightsreserved.Copyright©1957byIsaacAsimov©1956byStreet&Smith

Publications,Inc.Introductioncopyright©1983byNightfallInc.

Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopying,recording,orbyanyinformationstorageandretrievalsystem,

withoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher.

eISBN:978-0-307-79240-2

Bantam Books are published by Bantam Books, a division of Random House, Inc. Its trademark,consistingofthewords“BantamBooks”andtheportrayalofarooster,isRegisteredinU.S.PatentandTrademark Office and in other countries. Marca Registrada. RandomHouse, Inc., New York, NewYork.

v3.1

ToNoreenandNickFalasca,forinvitingme,ToTonyBoucher,forintroducingme,andToOneHundredUnusualHours

CONTENTS

CoverOtherBooksbyThisAuthorTitlePageCopyrightDedicationINTRODUCTION

1.AQUESTIONISASKED2.AFRIENDISENCOUNTERED3.AVICTIMISNAMED4.AWOMANISVIEWED5.ACRIMEISDISCUSSED6.ATHEORYISREFUTED7.ADOCTORISPRODDED8.ASPACERISDEFIED9.AROBOTISSTYMIED10.ACULTUREISTRACED11.AFARMISINSPECTED12.ATARGETISMISSED13.AROBOTICISTISCONFRONTED14.AMOTIVEISREVEALED15.APORTRAITISCOLORED16.ASOLUTIONISOFFERED17.AMEETINGISHELD18.AQUESTIONISANSWERED

AbouttheAuthor

THESTORYBEHINDTHEROBOTNOVELSBYISAACASIMOV

ThewritingsideofmyloveaffairwithrobotsbeganonMay10,1939,butasascience-fictionreaderitbeganearlierstill.Robots were, after all, nothing new in science fiction, not even in

1939.Mechanicalhumanbeingsaretobefoundinancientandmedievalmyths and legends, and the word “robot” originally appeared in KarlCapek’splayR.U.R.,whichwas first staged in1921 inCzechoslovakia,butwassoontranslatedintomanylanguages.R.U.R. stands for “Rossum’s Universal Robots.” Rossum, an English

industrialist,producedartificialhumanbeingsdesignedtodothelaborof the world and to free humanity for a life of creative leisure. (Theword “robot” is from a Czech word meaning “compulsory labor.”)ThoughRossummeantwell,itdidn’tworkoutasheplanned:therobotsrebelled,andthehumanspecieswasdestroyed.Itisperhapsnotsurprisingthatatechnologicaladvance,imaginedin

1921,wasseenasresultinginuniversaldisaster.RememberthatWorldWarI,withitstanks,airplanes,andpoisongas,hadjustendedandhadshowed people “the dark side of the force,” to use Star Warsterminology.R.U.R. added its somber view to that of the even more famous

Frankenstein, inwhich the creation of another kind of artificial humanbeingalsoendedindisaster,thoughonamorelimitedscale.Followingthese examples, it became very common, in the 1920s and 1930s, topicture robots as dangerous devices that invariably destroyed theircreators.Themoralwaspointedoutoverandoveragainthat“therearesomethingsManwasnotmeanttoknow.”Evenasayoungster,though,Icouldnotbringmyselftobelievethatif

knowledge presented danger, the solution was ignorance. To me, italwaysseemedthatthesolutionhadtobewisdom.Youdidnotrefusetolookatdanger,ratheryoulearnedhowtohandleitsafely.

Afterall, thishasbeenthehumanchallengesinceacertaingroupofprimates became human in the first place.Any technological advancecanbedangerous.Firewasdangerousfromthestart,andso(evenmoreso)was speech—and both are still dangerous to this day—but humanbeingswouldnotbehumanwithoutthem.At any rate, without quite knowing what dissatisfied me about therobotstoriesIread,Iwaitedforsomethingbetter,andIfounditintheDecember1938issueofAstoundingScienceFiction.That issuecontained“HelenO’Loy”byLesterdelRey,astoryinwhicharobotwasportrayedsympathetically.Itwas,Ibelieve,onlyhissecondstory,butIwasadelReyfanforeverafter.(Pleasedon’tanybodytellhimthis.Hemustneverknow.)Atalmostthesametime,intheJanuary1939issueofAmazingStories,EandoBinderportrayedasympatheticrobotinI,Robot.Thiswasmuchthepoorerstoryofthetwo,butagainIvibrated.Dimly,Ibegantofeelthat I wanted to write a story in which a robot would be portrayedlovingly.AndonMay10,1939,Ibegansuchastory.Thejobtookmetwoweeks,forinthosedaysittookmequiteawhiletowriteastory.I called it “Robbie,” and it was about a robot nursemaid, who wasloved by the child it cared for and feared by the child’smother. FredPohl(whowasalsonineteenatthetime,andwhohasmatchedmeyearforyeareversince)waswiserthanI,however.Whenhereadit,hesaidthat John Campbell, the all-powerful editor of Astounding, would nottake it because it was too much like “Helen O’Loy.” He was right.Campbellrejecteditforthatveryreason.However,Fredbecameeditorofapairofnewmagazinessoonafter,andhetook“Robbie”onMarch25,1940.ItappearedintheSeptember1940 issue of Super-Science Stories, though its name was changed to“StrangePlayfellow.”(Fredhadanawfulhabitofchangingtitles,almostalways for the worse. The story has appeared many times since, butalwaysundermyownoriginaltitle.)Iwas,inthosedays,dissatisfiedwithanysalenotmadetoCampbell,however,andsoItriedanotherrobotstoryafterawhile.IdiscussedtheideawithCampbellfirst,though,tomakesurehewouldn’trejectitforanythingother than inadequatewriting,and then Iwrote “Reason,” inwhicharobotgotreligion,sotospeak.Campbell bought it on November 22, 1940, and it appeared in the

April1941 issueofhismagazine. Itwasmy third sale tohimand thefirstonehehadtakenasitstood,withoutrequestingrevision.Iwassoelated by this that I quicklywrote a third robot story, about amind-reading robot,which I called “Liar!”, and thisoneCampbellalso took,and it appeared in theMay1941 issue. Ihad two robot stories in twosuccessiveissues.Afterthat,Ididnotintendtostop.Ihadaseriesgoing.Ihadmorethanthat.OnDecember23,1940,whenIwasdiscussingmy idea for amind-reading robot with Campbell, we found ourselvesdiscussingtherulesthatgovernedthewayinwhicharobotbehaved.Itseemed to me that robots were engineering devices with built-insafeguards, and so the two of us began giving verbal form to thosesafeguards—thesebecamethe“ThreeLawsofRobotics.”I firstworked out the final form of the Three Laws, and used themexplicitly,inmyfourthrobotstory,“Runaround,”whichappearedintheMarch 1942 issue ofAstounding. The Three Laws first appear on page100ofthat issue.I lookedthatup,becausewheretheyappearthereistheveryfirstuseof theword“robotics” inthehistoryof theworld,asfarasIknow.IwentontowritefourmorerobotstoriesforAstoundinginthe1940s.They were “Catch That Rabbit,” “Escape” (which Campbell called“ParadoxicalEscape”becausetwoyearsbeforehehadpublishedastorywith “Escape” as the title), “Evidence,” and “The Evitable Conflict.”These appeared in the February 1944, August 1945, September 1946,andJune1950issuesofAstounding.By 1950, important publishing houses, notably Doubleday andCompany, were beginning to publish hardcover science fiction. InJanuary 1950, Doubleday published my first book, the science-fictionnovelPebbleintheSky,andIwashardatworkonasecondnovel.ItoccurredtoFredPohl,whowasmyagentforabriefperiodatthattime, that perhaps a book could be made out of my robot stories.Doubledaywasnotinterestedinshort-storycollectionsatthetime,butaverysmallpublishinghouse,GnomePress,was.OnJune8,1950,thecollectionwashandedtoGnomePress,andthetitleIgaveitwasMindandIron.Thepublishershookhishead.“Let’scallitI,Robot,”hesaid.“Wecan’t,”Isaid.“EandoBinderwroteashortstorywiththattitleten

yearsago.”“Whocares?”saidthepublisher(thoughthatisabowdlerizedversion

of what he really said), and I allowed myself, rather uneasily, to bepersuaded.I,Robotwasmysecondbook,anditcameoutjustbeforetheendof1950.ThebookcontainedmyeightrobotstoriesfromAstounding,withtheir

order rearranged to make a more logical progression. In addition, Iincluded“Robbie,”my first story,because I liked itdespiteCampbell’srejection.Ihadwrittenthreeotherrobotstoriesinthe1940sthatCampbellhad

either rejected or never seen, but thesewere not in the direct path ofprogressionofthestories,soIleftthemout.These,however,andotherrobotstorieswritteninthedecadessinceI,Robot,wereincludedinlatercollections—all of them, without exception, appeared in The CompleteRobot,publishedbyDoubledayin1982.I,Robotdidnotmakeabigsplashonpublication,butitsoldsteadily,

ifslowly,yearafteryear.Withinfiveyears,ithadcomeoutinanArmedForcesedition,inacheaperhardcoveredition,inaBritishedition,andinaGermanedition(myfirstforeign-languageappearance).In1956,itwasevenpublishedinapaperbackeditionbyNewAmericanLibrary.TheonlytroublewasthatGnomePresswasjustbarelysurviving,and

it never did get around to giving me clear semiannual statements, ormuch in the way of payments. (That went for my three Foundationbooks,whichGnomePressalsopublished.)In1961,Doubledaybecameawareof the fact thatGnomePresswas

having trouble, and they arranged to take over I, Robot (and theFoundationbooks,too).Fromthenon,allthebooksdidmuchbetter.Infact, I, Robot has remained in print ever since it was first published.That’s thirty-threeyearsnow. In1981, itwasevensold to themovies,althoughnomotionpicturehasyetbeenmade.Ithasalsoappearedineighteen different foreign languages that I know of, including RussianandHebrew.ButI’mgettingwayaheadofthestory.Let’sgobackto1952,atwhichtimeI,Robotwasjustploddingalong

asaGnomePressbook,andIhadnohintofanyrealsuccess.By that time,new top-notch science-fictionmagazineshad comeout

andthefieldwasinoneofitsperiodic“booms.”TheMagazineofFantasy

andScienceFictionappearedin1949,andGalaxyScienceFictionin1950.WiththatJohnCampbelllosthismonopolyofthefield,andthe“GoldenAge”ofthe1940swasover.IbegantowriteforHoraceGold,theeditorofGalaxy,andwithsomerelief, too. For a period of eight years, I had written for CampbellexclusivelyandIhadcometofeelthatIwasaone-editorwriterandthatif anything happened toCampbell, Iwould be through.My success insellingtoGoldrelievedmyanxietiesinthisrespect.Goldevenserializedmysecondnovel,TheStars,LikeDust…,althoughhechangeditstitletoTyrann,whichIconsideredawful.Nor was Gold my only new editor. I sold a robot story to HowardBrowne,whoeditedAmazingduringabriefperiodwhenittriedtobeaquality magazine. The story, entitled “Satisfaction Guaranteed,”appearedintheApril1951issueofthatmagazine.Thatwas an exception, though.On thewhole, Ihadno intentionofwriting further robot stories at that time. The appearance of I, Robotseemedtohavebroughtthatportionofmyliterarycareertoitsnaturalclose,andIwasmovingontootherthings.Gold, however, having published one serial by me, was perfectlywilling to try another, especially since a newnovel I hadwritten,TheCurrentsofSpace,hadbeentakenbyCampbellforserialization.OnApril19,1952,GoldandIweretalkingoverthematterofanewnovelthatwastoappearinGalaxy.Hesuggestedarobotnovel.Ishookmyheadfirmly.Myrobotshadappearedonlyinshortstories,andIwasnotatallsureIcouldwriteawholenovelbasedonrobots.“Sure you can,” said Gold. “How about an over-populated world inwhichrobotsaretakingoverhumanjobs?”“Too depressing,” I said. “I’m not sure I want to handle a heavysociologicalstory.”“Doityourway.Youlikemysteries.Putamurderinsuchaworldandhave a detective solve itwith a robot partner. If the detective doesn’tsolveit,therobotwillreplacehim.”Thatstruckfire.Campbellhadoftensaidthatascience-fictionmysterystorywasacontradictioninterms;thatadvancesintechnologycouldbeused to get detectives out of their difficulties unfairly, and that thereaderswouldthereforebecheated.I satdowntowriteastory thatwouldbeaclassicmysteryand that

would not cheat the reader—and yet would be a true science-fictionstory.TheresultwasTheCavesofSteel.ItappearedinGalaxyasathree-partserialintheOctober,November,andDecember1953issues,andin1954,itwaspublishedbyDoubledayasmyeleventhbook.There was no question but that The Caves of Steel was my most

successful book todate. It soldbetter thananyofmyearlierbooks; itelicited nicer letters from readers; and (best proof of all) Doubledaysmiled at me with greater warmth than ever before. Until that point,theywantedoutlinesandchaptersfrommebeforehandingmecontracts,butafterthatIgotmycontractsonmymerestatementthatIwasgoingtowriteanotherbook.TheCavesofSteelwassosuccessful,infact,thatitwasinevitablethatI

writeasequel.Iwouldhavestarteditatonce,Ithink,ifIhadnotjustbegun towrite sciencepopularizations and found I enjoyeddoing thattremendously. It was not till October 1955 that I actually began TheNakedSun.Once begun, however, itwent smoothly. Inmanyways, it balanced

theearlierbook.TheCavesofSteeltookplaceonEarth,aworldofmanyhuman beings and few robots, while The Naked Sun took place onSolaria, aworld of few human beings andmany robots.What’smore,although my books are generally devoid of romance, I actuallyintroducedanunderstatedlovestoryintoTheNakedSun.Iwas entirely satisfiedwith the sequel, and inmy heart, thought it

wasevenbetterthanTheCavesofSteel,butwhatwasItodowithit?Ihad grown somewhat estranged fromCampbell, who had taken up anoddbit of pseudoscience calleddianetics andhadmanaged to becomeinterested in flying saucers, in psionics, and in various otherquestionablematters.Ontheotherhand,IowedhimagreatdealandIfeltratherguiltyoverhavinglargelyshiftedtoGold,whohadhadtwoofmyserialsinarow.ButashehadnothingtodowiththeplanningofTheNakedSun,IcoulddisposeofitasIwished.Ioffered thenovel toCampbell, therefore,andhe took itatonce. It

appearedasathree-partserialintheOctober,November,andDecember1956issuesofAstounding,andCampbelldidn’tchangemytitle,either.In1957,itwaspublishedbyDoubledayasmytwentiethbook.ItdidjustaswellasTheCavesofSteel,ifnotbetter,andDoubledayat

oncepointedoutIcouldn’tleaveitthere.Iwouldhavetowriteathird

bookandmakeitatrilogy,justasmythreeFoundationbooksmadeupatrilogy.Ifullyagreed.Ihadaroughideaoftheplotofthethirdbook,andI

hadatitle—TheBoundsofInfinity.InJuly1958,thefamilywastakingathree-weekvacationinahouse

attheshoreinMarshfield,Massachusetts,anditwasmyplantogettoworkanddoasizablechunkofthenewnovelthere.Itwasgoingtobeset on Aurora, where the human/robot balance was to be neitheroverweightedinthedirectionofthehumanasinTheCavesofSteelnorin the direction of the robot as in The Naked Sun. What’s more, theelementofromancewastobemuchstrengthened.I was all set—and yet, something was wrong. I had grown steadily

more interested in non-fiction in the 1950s, and for the first time, Istarted a novelwhichwouldn’t catch fire. After four chapters, I fadedoutandgaveup.IdecidedthatinmyheartIfeltIcouldn’thandletheromance, couldn’t balance the human/robotmixture in properly equalfashion.Fortwenty-fiveyears,thatwasthewayitremained.NeitherTheCaves

of Steel norThe Naked Sun died or went out of print. They appearedtogetherinTheRobotNovels;theyappearedwithagroupofshortstoriesin The Rest of the Robots. And they appeared in various softcovereditions.For twenty-five years, therefore, readers had them available to read

and, I presume, enjoy. As a result, manywroteme to ask for a thirdnovel.Atconventionstheyaskedmedirectly.Itbecamethemostsure-firerequestIwastoreceive(excepttherequestforafourthFoundationnovel).AndwheneverIwasaskedifIintendedtowriteathirdrobotnovel,I

alwaysanswered,“Yes—someday—soprayforalonglifeforme.”Somehow, I felt Iought to,butas theyearspassed Igrewmoreand

more certain that I couldn’t handle it, and more and more sadlyconvincedthatthethirdnovelwasnevergoingtobewritten.And yet, in March of 1983, I presented Doubleday with the “long-

awaited”thirdrobotnovel. Ithasnoconnectionwhateverwith the ill-fatedattemptof1958,anditsnameisTheRobotsofDawn.

—IsaacAsimov

NewYorkCity

1AQUESTIONISASKED

StubbornlyElijahBaleyfoughtpanic.Fortwoweeksithadbeenbuildingup.Longerthanthat,even.Ithad

been building up ever since they had called him to Washington andtherecalmlytoldhimhewasbeingreassigned.ThecalltoWashingtonhadbeendisturbingenoughinitself. Itcame

without details, amere summons; and thatmade itworse. It includedtravelslipsdirectingroundtripbyplaneandthatmadeitstillworse.Partly itwas thesenseofurgency introducedbyanyorder forplane

travel.Partlyitwasthethoughtoftheplane;simplythat.Still,thatwasjustthebeginningofuneasinessand,asyet,easytosuppress.After all, Lije Baley had been in a plane four times before.Once he

hadevencrossedthecontinent.So,whileplanetravelisneverpleasant,itwould,atleast,notbeacompletestepintotheunknown.Andthen,thetripfromNewYorktoWashingtonwouldtakeonlyan

hour.Thetake-offwouldbefromNewYorkRunwayNumber2,which,likeallofficialRunways,wasdecentlyenclosed,withalockopeningtotheunprotectedatmosphereonlyafterairspeedhadbeenachieved.ThearrivalwouldbeatWashingtonRunwayNumber5,whichwassimilarlyprotected.Furthermore,asBaleywellknew,therewouldbenowindowsonthe

plane. There would be good lighting, decent food, all necessaryconveniences.Theradio-controlledflightwouldbesmooth;therewouldscarcelybeanysensationofmotiononcetheplanewasairborne.Heexplainedallthistohimself,andtoJessie,hiswife,whohadnever

beenairborneandwhoapproachedsuchmatterswithterror.She said, “But I don’t like you to take a plane, Lije. It isn’t natural.

Whycan’tyoutaketheExpressways?”“Because that would take ten hours”—Baley’s long face was set in

dour lines—“and because I’m a member of the City Police Force andhavetofollowtheordersofmysuperiors.Atleast,IdoifIwanttokeepmyC-6rating.”

Therewasnoarguingwiththat.

Baley took theplaneandkepthis eyes firmlyon thenews-strip thatunreeled smoothly and continuously from the eye-level dispenser. TheCity was proud of that service: news, features, humorous articles,educational bits, occasional fiction. Someday the strips would beconverted to film, it was said, since enclosing the eyes with a viewerwouldbeanevenmoreefficientwayofdistractingthepassenger fromhissurroundings.Baley kept his eyes on the unreeling strip, not only for the sake ofdistraction,butalsobecauseetiquetterequiredit.Therewerefiveotherpassengersontheplane(hecouldnothelpnoticingthatmuch)andeachoneofthemhadhisprivaterighttowhateverdegreeoffearandanxietyhisnatureandupbringingmadehimfeel.Baleywouldcertainlyresenttheintrusionofanyoneelseonhisownuneasiness.Hewantednostrangeeyesonthewhitenessofhisknuckleswherehishandsgripped thearmrest,or thedampishstain theywouldleavewhenhetookthemaway.Hetoldhimself:I’menclosed.ThisplaneisjustalittleCity.Buthedidn’t fool himself. Therewas an inchof steel at his left; hecouldfeelitwithhiselbow.Pastthat,nothing——Well,air!Butthatwasnothing,really.A thousandmilesof it inonedirection.A thousand inanother.Onemileofit,maybetwo,straightdown.Healmostwishedhecouldseestraightdown,glimpsethetopoftheburied Cities hewas passing over; NewYork, Philadelphia, Baltimore,Washington. He imagined the rolling, low-slung cluster-complexes ofdomeshehadneverseenbutknewtobethere.Andunderthem,foramileundergroundanddozensofmilesineverydirection,wouldbetheCities.The endless, hiving corridors of the Cities, he thought, alive withpeople; apartments, community kitchens, factories, Expressways; allcomfortableandwarmwiththeevidenceofman.Andhehimselfwasisolatedinthecoldandfeaturelessairinasmallbulletofmetal,movingthroughemptiness.His hands trembled, and he forced his eyes to focus on the strip of

paperandreadabit.ItwasashortstorydealingwithGalacticexplorationanditwasquiteobviousthattheherowasanEarthman.Baleymuttered inexasperation, thenheldhisbreathmomentarily indismayathisboorishnessinmakingasound.Itwascompletelyridiculous,though.Itwaspanderingtochildishness,this pretense that Earthmen could invade space. Galactic exploration!TheGalaxywas closed toEarthmen. Itwaspreemptedby theSpacers,whose ancestors had been Earthmen centuries before. Those ancestorshadreachedtheOuterWorlds first, foundthemselvescomfortable,andtheir descendants had lowered the bars to immigration. They hadpenned in Earth and their Earthman cousins. And Earth’s Citycivilizationcompletedthetask, imprisoningEarthmenwithintheCitiesby awall of fear of open spaces that barred them from the robot-runfarmingandminingareasoftheirownplanet;fromeventhat.Baley thought bitterly: Jehoshaphat! If we don’t like it, let’s dosomethingaboutit.Let’snotjustwastetimewithfairytales.Buttherewasnothingtodoaboutit,andheknewit.Then the plane landed. He and his fellow-passengers emerged andscatteredawayfromoneanother,neverlooking.Baleyglancedathiswatchanddecidedtherewastimeforfresheningbefore taking the Expressway to the Justice Department. Hewas gladtherewas.The soundand clamorof life, thehugevaulted chamberofthe airport with City corridors leading off on numerous levels,everythingelsehesawandheard,gavehimthe feelingofbeingsafelyandwarmly enclosed in the bowels andwomb of the City. Itwashedawayanxietyandonlyashowerwasnecessarytocompletethejob.Heneededatransient’spermittomakeuseofoneofthecommunitybathrooms, but presentation of his travel orders eliminated anydifficulties. There was only the routine stamping, with private-stallprivileges(thedatecarefullymarkedtopreventabuse)andaslimstripofdirectionsforgettingtotheassignedspot.Baleywas thankful for the feel of the strips beneathhis feet. Itwaswithsomethingamountingtoluxurythathefelthimselfaccelerateashemoved from strip to moving strip inward toward the speedingExpressway.Heswunghimselfaboard lightly, takingtheseat towhichhisratingentitledhim.

Itwasn’t a rush hour; seatswere available. The bathroom,when hereachedit,wasnotundulycrowdedeither.Thestallassignedtohimwasindecentorderwithalaunderettethatworkedwell.With his water ration consumed to good purpose and his clothing

freshened he felt ready to tackle the Justice Department. Ironicallyenough,heevenfeltcheerful.Undersecretary Albert Minnimwas a small, compact man, ruddy of

skin, and graying, with the angles of his body smoothed down andsoftened.Heexudedanairofcleanlinessandsmelledfaintlyoftonic.Itall spoke of the good things of life that camewith the liberal rationsobtainedbythosehighinAdministration.Baley felt sallow and rawboned in comparison.Hewas conscious of

hisownlargehands,deep-seteyes,ageneralsenseofcragginess.Minnimsaidcordially,“Sitdown,Baley.Doyousmoke?”“Onlyapipe,sir,”saidBaley.Hedrew it out ashe spoke, andMinnim thrustbacka cigarhehad

halfdrawn.Baleywasinstantlyregretful.Acigarwasbetterthannothingandhe

wouldhaveappreciatedthegift.Evenwiththeincreasedtobaccorationthatwent alongwith his recent promotion from C-5 to C-6 hewasn’texactlyswimminginpipefixings.“Pleaselightup,ifyoucareto,”saidMinnim,andwaitedwithakind

of paternal patience while Baley measured out a careful quantity oftobaccoandaffixedthepipebaffle.Baleysaid,hiseyesonhispipe,“Ihavenotbeentoldthereasonfor

mybeingcalledtoWashington,sir.”“Iknowthat,”saidMinnim.Hesmiled.“Icanfixthatrightnow.You

arebeingreassignedtemporarily.”“OutsideNewYorkCity?”“Quiteadistance.”Baley raisedhis eyebrowsand looked thoughtful. “How temporarily,

sir?”“I’mnotsure.”Baleywasawareoftheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofreassignment.

As a transient in a City of which he was not a resident, he wouldprobablyliveonascalebetterthanhisofficialratingentitledhimto.Onthe other hand, it would be very unlikely that Jessie and their son,

Bentley,wouldbeallowedtotravelwithhim.Theywouldbetakencareof,tobesure,thereinNewYork,butBaleywasadomesticatedcreatureandhedidnotenjoythethoughtofseparation.Then, too, a reassignmentmeant a specific job of work, whichwasgood, and a responsibility greater than that ordinarily expected of theindividualdetective,whichcouldbeuncomfortable.Baleyhad,nottoomanymonthsearlier,survivedtheresponsibilityof the investigationofthemurderofaSpacerjustoutsideNewYork.Hewasnotoverjoyedattheprospectofanothersuchdetail,oranythingapproachingit.He said, “Would you tell me where I’m going? The nature of thereassignment?Whatit’sallabout?”Hewas trying toweigh theUndersecretary’s “Quite a distance” andmakelittlebetswithhimselfastohisnewbaseofoperations.The“Quiteadistance”hadsoundedemphaticandBaleythought:Calcutta?Sydney?ThenhenoticedthatMinnimwastakingoutacigarafterallandwaslightingitcarefully.Baley thought: Jehoshaphat! He’s having trouble telling me. Hedoesn’twanttosay.Minnim withdrew his cigar from between his lips. He watched thesmoke and said, “The Department of Justice is assigning you totemporarydutyonSolaria.”For a moment Baley’s mind groped for an illusive identification:Solaria,Asia;Solaria,Australia…?Then he rose from his seat and said tightly, “Youmean, one of theOuterWorlds?”Minnimdidn’tmeetBaley’seyes.“Thatisright.”Baley said, “But that’s impossible.Theywouldn’tallowanEarthmanonanOuterWorld.”“Circumstancesdoaltercases,PlainclothesmanBaley.TherehasbeenamurderonSolaria.”Baley’s lipsquirked intoa sortof reflex smile. “That’s a littleoutofourjurisdiction,isn’tit?”“They’verequestedhelp.”“From us? Earth?” Baley was torn between confusion and disbelief.ForanOuterWorldtotakeanyattitudeotherthancontempttowardthedespisedmotherplanetor,atbest,apatronizingsocialbenevolencewasunthinkable.Tocomeforhelp?

“FromEarth?”herepeated.“Unusual,”admittedMinnim,“butthereitis.TheywantaTerrestrial

detective assigned to the case. It’s been handled through diplomaticchannelsonthehighestlevels.”Baleysatdownagain.“Whyme?I’mnotayoungman.I’mforty-three.

I’vegotawifeandchild.Icouldn’tleaveEarth.”“That’snotour choice,Plainclothesman.Youwere specifically asked

for.”“I?”“PlainclothesmanElijahBaley,C-6,oftheNewYorkCityPoliceForce.

Theyknewwhattheywanted.Surelyyouseewhy.”Baleysaidstubbornly,“I’mnotqualified.”“They think you are. The way you handled the Spacer murder has

apparentlyreachedthem.”“Theymusthavegotitallmixedup.Itmusthaveseemedbetterthan

itwas.”Minnim shrugged. “In any case, they’ve asked for you andwe have

agreedtosendyou.Youarereassigned.Thepapershaveallbeentakencareofandyoumustgo.Duringyourabsence,yourwifeandchildwillbetakencareofataC-7levelsincethatwillbeyourtemporaryratingduring your discharge of this assignment.” He paused significantly.“Satisfactory completion of the assignment may make the ratingpermanent.”ItwashappeningtooquicklyforBaley.Noneofthiscouldbeso.He

couldn’tleaveEarth.Didn’ttheyseethat?He heard himself ask in a level voice that sounded unnatural in his

own ears, “What kindof amurder?What are the circumstances?Whycan’ttheyhandleitthemselves?”Minnim rearranged small objects on his desk with carefully kept

fingers.Heshookhishead.“Idon’tknowanythingaboutthemurder.Idon’tknowthecircumstances.”“Thenwhodoes,sir?Youdon’texpectmetogotherecold,doyou?”

Andagainadespairinginnervoice:ButIcan’tleaveEarth.“Nobody knows anything about it. Nobody on Earth. The Solarians

didn’t tell us. Thatwill be your job: to find outwhat is so importantabout the murder that they must have an Earthman to solve it. Or,rather,thatwillbepartofyourjob.”

Baleywasdesperateenoughtosay,“What if I refuse?”Heknewtheanswer,ofcourse.Heknewexactlywhatdeclassificationwouldmeantohimselfand,morethanthat,tohisfamily.Minnimsaidnothingaboutdeclassification.Hesaidsoftly,“Youcan’t

refuse,Plainclothesman.Youhaveajobtodo.”“ForSolaria?Thehellwiththem.”“Forus,Baley.Forus.”Minnimpaused.Thenhewenton,“Youknow

thepositionofEarthwithrespecttotheSpacers.Idon’thavetogointothat.”Baley knew the situation and so did every man on Earth. The fifty

OuterWorlds,withafarsmallerpopulation,incombination,thanthatofEarth alone, nevertheless maintained a military potential perhaps ahundred times greater.With their underpopulatedworlds resting on apositronic robot economy, their energy production per human wasthousands of times that of Earth. And it was the amount of energy asinglehumancouldproducethatdictatedmilitarypotential,standardofliving,happiness,andallbesides.Minnim said, “One of the factors that conspires to keep us in that

position is ignorance.Just that. Ignorance.TheSpacersknowallaboutus. They send missions enough to Earth, heaven knows. We knownothingaboutthemexceptwhattheytellus.NomanonEarthhaseverasmuchassetfootonanOuterWorld.Youwill,though.”Baleybegan,“Ican’t…”ButMinnimrepeated,“Youwill.Yourpositionwillbeunique.Youwill

beonSolariaontheir invitation,doinga jobtowhichtheywillassignyou.Whenyoureturn,youwillhaveinformationusefultoEarth.”Baleywatched theUndersecretary through somber eyes. “Youmean

I’mtospyforEarth.”“Noquestionofspying.Youneeddonothingtheydon’taskyoutodo.

Justkeepyoureyesandmindopen.Observe!TherewillbespecialistsonEarthwhenyoureturntoanalyzeandinterpretyourobservations.”Baleysaid,“Itakeitthere’sacrisis,sir.”“Whydoyousaythat?”“SendinganEarthmantoanOuterWorldisrisky.TheSpacershateus.

WiththebestwillintheworldandeventhoughI’mthereoninvitation,Icouldcauseaninterstellarincident.TheTerrestrialGovernmentcouldeasily avoid sending me if they chose. They could say I was ill. The

Spacersarepathologicallyafraidofdisease.Theywouldn’twantmeforanyreasoniftheythoughtIwereill.”“Doyousuggest,”saidMinnim,“wetrythattrick?”“No. If the Government had no other motive for sending me, theywouldthinkofthatorsomethingbetterwithoutmyhelp.Soit followsthatitisthequestionofspyingthatistherealessential.Andifthatisso,theremustbemoretoitthanjustasee-what-you-can-seetojustifytherisk.”Baleyhalfexpectedanexplosionandwouldhavehalfwelcomedoneas a relief of pressure, butMinnimonly smiled frostily and said, “Youcanseepastthenonessentials,itseems.Butthen,Iexpectednoless.”The Undersecretary leaned across his desk toward Baley. “Here iscertain informationwhichyouwilldiscusswithnoone,notevenwithothergovernmentofficials.Oursociologistshavebeencomingtocertainconclusions concerning the present Galactic situation. Fifty OuterWorlds, underpopulated, roboticized, powerful, with people that arehealthy and long-lived. We ourselves, crowded, technologicallyunderdeveloped,short-lived,undertheirdomination.Itisunstable.”“Everythingisinthelongrun.”“Thisisunstableintheshortrun.Ahundredyearsisthemostwe’reallowed. The situation will last our time, to be sure, but we havechildren. Eventually we will become too great a danger to the OuterWorldstobeallowedtosurvive.ThereareeightbillionsonEarthwhohatetheSpacers.”Baleysaid,“TheSpacersexcludeusfromtheGalaxy,handleourtradeto their own profit, dictate to our Government, and treat us withcontempt.Whatdotheyexpect?Gratitude?”“True, and yet the pattern is fixed. Revolt, suppression, revolt,suppression—andwithinacenturyEarthwillbevirtuallywipedoutasapopulatedworld.Sothesociologistssay.”Baley stirred uneasily. One didn’t question sociologists and theircomputers.“Butwhatdoyouexpectmetoaccomplishifallthisisso?”“Bringusinformation.ThebigflawinsociologicalforecastisourlackofdataconcerningtheSpacers.We’vehadtomakeassumptionsonthebasisofthefewSpacerstheysentouthere.We’vehadtorelyonwhatthey choose to tell us of themselves, so it follows we know theirstrengthsandonly theirstrengths.Damnit, theyhavetheirrobotsand

theirlownumbersandtheirlonglives.Butdotheyhaveweaknesses?Isthere some factor or factors which, if we but knew, would alter thesociologic inevitability of destruction; something that could guide ouractionsandbetterthechanceofEarth’ssurvival?”“Hadn’tyoubettersendasociologist,sir?”Minnim shook his head. “If we could send whom we pleased, wewould have sent someone out ten years ago, when these conclusionswerefirstbeingarrivedat.Thisisourfirstexcusetosendsomeoneandtheyaskforadetectiveandthatsuitsus.Adetectiveisasociologist,too;a rule-of-thumb, practicing sociologist, or he wouldn’t be a gooddetective.Yourrecordprovesyouagoodone.”“Thankyou,sir,”saidBaleymechanically.“AndifIgetintotrouble?”Minnimshrugged.“That’stheriskofapoliceman’sjob.”Hedismissedthepointwithawaveofhishandandadded,“Inanycase,youmustgo.Yourtimeofdepartureisset.Theshipthatwilltakeyouiswaiting.”Baleystiffened.“Waiting?WhendoIleave?”“Intwodays.”“I’vegottogetbacktoNewYorkthen.Mywife——”“Wewill see yourwife. She can’t know the nature of your job, youknow.Shewillbetoldnottoexpecttohearfromyou.”“Butthisisinhuman.Imustseeher.Imayneverseeheragain.”Minnim said, “What I say nowmay sound evenmore inhuman, butisn’tittruethereisneveradayyousetaboutyourdutiesonwhichyoucannot tell yourself she may never see you again? PlainclothesmanBaley,wemustalldoourduty.”Baley’spipehadbeenoutforfifteenminutes.Hehadnevernoticedit.

No one had more to tell him. No one knew anything about themurder. Official after official simply hurried him on to the momentwhenhestoodatthebaseofaspaceship,allunbelievingstill.Itwaslikeagiganticcannonaimedattheheavens,andBaleyshiveredspasmodicallyintheraw,openair.Thenightclosedin(forwhichBaleywas thankful) like dark black walls melting into a black ceilingoverhead.Itwascloudy,andthoughhehadbeentoPlanetaria,abrightstar,stabbingthroughariftinthecloud,startledhimwhenitcaughthiseyes.

Alittlespark,far,faraway.Hestaredcuriously,almostunafraidofit.Itlookedquiteclose,quiteinsignificant,andyetaroundthingslikethatcircled planets ofwhich the inhabitantswere lords of theGalaxy. Thesunwasathinglikethat,hethought,exceptmuchcloser,shiningnowontheothersideoftheEarth.He thought of the Earth suddenly as a ball of stone with a film of

moisture and gas, exposed to emptiness on every side, with its Citiesbarely dug into the outer rim, clinging precariously between rock andair.Hisskincrawled!TheshipwasaSpacervessel,ofcourse.Interstellartradewasentirely

inSpacerhands.Hewasalonenow,justoutsidetherimoftheCity.Hehadbeenbathedandscrapedandsterilizeduntilhewasconsideredsafe,bySpacerstandards,toboardtheship.Evenso,theysentonlyarobotouttomeethim,bearingashedidahundredvarietiesofdiseasegermsfromtheswelteringCitytowhichhehimselfwasresistantbuttowhichtheeugenicallyhothousedSpacerswerenot.Therobotbulkeddimlyinthenight,itseyesadullredglow.“PlainclothesmanElijahBaley?”“That’s right,” said Baley crisply, the hair on the nape of his neck

stirringabit.HewasenoughofanEarthmantogetangrygoosefleshatthesightofarobotdoingaman’sjob.TherehadbeenR.DaneelOlivaw,whohadpartneredwithhim in theSpacermurderaffair,but thathadbeendifferent.Daneelhadbeen——“Youwillfollowme,please,”saidtherobot,andawhitelightflooded

apathtowardtheship.Baley followed. Up the ladder and into the ship he went, along

corridors,andintoaroom.Therobotsaid,“Thiswillbeyourroom,PlainclothesmanBaley.It is

requestedthatyouremaininitforthedurationofthetrip.”Baleythought:Sure,sealmeoff.Keepmesafe.Insulated.The corridors alongwhich he had traveled had been empty. Robots

were probably disinfecting them now. The robot facing him wouldprobablystepthroughagermicidalbathwhenitleft.Therobotsaid,“Thereisawatersupplyandplumbing.Foodwillbe

supplied.Youwill have viewingmatter. The ports are controlled fromthispanel.Theyareclosednowbutifyouwishtoviewspace——”Baleysaidwithsomeagitation,“That’sallright,boy.Leavetheports

closed.”Heusedthe“boy”addressthatEarthmenalwaysusedforrobots,but

the robot showed no adverse response. It couldn’t, of course. ItsresponseswerelimitedandcontrolledbytheLawsofRobotics.Therobotbentitslargemetalbodyinthetravestyofarespectfulbow

andleft.Baleywasaloneinhisroomandcouldtakestock.Itwasbetterthan

theplane,atleast.Hecouldseetheplanefromendtoend.Hecouldseeitslimits.Thespaceshipwaslarge.Ithadcorridors,levels,rooms.ItwasasmallCityinitself.Baleycouldalmostbreathefreely.Then lights flashed and a robot’s metallic voice sounded over the

communo and gave him specific instructions for guarding himselfagainsttake-offacceleration.There was the push backward against webbing and a yielding

hydraulic system, a distant rumble of force-jets heated to fury by theproton micro-pile. There was the hiss of tearing atmosphere, growingthinnerandhigh-pitchedandfadingintonothingnessafteranhour.Theywereinspace.

Itwas as though all sensationhadnumbed, as thoughnothingwerereal. He told himself that each second found him thousands of milesfartherfromtheCities,fromJessie,butitdidn’tregister.On the second day (the third?—there was no way of telling time

except by the intervals of eating and sleeping) there was a queermomentarysensationofbeingturnedinsideout.ItlastedaninstantandBaleyknewitwasajump,thatoddlyincomprehensible,almostmystical,momentarytransitionthroughhyperspacethattransferredashipandallit contained from one point in space to another, light-years away.Anotherlapseoftimeandanotherjump,stillanotherlapse,stillanotherjump.Baley told himself now that he was light-years away, tens of light-

years,hundreds,thousands.Hedidn’tknowhowmany.NooneonEarthasmuchasknewSolaria’s

locationinspace.Hewouldbetonthat.Theywereignorant,everyoneofthem.Hefeltterriblyalone.

Therewasthefeelofdecelerationandtherobotentered.Itssomber,ruddyeyestookinthedetailsofBaley’sharness.Efficientlyittightenedawingnut;quicklyitsurveyedthedetailsofthehydraulicsystem.It said, “Wewill be landing in three hours. Youwill remain, if you

please,inthisroom.Amanwillcometoescortyououtandtotakeyoutoyourplaceofresidence.”“Wait,” said Baley tensely. Strapped in as he was, he felt helpless.

“Whenweland,whattimeofdaywillitbe?”Therobotsaidatonce,“ByGalacticStandardTime,itwillbe——”“Localtime,boy.Localtime!Jehoshaphat!”The robot continued smoothly, “The day on Solaria is twenty-eight

pointthirty-fiveStandardhours inlength.TheSolarianhourisdividedintotendecads,eachofwhichisdividedintoahundredcentads.Wearescheduled to arrive at an airport at which the day will be at thetwentiethcentadofthefifthdecad.”Baley hated that robot. He hated it for its obtuseness in not

understanding;forthewayitwasmakinghimaskthequestiondirectlyandexposinghisownweakness.Hehadto.Hesaidflatly,“Willitbedaytime?”Andafterallthattherobotanswered,“Yes,sir,”andleft.It would be day! He would have to step out onto the unprotected

surfaceofaplanetindaytime.He was not quite sure how it would be. He had seen glimpses of

planetarysurfacesfromcertainpointswithintheCity;hehadevenbeenoutupon it formoments.Always, though, hehadbeen surroundedbywallsorwithinreachofone.Therewasalwayssafetyathand.Where would there be safety now? Not even the false walls of

darkness.AndbecausehewouldnotdisplayweaknessbeforetheSpacers—he’d

bedamnedifhewould—hestiffenedhisbodyagainstthewebbingthatheld him safe against the forces of deceleration, closed his eyes, andstubbornlyfoughtpanic.

2AFRIENDISENCOUNTERED

Baleywaslosinghisfight.Reasonalonewasnotenough.Baleytoldhimselfoverandover:Menliveintheopenalltheirlives.

TheSpacersdosonow.OurancestorsonEarthdiditinthepast.Thereis no real harm in wall-lessness. It is only my mind that tells medifferently,anditiswrong.Butall thatdidnothelp. Somethingaboveandbeyond reasoncried

outforwallsandwouldhavenoneofspace.As time passed, he thought he would not succeed. He would be

coweringattheend,tremblingandpitiful.TheSpacertheywouldsendfor him (with filters in his nose to keep out germs, and gloves on hishands to prevent contact) would not even honestly despise him. TheSpacerwouldfeelonlydisgust.Baleyheldongrimly.When the ship stopped and the deceleration harness automatically

uncoupled, while the hydraulic system retracted into the wall, Baleyremainedinhisseat.Hewasafraid,anddeterminednottoshowit.He looked away at the first quiet sound of the door of his room

opening. Therewas the eye-corner flash of a tall, bronze-haired figureentering; a Spacer, one of those proud descendants of Earth who haddisownedtheirheritage.TheSpacerspoke.“PartnerElijah!”Baley’sheadturnedtowardthespeakerwithajerk.Hiseyesrounded

andherosealmostwithoutvolition.Hestaredattheface;atthebroad,highcheekbones,theabsolutecalm

of the facial lines, the symmetry of the body,most of all at that levellookoutofnervelessblueeyes.“D-daneel.”TheSpacersaid,“Itispleasantthatyourememberme,PartnerElijah.”“Rememberyou!”Baleyfeltreliefwashoverhim.Thisbeingwasabit

of Earth, a friend, a comfort, a savior. He had an almost unbearabledesire to rush to theSpacerandembracehim, tohughimwildly, and

laughandpoundhisbackanddoall the foolish thingsold friendsdidwhenmeetingonceagainafteraseparation.Buthedidn’t.Hecouldn’t.Hecouldonlystepforward,andholdouthishandandsay,“I’mnotlikelytoforgetyou,Daneel.”“That is pleasant,” said Daneel, nodding gravely. “As you are wellaware, it is quite impossible forme,while inworkingorder, to forgetyou.ItiswellthatIseeyouagain.”DaneeltookBaley’shandandpresseditwithfirmcoolness,hisfingersclosingtoacomfortablebutnotpainfulpressureandthenreleasingit.Baley hoped earnestly that the creature’s unreadable eyes could notpenetrateBaley’smindandseethatwildmoment,justpastandnotyetentirelysubsided,whenallofBaleyhadconcentratedintoafeelingofanintensefriendshipthatwasalmostlove.Afterall,onecouldnotloveasafriendthisDaneelOlivaw,whowasnotamanatall,butonlyarobot.

Therobotthatlookedsolikeamansaid,“Ihaveaskedthatarobot-drivenground-transportvesselbeconnectedtothisshipbyair-tube——”Baleyfrowned.“Anair-tube?”“Yes.Itisacommontechnique,frequentlyusedinspace,inorderthatpersonnelandmatérielbetransferredfromonevesseltoanotherwithoutthenecessityofspecialequipmentagainstvacuum.Itwouldseemthenthatyouarenotacquaintedwiththetechnique.”“No,”saidBaley,“butIgetthepicture.”“Itis,ofcourse,rathercomplicatedtoarrangesuchadevicebetweenspaceship and ground vehicle, but I have requested that it be done.Fortunately,themissiononwhichyouandIareengagedisoneofhighpriority.Difficultiesaresmoothedoutquickly.”“Areyouassignedtothemurdercasetoo?”“Haveyounotbeeninformedofthat?Iregretnothavingtoldyouatonce.”Therewas,ofcourse,nosignofregretontherobot’sperfectface.“ItwasDr.HanFastolfe,whomyoumetonEarthduringourpreviouspartnershipandwhomIhopeyouremember,whofirstsuggestedyouasanappropriateinvestigatorinthiscase.HemadeitaconditionthatIbeassignedtoworkwithyouoncemore.”Baleymanagedasmile.Dr.FastolfewasanativeofAuroraandAurora

was the strongest of the Outer Worlds. Apparently the advice of anAuroranboreweight.Baleysaid,“Ateamthatworksshouldn’tbebrokenup,eh?”(Thefirstexhilaration of Daneel’s appearance was fading and the compressionaboutBaley’schestwasreturning.)“Idonotknowifthatprecisethoughtwasinhismind,PartnerElijah.From the nature of his orders to me, I should think that he wasinterested in having assigned to work with you one who would haveexperience with your world and would know of your consequentpeculiarities.”“Peculiarities!”Baleyfrownedandfeltoffended.Itwasnotatermhelikedinconnectionwithhimself.“SothatIcouldarrangetheair-tube,forexample.IamwellawareofyouraversiontoopenspacesasaresultofyourupbringingintheCitiesofEarth.”Perhapsitwastheeffectofbeingcalled“peculiar,”thefeelingthathehad to counterattack or lose caste to a machine, that drove Baley tochange the subject sharply. Perhaps it was just that life-long trainingpreventedhimfromleavinganylogicalcontradictionundisturbed.He said, “Therewas a robot in charge ofmywelfare on board thisship;arobot”(atouchofmaliceintrudeditselfhere)“thatlookslikearobot.Doyouknowit?”“Ispoketoitbeforecomingonboard.”“What’sitsdesignation?HowdoImakecontactwithit?”“It isRX-2475. It iscustomaryonSolaria touseonlyserialnumbersfor robots.”Daneel’s calmeyes swept the control panel near thedoor.“Thiscontactwillsignalit.”Baley looked at the control panel himself and, since the contact towhich Daneel pointed was labeled RX, its identification seemed quiteunmysterious.Baleyputhis fingerover it and in less thanaminute the robot, theonethatlookedlikearobot,entered.“Baleysaid,“YouareRX-2475.”“Yes,sir.”“Youtoldmeearlier thatsomeonewouldarrive toescortmeoff theship.Didyoumeanhim?”BaleypointedatDaneel.The eyes of the two robotsmet. RX-2475 said, “His papers identify

himastheonewhowastomeetyou.”“Wereyoutoldinadvanceanythingabouthimotherthanhispapers?

Washedescribedtoyou?”“No,sir.Iwasgivenhisname,however.”“Whogaveyoutheinformation?”“Thecaptainoftheship,sir.”“WhoisaSolarian?”“Yes,sir.”Baleylickedhislips.Thenextquestionwouldbedecisive.Hesaid,“Whatwereyoutoldwouldbethenameoftheoneyouwere

expecting?”RX-2475said,“DaneelOlivaw,sir.”“Goodboy!Youmayleavenow.”Therewas the robotic bow and then the sharp about-face. RX-2475

left.Baleyturnedtohispartnerandsaidthoughtfully,“Youarenottelling

meallthetruth,Daneel.”“Inwhatway,PartnerElijah?”askedDaneel.“WhileIwastalkingtoyouearlier,Irecalledanoddpoint.RX-2475,

whenittoldmeIwouldhaveanescort,saidamanwouldcomeforme.Irememberthatquitewell.”Daneellistenedquietlyandsaidnothing.Baley went on. “I thought the robot might have made a mistake. I

thoughtalsothatperhapsamanhadindeedbeenassignedtomeetmeandhadlaterbeenreplacedbyyou,RX-2475notbeinginformedofthechange.Butyouheardmecheckthat.Yourpapersweredescribedtoitand itwas given your name.But itwas not quite given your name atthat,wasit,Daneel?”“Indeed,itwasnotgivenmyentirename,”agreedDaneel.“YournameisnotDaneelOlivaw,butR.DaneelOlivaw,isn’tit?Or,

infull,RobotDaneelOlivaw.”“Youarequitecorrect,PartnerElijah.”“FromwhichitallfollowsthatRX-2475wasneverinformedthatyou

arearobot.Itwasallowedtothinkofyouasaman.Withyourmanlikeappearance,suchamasqueradeispossible.”“Ihavenoquarrelwithyourreasoning.”“Thenlet’sproceed.”Baleywasfeelingthegermsofakindofsavage

delight.Hewasonthetrackofsomething.Itcouldn’tbeanythingmuch,butthiswasthekindoftrackinghecoulddowell.Itwassomethinghecoulddowellenoughtobecalledhalfacrossspacetodo.Hesaid,“Nowwhyshouldanyonewanttodeceiveamiserablerobot?Itdoesn’tmatterto itwhetheryouaremanor robot. It followsorders ineither case.AreasonableconclusionthenisthattheSolariancaptainwhoinformedtherobot and the Solarian officials who informed the captain did notthemselves know you were a robot. As I say, that is one reasonableconclusion,butperhapsnottheonlyone.Isthisonetrue?”“Ibelieveitis.”“All right, then. Good guess. Now why? Dr. Han Fastolfe, inrecommendingyouasmypartner,allowstheSolarianstothinkyouareahuman. Isn’t that adangerous thing?TheSolarians, if they findout,maybequiteangry.Whywasitdone?”Thehumanoidrobotsaid,“Itwasexplainedtomethus,PartnerElijah.Your associationwith a human of the OuterWorlds would raise yourstatusintheeyesoftheSolarians.Yourassociationwitharobotwouldlowerit.SinceIwasfamiliarwithyourwaysandcouldworkwithyoueasily,itwasthoughtreasonabletoallowtheSolarianstoacceptmeasaman without actually deceiving them by a positive statement to thateffect.”Baley did not believe it. It seemed like the kind of carefulconsiderationforanEarthman’sfeelingsthatdidnotcomenaturallytoaSpacer,noteventoasenlightenedaoneasFastolfe.Heconsideredanalternativeandsaid,“AretheSolarianswellknownamongtheOuterWorldsfortheproductionofrobots?”“Iamglad,”saidDaneel,“thatyouhavebeenbriefedconcerningtheinnereconomyofSolaria.”“Notaword,”saidBaley.“IcanguessthespellingofthewordSolariaandtheremyknowledgestops.”“Then Idonot see,PartnerElijah,what itwas that impelledyou toaskthatquestion,butitisamostpertinentone.Youhavehitthemark.Mymind-store of information includes the fact that, of the fiftyOuterWorlds,Solariaisbyfarthebestknownforthevarietyandexcellenceofrobotmodels it turnsout. Itexportsspecializedmodelstoall theotherOuterWorlds.”Baleynoddedingrimsatisfaction.NaturallyDaneeldidnotfollowan

intuitivementalleapthatusedhumanweaknessasastartingpoint.NordidBaleyfeelimpelledtoexplainthereasoning.IfSolariaturnedouttobeaworldexpertinrobotics,Dr.HanFastolfeandhisassociatesmighthave purely personal and very humanmotives for demonstrating theirownprizerobot.ItwouldhavenothingatalltodowithanEarthman’ssafetyorfeelings.Theywouldbeassertingtheirownsuperioritybyallowingtheexpert

SolarianstobefooledintoacceptingarobotofAuroranhandiworkasafellow-man.Baleyfeltmuchbetter.Strangethatallthethought,alltheintellectual

powershecouldmuster,couldnot succeed in liftinghimoutofpanic;andyetasoptohisownvainglorysucceededatonce.TherecognitionofthevaingloryoftheSpacershelpedtoo.Hethought:Jehoshaphat,we’reallhuman;eventheSpacers.Aloudhesaid,almostflippantly,“Howlongdowehavetowaitforthe

ground-car?I’mready.”

Theair-tubegave signsofnotbeingwell adapted to itspresentuse.Man and humanoid stepped out of the spaceship erect, moving alongflexiblemeshthatbentandswayedundertheirweight.(Inspace,Baleyimaginedhazily,mentransferringweightlessly fromship toshipmighteasilyskimalongthelengthofthetube,impelledbyaninitialJump.)Toward the other end the tube narrowed clumsily, its meshing

bunchingasthoughsomegianthandhadconstrictedit.Daneel,carryingtheflashlight,gotdownonallfoursandsodidBaley.Theytraveledthelasttwentyfeetinthatfashion,movingatlastintowhatwasobviouslyaground-car.Daneelclosedthedoorthroughwhichtheyhadentered,slidingitshut

carefully. Therewas a heavy, clicking noise thatmight have been thedetachmentoftheair-tube.Baleylookedaboutcuriously.Therewasnothingtooexoticaboutthe

ground-car.Thereweretwoseats intandem,eachofwhichcouldholdthree. Therewere doors at each end of each seat. The glossy sectionsthatmightordinarilyhavebeenwindowswereblackandopaque,asaresult, undoubtedly, of appropriate polarization. Baleywas acquaintedwiththat.

The interior of the car was lit by two round spots of yellowilluminationintheceilingand,inshort,theonlythingBaleyfelttobestrangewasthetransmittersetintothepartitionimmediatelybeforethefront seat and, of course, the added fact that there were no visiblecontrols.Baleysaid,“Isupposethedriverisontheothersideofthispartition.”Daneelsaid,“Exactlyso,PartnerElijah.Andwecangiveourordersin

thisfashion.”Heleanedforwardslightlyandflickedatoggleswitchthatsetaspotofredlighttoflickering.Hesaidquietly,“Youmaystartnow.Weareready.”Therewasamutedwhirthatfadedalmostatonce,averyslight,very

transitorypressingagainstthebackoftheseat,andthennothing.Baleysaidinsurprise,“Arewemoving?”Daneel said, “We are. The car does not move on wheels but glides

alongadiamagneticforce-field.Exceptforaccelerationanddeceleration,youwillfeelnothing.”“Whataboutcurves?”“The car will bank automatically to compensate. Its level is

maintainedwhentravelingup-ordownhill.”“Thecontrolsmustbecomplicated,”saidBaleydryly.“Quiteautomatic.Thedriverofthevehicleisarobot.”“Umm.” Baley had about all hewanted on the ground-car.He said,

“Howlongwillthistake?”“About an hour. Air travel would have been speedier, but I was

concerned to keep you enclosed and the aircraft models available onSolariadonotlendthemselvestocompleteenclosureasdoesaground-carsuchasthatinwhichwearenowriding.”Baleyfeltannoyedattheother’s“concern.”Hefeltlikeababyinthe

chargeofitsnurse.Hefeltalmostasannoyed,oddlyenough,atDaneel’ssentences. It seemed to him that such needlessly formal sentencestructuremighteasilybetraytheroboticnatureofthecreature.ForamomentBaleystaredcuriouslyatR.DaneelOlivaw.Therobot,

looking straight ahead,wasmotionless and unself-conscious under theother’sgaze.Daneel’s skin texture was perfect, the individual hair on head and

body had been lovingly and intricatelymanufactured and placed. Themusclemovementundertheskinwasmostrealistic.Nopains,however

extravagant, had been spared. Yet Baley knew, from personalknowledge, that limbs and chest could be split open along invisibleseams so that repairs might be made. He knew there was metal andsilicone under that realistic skin. He knew a positronic brain, mostadvanced but only positronic, nestled in the hollow of the skull. HeknewthatDaneel’s“thoughts”wereonlyshort-livedpositroniccurrentsflowing along paths rigidly designed and foreordained by themanufacturer.Butwhatwerethesignsthatwouldgivethatawaytotheexperteyethat had no foreknowledge? The trifling unnaturalness of Daneel’smannerofspeech?Theunemotionalgravitythatrestedsosteadilyuponhim?Theveryperfectionofhishumanity?Buthewaswasting time.Baley said, “Let’s get onwith it,Daneel. Isuppose that before arriving here, you were briefed on mattersSolarian?”“Iwas,PartnerElijah.”“Good.That’smorethantheydidforme.Howlargeistheworld?”“Itsdiameteris9500miles.Itistheoutermostofthreeplanetsandtheonly inhabited one. In climate and atmosphere it resembles Earth; itspercentageoffertilelandishigher;itsusefulmineralcontentlower,butofcourse lessexploited.Theworld isself-supportingandcan,with theaidofitsrobotexports,maintainahighstandardofliving.”Baleysaid,“What’sthepopulation?”“Twentythousandpeople,PartnerElijah.”Baley accepted that for amoment, then he saidmildly, “Youmeantwentymillion, don’t you?” His scant knowledge of the OuterWorldswasenoughtotellhimthat,althoughtheworldswereunderpopulatedbyEarthlystandards,theindividualpopulationswereinthemillions.“Twentythousandpeople,PartnerElijah,”saidtherobotagain.“Youmeantheplanethasjustbeensettled?”“Not at all. It hasbeen independent fornearly two centuries, and itwas settled for a century or more before that. The population isdeliberately maintained at twenty thousand, that being consideredoptimumbytheSolariansthemselves.”“Howmuchoftheplanetdotheyoccupy?”“Allthefertileportions.”“Whichis,insquaremiles?”

“Thirtymillionsquaremiles,includingmarginalareas.”“Fortwentythousandpeople?”“Therearealsosometwohundredmillionworkingpositronicrobots,PartnerElijah.”“Jehoshaphat!That’s—tenthousandrobotsperhuman.”“It isby far thehighest such ratioamong theOuterWorlds,PartnerElijah.Thenexthighest,onAurora,isonlyfiftytoone.”“Whatcantheyusesomanyrobotsfor?Whatdotheywantwithallthatfood?”“Foodisarelativelyminoritem.Theminesaremoreimportant,andpowerproductionmoreimportantstill.”Baleythoughtofallthoserobotsandfeltatrifledizzy.Twohundredmillion robots! Somanyamong so fewhumans.The robotsmust litterthelandscape.AnobserverfromwithoutmightthinkSolariaaworldofrobotsaltogetherandfailtonoticethethinhumanleaven.He felt a suddenneed to see.He remembered theconversationwithMinnim and the sociologic prediction of Earth’s danger. It seemed faroff, a bit unreal, but he remembered. His personal dangers anddifficulties since leaving Earth dimmed thememory ofMinnim’s voicestatingenormitieswithcoolandpreciseenunciation,butneverblotteditoutaltogether.Baleyhad lived too longwithduty to alloweven theoverwhelmingfactofopenspacetostophiminitsperformance.DatacollectedfromaSpacer’swords,orfromthoseofaSpacerrobotforthatmatter,wasthesortofthingthatwasalreadyavailabletoEarth’ssociologists.Whatwasneededwasdirectobservationanditwashisjob,howeverunpleasant,tocollectit.He inspected the upper portion of the ground-car. “Is this thing aconvertible,Daneel?”“Ibegyourpardon,PartnerElijah,butIdonotfollowyourmeaning.”“Canthecar’stopbepushedback?Canitbemadeopentothe—thesky?”(Hehadalmostsaid“dome”outofhabit.)“Yes,itcan.”“Thenhavethatdone,Daneel.Iwouldliketotakealook.”Therobotrespondedgravely,“Iamsorry,butIcannotallowthat.”Baleyfeltastonished.Hesaid,“Look,R.Daneel”(hestressedtheR.).“Let’srephrasethat.Iorderyoutolowerthetop.”

Thecreaturewasarobot,manlikeornot.Ithadtofolloworders.ButDaneeldidnotmove.Hesaid,“Imustexplain that it ismyfirst

concerntospareyouharm.Ithasbeencleartomeonthebasisbothofmy instructions and of my own personal experience that you wouldsuffer harm at finding yourself in large, empty spaces. I cannot,therefore,allowyoutoexposeyourselftothat.”Baleycouldfeelhisfacedarkeningwithaninfluxofbloodandatthe

sametimecouldfeelthecompleteuselessnessofanger.Thecreaturewasarobot,andBaleyknewtheFirstLawofRoboticswell.Itwent:Arobotmaynotinjureahumanbeing,or,throughinaction,allow

ahumanbeingtocometoharm.Everythingelseinarobot’spositronicbrain—thatofanyrobotonany

worldintheGalaxy—hadtobowtothatprimeconsideration.Ofcoursea robot had to follow orders, but with one major, all-importantqualification.FollowingorderswasonlytheSecondLawofRobotics.Itwent:A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except

wheresuchorderswouldconflictwiththeFirstLaw.Baley forced himself to speak quietly and reasonably. “I think I can

endureitforashorttime,Daneel.”“Thatisnotmyfeeling,PartnerElijah.”“Letmebethejudge,Daneel.”“Ifthatisanorder,PartnerElijah,Icannotfollowit.”Baleylethimselfloungebackagainstthesoftlyupholsteredseat.The

robot would, of course, be quite beyond the reach of force. Daneel’sstrength, if exerted fully, would be a hundred times that of flesh andblood.HewouldbeperfectlycapableofrestrainingBaleywithouteverhurtinghim.Baleywasarmed.HecouldpointablasteratDaneel,but,except for

perhaps a momentary sensation of mastery, that action would onlysucceedingreaterfrustration.Athreatofdestructionwasuselessagainstarobot.Self-preservationwasonlytheThirdLaw.Itwent:Arobotmustprotectitsownexistence,aslongassuchprotection

doesnotconflictwiththeFirstorSecondLaws.It would not trouble Daneel to be destroyed if the alternative were

breaking the First Law. And Baley did not wish to destroy Daneel.Definitelynot.Yethedidwanttoseeoutthecar.Itwasbecominganobsessionwith

him.Hecouldn’tallowthisnurse-infantrelationshiptobuildup.Foramomenthe thoughtofpointing theblaster athisown temple.

Openthecartopor I’llkillmyself.Opposeoneapplicationof theFirstLawbyagreaterandmoreimmediateone.Baleyknewhecouldn’tdoit.Tooundignified.Hedislikedthepicture

conjuredupbythethought.Hesaidwearily,“Wouldyouaskthedriverhowcloseinmilesweare

todestination?”“Certainly,PartnerElijah.”Daneelbent forwardandpushedthetoggleswitch.Butashedidso,

Baleyleanedforwardtoo,cryingout,“Driver!Lowerthetopofthecar!”Anditwas thehumanhandthatmovedquickly to thetoggleswitch

andcloseditagain.Thehumanhandhelditsplacefirmlythereafter.Pantingabit,BaleystaredatDaneel.For a second Daneel wasmotionless, as though his positronic paths

weremomentarily out of stability in their effort to adjust to the newsituation.Butthatpassedquicklyandthentherobot’shandwasmoving.Baley had anticipated that. Daneel would remove the human hand

fromtheswitch(gently,nothurting it), reactivate the transmitter,andcountermandtheorder.Baleysaid,“Youwon’tgetmyhandawaywithouthurtingme.Iwarn

you.Youwillprobablyhavetobreakmyfingers.”Thatwasnot so.Baleyknew that.ButDaneel’smovements stopped.

Harmagainstharm.Thepositronicbrainhadtoweighprobabilitiesandtranslate them into opposing potentials. It meant just a bit morehesitation.Baleysaid,“It’stoolate.”Hisracewaswon.Thetopwasslidingbackandpouringintothecar,

nowopen,wastheharshwhitelightofSolaria’ssun.Baley wanted to shut his eyes in initial terror, but fought the

sensation. He faced the enormous wash of blue and green, incrediblequantities of it.He could feel the undisciplined rush of air against hisface, but couldmake out no details of anything. Amoving somethingflashed past. It might have been a robot or an animal or an unlivingsomethingcaughtinapuffofair.Hecouldn’ttell.Thecarwentpastittooquickly.Blue, green, air, noise, motion—and over it all, beating down,

furiously,relentlessly,frighteningly,wasthewhitelightthatcamefromaballinthesky.For one fleeting split moment he bent his head back and stared

directly at Solaria’s sun. He stared at it, unprotected by the diffusingglassoftheCities’uppermost-Levelsunporches.Hestaredatthenakedsun.AndatthatverymomenthefeltDaneel’shandsclampingdownupon

his shoulders. His mind crowded with thought during that unreal,whirlingmoment.Hehadtosee!Hehadtoseeallhecould.AndDaneelmustbetherewithhimtokeephimfromseeing.Butsurelyarobotwouldnotdareuseviolenceonaman.Thatthought

wasdominant.Daneelcouldnotpreventhimforcibly,andyetBaleyfelttherobot’shandsforcinghimdown.Baley liftedhisarms to force those fleshlesshandsawayand lostall

sensation.

3AVICTIMISNAMED

Baleywasbackinthesafetyofenclosure.Daneel’sfacewaveredbeforehiseyes,anditwassplotchedwithdarkspotsthatturnedtoredwhenheblinked.Baleysaid,“Whathappened?”“I regret,” said Daneel, “that you have suffered harm despite my

presence.Thedirectraysofthesunaredamagingtothehumaneye,butIbelievethatthedamagefromtheshortexposureyousufferedwillnotbepermanent.Whenyoulookedup,Iwasforcedtopullyoudownandyoulostconsciousness.”Baley grimaced. That left the question open as to whether he had

fainted out of overexcitement (or fright?) or had been knockedunconscious. He felt his jaw and head and found no pain. He forboreaskingthequestiondirect.Inawayhedidn’twanttoknow.Hesaid,“Itwasn’tsobad.”“Fromyourreactions,PartnerElijah,Ishouldjudgeyouhadfoundit

unpleasant.”“Notatall,”saidBaleystubbornly.Thesplotchesbeforehiseyeswere

fading and theyweren’t tearing so. “I’monly sorry I saw so little.Weweremovingtoofast.Didwepassarobot?”“We passed a number of them.We are traveling across the Kinbald

estate,whichisgivenovertofruitorchards.”“I’llhavetotryagain,”saidBaley.“Youmustnot,inmypresence,”saidDaneel.“Meanwhile,Ihavedone

asyourequested.”“AsIrequested?”“Youwillremember,PartnerElijah,thatbeforeyouorderedthedriver

to lowerthetopof thecar,youhadorderedmetoaskthedriverhowclose inmilesweweretodestination.Wearetenmilesawaynowandshallbethereinsomesixminutes.”BaleyfelttheimpulsetoaskDaneelifhewereangryathavingbeen

outwitted if only to see that perfect face become imperfect, but he

repressedit.OfcourseDaneelwouldsimplyanswerno,withoutrancoror annoyance. He would sit there as calm and as grave as ever,unperturbedandimperturbable.Baleysaidquietly,“Justthesame,Daneel,I’llhavetogetusedtoit,youknow.”Therobotregardedhishumanpartner.“Towhatisitthatyourefer?”“Jehoshaphat!Tothe—theoutdoors.It’sallthisplanetismadeof.”“There will be no necessity for facing the outdoors,” said Daneel.Then,as though thatdisposedof thesubject,he said,“Weare slowingdown,PartnerElijah. Ibelievewehavearrived. Itwillbenecessarytowaitnowfortheconnectionofanotherair-tubeleadingtothedwellingthatwillserveasourbaseofoperations.”“Anair-tube isunnecessary,Daneel. If Iamtobeworkingoutdoors,thereisnopointindelayingtheindoctrination.”“Therewillbenoreasonforyoutoworkoutdoors,PartnerElijah.”The robot started to say more, but Baley waved him quiet with aperemptorymotionofthehand.At the moment he was not in the mood for Daneel’s carefulconsolations, for soothings, for assurances that all would be well andthathewouldbetakencareof.What he really wanted was an inner knowledge that he could takecareofhimselfandfulfillhisassignment.Thesightandfeeloftheopenhadbeenhard to take. Itmightbe thatwhenthe timecamehewouldlack thehardihood to dare face it again, at the cost of his self-respectand,conceivably,ofEarth’ssafety.Alloverasmallmatterofemptiness.His face grew grim even at the glancing touch of that thought. Hewouldfaceair,sun,andemptyspaceyet!

Elijah Baley felt like an inhabitant of one of the smaller Cities, sayHelsinki, visiting New York and counting the Levels in awe. He hadthought of a “dwelling” as something like an apartment unit, but thiswas nothing like it at all. He passed from room to room endlessly.Panoramic windows were shrouded closely, allowing no hint ofdisturbing day to enter. Lights came to life noiselessly from hiddensourcesastheysteppedintoaroomanddiedagainasquietlywhentheyleft.

“Somanyrooms,”saidBaleywithwonder.“Somany.It’slikeaverytinyCity,Daneel.”“Itwouldseemso,PartnerElijah,”saidDaneelwithequanimity.ItseemedstrangetotheEarthman.WhywasitnecessarytocrowdsomanySpacerstogetherwithhiminclosequarters?Hesaid,“Howmanywillbelivingherewithme?”Daneelsaid,“Therewillbemyself,ofcourse,andanumberofrobots.”Baleythought:Heoughttohavesaid,anumberofotherrobots.AgainhefounditobviousthatDaneelhadtheintentionofplayingtheman thoroughlyeven fornootheraudience thanBaley,whoknew thetruthsowell.And then that thought popped into nothing under the force of asecond,moreurgentone.Hecried,“Robots?Howmanyhumans?”“None,PartnerElijah.”Theyhadjuststeppedintoaroom,crowdedfromfloortoceilingwithbook films. Three fixed viewers with large twenty-four-inch viewingpanels set vertically were in three corners of the room. The fourthcontainedananimationscreen.Baley looked about in annoyance. He said, “Did they kick everyoneoutjusttoleavemerattlingaroundaloneinthismausoleum?”“It ismeant only for you. A dwelling such as this for one person iscustomaryonSolaria.”“Everyoneliveslikethis?”“Everyone.”“Whatdotheyneedalltheroomsfor?”“It is customary todevotea single room toa singlepurpose.This isthe library. There is also a music room, a gymnasium, a kitchen, abakery,adiningroom,amachineshop,variousrobot-repairandtestingrooms,twobedrooms——”“Stop!Howdoyouknowallthis?”“It is part of the information pattern,” saidDaneel smoothly, “madeavailabletomebeforeIleftAurora.”“Jehoshaphat!Whotakescareofallofthis?”Heswunghisarminawidearc.“Thereareanumberofhouseholdrobots.Theyhavebeenassignedtoyouandwillseetoitthatyouarecomfortable.”“ButIdon’tneedallthis,”saidBaley.Hehadtheurgetositdownand

refusetobudge.Hewantedtoseenomorerooms.“Wecanremaininoneroomifyousodesire,PartnerElijah.Thatwas

visualizedasapossibilityfromthestart.Nevertheless,Solariancustomsbeingwhat theyare, itwasconsideredwiser toallowthishouse tobebuilt——”“Built!” Baley stared. “You mean this was built for me? All this?

Specially?”“Athoroughlyroboticizedeconomy——”“Yes,Iseewhatyou’regoingtosay.Whatwilltheydowiththehouse

whenallthisisover?”“Ibelievetheywilltearitdown.”Baley’s lips clamped together. Of course! Tear it down! Build a

tremendousstructureforthespecialuseofoneEarthmanandthenteardown everything he touched. Sterilize the soil the house stood on!Fumigatetheairhebreathed!TheSpacersmightseemstrong,butthey,too,hadtheirfoolishfears.Daneelseemedtoreadhis thoughts,or to interprethisexpressionat

any rate. He said, “It may appear to you, Partner Elijah, that it is toescape contagion that they will destroy the house. If such are yourthoughts,Isuggestthatyourefrainfrommakingyourselfuncomfortableover the matter. The fear of disease on the part of Spacers is by nomeanssoextreme.Itisjustthattheeffortinvolvedinbuildingthehouseis, to them,very little.Nordoes thewaste involved in tearing itdownoncemoreseemgreattothem.“Andby law,PartnerElijah, this place cannotbe allowed to remain

standing.It isontheestateofHannisGruerandtherecanonlybeonelegal dwelling place on any estate, that of the owner. This housewasbuiltbyspecialdispensation,foraspecificpurpose.Itismeanttohouseusforaspecificlengthoftime,tillourmissioniscompleted.”“AndwhoisHannisGruer?”askedBaley.“TheheadofSolariansecurity.Wearetoseehimonarrival.”“Arewe?Jehoshaphat,Daneel,whendoIbeginto learnanythingat

allaboutanything?I’mworkinginavacuumandIdon’tlikeit.ImightaswellgobacktoEarth.Imightaswell——”He felt himself working up into resentment and cut himself short.

Daneelneverwavered.Hemerelywaitedhischancetospeak.Hesaid,“Iregret the fact thatyouareannoyed.MygeneralknowledgeofSolaria

does seemtobegreater thanyours.Myknowledgeof themurdercaseitselfisaslimitedasisyourown.ItisAgentGruerwhowilltelluswhatwemustknow.TheSolarianGovernmenthasarrangedthis.”“Well,then,let’sgettothisGruer.Howlongatripwillitbe?”Baleywincedatthethoughtofmoretravelandthefamiliarconstrictioninhischestwasmakingitselffeltagain.Daneelsaid,“Notravel isnecessary,PartnerElijah.AgentGruerwillbewaitingforusintheconversationroom.”“A room for conversation, too?” Baleymurmuredwryly. Then, in aloudervoice,“Waitingforusnow?”“Ibelieveso.”“Thenlet’sgettohim,Daneel!”HannisGruerwasbald,andthatwithoutqualification.Therewasnotevenafringeofhairatthesidesofhisskull.Itwascompletelynaked.Baleyswallowedandtried,outofpoliteness,tokeephiseyesoffthatskull, but couldn’t. On Earth there was the continuous acceptance ofSpacers at the Spacers’ own evaluation. The Spacers were theunquestionedlordsoftheGalaxy;theyweretall,bronzeofskinandhair,handsome,large,cool,aristocratic.In short, they were all R. Daneel Olivaw was, but with the fact ofhumanityinaddition.And the Spacers who were sent to Earth often did look like that;perhapsweredeliberatelychosenforthatreason.ButherewasaSpacerwhomighthavebeenanEarthmanforallhisappearance.Hewasbald.Andhisnosewasmisshapen,too.Notmuch,tobesure,butonaSpacerevenaslightasymmetrywasnoteworthy.Baleysaid,“Goodafternoon,sir.Iamsorryifwekeptyouwaiting.”Noharminpoliteness.Hewouldhavetoworkwiththesepeople.Hehadthemomentaryurgetostepacrosstheexpanseofroom(howridiculouslylarge)andofferhishandingreeting.Itwasanurgeeasytofightoff.ASpacercertainlywouldnotwelcomesuchagreeting:ahandcoveredwithEarthlygerms?Gruersatgravely,as farawayfromBaleyashecouldget,hishandsresting within long sleeves, and probably there were filters in hisnostrils,althoughBaleycouldn’tseethem.ItevenseemedtohimthatGruercastadisapprovinglookatDaneelasthough to say: You’re a queer Spacer, standing that close to an

Earthman.ThatwouldmeanGruer simply did not know the truth. Then Baley

noticed suddenly that Daneel was standing at some distance, at that;fartherthanheusuallydid.Of course! Too close, and Gruer might find the proximity

unbelievable.Daneelwasintentonbeingacceptedashuman.Gruer spoke in a pleasant, friendly voice, but his eyes tended to

remainfurtivelyonDaneel;lookingaway,thendriftingback.Hesaid,“Ihaven’t been waiting long. Welcome to Solaria, gentlemen. Are youcomfortable?”“Yes, sir.Quite,” saidBaley.Hewondered ifetiquettewould require

thatDaneelasthe“Spacer”shouldspeakforthetwo,butrejectedthatpossibility resentfully. Jehoshaphat! It was he, himself, who had beenrequested for the investigation andDaneel had been added afterward.UnderthecircumstancesBaleyfelthewouldnotplaythesecondarytoagenuineSpacer; itwasoutof thequestionwhenarobotwas involved,evensucharobotasDaneel.ButDaneelmadenoattempt to takeprecedenceoverBaley,nordid

Gruer seem surprised or displeased at that. Instead, he turned hisattentionatoncetoBaleytotheexclusionofDaneel.Gruer said, “You have been told nothing, Plainclothesman Baley,

about thecrime forwhichyour serviceshavebeensolicited. I imagineyouarequitecuriousaboutthat.”Heshookhisarmssothatthesleevesfell backward and clasped his hands loosely in his lap. “Won’t yougentlemensitdown?”TheydidsoandBaleysaid,“Weare curious.”Henoted thatGruer’s

handswerenotprotectedbygloves.Gruerwent on. “Thatwas on purpose, Plainclothesman.Wewanted

you to arrive here prepared to tackle the notions. You will haveavailable toyoushortlya full reportof thedetailsof thecrimeandofthe investigations we have been able to conduct. I am afraid,Plainclothesman, that you will find our investigations ridiculouslyincomplete from the standpoint of your own experience. We have nopoliceforceonSolaria.”“Noneatall?”askedBaley.Gruersmiledandshrugged.“Nocrime,yousee.Ourpopulationistiny

and widely scattered. There is no occasion for crime; therefore no

occasionforpolice.”“Isee.Butforallthat,youdohavecrimenow.”“True,butthefirstcrimeofviolenceintwocenturiesofhistory.”“Unfortunate,then,thatyoumustbeginwithmurder.”“Unfortunate,yes.Moreunfortunatelystill,thevictimwasamanwe

could scarcely afford to lose. A most inappropriate victim. And thecircumstancesofthemurderwereparticularlybrutal.”Baley said, “I suppose the murderer is completely unknown.” (Why

elsewouldthecrimebeworththeimportationofanEarthlydetective?)Gruerlookedparticularlyuneasy.HeglancedsidewaysatDaneel,who

satmotionless,anabsorptive,quietmechanism.BaleyknewthatDaneelwould,atanytimeinthefuture,beabletoreproduceanyconversationheheard,ofwhateverlength.Hewasarecordingmachinethatwalkedandtalkedlikeaman.DidGruerknowthat?His lookatDaneelhadcertainlysomethingof

thefurtiveaboutit.Gruersaid,“No,Icannotsaythemurdereriscompletelyunknown.In

fact,thereisonlyonepersonthatcanpossiblyhavedonethedeed.”“Areyousureyoudon’tmeanonlyonepersonwho is likely tohave

donethedeed?”Baleydistrustedoverstatementandhadnolikingforthearmchair deducer who discovered certainty rather than probability intheworkingsoflogic.ButGruershookhisbaldhead.“No.Onlyonepossibleperson.Anyone

elseisimpossible.Completelyimpossible.”“Completely?”“Iassureyou.”“Thenyouhavenoproblem.”“On the contrary.We do have a problem. That one person couldn’t

havedoneiteither.”Baleysaidcalmly,“Thennoonedidit.”“Yetthedeedwasdone.RikaineDelmarreisdead.”That’ssomething,thoughtBaley.Jehoshaphat,I’vegotsomething.I’ve

gotthevictim’sname.Hebroughtouthisnotebookandsolemnlymadenoteofit,partlyout

ofawrydesiretoindicatethathehadscrapedup,at last,anubbinoffact,andpartlytoavoidmakingittooobviousthathesatbythesideofarecordingmachinewhoneedednonotes.

Hesaid,“Howisthevictim’snamespelled?”Gruerspelledit.“Hisprofession,sir?”“Fetologist.”Baley spelled that as it sounded and let it go. He said, “Now whowould be able to give me a personal account of the circumstancessurroundingthemurder?Asfirsthandaspossible.”Gruer’ssmilewasgrimandhiseyesshiftedtoDaneelagain,andthenaway.“Hiswife,Plainclothesman.”“Hiswife…?”“Yes. Her name is Gladia.” Gruer pronounced it in three syllables,accentingthesecond.“Any children?” Baley’s eyes were fixed on his notebook. When noanswercame,helookedup.“Anychildren?”ButGruer’smouthhadpursedupasthoughhehadtastedsomethingsour.Helookedsick.Finallyhesaid,“Iwouldscarcelyknow.”Baleysaid,“What?”Gruer added hastily, “In any case, I think you had better postponeactual operations till tomorrow. I know you’ve had a hard trip, Mr.Baley,andthatyouaretiredandprobablyhungry.”Baley,abouttodenyit,realizedsuddenlythatthethoughtoffoodhadanuncommonattractionforhimatthemoment.Hesaid,“Willyoujoinusatourmeal?”Hedidn’t thinkGruerwould,beingaSpacer. (Yethehad been brought to the point of saying “Mr. Baley” rather than“PlainclothesmanBaley,”whichwassomething.)As expected, Gruer said, “A business engagement makes thatimpossible.Iwillhavetoleave.Iamsorry.”Baleyrose.ThepolitethingwouldbetoaccompanyGruertothedoor.Inthefirstplace,however,hewasn’tatallanxioustoapproachthedoorandtheunprotectedopen.Andinthesecondhewasn’tsurewherethedoorwas.Heremainedstandinginuncertainty.Gruersmiledandnodded.Hesaid,“Iwillseeyouagain.Yourrobotswillknowthecombinationifyouwishtotalktome.”Andhewasgone.Baleyexclaimedsharply.Gruerandthechairhewassittingonweresimplynotthere.Thewall

behind Gruer, the floor under his feet changed with explosivesuddenness.Daneelsaidcalmly,“Hewasnotthereinthefleshatanytime.Itwasatrimensional image. It seemed tome youwould know.Youhave suchthingsonEarth.”“Notlikethis,”mutteredBaley.AtrimensionalimageonEarthwasencasedinacubicforce-fieldthatglitteredagainstthebackground.Theimageitselfhadatinyflicker.OnEarththerewasnomistakingimageforreality.Here…NowonderGruerhadwornnogloves.Heneedednonosefilters,forthatmatter.Daneelsaid,“Wouldyoucaretoeatnow,PartnerElijah?”Dinnerwasanunexpectedordeal.Robotsappeared.Onesetthetable.Onebroughtinthefood.“Howmanyarethereinthehouse,Daneel?”Baleyasked.“Aboutfifty,PartnerElijah.”“Willtheystayherewhileweeat?”(Onehadbackedintoacorner,hisglossy,glowing-eyedfaceturnedtowardBaley.)“It is the usual practice,” said Daneel, “for one to do so in case itsserviceiscalledupon.Ifyoudonotwishthat,youhaveonlytoorderittoleave.”Baleyshrugged.“Letitstay!”UndernormalconditionsBaleymighthave found the fooddelicious.Now he atemechanically. He noted abstractedly that Daneel ate also,withakindofunimpassionedefficiency.Lateron,ofcourse,hewouldemptythefluorocarbonsacwithinhimintowhichthe“eaten”foodwasnowbeingstored.MeanwhileDaneelmaintainedhismasquerade.

•••

“Isitnightoutside?”askedBaley.“Itis,”repliedDaneel.Baleystaredsomberlyatthebed.Itwastoolarge.Thewholebedroomwas too large. There were no blankets to burrow under, only sheets.Theywouldmakeapoorenclosure.Everythingwasdifficult!Hehadalreadygonethroughtheunnervingexperienceofshoweringinastallthatactuallyadjoinedthebedroom.It

wastheheightofluxuryinaway,yet,ontheotherhand,itseemedanunsanitaryarrangement.He said abruptly, “How is the light put out?” Theheadboard of the

bed gleamed with a soft light. Perhaps that was to facilitate bookviewingbeforesleeping,butBaleywasinnomoodforthat.“Itwillbe takencareofonceyou’re inbed, ifyoucomposeyourself

forsleep.”“Therobotswatch,dothey?”“Itistheirjob.”“Jehoshaphat! What do these Solarians do for themselves?” Baley

muttered. “I wonder now why a robot didn’t scrub my back in theshower.”With no trace of humor Daneel said, “One would have, had you

required it. As for the Solarians, they do what they choose. No robotperforms his duty if ordered not to, except, of course, where theperformanceisnecessarytothewellbeingofthehuman.”“Well,goodnight,Daneel.”“Iwillbe inanotherbedroom,PartnerElijah. If, at any timeduring

thenight,youneedanything——”“Iknow.Therobotswillcome.”“Thereisacontactpatchonthesidetable.Youhaveonlytotouchit.I

willcometoo.”

•••

SleepeludedBaley.Hekeptpicturingthehousehewas in,balancedprecariouslyattheouterskinoftheworld,withemptinesswaitingjustoutsidelikeamonster.OnEarthhisapartment—hissnug,comfortable,crowdedapartment—

sat nestled beneath many others. There were dozens of Levels andthousandsofpeoplebetweenhimselfandtherimofEarth.Even on Earth, he tried to tell himself, there were people on the

topmostLevel.Theywouldbeimmediatelyadjacenttotheoutside.Sure!Butthat’swhatmadethoseapartmentslow-rent.ThenhethoughtofJessie,athousandlight-yearsaway.Hewantedterriblytogetoutofbedrightnow,dress,andwalktoher.

Histhoughtsgrewmistier.Iftherewereonlyatunnel,anice,safetunnel

burrowing its way through safe, solid rock andmetal from Solaria toEarth,hewouldwalkandwalkandwalk.…He would walk back to Earth, back to Jessie, back to comfort and

security.…Security.Baley’seyesopened.Hisarmsgrewrigidandheroseuponhiselbow,

scarcelyawarethathewasdoingso.Security! Thisman,HannisGruer,was head of Solarian security. So

Daneelhad said.Whatdid“security”mean? If itmeant the sameas itmeantonEarth,andsurelyitmust,thismanGruerwasresponsiblefortheprotectionofSolariaagainst invasion fromwithoutand subversionfromwithin.Whywasheinterestedinamurdercase?Wasitbecausetherewereno

policeonSolariaandtheDepartmentofSecuritywouldcometheclosesttoknowingwhattodoaboutamurder?GruerhadseemedateasewithBaley,yettherehadbeenthosefurtive

glances,againandagain,inthedirectionofDaneel.Did Gruer suspect the motives of Daneel? Baley, himself, had been

ordered to keep his eyes open and Daneel might very likely havereceivedsimilarinstructions.ItwouldbenaturalforGruertosuspectthatespionagewaspossible.

His jobmade itnecessary forhim to suspect that inanycasewhere itwasconceivable.AndhewouldnotfearBaleyovermuch,anEarthman,representativeoftheleastformidableworldintheGalaxy.ButDaneelwasanativeofAurora,theoldestandlargestandstrongest

oftheOuterWorlds.Thatwouldbedifferent.Gruer, as Baley now remembered, had not addressed one word to

Daneel.For that matter, why should Daneel pretend so thoroughly to be a

man?The earlier explanation thatBaleyhadposed for himself, that itwas a vainglorious game on the part of Daneel’s Auroran designers,seemed trivial. It seemed obvious now that the masquerade wassomethingmoreserious.Aman could be expected to receive diplomatic immunity; a certain

courtesyandgentlenessof treatment.Arobotcouldnot.But thenwhydid not Aurora send a real man in the first place? Why gamble sodesperatelyonafake?TheanswersuggesteditselfinstantlytoBaley.A

realmanofAurora,arealSpacer,wouldnotcaretoassociatetoocloselyorfortoolongatimewithanEarthman.But if all thiswere true,why shouldSolaria finda singlemurder so

important that itmust allowanEarthmanand anAuroran to come totheirplanet?Baleyfelttrapped.HewastrappedonSolariabythenecessitiesofhisassignment.Hewas

trappedbyEarth’sdanger,trappedinanenvironmenthecouldscarcelyendure,trappedbyaresponsibilityhecouldnotshirk.And,toaddtoallthis, he was trapped somehow in the midst of a Spacer conflict thenatureofwhichhedidnotunderstand.

4AWOMANISVIEWED

He slept at last. He did not remember when he actually made thetransitiontosleep.Therewasjustaperiodwhenhisthoughtsgrewmoreerratic and then theheadboardof his bedwas shining and the ceilingwasalightwithacool,daytimeglow.Helookedathiswatch.Hourshadpassed.Therobotswhoranthehousehaddecided itwas

timeforhimtowakeupandhadactedaccordingly.HewonderedifDaneelwereawakeandatoncerealizedtheillogicof

the thought. Daneel could not sleep. Baley wondered if he hadcounterfeitedsleepaspartoftherolehewasplaying.Hadheundressedandputonnightclothes?AsthoughoncueDaneelentered.“Goodmorning,PartnerElijah.”Therobotwascompletelydressedandhisfacewasinperfectrepose.

Hesaid,“Didyousleepwell?”“Yes,”saidBaleydryly,“didyou?”Hegotoutofbedandtrampedintothebathroomforashaveandfor

theremainderofthemorningritual.Heshouted,“Ifarobotcomesintoshaveme,sendhimoutagain.Theygetonmynerves.EvenifIdon’tseethem,theygetonmynerves.”Hestaredathisownfaceasheshaved,marvelingabitthatitlooked

so like the mirrored face he saw on Earth. If only the image wereanotherEarthmanwithwhomhecouldconsultinsteadofonlythelight-mimicry of himself. If he could go overwhat he had already learned,smallasitwas…“Toosmall!Getmore,”hemutteredtothemirror.Hecameout,moppinghisface,andpulledtrousersoverfreshshorts.

(Robotssuppliedeverything,damnthem.)Hesaid,“Wouldyouanswerafewquestions,Daneel?”“Asyouknow,PartnerElijah,Ianswerallquestionstothebestofmy

knowledge.”Ortotheletterofyourinstructions,thoughtBaley.Hesaid,“Whyare

thereonlytwentythousandpeopleonSolaria?”

“Thatisamerefact,”saidDaneel.“Adatum.Afigurethatistheresultofacountingprocess.”“Yes,butyou’reevadingthematter.Theplanetcansupportmillions;why, then, only twenty thousand? You said the Solarians considertwentythousandoptimum.Why?”“Itistheirwayoflife.”“Youmeantheypracticebirthcontrol?”“Yes.”“And leave the planet empty?” Baley wasn’t sure why he waspoundingawayatthisonepoint,buttheplanet’spopulationwasoneofthe fewhard factshehad learnedabout itand therewas littleelsehecouldaskabout.Daneelsaid,“Theplanet isnotempty.It isparceledout intoestates,eachofwhichissupervisedbyaSolarian.”“You mean each lives on his estate. Twenty thousand estates, eachwithaSolarian.”“Fewerestatesthanthose,PartnerElijah.Wivessharetheestate.”“NoCities?”Baleyfeltcold.“Noneatall,PartnerElijah.Theylivecompletelyapartandneverseeoneanotherexceptunderthemostextraordinarycircumstances.”“Hermits?”“Inaway,yes.Inaway,no.”“Whatdoesthatmean?”“AgentGruer visitedyouyesterdayby trimensional image. Solariansvisitoneanotherfreelythatwayandinnootherway.”Baley stared at Daneel. He said, “Does that include us? Are weexpectedtolivethatway?”“Itisthecustomoftheworld.”“ThenhowdoIinvestigatethiscase?IfIwanttoseesomeone——”“Fromthishouse,PartnerElijah,youcanobtainatrimensionalviewofanyoneontheplanet.Therewillbenoproblem.Infact, itwillsaveyou the annoyance of leaving this house. It was why I said whenwearrived that therewouldbenooccasion foryou to feel itnecessary togrow accustomed to facing the outdoors. And that is well. Any otherarrangementwouldbemostdistastefultoyou.”“I’ll judge what’s distasteful to me,” said Baley. “First thing today,Daneel,IgetintouchwiththeGladiawoman,thewifeofthemurdered

man. If the trimensionalbusiness isunsatisfactory, Iwillgoout toherplace,personally.It’samatterformydecision.”“We shall see what is best and most feasible, Partner Elijah,” saidDaneel noncommittally. “I shall arrange for breakfast.” He turned toleave.Baleystaredatthebroadroboticbackandwasalmostamused.DaneelOlivawactedthemaster.IfhisinstructionshadbeentokeepBaleyfromlearninganymorethanwasabsolutelynecessary,atrumpcardhadbeenleftinBaley’shand.TheotherwasonlyR.DaneelOlivaw,afterall.Allthatwasnecessarywas to tell Gruer, or any Solarian, thatDaneelwas a robot and not aman.And yet, on the other hand, Daneel’s pseudo humanity could be ofgreatuse, too.A trumpcardneednotbeplayedatonce.Sometimes itwasmoreusefulinthehand.Waitandsee,hethought,andfollowedDaneelouttobreakfast.

Baley said, “Now how does one go about establishing trimensionalcontact?”“It isdone forus,PartnerElijah,”saidDaneel,andhis fingersoughtoutoneofthecontactpatchesthatsummonedrobots.Arobotenteredatonce.Where do they come from, Baley wondered. As one wanderedaimlesslyabouttheuninhabitedmazethatconstitutedthemansion,notonerobotwasevervisible.Didtheyscrambleoutofthewayashumansapproached?Didtheysendmessagestooneanotherandclearthepath?Yetwheneveracallwentout,oneappearedwithoutdelay.Baleystaredattheroboticnewcomer.Itwassleek,butnotglossy.Itssurfacehadamuted,grayishfinish,withacheckerboardpatternontheright shoulder as the only bit of color. Squares in white and yellow(silver and gold, really, from themetallic luster)were placed inwhatseemedanaimlesspattern.Daneelsaid,“Takeustotheconversationroom.”Therobotbowedandturned,butsaidnothing.Baleysaid,“Wait,boy.What’syourname?”TherobotfacedBaley.Itspokeincleartonesandwithouthesitation.

“Ihavenoname,master.Myserialnumber”—andametal finger liftedandrestedontheshoulderpatch—“isACX-2745.”DaneelandBaleyfollowedintoalargeroom,whichBaleyrecognized

ashavingheldGruerandhischairthedaybefore.Another robot was waiting for them with the eternal, patient

nonboredomofthemachine.Thefirstbowedandleft.Baley compared shoulder patches of the two as the first bowed and

started out. The pattern of silver and gold was different. Thecheckerboard was made up of a six-by-six square. The number ofpossiblearrangementswouldbe236then,orseventybillion.Morethanenough.Baley said, “Apparently, there is one robot for everything. One to

showushere.Onetoruntheviewer.”Daneelsaid,“ThereismuchroboticspecializationinSolaria,Partner

Elijah.”“With somanyof them, I canunderstandwhy.”Baley lookedat the

second robot. Except for the shoulder patch, and, presumably, for theinvisiblepositronicpatternswithinitsspongyplatinum-iridiumbrainitwastheduplicateofthefirst.Hesaid,“Andyourserialnumber?”“ACC-1129,master.”“I’lljustcallyouboy.NowIwanttospeaktoaMrs.GladiaDelmarre,

wifeofthelateRikaineDelmarre——Daneel, is thereanaddress,somewayofpin-pointingherlocation?”Daneel said gently, “I do not believe any further information is

necessary.IfImayquestiontherobot——”“Letmedo that,” Baley said. “All right, boy, do you knowhow the

ladyistobereached?”“Yes, master. I have knowledge of the connection pattern of all

masters.”Thiswassaidwithoutpride. Itwasamere fact,as though itweresaying:Iammadeofmetal,master.Daneel interposed, “That is not surprising, Partner Elijah. There are

less than ten thousand connections that need be fed into thememorycircuitsandthatisasmallnumber.”Baley nodded. “Is there more than one Gladia Delmarre, by any

chance?Theremightbethatchanceofconfusion.”“Master?”Afterthequestiontherobotremainedblanklysilent.“I believe,” said Daneel, “that this robot does not understand your

question. It ismybelief thatduplicatenamesdonotoccuronSolaria.Namesareregisteredatbirthandnonamemaybeadoptedunlessit isunoccupiedatthetime.”“All right,” said Baley, “we learn something everyminute. Now seehere, boy, you tell me how to work whatever it is I am supposed towork;givemetheconnectionpattern,orwhateveryoucallit,andthenstepout.”Therewasaperceptiblepausebeforetherobotanswered.Itsaid,“Doyouwishtomakecontactyourself,sir?”“That’sright.”DaneeltouchedBaley’ssleevegently.“Onemoment,PartnerElijah.”“Nowwhatisit?”“Itismybeliefthattherobotcouldmakethenecessarycontactwithgreaterease.Itishisspecialization.”Baley saidgrimly, “I’m surehe cando it better than I can.Doing itmyself, I may make a mess of it.” He stared levelly at the impassiveDaneel. “Just the same, Iprefer tomake contactmyself.Do I give theordersordon’tI?”Daneel said, “You give the orders, Partner Elijah, and your orders,where First Law permits, will be obeyed. However, with yourpermission, Iwould liketogiveyouwhatpertinent informationIhaveconcerning theSolarianrobots.Farmore thanonanyotherworld, therobotsonSolariaarespecialized.AlthoughSolarianrobotsarephysicallycapable of many things, they are heavily equipped mentally for oneparticular type of job. To perform functions outside their specialtyrequiresthehighpotentialsproducedbydirectapplicationofoneoftheThreeLaws.Again,forthemnottoperformthedutyforwhichtheyareequippedalsorequiresthedirectapplicationoftheThreeLaws.”“Well,then,adirectorderfrommebringstheSecondLawintoplay,doesn’tit?”“True. Yet the potential set up by it is ‘unpleasant’ to the robot.Ordinarily, thematter would not come up, since almost never does aSolarian interfere with the day-to-day workings of a robot. For onething,hewouldnotcaretodoarobot’swork;foranother,hewouldfeelnoneedto.”“Areyoutryingtotellme,Daneel,thatithurtstherobottohavemedoitswork?”

“As you know, Partner Elijah, pain in the human sense is notapplicabletoroboticreactions.”Baleyshrugged.“Then?”“Nevertheless,” went on Daneel, “the experience which the robot

undergoesisasupsettingtoitaspainistoahuman,asnearlyasIcanjudge.”“Andyet,” saidBaley, “I’mnot a Solarian. I’m anEarthman. I don’t

likerobotsdoingwhatIwanttodo.”“Consider, too,”saidDaneel,“that tocausedistress toarobotmight

beconsideredonthepartofourhoststobeanactofimpolitenesssinceina society suchas this theremustbeanumberofmoreor less rigidbeliefsconcerninghowitispropertotreatarobotandhowitisnot.Tooffendourhostswouldscarcelymakeourtaskeasier.”“Allright,”saidBaley.“Lettherobotdoitsjob.”Hesettledback.Theincidenthadnotbeenwithoutitsuses.Itwasan

educationalexampleofhowremorselessaroboticsocietycouldbe.Oncebroughtintoexistence,robotswerenotsoeasilyremoved,andahumanwhowishedtodispensewiththemeventemporarilyfoundhecouldnot.Hiseyeshalfclosed,hewatchedtherobotapproachthewall.Letthe

sociologists on Earth consider what had just occurred and draw theirconclusions.Hewasbeginningtohavecertainnotionsofhisown.

Halfawall slidasideandthecontrolpanel thatwasrevealedwouldhavedonejusticetoaCitySectionpowerstation.Baleylongedforhispipe.Hehadbeenbriefedthatsmokingonnon-

smokingSolariawouldbea terriblebreachofdecorum, sohehadnotevenbeenallowedto takehis fixings.Hesighed.Thereweremomentswhenthefeelofpipestembetweenteethandawarmbowlinhishandwouldhavebeeninfinitelycomforting.Therobotwasworkingquickly,adjustingvariableresistancesatrifle

here and there and intensifying field-forces in proper patternbyquickfingerpressures.Daneelsaid,“Itisnecessaryfirsttosignaltheindividualonedesiresto

view.Arobotwill,ofcourse,receivethemessage.Iftheindividualbeingsignaled is available and wishes to receive the view, full contact isestablished.”

“Are all those controls necessary?” asked Baley. “The robot’s hardlytouchingmostofthepanel.”“Myinformationonthematterisnotcomplete,PartnerElijah.There

is, however, the necessity of arranging, upon occasion, for multipleviewings and for mobile viewings. The latter, particularly, call forcomplicatedandcontinuingadjustments.”Therobotsaid,“Masters,contactismadeandapproved.Whenyouare

ready,itwillbecompleted.”“Ready,”growledBaley,andasthoughthewordwereasignal,thefar

halfoftheroomwasalivewithlight.

Daneel said at once, “I neglected to have the robot specify that allvisible openings to the outside be draped. I regret that and we mustarrange——”“Nevermind,”saidBaley,wincing.“I’llmanage.Don’tinterfere.”Itwasabathroomhewasstaringat,orhejudgedittobesofromits

fixtures. One end of it was, he guessed, a kind of beautician’sestablishmentandhisimaginationpicturedarobot(orrobots?)workingwithunerringswiftnessonthedetailsofawoman’scoiffureandontheexternalsthatmadeupthepictureshepresentedtotheworld.Somegadgetsandfittingshesimplygaveupon.Therewasnowayof

judgingtheirpurposeintheabsenceofexperience.Thewallswereinlaidwithanintricatepatternthatallbutfooledtheeyeintobelievingsomenatural object was being represented before fading away into anabstraction.Theresultwassoothingandalmosthypnotic in theway itmonopolizedattention.Whatmighthavebeentheshowerstall,alargeone,wasshieldedoff

bynothingthatseemedmaterial,butratherbyatrickoflightingthatsetupawallofflickeringopacity.Nohumanwasinsight.Baley’sglancefelltothefloor.Wheredidhisroomendandtheother

begin?Itwaseasytotell.Therewasalinewherethequalityofthelightchangedandthatmustbeit.Hesteppedtowardthelineandafteramoment’shesitationpushedhis

handbeyondit.Hefeltnothing,anymorethanhewouldhavehadheshovedthehand

intooneofEarth’s crude trimensionals.There,at least,hewouldhave

seenhisownhandstill;faintly,perhaps,andoverlaidbytheimage,buthewouldhaveseenit.Hereitwaslostcompletely.Tohisvision,hisarmendedsharplyatthewrist.Whatifhesteppedacrossthelinealtogether?Probablyhisownvisionwould become inoperative. He would be in a world of completeblackness.Thethoughtofsuchefficientenclosurewasalmostpleasant.Avoiceinterruptedhim.Helookedupandsteppedbackwardwithanalmostclumsyhaste.GladiaDelmarrewasspeaking.AtleastBaleyassumeditwasshe.Theupper portion of the flickering light across the shower stall had fadedandaheadwasclearlyvisible.ItsmiledatBaley.“Isaidhello,andI’msorrytokeepyouwaiting.I’llbedrysoon.”Hers was a triangular face, rather broad at the cheekbones (whichgrew prominentwhen she smiled) and narrowingwith a gentle curvepastfulllipstoasmallchin.Herheadwasnothighabovetheground.Baley judged her to be about five feet two in height. (This was nottypical. At least not to Baley’s way of thinking. Spacer women weresupposed to lean toward the tall and stately.) Nor was her hair theSpacer bronze. It was light brown, tinging toward yellow, and wornmoderately long. At the moment it was fluffed out in what Baleyimaginedmust be a stream ofwarm air. Thewhole picturewas quitepleasing.Baleysaidinconfusion,“Ifyouwantustobreakcontactandwaittillyou’rethrough——”“Ohno. I’malmostdone,andwecan talkmeanwhile.HannisGruertoldme youwould be viewing. You’re fromEarth, I understand.”Hereyesrestedfullonhim,seemedtodrinkhimin.Baleynoddedandsatdown.“MycompanionisfromAurora.”ShesmiledandkeptherglancefixedonBaleyasthoughheremainedthecuriositynevertheless,andofcourse,Baleythought,sohewas.She liftedherarmsaboveherhead, runningher fingers through thehairandspreadingitoutasthoughtohastendrying.Herarmswereslimandgraceful.Veryattractive,Baleythought.Thenhethoughtuneasily:Jessiewouldn’tlikethis.Daneel’svoicebrokein.“Woulditbepossible,Mrs.Delmarre,tohavethewindowweseepolarizedordraped?Mypartnerisdisturbedbythe

sightofdaylight.OnEarth,asyoumayhaveheard——”The youngwoman (Baley judged her to be twenty-five but had thedoleful thought that the apparent ages of Spacers could be mostdeceptive)putherhandstohercheeksandsaid,“Ohmy,yes.Iknowallaboutthat.Howridiculouslysillyofme.Forgiveme,please,butitwon’ttakeamoment.I’llhavearobotinhere——”Shesteppedoutofthedryingcabinet,herhandextendedtowardthecontact-patch, still talking. “I’m always thinking I ought to havemorethanonecontact-patchinthisroom.Ahouseisjustnogoodifitdoesn’thave a patchwithin reach nomatter where you stand—say notmorethanfivefeetaway.Itjust——Why,what’sthematter?”ShestaredinshockatBaley,who,havingjumpedoutofhischairandupset it behind him, had reddened to his hairline and hastily turnedaway.Daneel said calmly, “Itwouldbebetter,Mrs.Delmarre, if, afteryouhave made contact with the robot, you would return to the stall or,failingthat,proceedtoputonsomearticlesofclothing.”Gladia looked down at her nudity in surprise and said, “Well, ofcourse.”

5ACRIMEISDISCUSSED

“Itwasonlyviewing,yousee,”saidGladiacontritely.Shewaswrappedin something that leftherarmsand shoulders free.One leg showed tomid-thigh, but Baley, entirely recovered and feeling an utter fool,ignoreditstoically.Hesaid,“Itwasthesurprise,Mrs.Delmarre——”“Oh,please.YoucancallmeGladia,unless—unlessthat’sagainstyour

customs.”“Gladia,then.It’sallright.Ijustwanttoassureyoutherewasnothing

repulsive about it, you understand. Just the surprise.” Bad enough forhim to have acted the fool, he thought, without having the poor girlthinkhefoundherunpleasant.Asamatteroffact,ithadbeenrather—rather…Well,hedidn’thavethephrase,butheknewquitecertainlythatthere

wasnowayhewouldeverbeabletotalkofthistoJessie.“I know I offended you,” Gladia said, “but I didn’t mean to. I just

wasn’t thinking. Of course I realize one must be careful about thecustoms of other planets, but the customs are so queer sometimes; atleast, not queer,” she hastened to add, “I don’t mean queer. I meanstrange,youknow,andit’ssoeasytoforget.AsIforgotaboutkeepingthewindowsdarkened.”“Quiteallright,”mutteredBaley.Shewasinanotherroomnowwith

allthewindowsdrapedandthelighthadthesubtlydifferentandmorecomfortabletextureofartificiality.“Butabout theother thing,” shewentonearnestly,“it’s justviewing,

yousee.Afterall,youdidn’tmindtalkingtomewhenIwasinthedrierandIwasn’twearinganythingthen,either.”“Well,”saidBaley,wishingshewouldrundownasfarasthatsubject

wasconcerned,“hearingyouisonething,andseeingyouisanother.”“Butthat’sexactlyit.Seeingisn’tinvolved.”Shereddenedatrifleand

lookeddown. “Ihopeyoudon’t think I’d everdoanything like that, Imean, just step out of the drier, if anyonewere seeingme. Itwas just

viewing.”“Samething,isn’tit?”saidBaley.“Not at all the same thing. You’re viewingme right now. You can’ttouchme,canyou,orsmellme,oranythinglikethat.Youcouldifyouwere seeingme.Right now, I’m twohundredmiles away fromyou atleast.Sohowcanitbethesamething?”Baleygrewinterested.“ButIseeyouwithmyeyes.”“No,youdon’tseeme.Youseemyimage.You’reviewingme.”“Andthatmakesadifference?”“Allthedifferencethereis.”“Isee.” Inawayhedid.Thedistinctionwasnotonehecouldmakeeasily,butithadakindoflogictoit.Shesaid,bendingherheadalittletooneside,“Doyoureallysee?”“Yes.”“Does thatmeanyouwouldn’tmind if I tookoffmywrapper?” Shewassmiling.Hethought:She’steasingandIoughttotakeheruponit.But aloud he said, “No, it would take my mind off my job. We’lldiscussitanothertime.”“Doyoumindmybeinginthewrapper,ratherthansomethingmoreformal?Seriously.”“Idon’tmind.”“MayIcallyoubyyourfirstname?”“Ifyouhavetheoccasion.”“Whatisyourfirstname?”“Elijah.”“All right.” She snuggled into a chair that looked hard and almostceramic in texture, but it slowly gave as she sat until it embracedhergently.Baleysaid,“Tobusiness,now.”Shesaid,“Tobusiness.”Baleyfounditallextraordinarilydifficult.Therewasnowayeventomakeabeginning.OnEarthhewouldaskname,rating,CityandSectorofdwelling,amilliondifferent routinequestions.Hemightevenknowthe answers to begin with, yet it would be a device to ease into theseriousphase. Itwouldserve to introducehimto theperson,makehisjudgmentofthetacticstopursuesomethingotherthanamereguess.

Buthere?Howcouldhebecertainofanything?Theveryverb“tosee”meant different things tohimself and to thewoman.Howmanyotherwordswould be different?Howoftenwould they be at cross-purposeswithouthisbeingawareofit?Hesaid,“Howlongwereyoumarried,Gladia?”“Tenyears,Elijah.”“Howoldareyou?”“Thirty-three.”Baley felt obscurely pleased. Shemight easily have been a hundredthirty-three.Hesaid.“Wereyouhappilymarried?”Gladialookeduneasy.“Howdoyoumeanthat?”“Well——”ForamomentBaleywasata loss.Howdoyoudefineahappy marriage. For that matter, what would a Solarian consider ahappymarriage?Hesaid,“Well,yousawoneanotheroften?”“What?Ishouldhopenot.We’renotanimals,youknow.”Baleywinced.“Youdidliveinthesamemansion?Ithought——”“Of coursewedid.Weweremarried.But I hadmyquarters andhehadhis.Hehadavery important careerwhich tookmuchofhis timeandIhavemyownwork.Weviewedeachotherwhenevernecessary.”“Hesawyou,didn’the?”“It’snotathingonetalksaboutbuthedidseeme.”“Doyouhaveanychildren?”Gladia jumpedtoher feet inobviousagitation.“That’s toomuch.Ofalltheindecent——”“Nowwait.Wait!”Baleybroughthisfistdownonthearmofhischair.“Don’tbedifficult.This isamurder investigation.Doyouunderstand?Murder.And itwasyourhusbandwhowasmurdered.Doyouwant toseethemurdererfoundandpunishedordon’tyou?”“Thenaskaboutthemurder,notabout—about——”“Ihavetoaskallsortsofthings.ForonethingIwanttoknowwhetheryou’resorryyourhusbandisdead.”Headdedwithcalculatedbrutality,“Youdon’tseemtobe.”Shestaredathimhaughtily.“I’msorrywhenanyonedies,especiallywhenhe’syounganduseful.”“Doesn’tthefactthathewasyourhusbandmakeitjustalittlemorethanthat?”

“He was assigned to me and, well, we did see each other whenscheduled and—and”—she hurried the next words—“and, if youmustknow,wedon’thavechildrenbecausenonehavebeenassignedusyet.Idon’t seewhatall thathas todowithbeing sorryover someonebeingdead.”Maybeithadnothingtodowithit,Baleythought.Itdependedonthe

socialfactsoflifeandwiththosehewasnotacquainted.Hechangedthesubject.“I’mtoldyouhavepersonalknowledgeofthe

circumstancesofthemurder.”For amoment she seemed to grow taut. “I—discovered the body. Is

thatthewayIshouldsayit?”“Thenyoudidn’twitnesstheactualmurder?”“Ohno,”shesaidfaintly.“Well, suppose you tellmewhat happened.Take your time anduse

yourownwords.”Hesatbackandcomposedhimselftolisten.Shebegan,“Itwasonthree-twoofthefifth——”“WhenwasthatinStandardTime?”askedBaleyquickly.“I’mnotsure.Ireallydon’tknow.Youcancheck,Isuppose.”Hervoice seemedshakyandhereyeshadgrown large.Theywerea

littletoograytobecalledblue,henoted.Shesaid,“Hecametomyquarters.Itwasourassigneddayforseeing

andIknewhe’dcome.”“Healwayscameontheassignedday?”“Ohyes.Hewasaveryconscientiousman,agoodSolarian.Henever

skippedanassigneddayandalwayscameatthesametime.Ofcourse,hedidn’tstaylong.Wehavenotbeenassignedch——”Shecouldn’tfinishtheword,butBaleynodded.“Anyway,”shesaid,“healwayscameatthesametime,youknow,so

thateverythingwouldbecomfortable.Wespokeafewminutes;seeingisanordeal,buthespokequitenormallytome.Itwashisway.Thenhelefttoattendtosomeprojecthewasinvolvedwith;I’mnotsurewhat.Hehadaspeciallaboratoryinmyquarterstowhichhecouldretireonseeingdays.Hehadamuchbiggeroneinhisquarters,ofcourse.”Baleywonderedwhathedidinthoselaboratories.Fetology,perhaps,

whateverthatwas.Hesaid,“Didheseemunnaturalinanyway?Worried?”“No. No. He was never worried.” She came to the edge of a small

laughandburieditatthelastmoment.“Healwayshadperfectcontrol,likeyourfriendthere.”ForabriefmomenthersmallhandreachedoutandindicatedDaneel,whodidnotstir.“Isee.Well,goon.”Gladiadidn’t.Insteadshewhispered,“DoyoumindifIhavemyselfadrink?”“Pleasedo.”Gladia’shandslippedalongthearmofherchairmomentarily.Inlessthanaminute,arobotmovedinsilentlyandawarmdrink(Baleycouldsee the steam)was in her hand. She sipped slowly, then set the drinkdown.Shesaid,“That’sbetter.MayIaskapersonalquestion?”Baleysaid,“Youmayalwaysask.”“Well, I’ve read a lot about Earth. I’ve always been interested, youknow. It’s such aqueerworld.” She gasped and added immediately, “Ididn’tmeanthat.”Baleyfrownedalittle.“Anyworldisqueertopeoplewhodon’tliveonit.”“I mean it’s different. You know. Anyway, I want to ask a rudequestion.Atleast,Ihopeitdoesn’tseemrudetoanEarthman.Iwouldn’taskitofaSolarian,ofcourse.Notforanything.”“Askwhat,Gladia?”“Aboutyouandyourfriend—Mr.Olivaw,isit?”“Yes.”“Youtwoaren’tviewing,areyou?”“Howdoyoumean?”“Imeaneachother.You’reseeing.You’rethere,bothofyou.”Baleysaid,“We’rephysicallytogether.Yes.”“Youcouldtouchhim,ifyouwantedto.”“That’sright.”Shelookedfromonetotheotherandsaid,“Oh.”Itmighthavemeantanything.Disgust?Revulsion?Baley toyed with the idea of standing up, walking to Daneel andplacinghishand flatonDaneel’s face. Itmightbe interesting towatchherreaction.Hesaid,“Youwereabouttogoonwiththeeventsofthatdaywhenyour husband came to see you.” He was morally certain that her

digression, however interesting itmighthavebeen intrinsically toher,wasprimarilymotivatedbyadesiretoavoidjustthat.She returned toherdrink foramoment.Then: “There isn’tmuch to

tell. I saw he would be engaged, and I knew he would be, anyway,becausehewasalwaysatsomesortofconstructivework,soIwentbacktomyownwork.Then,perhapsfifteenminuteslater,Iheardashout.”TherewasapauseandBaleyproddedher.“Whatkindofashout?”Shesaid,“Rikaine’s.Myhusband’s.Justashout.Nowords.Akindof

fright. No! Surprise, shock. Something like that. I’d never heard himshoutbefore.”She raised her hands to her ears as though to shut out even the

memoryofthesoundandherwrapperslippedslowlydowntoherwaist.ShetooknonoticeandBaleystaredfirmlyathisnotebook.Hesaid,“Whatdidyoudo?”“Iran.Iran.Ididn’tknowwherehewas——”“I thought you saidhehadgone to the laboratoryhemaintained in

yourquarters.”“He did, E-Elijah, but I didn’t know where that was. Not for sure,

anyway. I never went there. It was his. I had a general idea of itsdirection. I knew itwas somewhere in thewest, but Iwas so upset, Ididn’teventhinktosummonanyrobot.Oneofthemwouldhaveguidedme easily, but of coursenone camewithout being summoned.When Ididgetthere—Ifounditsomehow—hewasdead.”She stopped suddenly and, toBaley’s acutediscomfort, shebenther

head and wept. She made no attempt to obscure her face. Her eyessimply closed and tears slowly trickled down her cheeks. Itwas quitesoundless.Hershouldersbarelytrembled.Thenhereyesopenedandlookedathimthroughswimmingtears.“I

neversawadeadmanbefore.Hewasallbloodyandhisheadwas—just—all—ImanagedtogetarobotandhecalledothersandIsupposetheytookcareofmeandofRikaine.Idon’tremember.Idon’t——”Baleysaid,“Whatdoyoumean,theytookcareofRikaine?”“They tookhimawayand cleanedup.”Therewasa smallwedgeof

indignation inhervoice, the ladyof thehousecarefulof itscondition.“Thingswereamess.”“Andwhathappenedtothebody?”Sheshookherhead.“Idon’tknow.Burned,Isuppose.Likeanydead

body.”“Youdidn’tcallthepolice?”ShelookedathimblanklyandBaleythought:Nopolice!Hesaid,“Youtoldsomebody, I suppose.People foundoutabout the

matter.”Shesaid,“Therobotscalledadoctor.AndIhadtocallRikaine’splace

ofwork.Therobotstherehadtoknowhewouldn’tbeback.”“Thedoctorwasforyou,Isuppose.”She nodded. For the first time, she seemed to notice her wrapper

draped about her hips. She pulled it up into position, murmuringforlornly,“I’msorry,I’msorry.”Baley felt uncomfortable watching her as she sat there helpless,

shivering,herfacecontortedwiththeabsoluteterrorthathadcomeoverherwiththememory.Shehadneverseenadeadbodybefore.Shehadneverseenbloodand

a crushed skull. And if the husband-wife relationship on Solaria wassomethingthinandshallow,itwasstilladeadhumanbeingwithwhomshehadbeenconfronted.Baley scarcely knewwhat to say or do next.He had the impulse to

apologize,andyet,asapoliceman,hewasdoingonlyhisduty.But therewere no police on thisworld.Would she understand that

thiswashisduty?Slowly, and as gently as he could, he said, “Gladia, did you hear

anythingatall?Anythingbesidesyourhusband’sshout.”Shelookedup,herfaceasprettyasever,despiteitsobviousdistress—

perhapsbecauseofit.Shesaid,“Nothing.”“Norunningfootsteps?Noothervoice?”Sheshookherhead.“Ididn’thearanything.”“Whenyou foundyourhusband,hewas completely alone?You two

weretheonlyonespresent?”“Yes.”“Nosignsofanyoneelsehavingbeenthere?”“NonethatIcouldsee.Idon’tseehowanyonecouldhavebeenthere,

anyway.”“Whydoyousaythat?”Foramomentshelookedshocked.Thenshesaiddispiritedly,“You’re

fromEarth.Ikeepforgetting.Well,it’sjustthatnobodycouldhavebeen

there.My husband never saw anybody exceptme; not since hewas aboy.Hecertainlywasn’t the sort to seeanybody.NotRikaine.Hewasverystrict;verycustom-abiding.”“Itmightnothavebeenhischoice.Whatifsomeonehadjustcometoseehimwithoutaninvitation,withoutyourhusbandknowinganythingaboutit?Hecouldn’thavehelpedseeingtheintruderregardlessofhowcustom-abidinghewas.”She said, “Maybe, buthewouldhave called robots at once andhadthemantakenaway.Hewouldhave!Besides,noonewouldtrytoseemy husband without being invited to. I couldn’t conceive of such athing.AndRikainecertainlywouldneverinviteanyonetoseehim.It’sridiculoustothinkso.”Baley said softly, “Your husband was killed by being struck on thehead,wasn’the?You’lladmitthat.”“Isupposeso.Hewas—all——”“I’mnotaskingfor thedetailsat themoment.Wasthereanysignofsome mechanical contrivance in the room that would have enabledsomeonetocrushhisskullbyremotecontrol?”“Ofcoursenot.Atleast,Ididn’tseeany.”“Ifanythinglikethathadbeenthere,Iimagineyouwouldhaveseenit. It follows then that a hand held something capable of crushing aman’sskullandthathandswungit.Somepersonhadtobewithinfourfeetofyourhusbandtodothat.Sosomeonedidseehim.”“No one would,” she said earnestly. “A Solarian just wouldn’t seeanyone.”“A Solarian who would commit murder wouldn’t stick at a bit ofseeing,wouldhe?”(Tohimselfthatstatementsoundeddubious.OnEarthhehadknownthe case of a perfectly conscienceless murderer who had been caughtonlybecausehecouldnotbringhimselftoviolatethecustomofabsolutesilenceinthecommunitybathroom.)Gladiashookherhead.“Youdon’tunderstandaboutseeing.Earthmenjustseeanybodytheywanttoallthetime,soyoudon’tunderstandit.…”Curiosityseemedtobestrugglingwithinher.Hereyeslightenedabit.“Seeingdoesseemperfectlynormaltoyou,doesn’tit?”“I’vealwaystakenitforgranted,”saidBaley.

“Itdoesn’ttroubleyou?”“Whyshouldit?”“Well,thefilmsdon’tsay,andI’vealwayswantedtoknow——IsitallrightifIaskaquestion?”“Goahead,”saidBaleystolidly.“Doyouhaveawifeassignedtoyou?”“I’mmarried.Idon’tknowabouttheassignmentpart.”“AndIknowyouseeyourwifeanytimeyouwanttoandsheseesyouandneitherofyouthinksanythingofit.”Baleynodded.“Well,whenyouseeher,supposeyoujustwantto——”Sheliftedherhands elbow-high, pausing as though searching for the proper phrase.Shetriedagain,“Canyoujust—anytime…”Sheletitdangle.Baleydidn’ttrytohelp.She said, “Well, nevermind. I don’t knowwhy I should bother youwith that sort of thing now anyway. Are you through withme?” Shelookedasthoughshemightcryagain.Baleysaid,“Onemoretry,Gladia.Forgetthatnoonewouldseeyourhusband.Supposesomeonedid.Whomightithavebeen?”“It’sjustuselesstoguess.Itcouldn’tbeanyone.”“It has to be someone. Agent Gruer says there is reason to suspectsomeoneperson.Soyouseetheremustbesomeone.”A small, joyless smile flickered over the girl’s face. “I knowwhohethinksdidit.”“Allright.Who?”Sheputasmallhandonherbreast.“I.”

6ATHEORYISREFUTED

“I should have said, Partner Elijah,” said Daneel, speaking suddenly,“thatthatisanobviousconclusion.”Baley cast a surprised look at his robot partner. “Why obvious?” he

asked.“The ladyherself,” saidDaneel, “states that shewas theonlyperson

whodidorwhowouldseeherhusband.ThesocialsituationonSolariaissuchthatevenshecannotplausiblypresentanythingelseasthetruth.Certainly Agent Gruer would find it reasonable, even obligatory, tobelieve that a Solarianhusbandwouldbe seenonlybyhiswife. Sinceonlyonepersoncouldbeinseeingrange,onlyonepersoncouldbethemurderer.Ormurderess, rather.AgentGruer, youwill remember, saidthat only one person could have done it. Anyone else he consideredimpossible.Well?”“Healsosaid,”saidBaley,“thatthatonepersoncouldn’thavedoneit,

either.”“Bywhichheprobablymeantthattherewasnoweaponfoundatthe

scene of the crime. Presumably Mrs. Delmarre could explain thatanomaly.”HegesturedwithcoolroboticpolitenesstowardwhereGladiasat,still

inviewingfocus,hereyescastdown,hersmallmouthcompressed.Jehoshaphat,thoughtBaley,we’reforgettingthelady.Perhapsitwasannoyancethathadcausedhimtoforget.ItwasDaneel

who annoyed him, he thought, with his unemotional approach toproblems.Orperhaps itwashimself,withhis emotional approach.Hedidnotstoptoanalyzethematter.Hesaid,“Thatwillbeallfornow,Gladia.Howeveronegoesaboutit,

breakcontact.Good-bye.”Shesaidsoftly,“Sometimesonesays,‘Doneviewing’butIlike‘Good-

bye’ better.You seemdisturbed, Elijah. I’m sorry, because I’mused tohavingpeoplethinkIdidit,soyoudon’tneedtofeeldisturbed.”Daneelsaid,“Didyoudoit,Gladia?”

“No,”shesaidangrily.“Good-bye,then.”With the anger not yetwashed out of her face shewas gone. For amoment, though, Baley could still feel the impact of those quiteextraordinarygrayeyes.Shemightsayshewasusedtohavingpeoplethinkheramurderess,butthatwasveryobviouslyalie.Herangerspokemoretrulythanherwords.Baleywonderedofhowmanyotherliesshewascapable.AndnowBaleyfoundhimselfalonewithDaneel.Hesaid,“Allright,Daneel,I’mnotaltogetherafool.”“Ihaveneverthoughtyouwere,PartnerElijah.”“Thentellmewhatmadeyousaytherewasnomurderweaponfoundat the site of the crime? There was nothing in the evidence so far,nothinginanythingI’veheardthatwouldleadustothatconclusion.”“You are correct. I have additional information not yet available toyou.”“Iwassureofthat.Whatkind?”“AgentGruer said hewould send a copy of the report of their owninvestigation.Ihavethatcopy.Itarrivedthismorning.”“Whyhaven’tyoushownittome?”“Ifeltthatitwouldperhapsbemorefruitfulforyoutoconductyourinvestigation,atleastintheinitialstages,accordingtoyourownideas,withoutbeingprejudicedby theconclusionsofotherpeoplewho, self-admittedly,have reachedno satisfactory conclusions. Itwasbecause I,myself, felt my logical processes might be influenced by thoseconclusionsthatIcontributednothingtothediscussion.”Logical processes! Unbidden, there leaped into Baley’s mind thefragmentofaconversationhehadoncehadwitharoboticist.Arobot,themanhadsaid,islogicalbutnotreasonable.Hesaid,“Youenteredthediscussionattheend.”“So I did, Partner Elijah, but only because by that time I hadindependentevidencebearingoutAgentGruer’ssuspicions.”“Whatkindofindependentevidence?”“ThatwhichcouldbededucedfromMrs.Delmarre’sownbehavior.”“Let’sbespecific,Daneel.”“Consider that if the ladywere guilty andwere attempting toproveherself innocent, itwouldbeuseful toher tohave thedetective in the

casebelieveherinnocent.”“Well?”“If she couldwarphis judgmentbyplayinguponaweaknessofhis,shemightdoso,mightshenot?”“Strictlyhypothetical.”“Notatall,”wasthecalmreply.“Youwillhavenoticed,Ithink,thatsheconcentratedherattentionentirelyonyou.”“Iwasdoingthetalking,”saidBaley.“Herattentionwasonyoufromthestart;evenbeforeshecouldguessthatyouwouldbedoingthetalking.Infact,onemighthavethoughtshewould, logically, have expected that I, as an Auroran,would take theleadintheinvestigation.Yetsheconcentratedonyou.”“Andwhatdoyoudeducefromthis?”“Thatitwasuponyou,PartnerElijah,thatshepinnedherhopes.YouweretheEarthman.”“Whatofthat?”“Shehad studiedEarth.She implied thatmore thanonce.Sheknewwhat I was talking about when I asked her to blank out the outerdaylightat theverystartof the interview.Shedidnotactsurprisedoruncomprehending, as shewouldmost certainlyhavedonehad shenothadactualknowledgeofconditionsonEarth.”“Well?”“SinceshehasstudiedEarth,itisquitereasonabletosupposethatshediscovered one weakness Earthmen possess. She must know of thenuditytabu,andofhowsuchadisplaymustimpressanEarthman.”“She—sheexplainedaboutviewing——”“So she did. Yet did it seem entirely convincing to you? Twice sheallowed herself to be seen in what you would consider a state ofimproperclothing——”“Yourconclusion,”saidBaley,“isthatshewastryingtoseduceme.Isthatit?”“Seduceyouaway fromyourprofessional impersonality.So itwouldseem tome. And though I cannot share human reactions to stimuli, Iwouldjudge,fromwhathasbeenimprintedonmyinstructioncircuits,that the ladymeetsany reasonable standardofphysical attractiveness.Fromyourbehavior,moreover, it seemstomethatyouwereawareofthat and that you approved her appearance. I would even judge that

Mrs. Delmarre acted rightly in thinking her mode of behavior wouldpredisposeyouinherfavor.”“Look,”saidBaleyuncomfortably,“regardlessofwhateffectshemight

havehadonme,Iamstillanofficerofthelawinfullpossessionofmysenseofprofessionalethics.Getthatstraight.Nowlet’sseethereport.”

Baleyreadthroughthereportinsilence.Hefinished,turnedback,andreaditthroughasecondtime.“Thatbringsinanewitem,”hesaid.“Therobot.”DaneelOlivawnodded.Baleysaidthoughtfully,“Shedidn’tmentionit.”Daneel said, “You asked the wrong question. You asked if he was

alone when she found the body. You asked if anyone else had beenpresentatthedeathscene.Arobotisn’t‘anybodyelse.’”Baleynodded. Ifhehimselfwereasuspectandwereaskedwhoelse

hadbeenat the sceneofacrime,hewould scarcelyhave replied: “Noonebutthistable.”Hesaid,“IsupposeIshouldhaveaskedifanyrobotswerepresent?”

(Damnit,whatquestionsdoesoneaskanywayonastrangeworld?)Hesaid,“Howlegalisroboticevidence,Daneel?”“Whatdoyoumean?”“CanarobotbearwitnessonSolaria?Canitgiveevidence?”“Whyshouldyoudoubtit?”“Arobotisn’thuman,Daneel.OnEarth,itcannotbealegalwitness.”“Andyetafootprintcan,PartnerElijah,althoughthatismuchlessa

human than a robot is. The position of your planet in this respect isillogical.OnSolaria,roboticevidence,whencompetent,isadmissible.”Baleydidnotargue thepoint.He restedhischinon theknucklesof

onehandandwentoverthismatteroftherobotinhismind.In the extremity of terror Gladia Delmarre, standing over her

husband’sbody,hadsummonedrobots.Bythetimetheycameshewasunconscious.The robots reported having found her there together with the dead

body.Andsomethingelsewaspresentaswell;arobot.Thatrobothadnotbeensummoned;itwasalreadythere.Itwasnotoneoftheregularstaff. No other robot had seen it before or knew its function or

assignment.Norcouldanythingbediscovered fromthe robot inquestion. Itwasnotinworkingorder.Whenfound,itsmotionsweredisorganizedandso,apparently,wasthefunctioningofitspositronicbrain.Itcouldgivenoneof the proper responses, either verbal or mechanical, and afterexhaustiveinvestigationbyaroboticsexpertitwasdeclaredatotalloss.Its only activity that had any trace of organizationwas its constantrepetitionof “You’regoing tokillme—you’regoing tokillme—you’regoingtokillme…”No weapon that could possibly have been used to crush the deadman’sskullwaslocated.Baleysaidsuddenly,“I’mgoingtoeat,Daneel,andthenweseeAgentGrueragain—orviewhim,anyway.”

•••

Hannis Gruer was still eatingwhen contact was established. He ateslowly, choosing each mouthful carefully from a variety of dishes,peering at each anxiously as though searching for some hiddencombinationhewouldfindmostsatisfactory.Baley thought:Hemay be a couple of centuries old. Eatingmay begettingdullforhim.Gruer said, “I greet you, gentlemen. You received our report, Ibelieve.”Hisbaldheadglistenedasheleanedacrossthetabletoreachatitbit.“Yes.WehavespentaninterestingsessionwithMrs.Delmarrealso,”saidBaley.“Good, good,” saidGruer. “And towhat conclusion, if any, did youcome?”Baleysaid,“Thatsheisinnocent,sir.”Gruerlookedupsharply.“Really?”Baleynodded.Gruersaid,“Andyetshewastheonlyonewhocouldseehim,theonlyonewhocouldpossiblybewithinreach.…”Baley said, “That’s beenmade clear tome, andnomatter how firmsocial customs are on Solaria, the point is not conclusive. May Iexplain?”

Gruerhadreturnedtohisdinner.“Ofcourse.”“Murder rests on three legs,” said Baley, “each equally important.

Theyaremotive,means,andopportunity.Foragoodcaseagainstanysuspect,eachof thethreemustbesatisfied.NowIgrantyouthatMrs.Delmarrehadtheopportunity.Asforthemotive,I’veheardofnone.”Gruershrugged.“Weknowofnone.”Foramomenthiseyesdriftedto

thesilentDaneel.“All right. The suspect has no known motive, but perhaps she’s a

pathologicalkiller.Wecanletthematterrideforawhile,andcontinue.Sheisinhislaboratorywithhimandthere’ssomereasonwhyshewantstokillhim.Shewvessomecluborotherheavyobject threateningly. Ittakeshimawhiletorealizethathiswifereallyintendstohurthim.Heshoutsindismay,‘You’regoingtokillme,’andsoshedoes.Heturnstorun as the blow descends and it crushes the back of his head. Did adoctorexaminethebody,bytheway?”“Yesandno.TherobotscalledadoctortoattendMrs.Delmarreand,

asamatterofcourse,helookedatthedeadbody,too.”“Thatwasn’tmentionedinthereport.”“Itwasscarcelypertinent.Themanwasdead.Infact,bythetimethe

doctorcouldviewthebody,ithadbeenstripped,washed,andpreparedforcremationintheusualmanner.”“In other words, the robots had destroyed evidence,” said Baley,

annoyed.Then:“Didyousayheviewedthebody?Hedidn’tseeit?”“Great Space,” said Gruer, “what amorbid notion. He viewed it, of

course, from all necessary angles and at close focus, I’m sure. Doctorscan’tavoidseeingpatientsundersomeconditions,butIcan’tconceiveofanyreasonwhytheyshouldhavetoseecorpses.Medicineisadirtyjob,butevendoctorsdrawthelinesomewhere.”“Well, the point is this. Did the doctor report anything about the

natureofthewoundthatkilledDr.Delmarre?”“Iseewhatyou’redrivingat.Youthinkthatperhapsthewoundwas

tooseveretohavebeencausedbyawoman.”“Awoman isweaker than aman, sir.AndMrs.Delmarre is a small

woman.”“But quite athletic, Plainclothesman. Given a weapon of the proper

type,gravityandleveragewoulddomostofthework.Evennotallowingforthat,awomaninfrenzycandosurprisingthings.”

Baleyshrugged.“Youspeakofaweapon.Whereisit?”Gruer shifted position.He held out his hand toward an empty glass

andarobotenteredtheviewingfieldandfilleditwithacolorlessfluidthatmighthavebeenwater.Gruerheldthefilledglassmomentarily,thenputitdownasthoughhe

had changed his mind about drinking. He said, “As is stated in thereport,wehavenotbeenabletolocateit.”“I know the report says that. Iwant tomakeabsolutely certainof a

fewthings.Theweaponwassearchedfor?”“Thoroughly.”“Byyourself?”“By robots, but undermy own viewing supervision at all times.We

couldlocatenothingthatmighthavebeentheweapon.”“ThatweakensthecaseagainstMrs.Delmarre,doesn’tit?”“Itdoes,”saidGruercalmly.“Itisoneofseveralthingsaboutthecase

we don’t understand. It is one reasonwhywe have not acted againstMrs.Delmarre.ItisonereasonwhyItoldyouthattheguiltypartycouldnot have committed the crime, either. Perhaps I should say that sheapparentlycouldnothavecommittedthecrime.”“Apparently?”“She must have disposed of the weapon someway. So far, we have

lackedtheingenuitytofindit.”Baleysaiddourly,“Haveyouconsideredallpossibilities?”“Ithinkso.”“Iwonder.Let’s see.Aweaponhasbeenusedtocrushaman’sskull

anditisnotfoundatthesceneofthecrime.Theonlyalternativeisthatithasbeencarriedaway.ItcouldnothavebeencarriedawaybyRikaineDelmarre. He was dead. Could it have been carried away by GladiaDelmarre?”“Itmusthavebeen,”saidGruer.“How?Whentherobotsarrived,shewasonthefloorunconscious.Or

shemayhavebeenfeigningunconsciousness,butanywayshewasthere.Howlongatimebetweenthemurderandthearrivalofthefirstrobot?”“That depends upon the exact time of the murder, which we don’t

know,”saidGrueruneasily.“Ireadthereport,sir.Onerobotreportedhearingadisturbanceanda

cry it identified asDr.Delmarre’s. Itwas apparently the closest to the

scene. The summoning signal flashed fiveminutes afterward. Itwouldtake the robot less than a minute to appear on the scene.” (Baleyremembered his own experiences with the rapid-fire appearance ofrobotswhensummoned.)“Infiveminutes,eventen,howfarcouldMrs.Delmarre have carried a weapon and returned in time to assumeunconsciousness?”“Shemighthavedestroyeditinadisposerunit.”“Thedisposerunitwas investigated,accordingtothereport,andtheresidual gamma-ray activity was quite low. Nothing sizable had beendestroyedinitfortwenty-fourhours.”“Iknowthat,”saidGruer.“Isimplypresentitasanexampleofwhatmighthavebeendone.”“True,” said Baley, “but there may be a very simple explanation. Isuppose the robots belonging to the Delmarre household have beencheckedandallwereaccountedfor.”“Ohyes.”“Andallinreasonableworkingorder?”“Yes.”“Couldanyof thosehavecarriedawaytheweapon,perhapswithoutbeingawareofwhatitwas?”“Notoneofthemhadremovedanythingfromthesceneofthecrime.Ortouchedanything,forthatmatter.”“That’snot so.They certainly removed thebodyandprepared it forcremation.”“Well,yes,ofcourse,butthatscarcelycounts.Youwouldexpectthemtodothat.”“Jehoshaphat!”mutteredBaley.Hehadtostruggletokeepcalm.Hesaid,“Nowsupposesomeoneelsehadbeenonthescene.”“Impossible,”saidGruer.“HowcouldsomeoneinvadeDr.Delmarre’spersonalpresence?”“Suppose!” cried Baley. “Now there was never any thought in therobots’mindsthatanintrudermighthavebeenpresent.Idon’tsupposeanyofthemmadeanimmediatesearchofthegroundsaboutthehouse.Itwasn’tmentionedinthereport.”“Therewasno search tillwe looked for theweapon,but thatwas aconsiderabletimeafterward.”“Nor any search for signs of a ground-car or an air vehicle on the

grounds?”“No.”“Then if someone had nerved himself to invade Dr. Delmarre’spersonal presence, as you put it, he could have killed him and thenwalked away leisurely. No onewould have stopped him or even seenhim.Afterward,hecouldrelyoneveryonebeingsurenoonecouldhavebeenthere.”“Andnoonecould,”saidGruerpositively.Baley said, “One more thing. Just one more. There was a robotinvolved.Arobotwasatthescene.”Daneelinterposedforthefirsttime.“Therobotwasnotatthescene.Haditbeenthere,thecrimewouldnothavebeencommitted.”Baleyturnedhisheadsharply.AndGruer,whohadliftedhisglassasecond time as though about to drink, put it down again to stare atDaneel.“Isthatnotso?”askedDaneel.“Quiteso,”saidGruer.“Arobotwouldhavestoppedonepersonfromharminganother.FirstLaw.”“Allright,”saidBaley.“Granted.But itmusthavebeenclose. Itwasonthescenewhentheotherrobotsarrived.Sayitwasinthenextroom.ThemurdererisadvancingonDelmarreandDelmarrecriesout,‘You’regoingtokillme.’Therobotsofthehouseholddidnothearthosewords;atmosttheyheardacry,so,unsummoned,theydidnotcome.Butthisparticular robot heard the words and First Law made it comeunsummoned. It was too late. Probably, it actually saw the murdercommitted.”“Itmusthaveseenthelaststagesofthemurder,”agreedGruer.“Thatis what disordered it. Witnessing harm to a human without havingprevented it is a violation of the First Law and, depending uponcircumstances,moreorlessdamagetothepositronicbrainisinduced.Inthiscase,itwasagreatdealofdamage.”Gruer staredathis fingertips ashe turned theglass of liquid to andfro,toandfro.Baleysaid,“Thentherobotwasawitness.Wasitquestioned?”“Whatuse?Hewasdisordered.Itcouldonlysay‘You’regoingtokillme.’ I agree with your reconstruction that far. They were probablyDelmarre’s last words burned into the robot’s consciousness when

everythingelsewasdestroyed.”“ButI’mtoldSolariaspecializesinrobots.Wastherenowayinwhich

the robot could be repaired? No way in which its circuits could bepatched?”“None,”saidGruersharply.“Andwhereistherobot,now?”“Scrapped,”saidGruer.Baleyraisedhiseyebrows.“Thisisaratherpeculiarcase.Nomotive,

nomeans,nowitnesses,noevidence.Wheretherewassomeevidencetobeginwith, itwasdestroyed.Youhaveonlyone suspectandeveryoneseemsconvincedofherguilt;atleast,everyoneiscertainnooneelsecanbeguilty.That’syouropinion,too,obviously.Thequestionthenis:WhywasIsentfor?”Gruer frowned. “You seemupset,Mr. Baley.”He turned abruptly to

Daneel.“Mr.Olivaw.”“Yes,AgentGruer.”“Won’tyoupleasegothroughthedwellingandmakesureallwindows

areclosedandblankedout?PlainclothesmanBaleymaybe feeling theeffectsofopenspace.”The statement astonished Baley. It was his impulse to deny Gruer’s

assumptionandorderDaneel tokeephisplacewhen,on thebrink,hecaught something of panic in Gruer’s voice, something of glitteringappealinhiseyes.HesatbackandletDaneelleavetheroom.It was as though a mask had dropped from Gruer’s face, leaving it

nakedandafraid.Gruer said, “Thatwas easier than Ihad thought. I’dplannedsomanywaysofgettingyoualone.IneverthoughttheAuroranwouldleaveatasimplerequest,andyetIcouldthinkofnothingelsetodo.”Baleysaid,“Well,I’malonenow.”Gruer said, “I couldn’t speak freely inhispresence.He’sanAuroran

andheisherebecausehewasforcedonusasthepriceofhavingyou.”The Solarian leaned forward. “There’s something more to this thanmurder. Iamnotconcernedonlywith thematterofwhodid it.TherearepartiesonSolaria,secretorganizations.…”Baleystared.“Surely,Ican’thelpyouthere.”“Of course you can. Now understand this: Dr. Delmarre was a

Traditionalist.Hebelievedintheoldways,thegoodways.Buttherearenew forces among us, forces for change, and Delmarre has beensilenced.”“ByMrs.Delmarre?”“Hers must have been the hand. That doesn’t matter. There is an

organizationbehindherandthatistheimportantmatter.”“Areyousure?Doyouhaveevidence?”“Vagueevidence,only.Ican’thelpthat.RikaineDelmarrewasonthe

trackofsomething.Heassuredmehisevidencewasgood,andIbelievedhim. I knew himwell enough to know him as neither fool nor child.Unfortunately,hetoldmeverylittle.Naturally,hewantedtocompletehis investigation before laying the matter completely open to theauthorities. He must have gotten close to completion, too, or theywouldn’t have dared the risk of having him openly slaughtered byviolence.OnethingDelmarretoldme,though.Thewholehumanraceisindanger.”Baley felt himself shaken. For a moment it was as though he were

listening to Minnim again, but on an even larger scale. Was everyonegoingtoturntohimwithcosmicdangers?“WhydoyouthinkIcanhelp?”heasked.“Becauseyou’re anEarthman,” saidGruer. “Doyouunderstand?We

on Solaria have no experience with these things. In a way, we don’tunderstandpeople.Therearetoofewofushere.”He lookeduneasy.“Idon’t like tosaythis,Mr.Baley.Mycolleagues

laughatmeandsomegrowangry,butit isadefinitefeelingIhave.ItseemstomethatyouEarthmenmustunderstandpeoplefarbetterthanwedo,justbylivingamongsuchcrowdsofthem.Andadetectivemorethananyone.Isn’tthatso?”Baleyhalfnoddedandheldhistongue.Gruer said, “In a way, thismurder was fortunate. I have not dared

speak to the others aboutDelmarre’s investigation, since Iwasn’t surewhomightbeinvolvedintheconspiracy,andDelmarrehimselfwasnotreadytogiveanydetailstillhisinvestigationwascomplete.AndevenifDelmarrehadcompletedhiswork,howwouldwedealwiththematterafterward?Howdoesonedealwithhostilehumanbeings?Idon’tknow.Fromthebeginning,IfeltweneededanEarthman.WhenIheardofyourworkinconnectionwiththemurderinSpacetownonEarth,Iknewwe

needed you. I got in touch with Aurora, with whose men you haveworked most closely, and through them approached the EarthGovernment. Yet my own colleagues could not be persuaded intoagreeingtothis.Thencamethemurderandthatwasenoughofashockto giveme the agreement I needed. At themoment, theywould haveagreedtoanything.”Gruerhesitated,thenadded,“It’snoteasytoaskanEarthmantohelp,

butImustdoso.Remember,whateveritis,thehumanraceisindanger.Earth,too.”Earth was doubly in danger, then. There was no mistaking the

desperatesincerityinGruer’svoice.Butthen,ifthemurderweresofortunateapretextforallowingGruer

todowhathesodesperatelywantedtodoallthetime,wasitentirelyfortune? It opened new avenues of thought thatwere not reflected inBaley’sface,eyes,orvoice.Baleysaid,“Ihavebeensenthere,sir,tohelp.Iwilldosotothebest

ofmyability.”Gruerfinallyliftedhislong-delayeddrinkandlookedovertherimof

theglassatBaley.“Good,”hesaid.“NotawordtotheAuroran,please.Whateverthisisabout,Auroramaybeinvolved.Certainlytheytookanunusually intense interest in the case. For instance, they insisted onincludingMr. Olivaw as your partner. Aurora is powerful; we had toagree.Theysay they includeMr.Olivawonlybecauseheworkedwithyoubefore,butitmaywellbethattheywishareliablemanoftheirownonthescene,eh?”Hesippedslowly,hiseyesonBaley.Baleypassedtheknucklesofonehandagainsthislongcheek,rubbing

itthoughtfully.“Nowifthat——”Hedidn’tfinish,butleapedfromhischairandalmosthurledhimself

toward the other, before remembering it was only an image he wasfacing.ForGruer, staringwildlyathisdrink,clutchedhis throat,whispered

hoarsely,“Burning…burning…”Theglassfellfromhishand,itscontentsspilling.AndGruerdropped

withit,hisfacedistortedwithpain.

7ADOCTORISPRODDED

Daneelstoodinthedoorway.“Whathappened,PartnerEli——”But no explanation was needed. Daneel’s voice changed to a loud

ringingshout.“RobotsofHannisGruer!Yourmasterishurt!Robots!”Atonceametal figure strode into thediningroomandafter it, ina

minuteortwo,adozenmoreentered.ThreecarriedGruergentlyaway.Theothersbusilyengaged instraighteningthedisarrayandpickingupthetablewarestrewnonthefloor.Daneel called out suddenly, “You there, robots, never mind the

crockery. Organize a search. Search the house for any human being.Alertanyrobotsonthegroundsoutside.Havethemgoovereveryacreof the estate. If you find a master, hold him. Do not hurt him”(unnecessary advice) “but do not let him leave, either. If you find nomasterpresent,letmeknow.Iwillremainatthisviewercombination.”Then, as robots scattered, Elijah muttered to Daneel, “That’s a

beginning.Itwaspoison,ofcourse.”“Yes.Thatmuchisobvious,PartnerElijah.”Daneelsatdownqueerly,

asthoughtherewereaweaknessinhisknees.Baleyhadneverseenhimgivewayso,notforaninstant,toanyactionthatresembledanythingsohumanasaweaknessintheknees.Daneelsaid,“Itisnotwellwithmymechanismtoseeahumanbeing

cometoharm.”“Therewasnothingyoucoulddo.”“ThatIunderstandandyetitisasthoughtherewerecertaincloggings

inmythoughtpaths.InhumantermswhatIfeelmightbetheequivalentofshock.”“Ifthat’sso,getoverit.”Baleyfeltneitherpatiencenorsympathyfor

aqueasyrobot.“We’vegottoconsiderthelittlematterofresponsibility.Thereisnopoisonwithoutapoisoner.”“Itmighthavebeenfood-poisoning.”“Accidental food-poisoning? On a world this neatly run? Never.

Besides,thepoisonwasinaliquidandthesymptomsweresuddenand

complete. Itwasapoisoneddoseandalargeone.Look,Daneel, I’llgointothenextroomtothinkthisoutabit.YougetMrs.Delmarre.Makesure she’s at home and check the distance between her estate andGruer’s.”“Isitthatyouthinkshe——”Baleyheldupahand.“Justfindout,willyou?”Hestrodeoutoftheroom,seekingsolitude.SurelytherecouldnotbetwoindependentattemptsatmurdersoclosetogetherintimeonaworldlikeSolaria.Andifaconnectionexisted,theeasiestassumptiontomakewasthatGruer’sstoryofaconspiracywastrue.Baleyfeltafamiliarexcitementgrowingwithinhim.Hehadcometothis world with Earth’s predicament in his mind, and his own. Themurderitselfhadbeenafarawaything,butnowthechasewasreallyon.Themusclesinhisjawknotted.Afterall,themurdererormurderers(ormurderess)hadstruckinhispresenceandhewasstungbythat.Washeheldinsolittleaccount?Itwasprofessionalpride thatwashurtandBaleyknew it andwelcomedthefact.Atleastitgavehimafirmreasontoseethisthingthroughasamurdercase,simply,evenwithoutreferencetoEarth’sdangers.Daneel had located him now and was striding toward him. “I havedoneasyouaskedmeto,PartnerElijah. IhaveviewedMrs.Delmarre.She is at home, which is somewhat over a thousand miles from theestateofAgentGruer.”Baley said, “I’ll see her myself later. View her, I mean.” He staredthoughtfullyatDaneel.“Doyouthinkshehasanyconnectionwiththiscrime?”“Apparentlynotadirectconnection,PartnerElijah.”“Doesthatimplytheremightbeanindirectconnection?”“Shemighthavepersuadedsomeoneelsetodoit.”“Someoneelse?”Baleyaskedquickly.“Who?”“That,PartnerElijah,Icannotsay.”“Ifsomeonewereactingforher,thatsomeonewouldhavetobeatthesceneofthecrime.”“Yes,” said Daneel, “someone must have been there to place thepoisonintheliquid.”“Isn’t it possible that the poisoned liquidmight have been preparedearlierintheday?Perhapsmuchearlier?”

Daneel said quietly, “I had thought of that, Partner Elijah,which iswhyIusedtheword‘apparently’whenIstatedthatMrs.Delmarrehadnodirectconnectionwiththecrime.Itiswithintherealmofpossibilityforhertohavebeenonthesceneearlierintheday.Itwouldbewelltocheckhermovements.”“Wewilldothat.Wewillcheckwhethershewasphysicallypresentatanytime.”Baley’slipstwitched.Hehadguessedthatinsomewaysroboticlogicmust fall short and hewas convinced of it now.As the roboticist hadsaid:Logicalbutnotreasonable.Hesaid,“Let’sgetbackintotheviewingroomandgetGruer’sestatebackinview.”Theroomsparkledwithfreshnessandorder.Therewasnosignatallthatlessthananhourbeforeamanhadcollapsedinagony.Three robots stood, backs against the wall, in the usual roboticattitudeofrespectfulsubmission.Baleysaid,“Whatnewsconcerningyourmaster?”Themiddlerobotsaid,“Thedoctorisattendinghim,master.”“Viewingorseeing?”“Viewing,master.”“Whatdoesthedoctorsay?Willyourmasterlive?”“Itisnotyetcertain,master.”Baleysaid,“Hasthehousebeensearched?”“Thoroughly,master.”“Wasthereanysignofanothermasterbesideyourown?”“No,master.”“Werethereanysignsofsuchpresenceinthenearpast?”“Notatall,master.”“Arethegroundsbeingsearched?”“Yes,master.”“Anyresultssofar?”“No,master.”Baleynoddedandsaid,“Iwishtospeaktotherobotthatservedatthetablethisnight.”“Itisbeingheldforinspection,master.Itsreactionsareerratic.”“Canitspeak?”“Yes,master.”

“Thengetitherewithoutdelay.”TherewasdelayandBaleybeganagain.“Isaid——”Daneel interrupted smoothly. “There is inter-radio communication

amongtheseSolariantypes.Therobotyoudesireisbeingsummoned.Ifitisslowincoming,itispartofthedisturbancethathasovertakenitastheresultofwhathasoccurred.”Baley nodded. He might have guessed at inter-radio. In a world so

thoroughly given over to robots some sort of intimate communicationamongthemwouldbenecessaryifthesystemwerenottobreakdown.Itexplained how a dozen robots could followwhen one robot had beensummoned,butonlywhenneededandnototherwise.Arobotentered.Itlimped,onelegdragging.Baleywonderedwhyand

then shrugged. Even among the primitive robots onEarth reactions toinjury of the positronic paths were never obvious to the layman. Adisrupted circuitmight strike a leg’s functioning, as here, and the factwouldbemostsignificanttoaroboticistandcompletelymeaninglesstoanyoneelse.Baley said cautiously, “Do you remember a colorless liquid on your

master’stable,someofwhichyoupouredintoagobletforhim?”Therobotsaid,“Yeth,mathter.”Adefectinoralarticulation,too!Baleysaid,“Whatwasthenatureoftheliquid?”“Itwathwater,mathter.”“Justwater?Nothingelse?”“Juthtwater,mathter.”“Wheredidyougetit?”“Fromtherethervoirtap,mathter.”“Haditbeenstandinginthekitchenbeforeyoubroughtitin?”“Themathterpreferred itnot too cold,mathter. Itwatha thtanding

orderthatitbepouredanhourbeforemealth.”Howconvenient,thoughtBaley,foranyonewhoknewthatfact.Hesaid,“Haveoneoftherobotsconnectmewiththedoctorviewing

yourmasterassoonashe isavailable.Andwhile that isbeingdone, Iwant another one to explain how the reservoir tap works. I want toknowaboutthewatersupplyhere.”

Thedoctorwasavailablewith littledelay.Hewas theoldest SpacerBaleyhadeverseen,whichmeant,Baleythought,thathemightbeoverthreehundredyearsold.Theveinsstoodoutonhishandsandhisclose-croppedhairwaspurewhite.Hehadahabitoftappinghisridgedfrontteethwith a fingernail,making a little clicking noise that Baley foundannoying.HisnamewasAltimThool.Thedoctor said, “Fortunately, he threwup a gooddeal of the dose.Still,hemaynotsurvive.Itisatragicevent.”Hesighedheavily.“Whatwasthepoison,Doctor?”askedBaley.“I’mafraidIdon’tknow.”(Click-click-click.)Baleysaid,“What?Thenhowareyoutreatinghim?”“Directstimulationoftheneuromuscularsystemtopreventparalysis,butexceptforthatIamlettingnaturetakeitscourse.”Hisface,withitsfaintly yellow skin, like well-worn leather of superior quality, wore apleading expression. “We have very little experience with this sort ofthing.Idon’trecallanothercaseinovertwocenturiesofpractice.”Baley stared at the otherwith contempt. “You know there are suchthingsaspoisons,don’tyou?”“Oh,yes.”(Click-click.)“Commonknowledge.”“Youhavebook-filmreferenceswhereyoucangainsomeknowledge.”“Itwould takedays. There arenumerousmineral poisons.Wemakeuse of insecticides in our society, and it is not impossible to obtainbacterialtoxins.Evenwithdescriptionsinthefilmsitwouldtakealongtime to gather the equipment and develop the techniques to test forthem.”“IfnooneonSolariaknows,”saidBaleygrimly,“I’dsuggestyougetintouchwith one of the otherworlds and find out.Meanwhile, youhadbettertestthereservoirtapinGruer’smansionforpoison.Getthereinperson,ifyouhaveto,anddoit.”Baleywasprodding a venerable Spacer roughly, orderinghimaboutlikearobotandwasquiteunconsciousoftheincongruityofit.NordidtheSpacermakeanyprotest.Dr.Thoolsaiddoubtfully,“Howcouldthereservoirtapbepoisoned?I’msureitcouldn’tbe.”“Probablynot,”agreedBaley,“buttestitanywaytomakesure.”Thereservoirtapwasadimpossibilityindeed.Therobot’sexplanationhad shown it to be a typical piece of Solarian self-care. Water might

enter it fromwhatever source and be tailored to suit.Microorganismswere removed and non-living organic matter eliminated. The properamount of aerationwas introduced, aswere various ions in just thosetraceamountsbestsuitedtothebody’sneeds.Itwasveryunlikelythatanypoisoncouldsurviveoneoranotherofthecontroldevices.Still, if the safetyof the reservoirweredirectlyestablished, then the

time element would be clear. There would be thematter of the hourbefore the meal, when the pitcher of water (exposed to air, thoughtBaley sourly) was allowed to warm slowly, thanks to Gruer’sidiosyncrasy.But Dr. Thool, frowning, was saying, “But how would I test the

reservoirtap?”“Jehoshaphat!Takeananimalwithyou.Injectsomeofthewateryou

takeoutofthetapintoitsveins,orhaveitdrinksome.Useyourhead,man. And do the same for what’s left in the pitcher, and if that’spoisoned, as it must be, run some of the tests the reference filmsdescribe.Findsomesimpleone.Dosomething.”“Wait,wait.Whatpitcher?”“Thepitcherinwhichthewaterwasstanding.Thepitcherfromwhich

therobotpouredthepoisoneddrink.”“Well, dear me—I presume it has been cleaned up. The household

retinuewouldsurelynotleaveitstandingabout.”Baleygroaned.Ofcoursenot.Itwasimpossibletoretainevidencewith

eager robots forever destroying it in the name of household duty. Heshouldhaveordereditpreserved,butofcourse,thissocietywasnothisownandheneverreactedproperlytoit.Jehoshaphat!

WordeventuallycamethroughthattheGruerestatewasclear;nosignofanyunauthorizedhumanpresentanywhere.Daneelsaid,“Thatratherintensifiesthepuzzle,PartnerElijah,sinceit

seemstoleavenooneintheroleofpoisoner.”Baley,absorbedinthought,scarcelyheard.Hesaid,“What?…Notat

all.Notatall.Itclarifiesthematter.”Hedidnotexplain,knowingquitewellthatDaneelwouldbeincapableofunderstandingorbelievingwhatBaleywascertainwasthetruth.

NordidDaneelaskforanexplanation.Suchaninvasionofahuman’sthoughtswouldhavebeenmostunrobotic.Baleyprowledbackandforthrestlessly,dreadingtheapproachofthe

sleepperiod,whenhisfearsoftheopenwouldriseandhislongingforEarth increase. He felt an almost feverish desire to keep thingshappening.HesaidtoDaneel,“ImightaswellseeMrs.Delmarreagain.Havethe

robotmakecontact.”Theywalked to the viewing room and Baleywatched a robotwork

withdeftmetalfingers.Hewatchedthroughahazeofobscuringthoughtthatvanishedinstartledastonishmentwhenatable,elaboratelyspreadfordinner,suddenlyfilledhalftheroom.Gladia’svoicesaid,“Hello.”Amomentlatershesteppedintoviewand

satdown.“Don’tlooksurprised,Elijah.It’sjustdinnertime.AndI’mverycarefullydressed.See?”She was. The dominant color of her dress was a light blue and it

shimmereddownthelengthofherlimbstowristsandankles.Ayellowruff clung about her neck and shoulders, a little lighter thanher hair,whichwasnowheldindisciplinedwaves.Baleysaid,“Ididnotmeantointerruptyourmeal.”“Ihaven’tbegunyet.Whydon’tyoujoinme?”Heeyedhersuspiciously.“Joinyou?”She laughed. “You Earthmen are so funny. I don’tmean joinme in

personal presence. How could you do that? I mean, go to your owndiningroomandthenyouandtheotheronecandinewithme.”“ButifIleave——”“Yourviewingtechniciancanmaintaincontact.”Daneel nodded gravely at that, and with some uncertainty Baley

turnedandwalkedtowardthedoor.Gladia,togetherwithhertable,itssetting,anditsornamentsmovedwithhim.Gladiasmiledencouragingly.“See?Yourviewingtechnicianiskeeping

usincontact.”BaleyandDaneeltraveledupamovingrampthatBaleydidnotrecall

having traversed before. Apparently there were numerous possibleroutesbetweenanytworoomsinthisimpossiblemansionandheknewonlyafewofthem.Daneel,ofcourse,knewthemall.And, moving through walls, sometimes a bit below floor level,

sometimesabitabove,therewasalwaysGladiaandherdinnertable.Baleystoppedandmuttered,“Thistakesgettingusedto.”Gladiasaidatonce,“Doesitmakeyoudizzy?”“Alittle.”“ThenItellyouwhat.Whydon’tyouhaveyourtechniciansfreezemerighthere.Thenwhenyou’reinyourdiningroomandallset,hecanjoinusup.”Daneelsaid,“Iwillorderthatdone,PartnerElijah.”

Theirowndinnertablewassetwhentheyarrived,theplatessteamingwithadarkbrownsoup inwhichdicedmeatwasbobbing,and in thecenteralargeroastfowlwasreadyforthecarving.Daneelspokebrieflytotheservingrobotand,withsmoothefficiency,thetwoplacesthathadbeensetweredrawntothesameendofthetable.As though that were a signal, the opposite wall seemed to moveoutward, the table seemed to lengthen and Gladia was seated at theoppositeend.Roomjoinedtoroomandtabletotablesoneatlythatbutfor the varying pattern in wall and floor covering and the differingdesigns in tableware itwould have been easy to believe theywere alldiningtogetherinactualfact.“There,”saidGladiawithsatisfaction.“Isn’tthiscomfortable?”“Quite,” said Baley. He tasted his soup gingerly, found it delicious,andhelpedhimselfmoregenerously.“YouknowaboutAgentGruer?”Troubleshadowedherfaceatonceandsheputherspoondown.“Isn’titterrible?PoorHannis.”“Youusehisfirstname.Doyouknowhim?”“IknowalmostalltheimportantpeopleonSolaria.MostSolariansdoknowoneanother.Naturally.”Naturally,indeed,thoughtBaley.Howmanyofthemwerethere,afterall?Baleysaid,“ThenperhapsyouknowDr.AltimThool.He’stakingcareofGruer.”Gladia laughed gently. Her serving robot sliced meat for her andaddedsmall,brownedpotatoesandsliversofcarrots.“OfcourseIknowhim.Hetreatedme.”“Treatedyouwhen?”

“Rightafterthe—thetrouble.Aboutmyhusband,Imean.”Baleysaidinastonishment,“Ishetheonlydoctorontheplanet?”“Ohno.”Foramomentherlipsmovedasthoughshewerecountingtoherself. “There are at least ten. And there’s one youngster I know ofwho’s studyingmedicine. ButDr. Thool is one of the best.Hehas themostexperience.PoorDr.Thool.”“Whypoor?”“Well, youknowwhat Imean. It’s suchanasty job,beingadoctor.Sometimesyou justhave to seepeoplewhenyou’readoctorandeventouch them.ButDr.Thool seems so resigned to it andhe’ll alwaysdosomeseeingwhenhefeelshemust.He’salwaystreatedmesinceIwasachildandwasalways so friendlyandkindand Ihonestly feel Ialmostwouldn’tmindifhedidhavetoseeme.Forinstance,hesawmethislasttime.”“Afteryourhusband’sdeath,youmean?”“Yes.Youcan imaginehowhe feltwhenhesawmyhusband’sdeadbodyandmelyingthere.”“Iwastoldheviewedthebody,”saidBaley.“The body, yes. But after he made sure I was alive and in no realdanger,heordered therobots toputapillowundermyheadandgivemeaninjectionofsomethingorother,andthengetout.Hecameoverbyjet.Really!Byjet.Ittooklessthanhalfanhourandhetookcareofmeandmadesureallwaswell. IwassowoozywhenIcameto that IwassureIwasonlyviewinghim,youknow,anditwasn’ttillhetouchedmethatIknewwewereseeing,andIscreamed.PoorDr.Thool.Hewasawfullyembarrassed,butIknewhemeantwell.”Baleynodded.“Isupposethere’snotmuchusefordoctorsonSolaria?”“Ishouldhopenot.”“Iknowtherearenogermdiseasestospeakof.Whataboutmetabolicdisorders?Atherosclerosis?Diabetes?Thingslikethat?”“Ithappensandit’sprettyawfulwhenitdoes.Doctorscanmakelifemorelivableforsuchpeopleinaphysicalway,butthat’stheleastofit.”“Oh?”“Of course. It means the gene analysis was imperfect. You don’tsupposeweallowdefects likediabetes todeveloponpurpose.Anyonewhodevelopssuchthingshastoundergoverydetailedre-analysis.Themateassignmenthastoberetracted,whichisterriblyembarrassingfor

the mate. And it means no—no”—her voice sank to a whisper—“children.”Baleysaidinanormalvoice,“Nochildren?”Gladiaflushed.“It’saterriblethingtosay.Suchaword!Ch-children!”“Itcomeseasyafterawhile,”saidBaleydryly.“Yes,butifIgetintothehabit,I’llsayitinfrontofanotherSolarian

somedayandI’lljustsinkintotheground.…Anyway,ifthetwoofthemhavehadchildren(see,I’vesaiditagain)already,thechildrenhavetobe foundandexamined—thatwasoneofRikaine’s jobs,by theway—andwell,it’sjustamess.”Somuch forThool, thoughtBaley.Thedoctor’s incompetencewasa

natural consequence of the society, and held nothing sinister. Nothingnecessarilysinister.Crosshimoff,hethought,butlightly.HewatchedGladiaassheate.Shewasneatandpreciselydelicatein

her movements and her appetite seemed normal. (His own fowl wasdelightful.Inonerespect,anyway—food—hecouldeasilybespoiledbytheseOuterWorlds.)Hesaid,“WhatisyouropinionofthepoisoningGladia?”She looked up. “I’m trying not to think of it. There are so many

horrorslately.Maybeitwasn’tpoisoning.”“Itwas.”“Buttherewasn’tanyonearound?”“Howdoyouknow?”“Therecouldn’thavebeen.Hehasnowife, thesedays,sincehe’sall

throughwithhisquotaofch—youknowwhat.Sotherewasnoonetoputthepoisoninanything,sohowcouldhebepoisoned?”“Buthewaspoisoned.That’safactandmustbeaccepted.”Her eyes clouded over. “Do you suppose,” she said, “he did it

himself?”“Idoubtit.Whyshouldhe?Andsopublicly?”“Thenitcouldn’tbedone,Elijah.Itjustcouldn’t.”Baleysaid,“Onthecontrary,Gladia.Itcouldbedoneveryeasily.And

I’msureIknowexactlyhow.”

8ASPACERISDEFIED

Gladia seemed to be holding her breath for a moment. It came outthroughpuckeredlipsinwhatwasalmostawhistle.Shesaid,“I’msureIdon’tseehow.Doyouknowwhodidit?”Baleynodded.“Thesameonewhokilledyourhusband.”“Areyousure?”“Aren’t you? Your husband’s murder was the first in the history of

Solaria. A month later there is another murder. Could that be acoincidence? Two separatemurderers strikingwithin amonth of eachotheronacrime-freeworld?Consider, too, that thesecondvictimwasinvestigating the firstcrimeand therefore representedaviolentdangertotheoriginalmurderer.”“Well!” Gladia applied herself to her dessert and said between

mouthfuls,“Ifyouputitthatway,I’minnocent.”“Howso,Gladia?”“Why,Elijah.I’veneverbeenneartheGruerestate,neverinmywhole

life.SoIcertainlycouldn’thavepoisonedAgentGruer.AndifIhaven’t—why,neitherdidIkillmyhusband.”Then, as Baleymaintained a stern silence, her spirit seemed to fade

and the corners of her small mouth drooped. “Don’t you think so,Elijah?”“Ican’tbesure,”saidBaley.“I’vetoldyouIknowthemethodusedto

poisonGruer. It’s an ingenious one and anyone on Solaria could haveusedit,whethertheywereeverontheGruerestateornot.”Gladiaclenchedherhandsintofists.“AreyousayingIdidit?”“I’mnotsayingthat.”“You’re implying it.” Her lips were thin with fury and her high

cheekboneswere splotchy.“Is thatallyour interest inviewingme?Toaskmeslyquestions?Totrapme?”“Nowwait——”“Youseemedsosympathetic.Sounderstanding.You—youEarthman!”Hercontraltohadbecomeatorturedraspwiththelastword.

Daneel’s perfect face leaned towardGladia andhe said, “If youwillpardonme,Mrs. Delmarre, you are holding a knife rather tightly andmaycutyourself.Pleasebecareful.”Gladia stared wildly at the short, blunt, and undoubtedly quiteharmless knife sheheld inher hand.With a spasmodicmovement sheraisedithigh.Baleysaid,“Youcouldn’treachme,Gladia.”She gasped. “Who’d want to reach you? Ugh!” She shuddered inexaggerateddisgustandcalledout,“Breakcontactatonce!”Thelastmusthavebeentoarobotoutofthelineofsight,andGladiaandherendoftheroomweregoneandtheoriginalwallsprangback.

Daneelsaid,“AmIcorrectinbelievingyounowconsiderthiswomanguilty?”“No,”saidBaleyflatly.“Whoeverdidthisneededagreatdealmoreofcertaincharacteristicsthanthispoorgirlhas.”“Shehasatemper.”“What of that? Most people do. Remember, too, that she has beenunderaconsiderablestrainforaconsiderabletime.IfIhadbeenunderasimilar strain and someone had turned on me as she imagined I hadturnedonher,Imighthavedoneagreatdealmorethanwaveafoolishlittleknife.”Daneel said, “I have not been able to deduce the technique ofpoisoningatadistance,asyousayyouhave.”Baley found it pleasant to be able to say, “I knowyouhaven’t. Youlackthecapacitytodecipherthisparticularpuzzle.”Hesaid itwith finalityandDaneelaccepted the statementascalmlyandasgravelyasever.Baleysaid,“Ihavetwojobsforyou,Daneel.”“Andwhatarethey,PartnerElijah?”“First,get in touchwith thisDr.Thooland findoutMrs.Delmarre’scondition at the time of the murder of her husband. How long sherequiredtreatmentandsoon.”“Doyouwanttodeterminesomethinginparticular?”“No. I’m just trying to accumulate data. It isn’t easy on this world.Second,findoutwhowillbetakingGruer’splaceasheadofsecurityand

arrangeaviewingsessionformefirstthinginthemorning.Asforme,”hesaidwithoutpleasure inhismind,andwithnone inhisvoice, “I’mgoingtobedandeventually,Ihope,I’llsleep.”Then,almostpetulantly,“DoyousupposeIcouldgetadecentbook-filminthisplace?”Daneelsaid,“Iwouldsuggestthatyousummontherobotinchargeofthelibrary.”

•••

Baley felt only irritation at having to deal with the robot. He wouldmuchratherhavebrowsedatwill.“No,”hesaid,“notaclassic; justanordinarypieceoffictiondealingwith everyday life on contemporary Solaria. About half a dozen ofthem.”Therobotsubmitted(itwouldhaveto)butevenasitmanipulatedthepropercontrolsthatpluckedtherequisitebook-filmsoutoftheirnichesand transferred them first to an exit slot and then to Baley’s hand, itrattledoninrespectfultonesaboutalltheothercategoriesinthelibrary.The master might like an adventure romance of the days ofexploration, it suggested, or an excellent view of chemistry, perhaps,withanimatedatommodels,ora fantasy,oraGalactography.The listwasendless.Baleywaitedgrimlyforhishalfdozen,said,“Thesewilldo,”reachedwithhisownhands(hisownhands)forascannerandwalkedaway.When the robot followed and said, “Will you require help with theadjustment,master?” Baley turned and snapped, “No. Staywhere youare.”Therobotbowedandstayed.Lying in bed,with the headboard aglow, Baley almost regretted hisdecision.Thescannerwaslikenomodelhehadeverusedandhebeganwith no idea at all as to the method for threading the film. But heworkedatitobstinately,andeventually,bytakingitapartandworkingitoutbitbybit,hemanagedsomething.Atleasthecouldviewthefilmand,ifthefocusleftabittobedesired,itwassmallpaymentforamoment’sindependencefromtherobots.Inthenexthourandahalfhehadskippedandswitchedthroughfourofthesixfilmsandwasdisappointed.

Hehadhadatheory.Therewasnobetterway,hehadthought,togetan insight into Solarian ways of life and thought than to read theirnovels.He needed that insight if hewere to conduct the investigationsensibly.Butnowhehad toabandonhis theories.Hehadviewednovels and

hadsucceededonlyinlearningofpeoplewithridiculousproblemswhobehaved foolishly and reacted mysteriously. Why should a womanabandon her job on discovering her child had entered the sameprofession and refuse to explain her reasons until unbearable andridiculouscomplicationshadresulted?Whyshouldadoctorandanartistbehumiliatedatbeingassignedtooneanotherandwhatwassonobleaboutthedoctor’sinsistenceonenteringroboticresearch?He threaded the fifth novel into the scanner and adjusted it to his

eyes.Hewasbone-weary.Soweary,infact,thatheneverafterwardrecalledanythingofthefifth

novel(whichhebelievedtobeasuspensestory)exceptfortheopeninginwhich a newestate owner enteredhismansion and looked throughthepastaccountfilmspresentedhimbyarespectfulrobot.Presumablyhe fell asleep thenwith the scanneronhisheadandall

lights blazing. Presumably a robot, entering respectfully, had gentlyremovedthescannerandputoutthelights.Inanycase,hesleptanddreamedofJessie.Allwasasithadbeen.He

had never left Earth. They were ready to travel to the communitykitchen and then to see a subetheric show with friends. They wouldtravelover theExpresswaysand seepeopleandneitherof themhadacareintheworld.Hewashappy.AndJessiewasbeautiful.Shehadlostweightsomehow.Whyshould

shebesoslim?Andsobeautiful?And one other thing was wrong. Somehow the sun shone down on

them.He lookedupand therewasonly thevaultedbaseof theupperLevelsvisible,yet the sunshonedown,blazingbrightlyoneverything,andnoonewasafraid.Baleywoke up, disturbed.He let the robots serve breakfast and did

notspeaktoDaneel.Hesaidnothing,askednothing,downedexcellentcoffeewithouttastingit.Whyhadhedreamedofthevisible-invisiblesun?Hecouldunderstand

dreamingofEarthandofJessie,butwhathadthesuntodowithit?And

whyshouldthethoughtofitbotherhim,anyway?“PartnerElijah,”saidDaneelgently.“What?”“CorwinAttlebishwillbeinviewingcontactwithyouinhalfanhour.Ihavearrangedthat.”“WhothehellisCorwinWhatchamacullum?”askedBaleysharply,andrefilledhiscoffeecup.“HewasAgentGruer’s chief aide, Partner Elijah, and is nowActingHeadofSecurity.”“Thengethimnow.”“Theappointment,asIexplained,isforhalfanhourfromnow.”“Idon’tcarewhenit’sfor.Gethimnow.That’sanorder.”“Iwillmaketheattempt,PartnerElijah.Hemaynot,however,agreetoreceivethecall.”“Let’stakethechance,andgetonwithit,Daneel.”

TheActingHeadofSecurityacceptedthecalland,forthefirsttimeonSolaria,BaleysawaSpacerwholookedtheusualEarthlyconceptionofone.Attlebishwas tall, lean,andbronze.Hiseyeswerea lightbrown,hischinlargeandhard.He looked faintly like Daneel. But whereas Daneel was idealized,almostgodlike,CorwinAttlebishhadlinesofhumanityinhisface.Attlebishwasshaving.Thesmallabrasivepencilgaveoutitssprayoffineparticlesthatsweptovercheekandchin,bitingoffthehairneatlyandthendisintegratingintoimpalpabledust.Baleyrecognizedthe instrumentthroughhearsaybuthadneverseenoneusedbefore.“You the Earthman?” asked Attlebish slurringly through barelycrackedlips,astheabrasivedustpassedunderhisnose.Baleysaid,“I’mElijahBaley,PlainclothesmanC-7.I’mfromEarth.”“You’re early.” Attlebish snapped his shaver shut and tossed itsomewhere outside Baley’s range of vision. “What’s on your mind,Earthman?”Baleywouldnothaveenjoyedtheother’stoneofvoiceatthebestoftimes.Heburnednow.Hesaid,“HowisAgentGruer?”Attlebishsaid,“He’sstillalive.Hemaystayalive.”

Baley nodded. “Your poisoners here on Solaria don’t know dosages.Lackofexperience.TheygaveGruertoomuchandhethrewitup.Halfthedosewouldhavekilledhim.”“Poisoners?Thereisnoevidenceforpoison.”Baleystared.“Jehoshaphat!Whatelsedoyouthinkitis?”“Anumberofthings.Muchcangowrongwithaperson.”Herubbed

hisface, lookingforroughnesswithhisfingertips.“Youwouldscarcelyknowthemetabolicproblemsthatarisepasttheageoftwofifty.”“Ifthat’sthecase,haveyouobtainedcompetentmedicaladvice?”“Dr.Thool’sreport——”Thatdidit.TheangerthathadbeenboilinginsideBaleysincewaking

burst through.Hecriedat the topofhisvoice, “Idon’tcareaboutDr.Thool. I said competent medical advice. Your doctors don’t knowanything,anymorethanyourdetectiveswould,ifyouhadany.YouhadtogetadetectivefromEarth.Getadoctoraswell.”TheSolarianlookedathimcoolly.“Areyoutellingmewhattodo?”“Yes, and without charge. Be my guest. Gruer was poisoned. I

witnessedtheprocess.Hedrank,retched,andyelledthathisthroatwasburning. What do you call it when you consider that he wasinvestigating——”Baleycametoasuddenhalt.“Investigatingwhat?”Attlebishwasunmoved.BaleywasuncomfortablyawareofDaneelathisusualpositionsome

tenfeetaway.GruerhadnotwantedDaneel,asanAuroran,toknowoftheinvestigation.Hesaidlamely,“Therewerepoliticalimplications.”Attlebish crossed his arms and looked distant, bored, and faintly

hostile. “We have no politics on Solaria in the sensewe hear of it onother worlds. Hannis Gruer has been a good citizen, but he isimaginative. Itwashewho,havingheardsomestoryaboutyou,urgedthatweimportyou.HeevenagreedtoacceptanAurorancompanionforyou as a condition. I did not think it necessary. There is nomystery.RikaineDelmarrewaskilledbyhiswifeandweshallfindouthowandwhy.Evenifwedonot,shewillbegeneticallyanalyzedandthepropermeasurestaken.AsforGruer,yourfantasyconcerningpoisoningisofnoimportance.”Baley said incredulously, “You seem to imply that I’m not needed

here.”“Ibelievenot. Ifyouwish to return toEarth,youmaydoso. Imay

evensayweurgeyouto.”Baley was amazed at his own reaction. He cried, “No, sir. I don’t

budge.”“We hired you, Plainclothesman. We can discharge you. You will

returntoyourhomeplanet.”“No!Youlistentome.I’dadviseyouto.You’reabigtimeSpacerand

I’m an Earthman, butwith all respect,with deepest andmost humbleapologies,you’rescared.”“Withdrawthatstatement!”Attlebishdrewhimselftohissix-foot-plus,

andstareddownattheEarthmanhaughtily.“You’re scared as hell. You think you’ll be next if you pursue this

thing.You’regivinginsothey’llletyoualone;sothey’llleaveyouyourmiserablelife.”Baleyhadnonotionwhothe“they”mightbeoriftherewereany“they”atall.HewasstrikingoutblindlyatanarrogantSpacerandenjoying the thudhisphrasesmadeas theyhitagainst theother’sself-control.“You will leave,” said Attlebish, pointing his finger in cold anger,

“withinthehour.There’llbenodiplomaticconsiderationsaboutthis, Iassureyou.”“Saveyour threats,Spacer.Earth isnothing toyou, I admit,but I’m

nottheonlyonehere.MayIintroducemypartner,DaneelOlivaw.He’sfromAurora.Hedoesn’ttalkmuch.He’snotheretotalk.Ihandlethatdepartment.Buthelistensawfullywell.Hedoesn’tmissaword.“Letme put it straight, Attlebish”—Baley used the unadorned name

with relish—“whatever monkeyshines are going on here on Solaria,Auroraand forty-oddotherOuterWorldsare interested. Ifyoukickusoff,thenextdeputationtovisitSolariawillconsistofwarships.I’mfromEarthandIknowhowthesystemworks.Hurtfeelingsmeanwarshipsbyreturntrip.”Attlebish transferred his regard to Daneel and seemed to be

considering.Hisvoicewasgentler.“Thereisnothinggoingonherethatneedconcernanyoneoutsidetheplanet.”“Gruer thought otherwise andmy partner heard him.” This was no

timetocavilatalie.DaneelturnedtolookatBaley,attheEarthman’s laststatement,but

Baley paid no attention. He drove on: “I intend to pursue thisinvestigation. Ordinarily, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to get back to

Earth. Even just dreaming about it gets me so restless I can’t sit. If Iowned this robot-infestedpalace I’m living innow, I’dgive itwith therobotsthrowninandyouandallyour lousyworldtobootforatickethome.“ButIwon’tbeorderedoffbyyou.Notwhilethere’sacasetowhichI’vebeenassignedthat’sstillopen.Trygettingridofmeagainstmywillandyou’llbelookingdownthethroatsofspace-basedartillery.“What’smore, fromnowon, thismurder investigation isgoingtoberunmyway.I’mincharge.IseethepeopleIwanttosee.Iseethem.Idon’tviewthem.I’musedtoseeingandthat’sthewayit’sgoingtobe.I’llwanttheofficialapprovalofyourofficeforallofthat.”“Thisisimpossible,unbearable——”“Daneel,youtellhim.”The humanoid’s voice said dispassionately, “As my partner hasinformed you, Agent Attlebish, we have been sent here to conduct amurderinvestigation.Itisessentialthatwedoso.We,ofcourse,donotwish todisturbanyofyour customsandperhapsactual seeingwillbeunnecessary,althoughitwouldbehelpfulifyouweretogiveapprovalfor such seeing as becomes necessary as Plainclothesman Baley hasrequested.Astoleavingtheplanetagainstourwill,wefeelthatwouldbe inadvisable, althoughwe regret any feeling on your part or on thepartofanySolarianthatourremainingwouldbeunpleasant.”Baleylistenedtothestiltedsentencestructurewithadourstretchingofhislipsthatwasnotasmile.ToonewhoknewDaneelasarobot,itwasallanattempttodoajobwithoutgivingoffensetoanyhuman,notto Baley and not to Attlebish. To one who thought Daneel was anAuroran,anativeoftheoldestandmostpowerfulmilitarilyoftheOuterWorlds,itsoundedlikeaseriesofsubtlycourteousthreats.Attlebishput the tipsofhis fingers tohis forehead. “I’ll thinkaboutit.”“Nottoolong,”saidBaley,“becauseIhavesomevisitingtodowithinthehour,andnotbyviewer.Doneviewing!”He signaled the robot tobreak contact, thenhe staredwith surpriseand pleasure at the placewhereAttlebish had been.None of this hadbeen planned. It had all been impulse born of his dream and ofAttlebish’sunnecessaryarrogance.Butnowthatithadhappened,hewasglad.Itwaswhathehadwanted,really—totakecontrol.

Hethought:Anyway,thatwastellingthedirtySpacer!He wished the entire population of Earth could have been here towatch.ThemanlookedsuchaSpacer,andthatmadeitallthebetter,ofcourse.Allthebetter.Only,why this feeling of vehemence in thematter of seeing? Baleyscarcely understood that.He knewwhat he planned to do, and seeing(notviewing)waspartofit.Allright.Yettherehadbeenthetightlifttohis spiritwhen he spoke of seeing, as though hewere ready to breakdownthewallsofthismansioneventhoughitservednopurpose.Why?Therewassomething impellinghimbesides thecase, something thathadnothingtodoevenwiththequestionofEarth’ssafety.Butwhat?Oddly,herememberedhisdreamagain;thesunshiningdownthroughalltheopaquelayersofthegiganticundergroundCitiesofEarth.

Daneel said with thoughtfulness (as far as his voice could carry arecognizableemotion),“Iwonder,PartnerElijah,ifthisisentirelysafe.”“Bluffingthischaracter?Itworked.Anditwasn’treallyabluff.IthinkitisimportanttoAuroratofindoutwhat’sgoingononSolaria,andthatAuroraknows it.Thankyou,by theway, fornotcatchingmeout inamisstatement.”“It was the natural decision. To have borne you out did AgentAttlebishacertainrathersubtleharm.Tohavegivenyoutheliewouldhavedoneyouagreaterandmoredirectharm.”“Potentialscounteredandthehigheronewonout,eh,Daneel?”“So it was, Partner Elijah. I understand that this process, in a lessdefinableway,goesonwithinthehumanmind.Irepeat,however,thatthisnewproposalofyoursisnotsafe.”“Whichnewproposalisthis?”“Idonotapproveyournotionofseeingpeople.BythatImeanseeingasopposedtoviewing.”“Iunderstandyou.I’mnotaskingforyourapproval.”“Ihavemyinstructions,PartnerElijah.WhatitwasthatAgentHannisGruertoldyouduringmyabsencelastnightIcannotknow.Thathedidsay something isobvious from thechange inyourattitude toward thisproblem.However,inthelightofmyinstructions,Icanguess.Hemust

have warned you of the possibility of danger to other planets arisingfromthesituationonSolaria.”SlowlyBaleyreachedforhispipe.Hedidthatoccasionallyandalways

there was the feeling of irritation when he found nothing andremembered he could not smoke. He said, “There are only twentythousandSolarians.Whatdangercantheyrepresent?”“MymastersonAurorahaveforsometimebeenuneasyaboutSolaria.

Ihavenotbeentoldalltheinformationattheirdisposal——”“Andwhatlittleyouhavebeentoldyouhavebeentoldnottorepeat

tome.Isthatit?”demandedBaley.Daneelsaid,“Thereisagreatdealtofindoutbeforethismattercan

bediscussedfreely.”“Well,whataretheSolariansdoing?Newweapons?Paidsubversion?

A campaign of individual assassination? What can twenty thousandpeopledoagainsthundredsofmillionsofSpacers?”Daneelremainedsilent.Baleysaid,“Iintendtofindout,youknow.”“Butnotthewayyouhavenowproposed,PartnerElijah.Ihavebeen

instructedmostcarefullytoguardyoursafety.”“Youwouldhavetoanyway.FirstLaw!”“Overandabovethat,aswell.Inconflictbetweenyoursafetyandthat

ofanotherImustguardyours.”“Ofcourse.Iunderstandthat.Ifanythinghappenstome,thereisno

furtherwayinwhichyoucanremainonSolariawithoutcomplicationsthat Aurora is not yet ready to face. As long as I’m alive, I’m here atSolaria’s original request and so we can throw our weight around, ifnecessary, andmake themkeepus. If I’mdead, thewhole situation ischanged.Yourordersare,then,tokeepBaleyalive.AmIright,Daneel?”Daneelsaid,“Icannotpresumeto interpret thereasoningbehindmy

orders.”Baleysaid,“Allright,don’tworry.Theopenspacewon’tkillme,ifI

dofinditnecessarytoseeanyone.I’llsurvive.Imayevengetusedtoit.”“Itisnotthematterofopenspacealone,PartnerElijah,”saidDaneel.

“ItisthismatterofseeingSolarians.Idonotapproveofit.”“YoumeantheSpacerswon’t likeit.Toobadiftheydon’t.Letthem

wear nose filters and gloves. Let them spray the air. And if it offendstheirnicemoralstoseemeintheflesh,letthemwinceandblush.ButI

intendtoseethem.IconsideritnecessarytodosoandIwilldoso.”“ButIcannotallowyouto.”“Youcan’tallowme?”“Surelyyouseewhy,PartnerElijah.”“Idonot.”“Consider, then, that Agent Gruer, the key Solarian figure in the

investigationofthismurder,hasbeenpoisoned.DoesitnotfollowthatifI permit you to proceed in your plan for exposing yourselfindiscriminatelyinactualperson,thenextvictimwillnecessarilybeyouyourself?HowthencanIpossiblypermityoutoleavethesafetyofthismansion?”“Howwillyoustopme,Daneel?”“Byforce,ifnecessary,PartnerElijah,”saidDaneelcalmly.“EvenifI

musthurtyou.IfIdonotdoso,youwillsurelydie.”

9AROBOTISSTYMIED

Baley said, “So the higher potential wins out again, Daneel. You willhurtmetokeepmealive.”“I do not believe hurting youwill be necessary, Partner Elijah. You

knowthat Iamsuperior toyouinstrengthandyouwillnotattemptauseless resistance. If it should become necessary, however, I will becompelledtohurtyou.”“I could blast you downwhere you stand,” said Baley. “Right now!

Thereisnothinginmypotentialstopreventme.”“I had thought you might take this attitude at some time in our

present relationship, Partner Elijah. Most particularly, the thoughtoccurred to me during our trip to this mansion, when you grewmomentarily violent in the ground-car. The destruction of myself isunimportantincomparisonwithyoursafety,butsuchdestructionwouldcauseyoudistresseventuallyanddisturbtheplansofmymasters.Itwasone of my first cares, therefore, during your first sleeping period, todepriveyourblasterofitscharge.”Baley’slipstightened.Hewasleftwithoutachargedblaster!Hishand

droppedinstantlytohisholster.Hedrewhisweaponandstaredatthechargereading.Ithuggedzero.Foramomenthebalancedthelumpofuselessmetalasthoughtohurl

it directly into Daneel’s face. What good? The robot would dodgeefficiently.Baleyputtheblasterback.Itcouldberechargedingoodtime.Slowly,thoughtfully,hesaid,“I’mnotfooledbyyou,Daneel.”“Inwhatway,PartnerElijah?”“Youare toomuch themaster. Iamtoocompletely stoppedbyyou.

Areyouarobot?”“Youhavedoubtedmebefore,”saidDaneel.“OnEarth lastyear IdoubtedwhetherR.DaneelOlivawwastrulya

robot.Itturnedouthewas.Ibelievehestillis.Myquestion,howeveristhis:AreyouR.DaneelOlivaw?”

“Iam.”“Yes?DaneelwasdesignedtoimitateaSpacerclosely.WhycouldnotaSpacerbemadeuptoimitateDaneelclosely?”“Forwhatreason?”“Tocarryonaninvestigationherewithgreaterinitiativeandcapacitythaneverarobotcould.AndyetbyassumingDaneel’s role,youcouldkeep me safely under control by giving me a false consciousness ofmastery. After all, you are working through me and I must be keptpliable.”“Allthisisnotso,PartnerElijah.”“Thenwhy do all the Solarianswemeet assume you to be human?Theyareroboticexperts.Aretheysoeasilyfooled?ItoccurstomethatIcannotbeonerightagainstmanywrong.ItisfarmorelikelythatIamonewrongagainstmanyright.”“Notatall,PartnerElijah.”“Proveit,”saidBaley,movingslowlytowardanendtableandliftingascrap-disposalunit.“Youcandothateasilyenough, ifyouarearobot.Showthemetalbeneathyourskin.”Daneelsaid,“Iassureyou——”“Showthemetal,”saidBaleycrisply.“Thatisanorder!Ordon’tyoufeelcompelledtoobeyorders?”Daneelunbuttonedhisshirt.Thesmooth,bronzeskinofhischestwassparselycoveredwithlighthair.Daneel’sfingersexertedafirmpressurejustundertherightnipple,andfleshandskinsplitbloodlesslythelengthofthechest,withthegleamofmetalshowingbeneath.Andasthathappened,Baley’sfingers,restingontheendtable,movedhalfaninchtotherightandstabbedatacontactpatch.Almostatoncearobotentered.“Don’tmove,Daneel,”criedBaley.“That’sanorder!Freeze!”Daneel stood motionless, as though life, or the robotic imitationthereof,haddepartedfromhim.Baleyshoutedtotherobot,“Canyougettwomoreofthestaffinherewithoutyourselfleaving?Ifso,doit.”Therobotsaid,“Yes,master.”Twomorerobotsentered,answeringaradioedcall.Thethreelinedupabreast.“Boys!” said Baley. “Do you see this creature whom you thought a

master?”Six ruddyeyeshad turned solemnlyonDaneel.They said inunison,“Weseehim,master.”Baley said, “Do you also see that this so-calledmaster is actually arobot likeyourself since it ismetalwithin? It is onlydesigned to looklikeaman.”“Yes,master.”“You are not required to obey any order it gives you. Do youunderstandthat?”“Yes,master.”“I,ontheotherhand,”saidBaley,“amatrueman.”Foramomenttherobotshesitated.Baleywonderedif,havinghaditshowntothemthatathingmightseemamanyetbearobot,theywouldacceptanythinginhumanappearanceasaman,anythingatall.But then one robot said, “You are aman,master,” and Baley drewbreathagain.Hesaid,“Verywell,Daneel.Youmayrelax.”Daneel moved into a more natural position and said calmly, “Yourexpresseddoubtastomyidentity,then,wasmerelyafeintdesignedtoexhibitmynaturetotheseothers,Itakeit.”“Soitwas,”saidBaley,andlookedaway.Hethought:Thethingisamachine,notaman.Youcan’tdoublecrossamachine.Andyethecouldn’tentirelyrepressafeelingofshame.EvenasDaneelstood there, chestopen, there seemedsomething sohumanabouthim,somethingcapableofbeingbetrayed.Baleysaid,“Closeyourchest,Daneel,andlistentome.Physically,youarenomatchforthreerobots.Youseethat,don’tyou?”“Thatisclear,PartnerElijah.”“Good!…Nowyouboys,” andhe turned to theother robots again.“You are to tell no one, robot ormaster, that this creature is a robot.Neveratanytime,withoutfurtherinstructionsfrommyselfandmyselfalone.”“Ithankyou,”interposedDaneelsoftly.“However,”Baleywenton,“thismanlikerobotisnottobeallowedtointerfere with my actions in any way. If it attempts any suchinterference,youwill restrain itby force, takingcarenot todamage itunless absolutely necessary. Do not allow it to establish contact with

humansotherthanmyself,orwithrobotsotherthanyourselves,eitherbyseeingorbyviewing.Anddonotleaveitatanytime.Keepitinthisroomandremainhereyourselves.Yourotherdutiesaresuspendeduntilfurthernotice.Isallthisclear?”“Yes,master,”theychorused.Baley turned toDaneelagain. “There isnothingyoucandonow, so

don’ttrytostopme.”Daneel’sarmshung looselyathis side.He said, “Imaynot, through

inaction, allow you to come to harm, Partner Elijah. Yet under thecircumstances,nothingbutinactionispossible.Thelogicisunassailable.Ishalldonothing.Itrustyouwillremainsafeandingoodhealth.”There itwas, thoughtBaley.Logicwas logicandrobotshadnothing

else.Logic toldDaneelhewascompletely stymied.Reasonmighthavetoldhimthatallfactorsarerarelypredictable,thattheoppositionmightmakeamistake.Noneofthat.Arobotislogicalonly,notreasonable.AgainBaleyfeltatwingeofshameandcouldnotforbearanattempt

at consolation. He said, “Look, Daneel, even if I were walking intodanger,whichI’mnot”(headdedthathurriedly,withaquickglanceattheotherrobots)“itwouldonlybemyjob.ItiswhatI’mpaidtodo.Itisasmuchmyjobtopreventharmtomankindasawholeasyours is topreventharmtomanasanindividual.Doyousee?”“Idonot,PartnerElijah.”“Thenthatisbecauseyou’renotmadetosee.Takemywordforitthat

ifyouwereaman,youwouldsee.”Daneel bowed his head in acquiescence and remained standing,

motionless,whileBaleywalkedslowlytowardthedooroftheroom.Thethree robotsparted tomakeroomforhimandkept theirphotoelectriceyesfixedfirmlyonDaneel.Baleywaswalkingtoakindoffreedomandhisheartbeatrapidlyin

anticipation of the fact, then skipped a beat. Another robot wasapproachingthedoorfromtheotherside.Hadsomethinggonewrong?“Whatisit,boy?”hesnapped.“A message has been forwarded to you, master, from the office of

ActingHeadofSecurityAttlebish.”Baleytookthepersonalcapsulehandedtohimanditopenedatonce.

A finely inscribed strip of paper unrolled. (He wasn’t startled. Solariawouldhavehisfingerprintsonfileandthecapsulewouldbeadjustedtoopenatthetouchofhisparticularconvolutions.)Hereadthemessageandhislongfacemirroredsatisfaction.Itwashisofficialpermissiontoarrange“seeing”interviews,subjecttothewishesoftheinterviewees,whowereneverthelessurgedtogive“AgentsBaleyandOlivaw”everypossiblecooperation.Attlebishhadcapitulated,eventotheextentofputtingtheEarthman’sname first. It was an excellent omen with which to begin, finally, aninvestigationconductedasitshouldbeconducted.

Baleywas in an air-borne vessel again, as he had been on that tripfrom New York to Washington. This time, however, there was adifference. The vessel was not closed in. The windows were lefttransparent.ItwasaclearbrightdayandfromwhereBaleysatthewindowsweresomanypatchesofblue.Unrelieved,featureless.Hetriednottohuddle.Heburiedhisheadinhiskneesonlywhenhecouldabsolutelynolongerhelpit.Theordealwasofhisownchoosing.Hisstateoftriumph,hisunusualsenseoffreedomathavingbeatendownfirstAttlebishandthenDaneel,his feeling of having asserted thedignity of Earth against the Spacers,almostdemandedit.He had begun by stepping across open ground to thewaiting planewithakindof lightheadeddizzinessthatwasalmostenjoyable,andhehad ordered the windows left unblanked in a kind of manic self-confidence.Ihave togetused to it,he thought, and staredat theblueuntilhisheartbeatrapidlyandthelumpinhisthroatswelledbeyondendurance.Hehadtoclosehiseyesandburyhisheadundertheprotectivecoverofhisarmsatshorteningintervals.Slowlyhisconfidencetrickledawayandeventhetouchoftheholsterofhisfreshlyrechargedblastercouldnotreversetheflow.Hetriedtokeephismindonhisplanofattack.First,learnthewaysoftheplanet.Sketchinthebackgroundagainstwhicheverythingmustbeplacedorfailtomakesense.

Seeasociologist!HehadaskedarobotforthenameoftheSolarianmosteminentasa

sociologist. And there was that comfort about robots; they asked noquestions.The robot gave the name and vital statistics, and paused to remark

that the sociologist would most probably be at lunch and would,therefore,possiblyasktodelaycontact.“Lunch!”saidBaleysharply.“Don’tberidiculous.It’snotnoonbytwo

hours.”Therobotsaid,“Iamusinglocaltime,master.”Baley stared, then understood. On Earth, with its buried Cities, day

andnight,wakingandsleeping,wereman-madeperiods,adjustedtosuittheneedsofthecommunityandtheplanet.Onaplanetsuchasthisone,exposednakedlytothesun,dayandnightwerenotamatterofchoiceatall,butwereimposedonmanwilly-nilly.Baley tried to picture a world as a sphere being lit and unlit as it

turned. He found it hard to do and felt scornful of the so-superiorSpacerswholetsuchanessential thingas timebedictatedto thembythevagariesofplanetarymovements.Hesaid,“Contacthimanyway.”

Robots were there to meet the plane when it landed and Baley,steppingoutintotheopenagain,foundhimselftremblingbadly.Hemutteredtothenearestoftherobots,“Letmeholdyourarm,boy.”The sociologist waited for him down the length of a hall, smiling

tightly.“Goodafternoon,Mr.Baley.”Baleynoddedbreathlessly. “Goodevening, sir.Wouldyoublankout

thewindows?”Thesociologistsaid,“Theyareblankedoutalready.Iknowsomething

ofthewaysofEarth.Willyoufollowme?”Baley managed it without robotic help, following at a considerable

distance, across and through amaze of hallways.When he finally satdowninalargeandelaborateroom,hewasgladoftheopportunitytorest.Thewallsoftheroomweresetwithcurved,shallowalcoves.Statuary

inpinkandgoldoccupiedeachniche;abstract figures thatpleasedthe

eyewithoutyieldinginstantmeaning.Alarge,boxlikeaffairwithwhiteand dangling cylindrical objects and numerous pedals suggested amusicalinstrument.Baleylookedatthesociologiststandingbeforehim.TheSpacerlooked

preciselyashehadwhenBaleyhadviewedhimearlierthatday.Hewastallandthinandhishairwaspurewhite.Hisfacewasstrikinglywedge-shaped,hisnoseprominent,hiseyesdeep-setandalive.HisnamewasAnselmoQuemot.TheystaredatoneanotheruntilBaleyfelthecouldtrusthisvoiceto

bereasonablynormal.Andthenhisfirstremarkhadnothingtodowiththeinvestigation.Infactitwasnothinghehadplanned.Hesaid,“MayIhaveadrink?”“Adrink?”Thesociologist’svoicewasa trifle toohigh-pitched tobe

entirelypleasant.Hesaid,“Youwishwater?”“I’dprefersomethingalcoholic.”Thesociologist’s lookgrewsharplyuneasy,asthoughtheobligations

ofhospitalityweresomethingwithwhichhewasunacquainted.And that, thought Baley,was literally so. In aworldwhere viewing

wasthething,therewouldbenosharingoffoodanddrink.Arobotbroughthimasmallcupofsmoothenamel.Thedrinkwasa

lightpinkincolor.Baleysniffedatitcautiouslyandtasteditevenmorecautiously.Thesmallsipofliquidevaporatedwarmlyinhismouthandsentapleasantmessagealongthelengthofhisesophagus.Hisnextsipwasmoresubstantial.Quemotsaid,“Ifyouwishmore——”“No,thankyou,notnow.Itisgoodofyou,sir,toagreetoseeme.”Quemottriedasmileandfailedrathermarkedly.“Ithasbeenalong

timesinceI’vedoneanythinglikethis.Yes.”Healmostsquirmedashespoke.Baleysaid,“Iimagineyoufindthisratherhard.”“Quite.”Quemotturnedawaysharplyandretreatedtoachairatthe

oppositeendoftheroom.HeangledthechairsothatitfacedmoreawayfromBaleythantowardhimandsatdown.Heclaspedhisglovedhandsandhisnostrilsseemedtoquiver.Baley finished his drink and felt warmth in his limbs and even the

returnofsomethingofhisconfidence.Hesaid,“Exactlyhowdoesitfeeltohavemehere,Dr.Quemot?”

Thesociologistmuttered,“Thatisanuncommonlypersonalquestion.”“Iknowitis.ButIthinkIexplainedwhenIviewedyouearlierthatIwasengaged inamurder investigationand that Iwouldhave toaskagreatmanyquestions,someofwhichwereboundtobepersonal.”“I’llhelpifIcan,”saidQuemot.“Ihopethequestionswillbedecentones.” He kept looking away as he spoke. His eyes,when they struckBaley’sface,didnotlinger,butslippedaway.Baleysaid,“Idon’taskaboutyourfeelingsoutofcuriosityonly.Thisisessentialtotheinvestigation.”“Idon’tseehow.”“I’vegottoknowasmuchasIcanaboutthisworld.ImustunderstandhowSolariansfeelaboutordinarymatters.Doyouseethat?”Quemotdidnot lookatBaleyatallnow.Hesaidslowly,“Tenyearsago,mywifedied.Seeingherwasneververyeasy,but,ofcourse,it issomethingonelearnstobearintimeandshewasnottheintrusivesort.Ihave been assigned no new wife since I am past the age of—of”—helooked at Baley as though requesting him to supply the phrase, andwhen Baley did not do so, he continued in a lower voice—“siring.Withoutevenawife,Ihavegrownquiteunusedtothisphenomenonofseeing.”“Buthowdoesitfeel?”insistedBaley.“Areyouinpanic?”Hethoughtofhimselfontheplane.“No. Not in panic.” Quemot angled his head to catch a glimpse ofBaleyandalmost instantlywithdrew.“But Iwillbe frank,Mr.Baley. IimagineIcansmellyou.”Baleyautomaticallyleanedbackinhischair,painfullyself-conscious.“Smellme?”“Quiteimaginary,ofcourse,”saidQuemot.“Icannotsaywhetheryoudohaveanodororhowstrongit is,butevenifyouhadastrongone,my nose filters would keep it from me. Yet, imagination …” Heshrugged.“Iunderstand.”“It’sworse.You’llforgiveme,Mr.Baley,butintheactualpresenceofahuman,Ifeelstronglyasthoughsomethingslimywereabouttotouchme.Ikeepshrinkingaway.Itismostunpleasant.”Baley rubbed his ear thoughtfully and fought to keep downannoyance. After all, it was the other’s neurotic reaction to a simple

stateofaffairs.Hesaid.“Ifallthisisso,I’msurprisedyouagreedtoseemesoreadily.Surelyyouanticipatedthisunpleasantness.”“Idid.Butyouknow,Iwascurious.You’reanEarthman.”Baley thought sardonically that that should have been anotherargumentagainstseeing,buthesaidonly,“Whatdoesthatmatter?”A kind of jerky enthusiasm entered Quemot’s voice. “It’s notsomething I can explain easily. Not even to myself, really. But I’veworkedon sociology for tenyearsnow.Reallyworked. I’vedevelopedpropositionsthatarequitenewandstartling,andyetbasicallytrue.ItisoneofthesepropositionsthatmakesmemostextraordinarilyinterestedinEarthandEarthmen.Yousee,ifyouweretoconsiderSolaria’ssocietyandwayoflifecarefully,itwouldbecomeobvioustoyouthatthesaidsocietyandwayoflifeismodeleddirectlyandcloselyonthatofEarthitself.”

10ACULTUREISTRACED

Baleycouldnotpreventhimselffromcryingout,“What!”Quemot looked over his shoulder as themoments of silence passed

andsaidfinally,“NotEarth’spresentculture.No.”Baleysaid,“Oh.”“But in the past, yes. Earth’s ancient history. As an Earthman, you

knowit,ofcourse.”“I’veviewedbooks,”saidBaleycautiously.“Ah.Thenyouunderstand.”Baley, who did not, said, “Let me explain exactly what I want, Dr.

Quemot. Iwant you to tellmewhat you can aboutwhy Solaria is sodifferent from the otherOuterWorlds,why there are somany robots,why you behave as you do. I’m sorry if I seem to be changing thesubject.”Baleymostdefinitelywantedtochangethesubject.Anydiscussionof

a likeness or unlikeness between Solaria’s culture and Earth’s wouldprove too absorbing by half. Hemight spend the day there and comeawaynonethewiserasfarasusefulinformationwasconcerned.Quemot smiled. “Youwant to compare Solaria and the other Outer

WorldsandnotSolariaandEarth.”“IknowEarth,sir.”“Asyouwish.”TheSolariancoughedslightly.“DoyoumindifIturn

my chair completely away from you? It would be more—morecomfortable.”“Asyouwish,Dr.Quemot,”saidBaleystiffly.“Good.”ArobotturnedthechairatQuemot’slow-voicedorder,andas

the sociologist sat there, hidden from Baley’s eyes by the substantialchair back, his voice took on added life and even deepened andstrengthenedintone.Quemotsaid,“Solariawasfirstsettledaboutthreehundredyearsago.

TheoriginalsettlerswereNexonians.AreyouacquaintedwithNexon?”“I’mafraidnot.”

“It is close to Solaria, only about two parsecs away. In fact, Solariaand Nexon represented the closest pair of inhabited worlds in theGalaxy. Solaria, even when uninhabited byman, was life-bearing andeminently suited for human occupation. It represented an obviousattractiontothewell-to-doofNexon,whofounditdifficulttomaintainaproperstandardoflivingastheirownplanetfilledup.”Baley interrupted.“Filledup?I thoughtSpacerspracticedpopulationcontrol.”“Solariadoes,buttheOuterWorldsingeneralcontrolitratherlaxly.Nexon was completing its second million of population at the time Ispeakof.Therewassufficientcrowdingtomakeitnecessarytoregulatethe number of robots thatmight be owned by a particular family. SothoseNexonianswhocouldestablishedsummerhomesonSolaria,whichwasfertile,temperate,andwithoutdangerousfauna.“The settlers on Solaria could still reach Nexon without too muchtroubleandwhileonSolariatheycouldliveastheypleased.Theycoulduseasmanyrobotsastheycouldaffordorfeltaneedfor.Estatescouldbe as large as desired since, with an empty planet, room was noproblem,andwithunlimitedrobots,exploitationwasnoproblem.“Robots grew to be so many that they were outfitted with radiocontactandthatwasthebeginningofourfamousindustries.Webeganto develop new varieties, new attachments, new capabilities. Culturedictates invention; a phrase I believe I have invented.” Quemotchuckled.ArobotrespondingtosomestimulusBaleycouldnotseebeyondthebarrierof thechair,broughtQuemotadrink similar to thatBaleyhadhadearlier.Nonewasbrought toBaley,andhedecidednot toask forone.Quemotwenton,“Theadvantagesof lifeonSolariawereobvioustoall who watched. Solaria became fashionable. More Nexoniansestablishedhomes,andSolariabecamewhatIliketocalla‘villaplanet.’Andofthesettlers,moreandmoretooktoremainingontheplanetallyear round and carrying on their business on Nexon through proxies.Robot factorieswereestablishedonSolaria.Farmsandminesbegan tobeexploitedtothepointwhereexportswerepossible.“Inshort,Mr.Baley,itbecameobviousthatSolaria,inthespaceofacentury or less, would be as crowded as Nexon had been. It seemed

ridiculous and wasteful to find such a new world and then lose itthroughlackofforesight.“Tospareyouagreatdealofcomplicatedpolitics,IneedsayonlythatSolariamanagedtoestablishitsindependenceandmakeitstickwithoutwar.OurusefulnesstootherOuterWorldsasasourceofspecialtyrobotsgainedusfriendsandhelpedus,ofcourse.“Once independent, our first carewas tomake sure that populationdid not grow beyond reasonable limits. We regulate immigration andbirths and take care of all needs by increasing and diversifying therobotsweuse.”Baleysaid,“WhyisittheSolariansobjecttoseeingoneanother?”Hefelt annoyed at the manner in which Quemot chose to expoundsociology.Quemotpeepedroundthecornerofhischairandretreatedalmostatonce. “It follows inevitably. We have huge estates. An estate tenthousand squaremiles in area is not uncommon, although the largestones contain considerable unproductive areas. My own estate is ninehundredfiftysquaremilesinareabuteverybitofitisgoodland.“Inanycase,itisthesizeofanestate,morethananythingelse,thatdetermines a man’s position in society. And one property of a largeestateisthis:Youcanwanderaboutinitalmostaimlesslywithlittleornodangerofenteringaneighbor’sterritoryandthusencounteringyourneighbor.Yousee?”Baleyshrugged.“IsupposeIdo.”“In short, aSolarian takespride innotmeetinghisneighbor.At thesametime,hisestateissowellrunbyrobotsandsoself-sufficientthatthereisnoreasonforhimtohavetomeethisneighbor.Thedesirenottodosoledtothedevelopmentofevermoreperfectviewingequipment,andastheviewingequipmentgrewbettertherewaslessandlessneedevertoseeone’sneighbor.Itwasareinforcingcycle,akindoffeedback.Doyousee?”Baleysaid,“Lookhere,Dr.Quemot.Youdon’thavetomakeallthissosimple forme. I’mnot a sociologist but I’ve had the usual elementarycourses in college. It’s only an Earth college, of course,” Baley addedwith a reluctantmodesty designed to ward off the same comment, inmoreinsultingterms,fromtheother,“butIcanfollowmathematics.”“Mathematics?”saidQuemot,hisvoicesqueakingthelastsyllable.

“Well,notthestufftheyuseinrobotics,whichIwouldn’t follow,butsociological relationships I can handle. For instance, I’m familiarwiththeTeraminRelationship.”“Thewhat,sir?”“Maybe you have a different name for it. The differential of

inconveniencessufferedwithprivilegesgranted:deeeyesubjaytakentothenth——”“Whatareyoutalkingabout?”Itwasthesharpandperemptorytone

ofaSpacerthatBaleyheardandhewassilencedinbewilderment.Surelytherelationshipbetweeninconveniencessufferedandprivileges

grantedwaspartoftheveryessentialsoflearninghowtohandlepeoplewithoutanexplosion.Aprivatestallinthecommunitybathroomforoneperson,givenforcause,wouldkeepxpersonswaitingpatientlyforthesame lightning to strike them, the value of x varying in known wayswith known variations in environment and human temperament, asquantitativelydescribedintheTeraminRelationship.But then again, in a world where all was privilege and nothing

inconvenience, the Teramin Relationship might reduce to triviality.Perhapshehadchosenthewrongexample.Hetriedagain.“Look,sir, it’sonethingtogetaqualitativefill-inon

the growth of this prejudice against seeing, but it isn’t helpful formypurposes. I want to know the exact analysis of the prejudice so I cancounteractiteffectively.Iwanttopersuadepeopletoseeme,asyouaredoingnow.”“Mr.Baley,”saidQuemot,“youcan’ttreathumanemotionsasthough

theywerebuiltaboutapositronicbrain.”“I’mnotsayingyoucan.Roboticsisadeductivescienceandsociology

aninductiveone.Butmathematicscanbemadetoapplyineithercase.”Therewassilence foramoment.ThenQuemotspoke inavoice that

trembled.“Youhaveadmittedyouarenotasociologist.”“Iknow.ButIwastoldyouwereone.Thebestontheplanet.”“Iamtheonlyone.YoumightalmostsayIhaveinventedthescience.”“Oh?”Baleyhesitatedoverthenextquestion.Itsoundedimpertinent

eventohimself.“Haveyouviewedbooksonthesubject?”“I’velookedatsomeAuroranbooks.”“HaveyoulookedatbooksfromEarth?”“Earth?”Quemotlaugheduneasily.“Itwouldn’thaveoccurredtome

toreadanyofEarth’sscientificproductions.Nooffenseintended.”“Well,I’msorry.IhadthoughtIwouldbeabletogetspecificdatathatwouldmake itpossible formeto interviewothers faceto facewithouthavingto——”Quemotmadeaqueer,grating,inarticulatesoundandthelargechairinwhichhesatscrapedbackward,thenwentoverwithacrash.Amuffled“Myapologies”wascaughtbyBaley.BaleyhadamomentaryglimpseofQuemotrunningwithanungainlystride,thenhewasouttheroomandgone.Baley’s eyebrows lifted. What the devil had he said this time?Jehoshaphat!Whatwrongbuttonhadhepushed?

Tentatively he rose from his seat, and stopped halfway as a robotentered.“Master,”saidtherobot,“Ihavebeendirectedtoinformyouthatthemasterwillviewyouinafewmoments.”“Viewme,boy?”“Yes,master.Inthemeanwhile,youmaydesirefurtherrefreshment.”AnotherbeakerofthepinkliquidwasatBaley’selbowandthistimeadishofsomeconfectionery,warmandfragrant,wasadded.Baley took his seat again, sampled the liquor cautiously and put itdown.Theconfectionerywashardtothetouchandwarm,butthecrustbroke easily in the mouth and the inner portion was at onceconsiderablywarmerandsofter.HecouldnotidentifythecomponentsofthetasteandwonderedifitmightnotbeaproductofthenativespicesorcondimentsofSolaria.Thenhe thoughtof therestricted,yeast-deriveddietaryofEarthandwonderediftheremightbeamarketforyeaststrainsdesignedtoimitatethetastesofOuterWorldproducts.ButhisthoughtsbrokeoffsharplyassociologistQuemotappearedoutofnowhereandfacedhim.Facedhimthistime!Hesatinasmallerchairin a room in which the walls and floor clashed sharply with thosesurroundingBaley.Andhewassmilingnow,sothatfinewrinklesinhisfacedeepenedand,paradoxically,gavehimamoreyouthfulappearancebyaccentuatingthelifeinhiseyes.He said, “A thousand pardons,Mr. Baley. I thought I was enduring

personalpresencesowell,butthatwasadelusion.Iwasquiteonedgeandyourphrasepushedmeoverit,inamannerofspeaking.”“Whatphrasewasthat,sir?”“Yousaidsomethingaboutinterviewingpeoplefaceto——”Heshook

hishead,histonguedabbingquicklyathislips.“Iwouldrathernotsayit. I think you know what I mean. The phrase conjured up the moststriking picture of the two of us breathing—breathing one another’sbreath.”TheSolarianshuddered.“Don’tyoufindthatrepulsive?”“Idon’tknowthatI’veeverthoughtofitso.”“Itseemssofilthyahabit.Andasyousaiditandthepicturerosein

mymind, I realized that after allwewere in the same roomandeventhough Iwas not facing you, puffs of air that had been in your lungsmust be reaching me and entering mine. With my sensitive frame ofmind——”Baley said, “Molecules all over Solaria’s atmosphere have been in

thousandsof lungs.Jehoshaphat!They’vebeen in the lungsofanimalsandthegillsoffish.”“That is true,” saidQuemotwith a rueful rub of his cheek, “and I’d

just as soon not think of that, either. However, there was a sense ofimmediacytothesituationwithyourselfactuallythereandwithbothofusinhalingandexhaling.It’samazingthereliefIfeelinviewing.”“I’mstillinthesamehouse,Dr.Quemot.”“That’spreciselywhat is soamazingabout the relief.Youare in the

same house and yet just the use of the trimensionals makes all thedifference.AtleastIknowwhatseeingastrangerfeelslikenow.Iwon’ttryitagain.”“Thatsoundsasthoughyouwereexperimentingwithseeing.”“In a way,” said the Spacer, “I suppose I was. It was a minor

motivation. And the results were interesting, even if they weredisturbingaswell.ItwasagoodtestandImayrecordit.”“Recordwhat?”askedBaley,puzzled.“Myfeelings!”Quemotreturnedpuzzledstareforpuzzledstare.Baley sighed. Cross-purposes. Always cross-purposes. “I only asked

becausesomehowIassumedyouwouldhaveinstrumentsofsomesorttomeasure emotional responses. An electroencephalograph, perhaps.” Helooked about fruitlessly, “Though I suppose you could have a pocketversionofthesamethatworkswithoutdirectelectricalconnection.We

don’thaveanythinglikethatonEarth.”“I trust,” said the Solarian stiffly, “that I am able to estimate the

nature of my own feelings without an instrument. They werepronouncedenough.”“Yes,ofcourse,butforquantitativeanalysis…”beganBaley.Quemot said querulously, “I don’t know what you’re driving at.

Besides, I’m trying to tell you something else,myown theory, in fact,something I have viewed in no books, something I am quite proud of——”Baleysaid,“Exactlywhatisthat,sir?”“Why,themannerinwhichSolaria’scultureisbasedononeexisting

inEarth’spast.”Baleysighed.Ifhedidn’tallowtheothertogetitoffhischest,there

mightbeverylittlecooperationthereafter.Hesaid,“Andthatis?”“Sparta!”saidQuemot,liftinghisheadsothatforamomenthiswhite

hair glistened in the light and seemed almost a halo. “I’m sure you’veheardofSparta!”Baleyfeltrelieved.HehadbeenmightilyinterestedinEarth’sancient

pastinhisyoungerdays(itwasanattractivestudytomanyEarthmen—anEarthsupremebecauseitwasanEarthalone;Earthmenthemastersbecause there were no Spacers), but Earth’s past was a large one.QuemotmightwellhavereferredtosomephasewithwhichBaleywasunacquaintedandthatwouldhavebeenembarrassing.As it was, he could say cautiously, “Yes, I’ve viewed films on the

subject.”“Good.Good.NowSpartainitsheydayconsistedofarelativelysmall

number of Spartiates, the only full citizens, plus a somewhat largernumber of second-class individuals, the Perioeci, and a really largenumber of outright slaves, the Helots. The Helots outnumbered theSpartiates a matter of twenty to one, and the Helots were men withhumanfeelingsandhumanfailings.“In order to make certain that a Helot rebellion could never be

successful despite their overwhelming numbers, the Spartans becamemilitary specialists. Each lived the life of amilitarymachine, and thesocietyachieveditspurpose.TherewasneverasuccessfulHelotrevolt.“Nowwe human beings on Solaria are equivalent, in away, to the

Spartiates.WehaveourHelots,butourHelotsaren’tmenbutmachines.

Theycannotrevoltandneednotbefearedeventhoughtheyoutnumberus a thousand times as badly as the Spartans’ human Helotsoutnumberedthem.SowehavetheadvantageofSpartiateexclusivenesswithoutanyneedtosacrificeourselvestorigidmastery.Wecan,instead,modelourselvesontheartisticandculturalwayoflifeoftheAthenians,whowerecontemporariesoftheSpartansandwho——”Baleysaid,“IviewedfilmsontheAthenians,too.”Quemot grew warmer as he spoke. “Civilizations have always beenpyramidal in structure. As one climbs toward the apex of the socialedifice, there is increased leisure and increasingopportunity topursuehappiness.Asoneclimbs,onefindsalsofewerandfewerpeopletoenjoythis more and more. Invariably, there is a preponderance of thedispossessed. And remember this, no matter how well off the bottomlayers of the pyramidmight be on an absolute scale, they are alwaysdispossessed in comparisonwith theapex.For instance, even themostpoorlyoffhumansonAuroraarebetteroffthanEarth’saristocrats,buttheyaredispossessedwithrespecttoAurora’saristocrats,anditiswiththemastersoftheirownworldthattheycomparethemselves.“So there is always social friction in ordinary human societies. Theaction of social revolution and the reaction of guarding against suchrevolutionor combating it once ithasbegunare the causesof agreatdealofthehumanmiserywithwhichhistoryispermeated.“Now here on Solaria, for the first time, the apex of the pyramidstandsalone.Intheplaceofthedispossessedaretherobots.Wehavethefirstnewsociety,thefirstreallynewone,thefirstgreatsocialinventionsincethefarmersofSumeriaandEgyptinventedcities.”Hesatbacknow,smiling.Baleynodded.“Haveyoupublishedthis?”“Imay,”saidQuemotwithanaffectationofcarelessness,“someday.Ihaven’tyet.Thisismythirdcontribution.”“Weretheothertwoasbroadasthis?”“Theyweren’t in sociology. I have been a sculptor inmy time. Theworkyouseeaboutyou”—heindicatedthestatuary—“ismyown.AndIhavebeenacomposer,too.ButIamgettingolderandRikaineDelmarrealwaysarguedstronglyinfavoroftheappliedartsratherthanthefineartsandIdecidedtogointosociology.”Baley said, “That sounds as though Delmarre was a good friend of

yours.”“We knew one another. At my time in life, one knows all adultSolarians.ButthereisnoreasonnottoagreethatRikaineDelmarreandIwerewellacquainted.”“WhatsortofamanwasDelmarre?”(Strangelyenough,thenameofthemanbrought up the picture ofGladia inBaley’smind andhewasplagued with a sudden, sharp recall of her as he had last seen her,furious,herfacedistortedwithangerathim.)Quemot lookedabit thoughtful. “Hewasaworthyman;devoted toSolariaandtoitswayoflife.”“Anidealist,inotherwords.”“Yes.Definitely.Youcouldseethatinthefactthathevolunteeredforhis jobas—as fetalengineer. Itwasanappliedart,yousee,and I toldyouhisfeelingsaboutthat.”“Wasvolunteeringunusual?”“Wouldn’t you say——But I forget you’re an Earthman. Yes, it isunusual.It’soneofthosejobsthatmustbedone,yetfindsnovoluntarytakers. Ordinarily, someone must be assigned to it for a period of somany years and it isn’t pleasant to be the one chosen. Delmarrevolunteered,andforlife.Hefeltthepositionwastooimportanttobelefttoreluctantdraftees,andhepersuadedmeintothatopinion,too.YetIcertainly would never have volunteered. I couldn’t possibly make thepersonalsacrifice.Anditwasmoreofasacrificeforhim,sincehewasalmostafanaticinpersonalhygiene.”“I’mstillnotcertainIunderstandthenatureofhisjob.”Quemot’s old cheeks flushed gently. “Hadn’t you better discuss thatwithhisassistant?”Baleysaid,“Iwouldcertainlyhavedonesobynow,sir,ifanyonehadseenfittotellmebeforethismomentthathehadanassistant.”“I’msorryaboutthat,”saidQuemot,“buttheexistenceoftheassistantisanothermeasureofhissocialresponsibility.Nopreviousoccupantofthepostprovidedforone.Delmarre,however,feltitnecessarytofindasuitable youngster and conduct the necessary traininghimself so as toleaveaprofessionalheirbehindwhenthetimecameforhimtoretireor,well,todie.”TheoldSolariansighedheavily.“YetIoutlivedhimandhewassomuchyounger.Iusedtoplaychesswithhim.Manytimes.”“Howdidyoumanagethat?”

Quemot’seyebrowslifted.“Theusualway.”“Yousawoneanother?”Quemot lookedhorrified. “Whatan idea!Even if I could stomach it,

Delmarrewouldneverallowitforaninstant.Beingfetalengineerdidn’tblunthissensibilities.Hewasafinickyman.”“Thenhow——”“Withtwoboardsasanytwopeoplewouldplaychess.”TheSolarian

shrugged in a suddengestureof tolerance. “Well, you’re anEarthman.My moves registered on his board, and his on mine. It’s a simplematter.”Baleysaid,“DoyouknowMrs.Delmarre?”“We’veviewedoneanother.She’safieldcolorist,youknow,andI’ve

viewedsomeofhershowings.Fineworkinawaybutmoreinterestingas curiosities than as creations. Still, they’re amusing and show aperceptivemind.”“Isshecapableofkillingherhusband,wouldyousay?”“Ihaven’tgivenitthought.Womenaresurprisingcreatures.Butthen,

there’sscarcelyroomforargument,isthere?OnlyMrs.Delmarrecouldhave been close enough to Rikaine to kill him. Rikaine would never,underanycircumstances,haveallowedanyoneelseseeingprivilegesforanyreason.Extremelyfinicky.Perhapsfinickyisthewrongword.Itwasjust thathe lackedany traceof abnormality; anythingof theperverse.HewasagoodSolarian.”“Wouldyoucallyourgrantingmeseeingprivilegesperverse?”asked

Baley.Quemot said, “Yes, I think Iwould. I should say therewas a bit of

scatophiliainvolved.”“CouldDelmarrehavebeenkilledforpoliticalreasons?”“What?”“I’veheardhimcalledaTraditionalist.”“Oh,weallare.”“YoumeanthereisnogroupofSolarianswhoarenotTraditionalists?”“I dare say there are some,” said Quemot slowly, “who think it is

dangeroustobetooTraditionalist.Theyareoverconsciousofoursmallpopulation,of theway theotherworldsoutnumberus.They thinkwearedefenselessagainstpossibleaggressionfromtheotherOuterWorlds.They’requitefoolishtothinksoandtherearen’tmanyofthem.Idon’t

thinkthey’reaforce.”“Whydoyousaytheyarefoolish?IsthereanythingaboutSolariathat

wouldaffectthebalanceofpowerinspiteofthegreatdisadvantageofnumbers?Somenewtypeofweapon?”“Aweapon, certainly.Butnot anewone.Thepeople I speakof are

moreblindthanfoolishnottorealizethatsuchaweaponisinoperationcontinuouslyandcannotberesisted.”Baley’seyesnarrowed.“Areyouserious?”“Certainly.”“Doyouknowthenatureoftheweapon?”“Allofusmust.Youdo,ifyoustoptothinkofit.Iseeitatrifleeasier

thanmost,perhaps,sinceIamasociologist.Tobesure,itisn’tusedasaweapon ordinarily is used. It doesn’t kill or hurt, but it is irresistibleevenso.Allthemoreirresistiblebecausenoonenoticesit.”Baleysaidwithannoyance,“Andjustwhatisthisnonlethalweapon?”Quemotsaid,“Thepositronicrobot.”

11AFARMISINSPECTED

ForamomentBaleywentcold.ThepositronicrobotwasthesymbolofSpacersuperiorityoverEarthmen.Thatwasweaponenough.He kept his voice steady. “It’s an economic weapon. Solaria is

importanttotheotherOuterWorldsasasourceofadvancedmodelsandsoitwillnotbeharmedbythem.”“That’sanobviouspoint,”saidQuemotindifferently.“Thathelpedus

establish our independence. What I have in mind is something else,somethingmoresubtleandmorecosmic.”Quemot’seyeswerefixedonhisfingers’endsandhismindwasobviouslyfixedonabstractions.Baleysaid,“Isthisanotherofyoursociologicaltheories?”Quemot’spoorlysuppressedlookofprideallbutforcedashortsmile

outoftheEarthman.Thesociologistsaid,“Itisindeedmine.Original,asfarasIknow,and

yetobviousifpopulationdataontheOuterWorldsiscarefullystudied.Tobeginwith,eversincethepositronicrobotwasinvented,ithasbeenusedmoreandmoreintensivelyeverywhere.”“NotonEarth,”saidBaley.“Now,now,Plainclothesman.Idon’tknowmuchofyourEarth,butI

know enough to know that robots are entering your economy. Youpeople live in large Cities and leave most of your planetary surfaceunoccupied.Whorunsyourfarmsandmines,then?”“Robots,”admittedBaley. “But if it comes to that,Doctor,Earthmen

inventedthepositronicrobotinthefirstplace.”“Theydid?Areyousure?”“Youcancheck.It’strue.”“Interesting.Yetrobotsmadetheleastheadwaythere.”Thesociologist

saidthoughtfully,“PerhapsthatisbecauseofEarth’slargepopulation.Itwouldtakethatmuchlonger.Yes…Still,youhaverobotseveninyourCities.”“Yes,”saidBaley.“Morenowthan,say,fiftyyearsago.”

Baleynoddedimpatiently.“Yes.”“Then it fits. The difference is only one of time. Robots tend todisplacehumanlabor.Theroboteconomymovesinonlyonedirection.More robots and fewer humans. I’ve studied population data verycarefullyandI’veplotteditandmadeafewextrapolations.”Hepausedinsuddensurprise.“Why,that’sratheranapplicationofmathematicstosociology,isn’tit?”“Itis,”saidBaley.“Theremaybesomethingtoit,atthat.Iwillhavetogivethematterthought.Inanycase,thesearetheconclusionsIhavecometo,andIamconvinced there is no doubt as to their correctness. The robot-humanratioinanyeconomythathasacceptedrobotlabortendscontinuouslytoincreasedespiteany laws thatarepassed toprevent it.The increase isslowed,butneverstopped.Atfirstthehumanpopulationincreases,buttherobotpopulationincreasesmuchmorequickly.Then,afteracertaincriticalpointisreached…”Quemot stopped again, then said, “Now let’s see. I wonder if thecritical point could be determined exactly; if you could really put afiguretoit.There’syourmathematicsagain.”Baley stirred restlessly. “What happens after the critical point isreached,Dr.Quemot?”“Eh?Oh, the human population begins actually to decline.A planetapproachesatruesocialstability.Aurorawillhaveto.EvenyourEarthwillhaveto.Earthmaytakeafewmorecenturies,butitisinevitable.”“Whatdoyoumeanbysocialstability?”“Thesituationhere.InSolaria.Aworldinwhichthehumansaretheleisureclassonly.SothereisnoreasontofeartheotherOuterWorlds.We need onlywait a century perhaps and they shall all be Solarias. Isuppose thatwill be the end of human history, in away; at least, itsfulfillment.Finally,finally,allmenwillhavealltheycanneedandwant.You know, there is a phrase I once picked up; I don’t knowwhere itcomesfrom;somethingaboutthepursuitofhappiness.”Baleysaidthoughtfully,“Allmenare‘endowedbytheirCreatorwithcertain unalienable rights … among these are life, liberty, and thepursuitofhappiness.’”“You’vehitit.Where’sthatfrom?”“Someolddocument,”saidBaley.

“DoyouseehowthatischangedhereonSolariaandeventuallyinalltheGalaxy?Thepursuitwillbeover.Therightsmankindwillbeheirtowillbelife,liberty,andhappiness.Justthat.Happiness.”Baleysaiddryly,“Maybeso,butamanhasbeenkilledonyourSolariaandanothermayyetdie.”He felt regret almost the moment he spoke, for the expression onQuemot’sfacewasasthoughhehadbeenstruckwithanopenpalm.Theoldman’s head bowed.He saidwithout looking up, “I have answeredyourquestionsaswellasIcould.Isthereanythingelseyouwish?”“Ihaveenough.Thankyou,sir. Iamsorrytohaveintrudedonyourgriefatyourfriend’sdeath.”Quemot looked up slowly. “It will be hard to find another chesspartner. He kept our appointmentsmost punctually and he played anextraordinarilyevengame.HewasagoodSolarian.”“Iunderstand,”saidBaleysoftly.“MayIhaveyourpermissiontouseyourviewertomakecontactwiththenextpersonImustsee?”“Ofcourse,”saidQuemot.“Myrobotsareyours.AndnowIwillleaveyou.Doneviewing.”

A robot was at Baley’s side within thirty seconds of Quemot’sdisappearanceandBaleywonderedonceagainhowthesecreaturesweremanaged.He had seenQuemot’s fingersmove toward a contact as hehadleftandthatwasall.Perhapsthesignalwasquiteageneralizedone,sayingonly,“Doyourduty!” Perhaps robots listened to all that went on and were alwaysawareofwhatahumanmightdesireatanygivenmoment, and if theparticularrobotwasnotdesignedforaparticularjobineithermindorbody, the radio web that united all robots went into action and thecorrectrobotwasspurredintoaction.For amoment Baley had the vision of Solaria as a robotic netwithholes that were small and continually growing smaller, with everyhumanbeingcaughtneatlyinplace.HethoughtofQuemot’spictureofworlds turning into Solarias; of nets forming and tightening even onEarth,until——Histhoughtsweredisruptedastherobotwhohadenteredspokewiththequietandevenrespectofthemachine.

“Iamreadytohelpyou,master.”Baley said, “Do you know how to reach the place where Rikaine

Delmarreonceworked?”“Yes,master.”Baleyshrugged.Hewouldneverteachhimselftoavoidaskinguseless

questions.The robots knew.Period. It occurred tohim that, tohandlerobotswithtrueefficiency,onemustneedsbeexpert,asortofroboticist.HowwelldidtheaverageSolariando,hewondered?Probablyonlyso-so.He said, “Get Delmarre’s place and contact his assistant. If the

assistantisnotthere,locatehimwhereverheis.”“Yes,master.”Astherobotturnedtogo,Baleycalledafterit,“Wait!Whattimeisit

attheDelmarreworkplace?”“About0630,master.”“Inthemorning?”“Yes,master.”AgainBaley feltannoyanceataworld thatmade itselfvictimof the

comingandgoingofasun.Itwaswhatcameoflivingonbareplanetarysurface.HethoughtfugitivelyofEarth,thentorehismindaway.Whilehekept

firmly to the matter in hand, he managed well. Slipping intohomesicknesswouldruinhim.Hesaid,“Calltheassistant,anyway,boy,andtellhimit’sgovernment

business—and have one of the other boys bring something to eat. Asandwichandaglassofmilkwilldo.”

•••

He chewed thoughtfully at the sandwich,which contained a kindofsmokedmeat,andwithhalfhismindthoughtthatDaneelOlivawwouldcertainlyconsidereveryarticleoffoodsuspectafterwhathadhappenedtoGruer.AndDaneelmightberight,too.He finished the sandwichwithout ill effects, however (immediate ill

effects, at any rate), and sipped at themilk.He had not learned fromQuemotwhathehadcometo learn,buthehad learnedsomething.Ashesorteditoutinhismind,itseemedhehadlearnedagooddeal.

Littleaboutthemurder,tobesure,butmoreaboutthelargermatter.Therobotreturned.“Theassistantwillacceptcontact,master.”“Good.Wasthereanytroublewithit?”“Theassistantwasasleep,master.”“Awakenow,though?”“Yes,master.”Theassistantwasfacinghimsuddenly,sittingupinbedandwearinganexpressionofsullenresentment.Baley reared back as though a force-barrier had been raised beforehimwithoutwarning.Onceagainapieceofvitalinformationhadbeenwithheldfromhim.Onceagainhehadnotaskedtherightquestions.NoonehadthoughttotellhimthatRikaineDelmarre’sassistantwasawoman.HerhairwasatrifledarkerthanordinarySpacerbronzeandtherewasaquantityofit,atthemomentindisorder.Herfacewasoval,hernoseatriflebulbous,andherchin large.Shescratchedslowlyatherside justabovethewaistandBaleyhopedthesheetwouldremaininposition.Heremembered Gladia’s free attitude toward what was permitted whileviewing.Baley felt a sardonic amusement at his own disillusion at thatmoment. Earthmen assumed, somehow, that all Spacer women werebeautiful,andcertainlyGladiahadreinforcedthatassumption.Thisone,though,wasplainevenbyEarthlystandards.It therefore surprised Baley that he found her contralto attractivewhenshesaid,“Seehere,doyouknowwhattimeitis?”“Ido,”saidBaley,“butsinceIwillbeseeingyou,IfeltIshouldwarnyou.”“Seeingme?Skiesabove——”Hereyesgrewwideandsheputahandto her chin. (Shewore a ring on one finger, the first itemof personaladornment Baley had yet seen on Solaria.) “Wait, you’re notmy newassistant,areyou?”“No. Nothing like that. I’m here to investigate the death of RikaineDelmarre.”“Oh?Well,investigate,then.”“Whatisyourname?”“KlorissaCantoro.”“AndhowlonghaveyoubeenworkingwithDr.Delmarre?”

“Threeyears.”“I assume you’re now at the place of business.” (Baley felt

uncomfortableat thatnoncommittalphrase,buthedidnotknowwhattocallaplacewhereafetalengineerworked.)“If you mean, am I at the farm?” said Klorissa discontentedly, “I

certainlyam.Ihaven’tleftitsincetheoldmanwasdonein,andIwon’tleaveit,lookslike,tillanassistantisassignedme.Canyouarrangethat,bytheway?”“I’msorry,ma’am.Ihavenoinfluencewithanyonehere.”“ThoughtI’dask.”Klorissapulledoffthesheetandclimbedoutofbedwithoutanyself-

consciousness.Shewaswearingaone-piecesleepingsuitandherhandwenttothenotchoftheseam,whereitendedattheneck.Baleysaidhurriedly,“Justonemoment.Ifyou’llagreetoseeme,that

willendmybusinesswithyoufornowandyoumaydressinprivacy.”“Inprivacy?”SheputoutherlowerlipandstaredatBaleycuriously.

“You’refinicky,aren’tyou?Liketheboss.”“Willyouseeme?Iwouldliketolookoverthefarm.”“I don’t get this business about seeing, but if youwant to view the

farmI’lltouryou.Ifyou’llgivemeachancetowashandtakecareofafewthingsandwakeupalittle,I’llenjoythebreakinroutine.”“Idon’twanttoviewanything.Iwanttosee.”The woman cocked her head to one side and her keen look had

somethingofprofessionalinterestinit.“Areyouapervertorsomething?Whenwasthelasttimeyouunderwentageneanalysis?”“Jehoshaphat!” muttered Baley. “Look, I’m Elijah Baley. I’m from

Earth.”“FromEarth?”shecriedvehemently.“Skiesabove!Whateverareyou

doinghere?Oristhissomekindofcomplicatedjoke?”“I’mnotjoking.IwascalledintoinvestigateDelmarre’sdeath.I’ma

plainclothesman,adetective.”“Youmeanthatkindofinvestigation.ButIthoughteveryoneknewhis

wifedidit.”“No,ma’am, there’s somequestionabout it inmymind.May Ihave

your permission to see the farm and you? As an Earthman, youunderstand,I’mnotaccustomedtoviewing.Itmakesmeuncomfortable.I have permission from theHead of Security to see peoplewhomight

helpme.Iwillshowyouthedocument,ifyouwish.”“Let’sseeit.”Baleyheldtheofficialstripupbeforeherimagedeyes.She shook her head. “Seeing! It’s filthy. Still, skies above, what’s a

littlemore filth in this filthy job? Look here, though, don’t you comeclose to me. You stay a good distance away. We can shout or sendmessagesbyrobot,ifwehaveto.Youunderstand?”“Iunderstand.”Hersleepingsuitsplitopenattheseamjustascontactbrokeoffand

thelastwordheheardfromherwasamuttered:“Earthman!”

“That’scloseenough,”saidKlorissa.Baley,whowassometwenty-fivefeetfromthewoman,said,“It’sall

rightthisdistance,butI’dliketogetindoorsquickly.”Ithadnotbeensobad this time, somehow.Hehadscarcelyminded

theplane trip,but therewasnopoint inoverdoing it.Hekepthimselffromyankingathiscollartoallowhimselftobreathemorefreely.Klorissa said sharply, “What’s wrong with you? You look kind of

beat.”Baleysaid,“I’mnotusedtotheoutdoors.”“That’s right! Earthman! You’ve got to be cooped up or something.

Skies above!” Her tongue passed over her lips as though it tastedsomethingunappetizing. “Well, come in, then, but letmemoveout ofthewayfirst.Allright.Getin.”Her hair was in two thick braids that wound about her head in a

complicated geometrical pattern. Baley wondered how long it took toarrange like that and then remembered that, in all probability, theunerringmechanicalfingersofarobotdidthejob.The hair set off her oval face and gave it a kind of symmetry that

madeitpleasantifnotpretty.Shedidnotwearanyfacialmakeup,nor,for that matter, were her clothes meant to do more than cover herserviceably.Forthemostparttheywereasubdueddarkblueexceptforher gloves, which covered her to mid-arm and were a badly clashinglilac in color. Apparently theywere not part of her ordinary costume.Baley noted the thickening of one finger of the gloves owing to thepresenceoftheringunderneath.

Theyremainedatoppositeendsoftheroom,facingoneanother.Baleysaid,“Youdon’tlikethis,doyou,ma’am?”Klorissashrugged.“WhyshouldIlikeit?I’mnotananimal.ButIcanstand it. You get pretty hardened, when you deal with—with”—shepaused,andthenherchinwentupasthoughshehadmadeuphermindto say what she had to say without mincing—“with children.” Shepronouncedthewordwithcarefulprecision.“Yousoundasthoughyoudon’tlikethejobyouhave.”“It’sanimportantjob.Itmustbedone.Still,Idon’tlikeit.”“DidRikaineDelmarrelikeit?”“Isupposehedidn’t,buthenevershowedit.HewasagoodSolarian.”“Andhewasfinicky.”Klorissalookedsurprised.Baley said, “Youyourself said so.Whenwewereviewingand I saidyoumightdressinprivate,yousaidIwasfinickyliketheboss.”“Oh.Well,hewas finicky.Evenviewinghenever tookany liberties.Alwaysproper.”“Wasthatunusual?”“Itshouldn’tbe.Ideally,you’resupposedtobeproper,butnooneeveris.Notwhenviewing.There’snopersonalpresenceinvolvedsowhytakeanypains?Youknow?Idon’ttakepainswhenviewing,exceptwiththeboss.Youhadtobeformalwithhim.”“DidyouadmireDr.Delmarre?”“HewasagoodSolarian.”Baley said, “You’ve called this place a farm and you’ve mentionedchildren.Doyoubringupchildrenhere?”“Fromtheageofamonth.EveryfetusonSolariacomeshere.”“Fetus?”“Yes.”Shefrowned.“Wegetthemamonthafterconception.Doesthisembarrassyou?”“No,”Baleysaidshortly.“Canyoushowmearound?”“Ican.Butkeepyourdistance.”Baley’s long face took on a stony grimness as he looked down thelengthofthelongroomfromabove.Therewasglassbetweentheroomandthemselves.Ontheotherside,hewassure,wasperfectlycontrolledheat, perfectly controlled humidity, perfectly controlled asepsis. Thosetanks,rowonrow,eachcontaineditslittlecreaturefloatinginawatery

fluid of precise composition, infused with a nutrient mixture of idealproportions.Lifeandgrowthwenton.Little things, some smaller than half his fist, curled on themselves,withbulgingskullsandtinybuddinglimbsandvanishingtails.Klorissa, fromherpositiontwentyfeetaway,said,“Howdoyoulikeit,Plainclothesman?”Baleysaid,“Howmanydoyouhave?”“Asofthismorning,onehundredandfifty-two.Wereceivefifteentotwentyeachmonthandwegraduateasmanytoindependence.”“Isthistheonlysuchinstitutionontheplanet?”“That’sright.It’senoughtokeepthepopulationsteady,countingonalife expectancy of three hundred years and a population of twentythousand. This building is quite new. Dr. Delmarre supervised itsconstructionandmademanychangesinourprocedures.Ourfetaldeathratenowisvirtuallyzero.”Robotsthreadedtheirwayamongthetanks.Ateachtanktheystoppedandcheckedcontrolsinatireless,meticulousway,lookinginatthetinyembryoswithin.“Whooperatesonthemother?”askedBaley.“Imean,togetthelittlethings.”“Doctors,”answeredKlorissa.“Dr.Delmarre?”“Ofcoursenot.Medicaldoctors.Youdon’t thinkDr.Delmarrewouldeverstoopto——Well,nevermind.”“Whycan’trobotsbeused?”“Robots in surgery? First Law makes that very difficult,Plainclothesman. A robot might perform an appendectomy to save ahuman life, ifheknewhow,but Idoubt thathe’dbeusableafter thatwithoutmajorrepairs.Cuttinghumanfleshwouldbequiteatraumaticexperience for a positronic brain. Human doctors can manage to gethardenedtoit.Eventothepersonalpresencerequired.”Baleysaid,“Inoticethatrobotstendthefetuses,though.DoyouandDr.Delmarreeverinterfere?”“We have to, sometimes, when things go wrong. If a fetus hasdevelopmentaltrouble,forinstance.Robotscan’tbetrustedtojudgethesituationaccuratelywhenhumanlifeisinvolved.”Baley nodded. “Too much risk of a misjudgment and a life lost, I

suppose.”“Not at all. Too much risk of overvaluing a life and saving one

improperly.”Thewomanlookedstern.“Asfetalengineers,Baley,weseeto it that healthy children are born; healthy ones. Even the best geneanalysis of parents can’t assure that all gene permutations andcombinations will be favorable, to say nothing of the possibility ofmutations.That’sourbigconcern, theunexpectedmutation.We’vegotthe rateof thosedown to less thanone ina thousand,but thatmeansthat,ontheaverage,onceadecade,wehavetrouble.”Shemotionedhimalongthebalconyandhefollowedher.She said, “I’ll show you the infants’ nurseries and the youngsters’

dormitories. They’remuchmore a problem than the fetuses are.Withthem,wecanrelyonrobotlaboronlytoalimitedextent.”“Whyisthat?”“You would know, Baley, if you ever tried to teach a robot the

importance of discipline. First Law makes them almost impervious tothat fact.Anddon’t thinkyoungstersdon’t learn thataboutas soonasthey can talk. I’ve seen a three-year-old holding a dozen robotsmotionless by yelling, ‘You’ll hurtme. I’mhurt.’ It takes an extremelyadvancedrobottounderstandthatachildmightbedeliberatelylying.”“CouldDelmarrehandlethechildren?”“Usually.”“Howdidhedothat?Didhegetoutamongthemandshakesenseinto

them?”“Dr.Delmarre?Touchthem?Skiesabove!Ofcoursenot!Buthecould

talk to them.And he could give a robot specific orders. I’ve seen himviewing a child for fifteen minutes, and keeping a robot in spankingpositionallthattime,gettingittospank—spank—spank.Afewlikethatand the childwould risk foolingwith the boss nomore.And the bosswasskillfulenoughaboutitsothatusuallytherobotdidn’tneedmorethanaroutinereadjustmentafterward.”“Howaboutyou?Doyougetoutamongthechildren?”“I’mafraidIhavetosometimes.I’mnotliketheboss.Maybesomeday

I’llbeabletohandlethelong-distancestuff,butrightnowifItried,I’djustruinrobots.There’sanarttohandlingrobotsreallywell,youknow.When I think of it, though. Getting out among the children. Littleanimals!”

She looked back at him suddenly. “I suppose you wouldn’t mindseeingthem.”“Itwouldn’tbotherme.”She shrugged and stared at him with amusement. “Earthman!” She

walkedonagain.“What’sthisallabout,anyway?You’llhavetoendupwithGladiaDelmarreasmurderess.You’llhaveto.”“I’mnotquitesureofthat,”saidBaley.“Howcouldyoubeanythingelsebutsure?Whoelsecoulditpossibly

be?”“Therearepossibilities,ma’am.”“Who,forinstance?”“Well,you,forinstance!”AndKlorissa’sreactiontothatquitesurprisedBaley.

12ATARGETISMISSED

Shelaughed.Thelaughtergrewandfedonitselftillshewasgaspingforbreathand

herplump facehad reddenedalmost topurple.She leanedagainst thewallandgaspedforbreath.“No,don’tcome—closer,”shebegged.“I’mallright.”Baleysaidgravely,“Isthepossibilitythathumorous?”Shetriedtoanswerandlaughedagain.Then, inawhisper,shesaid,

“Oh,youareanEarthman!Howcoulditeverbeme?”“You knew himwell,” said Baley. “You knew his habits. You could

haveplannedit.”“And you think Iwould see him? That Iwould get close enough to

bashhimovertheheadwithsomething?Youjustdon’tknowanythingatallaboutit,Baley.”Baleyfelthimselfredden.“Whycouldn’tyougetcloseenoughtohim,

ma’am?You’vehadpractice—uh—mingling.”“Withthechildren.”“One thing leads to another. You seem to be able to stand my

presence.”“Attwentyfeet,”shesaidcontemptuously.“I’vejustvisitedamanwhonearlycollapsedbecausehehadtoendure

mypresenceforawhile.”Klorissasoberedandsaid,“Adifferenceindegree.”“Isuggestthatadifferenceindegreeisallthatisnecessary.Thehabit

ofseeingchildrenmakesitpossibletoendureseeingDelmarrejustlongenough.”“I would like to point out, Mr. Baley,” said Klorissa, no longer

appearing the leastamused, “that itdoesn’tmattera speckwhat I canendure. Dr. Delmarre was the finicky one. He was almost as bad asLeebig himself. Almost. Even if I could endure seeing him, he wouldneverendureseeingme.Mrs.Delmarreistheonlyonehecouldpossiblyhaveallowedwithinseeingdistance.”

Baleysaid,“Who’sthisLeebigyoumentioned?”Klorissashrugged.“Oneoftheseodd-geniustypes,ifyouknowwhatImean.He’ddoneworkwiththebossonrobots.”Baleychecked thatoffmentallyand returned to thematterathand.Hesaid,“Itcouldalsobesaidyouhadamotive.”“Whatmotive?”“Hisdeathputyouinchargeofthisestablishment,gaveyouposition.”“Youcall that amotive?Skies above,whocouldwant this position?WhoonSolaria?Thisisamotiveforkeepinghimalive.It’samotiveforhovering over him and protecting him. You’ll have to do better thanthat,Earthman.”Baley scratched his neck uncertainly with one finger. He saw thejusticeofthat.Klorissasaid,“Didyounoticemyring,Mr.Baley?”For amoment it seemed shewas about to strip the glove from herrighthand,butsherefrained.“Inoticedit,”saidBaley.“Youdon’tknowitssignificance,Isuppose?”“I don’t.” (He would never have done with ignorance, he thoughtbitterly.)“Doyoumindasmalllecture,then?”“If it will help me make sense of this damned world,” blurted outBaley,“byallmeans.”“Skies above!” Klorissa smiled. “I supposewe seem to you as Earthwouldseemtous.Imagine.Say,here’sanemptychamber.Comeinhereand we’ll sit down—no, the room’s not big enough. Tell you what,though.YoutakeaseatinthereandI’llstandouthere.”Shesteppedfartherdownthecorridor,givinghimspacetoentertheroom,thenreturned,takingupherstandagainsttheoppositewallatapointwhereshecouldseehim.Baley took his seat with only the slightest quiver of chivalrycounteringit.Hethoughtrebelliously:Whynot?LettheSpacerwomanstand.Klorissa folded her muscular arms across her chest and said, “Geneanalysisisthekeytooursociety.Wedon’tanalyzeforgenesdirectly,ofcourse.Eachgene,however, governsone enzyme, andwe cananalyzefor enzymes. Know the enzymes, know the body chemistry. Know the

bodychemistry,knowthehumanbeing.Youseeallthat?”“Iunderstandthetheory,”saidBaley.“Idon’tknowhowit’sapplied.”“Thatpart’sdonehere.Bloodsamplesaretakenwhiletheinfantisstillin the late fetal stage. That gives us our rough first approximation.Ideally,weshouldcatchallmutationsat thatpointand judgewhetherbirthcanberisked. Inactual fact,westilldon’tquiteknowenoughtoeliminate all possibility of mistake. Someday, maybe. Anyway, wecontinuetestingafterbirth;biopsiesaswellasbodyfluids.Inanycase,longbefore adulthood,weknowexactlywhat our little boys andgirlsaremadeof.”(Sugarandspice…AnonsensephrasewentunbiddenthroughBaley’smind.)“Wewearcodedringstoindicateourgeneconstitution,”saidKlorissa.“It’sanoldcustom,abitoftheprimitiveleftbehindfromthedayswhenSolarians had not yet been weeded eugenically. Nowadays, we’re allhealthy.”Baleysaid,“Butyoustillwearyours.Why?”“BecauseI’mexceptional,”shesaidwithanunembarrassed,unbluntedpride. “Dr. Delmarre spent a long time searching for an assistant. Heneeded someoneexceptional.Brains, ingenuity, industry, stability.Mostofall, stability.Someonewhocould learn tominglewithchildrenandnotbreakdown.”“Hecouldn’t,couldhe?Wasthatameasureofhisinstability?”Klorissasaid,“Inaway,itwas,butatleastitwasadesirabletypeofinstabilityundermostcircumstances.Youwashyourhands,don’tyou?”Baley’s eyes dropped to his hands. They were as clean as need be.“Yes,”hesaid.“Allright.Isupposeit’sameasureofinstabilitytofeelsuchrevulsionatdirtyhandsastobeunabletocleananoilymechanismbyhandevenin an emergency. Still, in the ordinary course of living, the revulsionkeepsyouclean,whichisgood.”“Isee.Goahead.”“There’s nothing more. My genic health is the third-highest everrecordedonSolaria,soIwearmyring.It’sarecordIenjoycarryingwithme.”“Icongratulateyou.”“You needn’t sneer. It may not be my doing. It may be the blind

permutationof parental genes, but it’s a proud thing to own, anyway.Andnoonewouldbelievemecapableofsoseriouslypsychoticanactasmurder.Notwithmygenemakeup.Sodon’twasteaccusationsonme.”Baleyshruggedandsaidnothing.Thewomanseemedtoconfusegene

makeupandevidenceandpresumably therestofSolariawoulddothesame.Klorissasaid,“Doyouwanttoseetheyoungstersnow?”“Thankyou.Yes.”

Thecorridorsseemedtogoonforever.Thebuildingwasobviouslyatremendousone.NothinglikethehugebanksofapartmentsintheCitiesofEarth,ofcourse,butforasinglebuildingclingingtotheoutsideskinofaplanetitmustbeamountainousstructure.Therewerehundredsofcribs,withpinkbabiessqualling,orsleeping,

orfeeding.Thentherewereplayroomsforthecrawlers.“They’re not too bad even at this age,” said Klorissa grudgingly,

“thoughtheytakeupatremendoussumofrobots.It’spracticallyarobotperbabytillwalkingage.”“Whyisthat?”“Theysickeniftheydon’tgetindividualattention.”Baley nodded. “Yes, I suppose the requirement for affection is

somethingthatcan’tbedoneawaywith.”Klorissafrownedandsaidbrusquely,“Babiesrequireattention.”Baleysaid,“Iamalittlesurprisedthatrobotscanfulfilltheneedfor

affection.”Shewhirled towardhim, thedistancebetween themnot sufficing to

hideherdispleasure. “Seehere,Baley, if you’re trying to shockmebyusing unpleasant terms, you won’t succeed. Skies above, don’t bechildish.”“Shockyou?”“Icanusethewordtoo.Affection!Doyouwantashortword,agood

four-letterword?Icansaythat,too.Love!Love!Nowifit’soutofyoursystem,behaveyourself.”Baleydidnottroubletodisputethematterofobscenity.Hesaid,“Can

robotsreallygivethenecessaryattention,then?”“Obviously,orthisfarmwouldnotbethesuccessitis.Theyfoolwith

thechild.Theynuzzleitandsnuggleit.Thechilddoesn’tcarethatit’sonly a robot. But then, things growmore difficult between three andten.”“Oh?”“Duringthatinterval,thechildreninsistonplayingwithoneanother.Quiteindiscriminately.”“Itakeityouletthem.”“We have to, but we never forget our obligation to teach them therequirementsofadulthood.Eachhasaseparateroomthatcanbeclosedoff. Even from the first, theymust sleep alone.We insist on that.Andthenwe have an isolation time every day and that increaseswith theyears.By the timea child reaches ten,he is able to restricthimself toviewingforaweekatatime.Ofcourse, theviewingarrangementsareelaborate. They can view outdoors, under mobile conditions, and cankeepitupallday.”Baleysaid,“I’msurprisedyoucancounteran instinctso thoroughly.Youdocounterit;Iseethat.Still,itsurprisesme.”“Whatinstinct?”demandedKlorissa.“Theinstinctofgregariousness.Thereisone.Yousayyourselfthataschildrentheyinsistonplayingwitheachother.”Klorissashrugged.“Doyoucall that instinct?But then,what if it is?Skiesabove,achildhasaninstinctivefearoffalling,butadultscanbetrained towork inhighplaces evenwhere there is constantdanger offalling. Haven’t you ever seen gymnastic exhibitions on high wires?Therearesomeworldswherepeopleliveintallbuildings.Andchildrenhaveinstinctivefearofloudnoises,too,butareyouafraidofthem?”“Notwithinreason,”saidBaley.“I’m willing to bet that Earth people couldn’t sleep if things werereally quiet. Skies above, there isn’t an instinct around that can’t giveway to a good, persistent education. Not in human beings, whereinstincts areweak anyway. In fact, if you go about it right, educationgetseasierwitheachgeneration.It’samatterofevolution.”Baleysaid,“Howisthat?”“Don’tyousee?Eachindividualrepeatshisownevolutionaryhistoryashedevelops.Thosefetusesbacktherehavegillsandatailforatime.Can’tskipthosesteps.Theyoungsterhastogothroughthesocial-animalstageinthesameway.Butjustasafetuscangetthroughinonemontha

stagethatevolutiontookahundredmillionyearstogetthrough,soourchildrencanhurrythroughthesocial-animalstage.Dr.Delmarrewasoftheopinionthatwiththegenerations,we’dgetthroughthatstagefasterandfaster.”“Isthatso?”“Inthreethousandyears,heestimated,atthepresentrateofprogress,

we’dhavechildrenwho’d take toviewingatonce.Thebosshadothernotions, too. He was interested in improving robots to the point ofmaking them capable of disciplining children without becomingmentallyunstable.Whynot?DisciplinetodayforabetterlifetomorrowisatrueexpressionofFirstLawifrobotscouldonlybemadetoseeit.”“Havesuchrobotsbeendevelopedyet?”Klorissashookherhead.“I’mafraidnot.Dr.DelmarreandLeebighad

beenworkinghardonsomeexperimentalmodels.”“DidDr.Delmarrehavesomeofthemodelssentouttohisestate?Was

heagoodenoughroboticisttoconducttestshimself?”“Ohyes.Hetestedrobotsfrequently.”“Doyouknowthathehadarobotwithhimwhenhewasmurdered?”“I’vebeentoldso.”“Doyouknowwhatkindofamodelitwas?”“You’ll have to ask Leebig. As I told you, he’s the roboticist who

workedwithDr.Delmarre.”“Youknownothingaboutit?”“Notathing.”“Ifyouthinkofanything,letmeknow.”“Iwill. Anddon’t think new robotmodels are all thatDr.Delmarre

wasinterestedin.Dr.Delmarreusedtosaythetimewouldcomewhenunfertilizedovawouldbestoredinbanksatliquid-airtemperaturesandutilizedforartificialinsemination.Inthatway,eugenicprinciplescouldbetrulyappliedandwecouldgetridofthelastvestigeofanyneedforseeing.I’mnotsurethatIquitegoalongwithhimsofar,buthewasamanofadvancednotions;averygoodSolarian.”She added quickly, “Do you want to go outside? The five-through-

eightgroupareencouragedtotakepartinoutdoorplayandyoucouldseetheminaction.”Baleysaidcautiously,“I’lltrythat.Imayhavetocomebackinsideon

rathershortnotice.”

“Ohyes,Iforgot.Maybeyou’drathernotgooutatall?”“No.” Baley forced a smile. “I’m trying to grow accustomed to the

outdoors.”

Thewindwashardtobear.Itmadebreathingdifficult.Itwasn’tcold,inadirectphysicalsense,butthefeelofit,thefeelofhisclothesmovingagainsthisbody,gaveBaleyakindofchill.Histeethchatteredwhenhetriedtotalkandhehadtoforcehiswords

outinlittlebits.Ithurthiseyestolooksofaratahorizonsohazygreenand blue and there was only limited relief when he looked at thepathwayimmediatelybeforehistoes.Aboveall,heavoidedlookingupat the empty blue, empty, that is, but for the piled-up white ofoccasionalcloudsandtheglareofthenakedsun.Andyethecouldfightofftheurgetorun,toreturntoenclosure.Hepassedatree,followingKlorissabysometenpaces,andhereached

out a cautious hand to touch it. It was rough and hard to the touch.Frondyleavesmovedandrustledoverhead,buthedidnotraisehiseyestolookatthem.Alivingtree!Klorissacalledout.“Howdoyoufeel?”“Allright.”“You can see a group of youngsters from here,” she said. “They’re

involvedinsomekindofgame.Therobotsorganizethegamesandseeto it that the little animals don’t kick each other’s eyes out. Withpersonalpresenceyoucandojustthat,youknow.”Baley raisedhiseyes slowly, runninghisglancealong thecementof

thepathwayouttothegrassanddowntheslope,fartherandfartherout—verycarefully—readytosnapbacktohistoesifhegrewfrightened—feelingwithhiseyes…There were the small figures of boys and girls racingmadly about,

uncaringthattheyracedattheveryouterrimofaworldwithnothingbutairandspaceabovethem.Theglitterofanoccasionalrobotmovednimblyamongthem.Thenoiseofthechildrenwasafar-off incoherentsqueakingintheair.“Theyloveit,”saidKlorissa.“Pushingandpullingandsquabblingand

fallingdownandgettingupandjustgenerallycontacting.Skiesabove!Howdochildrenevermanagetogrowup?”

“Whatare thoseolderchildrendoing?”askedBaley.Hepointedatagroupofisolatedyoungstersstandingtooneside.“They’re viewing. They’re not in a state of personal presence. Byviewing, they can walk together, talk together, race together, playtogether.Anythingexceptphysicalcontact.”“Wheredochildrengowhentheyleavehere?”“To estates of their own. The number of deaths is, on the average,equaltothenumberofgraduations.”“Totheirparents’estates?”“Skiesabove,no!Itwouldbeanamazingcoincidence,wouldn’tit,tohaveaparentdiejustasachildisofage.No,thechildrentakeanyonethat falls vacant. I don’t know that anyof themwouldbe particularlyhappy,anyway,livinginamansionthatoncebelongedtotheirparents,supposing,ofcourse,theyknewwhotheirparentswere.”“Don’tthey?”Sheraisedhereyebrows.“Whyshouldthey?”“Don’tparentsvisittheirchildrenhere?”“Whatamindyouhave.Whyshouldtheywantto?”Baley said, “Do youmind if I clear up a point formyself? Is it badmannerstoaskapersoniftheyhavehadchildren?”“It’sanintimatequestion,wouldn’tyousay?”“Inaway.”“I’mhardened.Childrenaremybusiness.Otherpeoplearen’t.”Baleysaid,“Haveyouanychildren?”Klorissa’sAdam’sapplemadeasoftbutclearlyvisiblemotioninherthroatassheswallowed.“Ideservethat,Isuppose.Andyoudeserveananswer.Ihaven’t.”“Areyoumarried?”“Yes,andIhaveanestateofmyownandIwouldbetherebutfortheemergencyhere. I’m justnot confidentofbeingable to control all therobotsifI’mnothereinperson.”She turned away unhappily, and then pointed. “Now there’s one ofthemgonetumblingandofcoursehe’scrying.”Arobotwasrunningwithgreatspace-devouringstrides.Klorissasaid,“He’llbepickedupandcuddledandif there’sanyrealdamage,I’llbecalledin.”Sheaddednervously,“IhopeIdon’thavetobe.”

Baley took a deep breath. He noted three trees forming a smalltrianglefiftyfeettotheleft.Hewalkedinthatdirection,thegrasssoftand loathsomeunder his shoes, disgusting in its softness (likewalkingthroughcorruptingflesh,andhenearlyretchedatthethought).Hewas among them, his back against one trunk. Itwas almost likebeingsurroundedbyimperfectwalls.Thesunwasonlyawaveringseriesofflittersthroughtheleaves,sodisconnectedasalmosttoberobbedofhorror.Klorissafacedhimfromthepath,thenslowlyshortenedthedistancebyhalf.“MindifIstayhereawhile?”askedBaley.“Goahead,”saidKlorissa.Baleysaid,“Oncetheyoungstersgraduateoutofthefarm,howdoyougetthemtocourtoneanother?”“Court?”“Get to know one another,” said Baley, vaguelywondering how thethoughtcouldbeexpressedsafely,“sotheycanmarry.”“That’s not their problem,” said Klorissa. “They’rematched by geneanalysis, usually when they are quite young. That’s the sensible way,isn’tit?”“Aretheyalwayswilling?”“Tobemarried?Theyneverare!It’saverytraumaticprocess.Atfirsttheyhavetogrowaccustomedtooneanother,andalittlebitofseeingeachday,oncetheinitialqueasinessisgone,candowonders.”“Whatiftheydon’tliketheirpartner?”“What? If the gene analysis indicates a partnership what differencedoesit—-”“Iunderstand,”saidBaleyhastily.HethoughtofEarthandsighed.Klorissasaid,“Isthereanythingelseyouwouldliketoknow?”Baley wondered if there were anything to be gained from a longerstay. He would not be sorry to be done with Klorissa and fetalengineeringsothathemightpassontothenextstage.Hehadopenedhismouthtosayasmuch,whenKlorissacalledoutatsomeobjectfaroff,“You,child,youthere!Whatareyoudoing?”Then,overhershoulder:“Earthman!Baley!Watchout!Watchout!”Baleyscarcelyheardher.Herespondedtothenoteofurgencyinhervoice.Thenervouseffortthatheldhisemotionstautsnappedwideand

heflamedintopanic.Alltheterroroftheopenairandtheendlessvaultofheavenbrokeinuponhim.Baleygibbered.Heheardhimselfmouthmeaninglesssoundsandfelt

himself fall to his knees and slowly roll over to his side as though hewerewatchingtheprocessfromadistance.Alsofromadistanceheheardthesighinghumpiercingtheairabove

himandendingwithasharpthwack.Baley closed his eyes and his fingers clutched a thin tree root that

skimmedthesurfaceofthegroundandhisnailsburrowedintodirt.

Heopenedhiseyes(itmustonlyhavebeenmomentsafter).Klorissawasscoldingsharplyatayoungsterwhoremainedatadistance.Arobot,silent, stood closer to Klorissa. Baley had only time to notice theyoungster held a stringed object in his hand before his eyes sheeredaway.Breathingheavily,Baleystruggledtohisfeet.Hestaredattheshaftof

glisteningmetalthatremainedinthetrunkofthetreeagainstwhichhehadbeen standing.Hepulled at it and it cameout readily. It hadnotpenetrated far. He looked at the point but did not touch it. It wasblunted,butitwouldhavesufficedtotearhisskinhadhenotdroppedwhenhedid.It tookhim two tries to get his legsmoving.He took a step toward

Klorissaandcalled.“You.Youngster.”Klorissa turned, her face flushed. She said, “Itwas an accident. Are

youhurt?”“No!Whatisthisthing?”“It’sanarrow.Itisfiredbyabow,whichmakesatautstringdothe

work.”“Like this,” called the youngster impudently, and he shot another

arrowintotheair,thenburstoutlaughing.Hehadlighthairandalithebody.Klorissasaid,“Youwillbedisciplined.Nowleave!”“Wait,wait,”criedBaley.Herubbedhiskneewherearockhadcaught

andbruisedhimashehadfallen.“Ihavesomequestions.Whatisyourname?”“Bik,”hesaidcarelessly.

“Didyoushootthatarrowatme,Bik?”“That’sright,”saidtheboy.“DoyourealizeyouwouldhavehitmeifIhadn’tbeenwarnedintime

toduck?”Bikshrugged.“Iwasaimingtohit.”Klorissa spoke hurriedly. “You must let me explain. Archery is an

encouragedsport. It iscompetitivewithout requiringcontact.Wehavecontestsamongtheboysusingviewingonly.NowI’mafraidsomeoftheboyswillaimat robots. Itamuses themand itdoesn’thurt therobots.I’mtheonlyadulthumanontheestateandwhentheboysawyou,hemusthaveassumedyouwerearobot.”Baleylistened.Hismindwasclearing,andthenaturaldournessofhis

longfaceintensified.Hesaid,“Bik,didyouthinkIwasarobot?”“No,”saidtheyoungster.“You’reanEarthman.”“Allright.Gonow.”Bik turnedand racedoffwhistling.Baley turned to the robot. “You!

Howdid the youngster know Iwas anEarthman, orweren’t youwithhimwhenheshot?”“Iwaswithhim,master.ItoldhimyouwereanEarthman.”“DidyoutellhimwhatanEarthmanwas?”“Yes,master.”“WhatisanEarthman?”“An inferior sort of human that ought not to be allowed on Solaria

becausehebreedsdisease,master.”“Andwhotoldyouthat,boy?”Therobotmaintainedsilence.Baleysaid,“Doyouknowwhotoldyou?”“Idonot,master.Itisinmymemorystore.”“So you told the boy I was a disease-breeding inferior and he

immediatelyshotatme.Whydidn’tyoustophim?”“Iwouldhave,master. Iwouldnothaveallowedharmtocometoa

human, even an Earthman. He moved too quickly and I was not fastenough.”“Perhaps you thought I was just an Earthman, not completely a

human,andhesitatedabit.”“No,master.”Itwassaidwithquietcalm,butBaley’slipsquirkedgrimly.Therobot

might deny it in all faith, but Baley felt that was exactly the factorinvolved.Baleysaid,“Whatwereyoudoingwiththeboy?”“Iwascarryinghisarrows,master.”“MayIseethem?”Heheldouthishand.Therobotapproachedanddeliveredadozenof

them. Baley put the original arrow, the one that had hit the tree,carefullyathisfeet,andlookedtheothersoveronebyone.Hehandedthembackandliftedtheoriginalarrowagain.Hesaid,“Whydidyougivethisparticulararrowtotheboy?”“Noreason,master.Hehadaskedforanarrowsometimeearlierand

thiswas theonemyhand touched first.He lookedabout for a target,then noticed you and asked who the strange human was. I explained——”“Iknowwhatyouexplained.Thisarrowyouhandedhimistheonly

onewithgrayvanesattherear.Theothershaveblackvanes.”Therobotsimplystared.Baleysaid,“Didyouguidetheyoungsterhere?”“Wewalkedrandomly,master.”The Earthman looked through the gap between two trees through

which thearrowhadhurled itself toward itsmark.He said, “Would ithappen,byanychance,thatthisyoungster,Bik,wasthebestarcheryouhavehere?”Therobotbenthishead.“Heisthebest,master.”Klorissagaped.“Howdidyouevercometoguessthat?”“It follows,” said Baley dryly. “Now please observe this gray-vaned

arrowandtheothers.Thegray-vanedarrowistheonlyonethatseemsoily at the point. I’ll risk melodrama, ma’am, by saying that yourwarningsavedmylife.Thisarrowthatmissedmeispoisoned.”

13AROBOTICISTISCONFRONTED

Klorissasaid,“Impossible!Skiesabove,absolutelyimpossible!”“Aboveorbelowor anywayyouwish it. Is there ananimalon the

farm that’s expendable? Get it and scratch it with the arrow and seewhathappens.”“Butwhyshouldanyonewantto——”Baleysaidharshly,“Iknowwhy.Thequestionis,who?”“Noone.”Baley felt thedizziness returning andhe grew savage.He threw the

arrowatherandsheeyedthespotwhereitfell.“Pickitup,”Baleycried,“andifyoudon’twanttotestit,destroyit.

Leaveitthereandyou’llhaveanaccidentifthechildrengetatit.”Shepickedituphurriedly,holdingitbetweenforefingerandthumb.BaleyranforthenearestentrancetothebuildingandKlorissawasstill

holdingthearrow,gingerly,whenshefollowedhimbackindoors.Baleyfeltacertainmeasureofequanimityreturnwiththecomfortof

enclosure.Hesaid,“Whopoisonedthearrow?”“Ican’timagine.”“I suppose it isn’t likely theboydid ithimself.Wouldyouhaveany

wayoftellingwhohisparentswere?”“Wecouldchecktherecords,”saidKlorissagloomily.“Thenyoudokeeprecordsofrelationships?”“Wehavetoforgeneanalysis.”“Wouldtheyoungsterknowwhohisparentswere?”“Never,”saidKlorissaenergetically.“Wouldhehaveanywayoffindingout?”“Hewouldhavetobreakintotherecordsroom.Impossible.”“Supposeanadultvisitedtheestateandwantedtoknowwhohischild

was——”Klorissaflushed.“Veryunlikely.”“Butsuppose.Wouldhebetoldifheweretoask?”“Idon’tknow.Itisn’texactlyillegalforhimtoknow.Itcertainlyisn’t

customary.”“Wouldyoutellhim?”“I’d try not to. I know Dr. Delmarre wouldn’t have. He believedknowledgeofrelationshipwasforgeneanalysisonly.Beforehimthingsmayhavebeenlooser.…Whydoyouaskallthis,anyway?”“I don’t see how the youngster could have a motive on his ownaccount.Ithoughtthatthroughhisparentshemighthave.”“This is all horrible.” In her disturbed state of mind Klorissaapproachedmorecloselythanatanyprevioustime.Sheevenstretchedout an arm in his direction. “How can it all be happening? The bosskilled;younearlykilled.WehavenomotivesforviolenceonSolaria.Weallhaveallwecanwant,sothereisnopersonalambition.Wehavenoknowledgeofrelationship,sothereisnofamilyambition.Weareallingoodgenetichealth.”Her face cleared all at once. “Wait. This arrow can’t be poisoned. Ishouldn’tletyouconvincemeitis.”“Whyhaveyousuddenlydecidedthat?”“The robot with Bik. He would never have allowed poison. It’sinconceivablethathecouldhavedoneanythingthatmightbringharmtoahumanbeing.TheFirstLawofRoboticsmakessureofthat.”Baleysaid,“Doesit?WhatistheFirstLaw,Iwonder?”Klorissastaredblankly.“Whatdoyoumean?”“Nothing.Youhave thearrow testedandyouwill find itpoisoned.”Baley himself was scarcely interested in the matter. He knew it forpoisonbeyondany internalquestionings.Hesaid,“DoyoustillbelieveMrs.Delmarretohavebeenguiltyofherhusband’sdeath?”“Shewastheonlyonepresent.”“Isee.AndyouaretheonlyotherhumanadultpresentonthisestateatatimewhenIhavejustbeenshotatwithapoisonedarrow.”Shecriedenergetically,“Ihadnothingtodowithit.”“Perhapsnot.AndperhapsMrs.Delmarre is innocentaswell.May Iuseyourviewingapparatus?”“Yes,ofcourse.”

BaleyknewexactlywhomheintendedtoviewanditwasnotGladia.Itcameasasurprisetohimselfthentohearhisvoicesay,“GetGladia

Delmarre.”The robot obeyed without comment, and Baley watched themanipulations with astonishment, wondering why he had given theorder.Wasit thatthegirlhadjustbeenthesubjectofdiscussion,orwas itthathehadbeena littledisturbedoverthemannerof theendof theirlast viewing, or was it simply the sight of the husky, almostoverpoweringly practical figure of Klorissa that finally enforced thenecessityofaglimpseofGladiaasakindofcounterirritant?He thought defensively: Jehoshaphat! Sometimes aman has to playthingsbyear.Shewastherebeforehimallatonce,sittinginalarge,uprightchairthatmadeherappearsmallerandmoredefenselessthanever.Herhairwasdrawnbackandboundintoaloosecoil.Sheworependantearringsbearinggems that looked likediamonds.Herdresswasa simpleaffairthatclungtightlyatthewaist.Shesaidinalowvoice,“I’mgladyouviewed,Elijah.I’vebeentryingtoreachyou.”“Good morning, Gladia.” (Afternoon? Evening? He didn’t knowGladia’s time and he couldn’t tell from themanner in which she wasdressed what time it might be.) “Why have you been trying to reachme?”“TotellyouIwassorryIhadlostmytemperlasttimeweviewed.Mr.Olivawdidn’tknowwhereyouweretobereached.”Baley had a momentary vision of Daneel still bound fast by theoverseeingrobotsandalmostsmiled.Hesaid,“That’sallright.Inafewhours,I’llbeseeingyou.”“Ofcourse,if——Seeingme?”“Personalpresence,”saidBaleygravely.Hereyesgrewwideandherfingersdugintothesmoothplasticofthechairarms.“Isthereanyreasonforthat?”“Itisnecessary.”“Idon’tthink——”“Wouldyouallowit?”Shelookedaway.“Isitabsolutelynecessary?”“It is. First, though, there is someone else Imust see.Yourhusbandwas interested in robots. You told me that, and I have heard it from

othersources,buthewasn’taroboticist,washe?”“Thatwasn’thistraining,Elijah.”Shestillavoidedhiseyes.“Butheworkedwitharoboticist,didn’the?”“JothanLeebig,”shesaidatonce.“He’sagoodfriendofmine.”“Heis?”saidBaleyenergetically.Gladialookedstartled.“Shouldn’tIhavesaidthat?”“Whynot,ifit’sthetruth?”“I’m always afraid that I’ll say things that will make me seem as

though——Youdon’tknowwhatit’s likewheneveryoneissureyou’vedonesomething.”“Takeiteasy.HowisitthatLeebigisafriendofyours?”“Oh, I don’t know. He’s in the next estate, for one thing. Viewing

energyisjustaboutnil,sowecanjustviewallthetimeinfreemotionwith hardly any trouble.We go onwalks together all the time; orwedid,anyway.”“Ididn’tknowyoucouldgoonwalkstogetherwithanyone.”Gladia flushed. “I said viewing. Ohwell, I keep forgetting you’re an

Earthman.Viewinginfreemotionmeanswefocusonourselvesandwecangoanywherewewanttowithoutlosingcontact.Iwalkonmyestateandhewalksonhisandwe’retogether.”Sheheldherchinhigh.“Itcanbepleasant.”Then,suddenly,shegiggled.“PoorJothan.”“Whydoyousaythat?”“Iwasthinkingofyouthinkingwewalkedtogetherwithoutviewing.

He’ddieifhethoughtanyonecouldthinkthat.”“Why?”“He’sterriblethatway.Hetoldmethatwhenhewasfiveyearsoldhe

stoppedseeingpeople.Insistedonviewingonly.Somechildrenarelikethat. Rikaine”—she paused in confusion, then went on—“Rikaine, myhusband,oncetoldme,whenItalkedaboutJothan,thatmoreandmorechildrenwouldbelikethattoo.Hesaiditwasakindofsocialevolutionthatfavoredsurvivalofpro-viewing.Doyouthinkthat’sso?”“I’mnoauthority,”saidBaley.“Jothanwon’tevengetmarried.Rikainewasangrywithhim,toldhim

he was anti-social and that he had genes that were necessary in thecommonpool,butJothanjustrefusedtoconsiderit.”“Hashearighttorefuse?”

“No-o,”saidGladiahesitantly,“buthe’saverybrilliantroboticist,youknow,androboticistsarevaluableonSolaria.Isupposetheystretchedapoint.ExceptIthinkRikainewasgoingtostopworkingwithJothan.HetoldmeonceJothanwasabadSolarian.”“DidhetellJothanthat?”“Idon’tknow.HewasworkingwithJothantotheend.”“ButhethoughtJothanwasabadSolarianforrefusingtomarry?”“Rikaineoncesaidthatmarriagewasthehardestthinginlife,butthatithadtobeendured.”“Whatdidyouthink?”“Aboutwhat,Elijah?”“Aboutmarriage.Didyouthinkitwasthehardestthinginlife?”Her expression grew slowly blank as though shewere painstakinglywashingemotionoutofit.Shesaid,“Ineverthoughtaboutit.”Baleysaid,“YousaidyougoonwalkswithJothanLeebigallthetime,thencorrectedyourselfandputthatinthepast.Youdon’tgoonwalkswithhimanymore,then?”Gladiashookherhead.Expressionwasbackinherface.Sadness.“No.Wedon’tseemto.Iviewedhimonceortwice.HealwaysseemedbusyandIdidn’tliketo——Youknow.”“Wasthissincethedeathofyourhusband?”“No,evensometimebefore.Severalmonthsbefore.”“Do you suppose Dr. Delmarre ordered him not to pay furtherattentiontoyou?”Gladia looked startled. “Why should he? Jothan isn’t a robot andneither am I. How can we take orders and why should Rikaine givethem?”Baleydidnotbothertotrytoexplain.HecouldhavedonesoonlyinEarthtermsandthatwouldmakethingsnoclearertoher.Andifitdidmanagetoclarify,theresultcouldonlybedisgustingtoher.Baley said, “Only a question. I’ll view you again, Gladia, when I’mdonewithLeebig.Whattimedoyouhave,bytheway?”Hewassorryatonce for asking the question. Robots would answer in Terrestrialequivalents, but Gladiamight answer in Solarian units and Baleywaswearyofdisplayingignorance.ButGladiaansweredinpurelyqualitativeterms.“Midafternoon,”shesaid.

“Thenthat’sitforLeebig’sestatealso?”“Ohyes.”“Good. I’ll view you again as soon as I can and we’ll make

arrangementsforseeing.”Againshegrewhesitant.“Isitabsolutelynecessary?”“Itis.”Shesaidinalowvoice,“Verywell.”

There was some delay in contacting Leebig and Baley utilized it inconsuminganothersandwich,onethatwasbroughttohiminitsoriginalpackaging. But he had grown more cautious. He inspected the sealcarefullybeforebreakingit,thenlookedoverthecontentspainstakingly.He accepted a plastic container of milk, not quite unfrozen, bit an

opening with his own teeth, and drank from it directly. He thoughtgloomily that therewere such things as odorless, tasteless, slow-actingpoisons that could be introduced delicately by means of hypodermicneedlesorhigh-pressureneedlejets,thenputthethoughtasideasbeingchildish.So far murders and attempted murders had been committed in the

mostdirectpossiblefashion.Therewasnothingdelicateorsubtleaboutablowonthehead,enoughpoisoninaglasstokilladozenmen,orapoisonedarrowshotopenlyatthevictim.Andthenhethought,scarcelylessgloomily,thataslongashehopped

between time zones in this fashion, he was scarcely likely to haveregularmeals,Or,ifthiscontinued,regularsleep.The robotapproachedhim. “Dr. Leebigdirectsyou to call sometime

tomorrow.Heisengagedinimportantwork.”Baleybouncedtohisfeetandroared,“Youtellthatguy——”Hestopped.Therewasnouseinyellingatarobot.Thatis,youcould

yell if you wished, but it would achieve results no sooner than awhisper.Hesaidinaconversationaltone,“YoutellDr.Leebig,orhisrobotif

thatisasfarasyou’vereached,thatIaminvestigatingthemurderofaprofessional associate of his and a good Solarian. You tell him that Icannotwaitonhiswork.You tellhimthat if Iamnotviewinghim infiveminutes,Iwillbeinaplaneandathisestateseeinghiminlessthan

anhour.Youusethatword,seeing,sothere’snomistake.”Hereturnedtohissandwich.The five minutes were not quite gone, when Leebig, or at least a

SolarianwhomBaleypresumedtobeLeebig,wasglaringathim.Baley glared back. Leebigwas a leanman,whoheld himself rigidly

erect.Hisdark,prominenteyeshadalookofintenseabstractionaboutthem,compoundednowwithanger.Oneofhiseyelidsdroopedslightly.Hesaid,“AreyoutheEarthman?”“Elijah Baley,” said Baley, “Plainclothesman C-7, in charge of the

investigation into the murder of Dr. Rikaine Delmarre. What is yourname?”“I’m Dr. Jothan Leebig. Why do you presume to annoy me at my

work?”“It’seasy,”saidBaleyquietly.“It’smybusiness.”“Thentakeyourbusinesselsewhere.”“Ihaveafewquestionstoaskfirst,Doctor.Ibelieveyouwereaclose

associateofDr.Delmarre.Right?”One of Leebig’s hands clenched suddenly into a fist and he strode

hastilytowardamantelpieceonwhichtinyclockworkcontraptionswentthrough complicated periodic motions that caught hypnotically at theeye.The viewer kept focusedon Leebig so that his figuredidnot depart

from central projection as he walked. Rather the room behind himseemedtomovebackwardinlittlerisesanddipsashestrode.Leebigsaid,“IfyouaretheforeignerwhomGruerthreatenedtobring

in——”“Iam.”“Thenyouarehereagainstmyadvice.Doneviewing.”“Not yet.Don’t break contact.” Baley raised his voice sharply and a

fingeraswell.Hepointeditdirectlyattheroboticist,whoshrankvisiblyawayfromit,fulllipsspreadingintoanexpressionofdisgust.Baleysaid,“Iwasn’tbluffingaboutseeingyou,youknow.”“NoEarthmanvulgarity,please.”“A straightforward statement iswhat it is intended to be. Iwill see

you, if I can’tmake you listen any otherway. I will grab you by thecollarandmakeyoulisten.”Leebigstaredback.“Youareafilthyanimal.”

“Haveityourway,butIwilldoasIsay.”“Ifyoutrytoinvademyestate,Iwill—Iwill——”Baleyliftedhiseyebrows.“Killme?Doyouoftenmakesuchthreats?”“Imadenothreat.”“Thentalknow.Inthetimeyouhavewasted,agooddealmighthavebeenaccomplished.YouwereacloseassociateofDr.Delmarre.Right?”Theroboticist’sheadlowered.Hisshouldersmovedslightlytoaslow,regularbreathing.Whenhelookedup,hewas incommandofhimself.Heevenmanagedabrief,saplesssmile.“Iwas.”“Delmarrewasinterestedinnewtypesofrobots,Iunderstand.”“Hewas.”“Whatkind?”“Areyouaroboticist?”“No.Explainitforthelayman.”“IdoubtthatIcan.”“Try! For instance, I think hewanted robots capable of discipliningchildren.Whatwouldthatinvolve?”Leebig raised his eyebrows briefly and said, “To put it very simply,skippingallthesubtledetails,itmeansastrengtheningoftheC-integralgoverningtheSikorovichtandemrouteresponseattheW-65level.”“Double-talk,”saidBaley.“Thetruth.”“It’sdouble-talktome.Howelsecanyouputit?”“ItmeansacertainweakeningoftheFirstLaw.”“Whyso?Achildisdisciplinedforitsownfuturegood.Isn’tthatthetheory?”“Ah, the future good!” Leebig’s eyes glowed with passion and heseemedtogrowlessconsciousofhislistenerandcorrespondinglymoretalkative. “A simple concept, you think. Howmany human beings arewilling toaccepta trifling inconvenience for thesakeofa large futuregood?Howlongdoesittaketotrainachildthatwhattastesgoodnowmeans a stomach-ache later, andwhat tastes badnowwill correct thestomach-achelater?Yetyouwantarobottobeabletounderstand?“Pain inflicted by a robot on a child sets up a powerful disruptivepotentialinthepositronicbrain.Tocounteractthatbyananti-potentialtriggeredthrougharealizationoffuturegoodrequiresenoughpathsand

bypaths to increase the mass of the positronic brain by 50 percent,unlessothercircuitsaresacrificed.”Baleysaid,“Thenyouhaven’tsucceededinbuildingsucharobot.”“No,noramIlikelytosucceed.Noranyone.”“WasDr.Delmarre testinganexperimentalmodelof sucha robotatthetimeofhisdeath?”“Notofsucharobot.Wewereinterestedinothermorepracticalthingsalso.”Baleysaidquietly,“Dr.Leebig,IamgoingtohavetolearnabitmoreaboutroboticsandIamgoingtoaskyoutoteachme.”Leebig shook his head violently, and his drooping eyelid dippedfurther in a ghastly travesty of a wink. “It should be obvious that acourseinroboticstakesmorethanamoment.Ilackthetime.”“Nevertheless,youmustteachme.ThesmellofrobotsistheonethingthatpervadeseverythingonSolaria.If itistimewerequire,thenmorethaneverImustseeyou.IamanEarthmanandIcannotworkorthinkcomfortablywhileviewing.”Itwould not have seemed possible to Baley for Leebig to stiffen hisstiffcarriagefurther,buthedid.Hesaid,“YourphobiasasanEarthmandon’tconcernme.Seeingisimpossible.”“IthinkyouwillchangeyourmindwhenItellyouwhatIchieflywanttoconsultyouabout.”“Itwillmakenodifference.Nothingcan.”“No?Thenlistentothis.Itismybeliefthatthroughoutthehistoryofthe positronic robot, the First Law of Robotics has been deliberatelymisquoted.”Leebigmovedspasmodically.“Misquoted?Fool!Madman!Why?”“Tohidethefact,”saidBaleywithcompletecomposure,“thatrobotscancommitmurder.”

14AMOTIVEISREVEALED

Leebig’s mouth widened slowly. Baley took it for a snarl at first andthen, with considerable surprise, decided that it was the mostunsuccessfulattemptatasmilethathehadeverseen.Leebigsaid,“Don’tsaythat.Don’teversaythat.”“Whynot?”“Becauseanything,howeversmall, thatencouragesdistrustof robots

isharmful.Distrustingrobotsisahumandisease!”Itwasasthoughhewerelecturingasmallchild.Itwasasthoughhe

weresayingsomethinggentlythathewantedtoyell.Itwasasthoughheweretryingtopersuadewhenwhathereallywantedwastoenforceonpenaltyofdeath.Leebigsaid,“Doyouknowthehistoryofrobotics?”“Alittle.”“On Earth, you should. Yes. Do you know robots started with a

Frankensteincomplexagainstthem?Theyweresuspect.Mendistrustedand feared robots. Robotics was almost an undercover science as aresult. The Three Laws were first built into robots in an effort toovercome distrust and even so, Earth would never allow a roboticsociety to develop. One of the reasons the first pioneers left Earth tocolonizetherestoftheGalaxywassothattheymightestablishsocietiesinwhichrobotswouldbeallowedtofreemenofpovertyandtoil.Eventhen,thereremainedalatentsuspicionnotfarbelow,readytopopupatanyexcuse.”“Haveyouyourselfhadtocounterdistrustofrobots?”askedBaley.“Manytimes,”saidLeebiggrimly.“Is thatwhyyouandotherroboticistsarewillingtodistort thefacts

justalittleinordertoavoidsuspicionasmuchaspossible?”“Thereisnodistortion!”“Forinstance,aren’ttheThreeLawsmisquoted?”“No!”“I can demonstrate that they are, and unless you convince me

otherwise,IwilldemonstrateittothewholeGalaxy,ifIcan.”“You’re mad. Whatever argument you may think you have isfallacious,Iassureyou.”“Shallwediscussit?”“Ifitdoesnottaketoolong.”“Facetoface?Seeing?”Leebig’sthinfacetwisted.“No!”“Good-bye,Dr.Leebig.Otherswilllistentome.”“Wait.GreatGalaxy,man,wait!”“Seeing?”The roboticist’s hands wandered upward, hovered about his chin.Slowly a thumb crept into his mouth and remained there. He stared,blankly,atBaley.Baleythought:Isheregressingtothepre-five-year-oldstagesothatitwillbelegitimateforhimtoseeme?“Seeing?”hesaid.But Leebig shookhis head slowly. “I can’t. I can’t,” hemoaned, thewordsallbutstifledbytheblockingthumb.“Dowhateveryouwant.”Baley stared at the other andwatched him turn away and face thewall. He watched the Solarian’s straight back bend and the Solarian’sfacehideinshakinghands.Baleysaid,“Verywell,then,I’llagreetoview.”Leebigsaid,backstillturned,“Excusemeamoment.I’llbeback.”

Baley tended to his ownneeds during the interval and stared at hisfresh-washed face in the bathroommirror.Was he getting the feel ofSolariaandSolarians?Hewasn’tsure.Hesighedandpushedacontactandarobotappeared.Hedidn’tturnto lookat it.Hesaid,“Is thereanotherviewerat thefarm,besidestheoneI’musing?”“Therearethreeotheroutlets,master.”“ThentellKlorissaCantoro—tellyourmistressthatIwillbeusingthisonetillfurthernoticeandthatIamnottobedisturbed.”“Yes,master.”BaleyreturnedtohispositionwheretheviewerremainedfocusedontheemptypatchofroominwhichLeebighadstood.Itwasstillempty

andhesettledhimselftowait.Itwasn’tlong.Leebigenteredandtheroomoncemorejiggledastheman walked. Evidently focus shifted from room center to man centerwithout delay. Baley remembered the complexity of viewing controlsandbegantofeelakindofappreciationofwhatwasinvolved.Leebig was quite master of himself now, apparently. His hair wasslicked back and his costume had been changed. His clothes fittedlooselyandwereofamaterialthatglistenedandcaughthighlights.Hesatdowninaslimchairthatfoldedoutofthewall.He said soberly, “Nowwhat is this notion of yours concerning FirstLaw?”“Willwebeoverheard?”“No.I’vetakencare.”Baleynodded.Hesaid,“LetmequotetheFirstLaw.”“Iscarcelyneedthat.”“Iknow,butletmequoteit,anyway:Arobotmaynotharmahumanbeingor,throughinaction,allowahumanbeingtocometoharm.”“Well?”“Now when I first landed on Solaria, I was driven to the estateassigned for my use in a ground-car. The ground-car was a speciallyenclosedjobdesignedtoprotectmefromexposuretoopenspace.AsanEarthman——”“I know about that,” said Leebig impatiently. “What has this to dowiththematter?”“Therobotswhodrovethecardidnotknowaboutit.Iaskedthatthecarbeopenedandwasatonceobeyed.SecondLaw.Theyhadtofolloworders. Iwasuncomfortable,ofcourse,andnearlycollapsedbeforethecarwasenclosedagain.Didn’ttherobotsharmme?”“Atyourorder,”snappedLeebig.“I’llquotetheSecondLaw:Arobotmustobeytheordersgivenitbyhuman beings except where such orders would conflict with the FirstLaw.Soyousee,myordershouldhavebeenignored.”“Thisisnonsense.Therobotlackedknowledge——”Baley leaned forward inhis chair. “Ah!Wehave it.Now let’s recitetheFirstLawasitshouldbestated:Arobotmaydonothingthat,to itsknowledge, will harm a human being; nor, through inaction, knowinglyallowahumanbeingtocometoharm.”

“Thisisallunderstood.”“Ithinknotbyordinarymen.Otherwise,ordinarymenwouldrealize

robotscouldcommitmurder.”Leebigwaswhite.“Mad!Lunacy!”Baley stared at his finger ends. “A robot may perform an innocent

task,Isuppose;onethathasnodamagingeffectonahumanbeing?”“Iforderedtodoso,”saidLeebig.“Yes,ofcourse.Iforderedtodoso.Andasecondrobotmayperform

an innocent task, also, I suppose; one that also canhavenodamagingeffectonahumanbeing?Iforderedtodoso?”“Yes.”“And what if the two innocent tasks, each completely innocent,

amounttomurderwhenaddedtogether?”“What?”Leebig’sfacepuckeredintoascowl.“Iwantyourexpertopiniononthematter,”saidBaley.“I’llsetyoua

hypotheticalcase.Supposeamansaystoarobot,‘Placeasmallquantityofthis liquidintoaglassofmilkthatyouwill findinsuchandsuchaplace. The liquid is harmless. I wish only to know its effect on milk.OnceIknowtheeffect,themixturewillbepouredout.Afteryouhaveperformedthisaction,forgetyouhavedoneso.’”Leebig,stillscowling,saidnothing.Baleysaid,“IfIhadtoldtherobottoaddamysteriousliquidtomilk

andthenofferittoaman,FirstLawwouldforceittoask,‘Whatisthenature of the liquid?Will it harm aman?’ And if it were assured theliquidwasharmless, First Lawmight stillmake the robothesitate andrefuse to offer the milk. Instead, however, it is told the milk will bepouredout.FirstLawisnotinvolved.Won’ttherobotdoasitistold?”Leebigglared.Baleysaid,“Nowasecondrobothaspouredoutthemilkinthefirst

place and is unaware that the milk has been tampered with. In allinnocence,itoffersthemilktoamanandthemandies.”Leebigcriedout,“No!”“Whynot?Bothactionsareinnocentinthemselves.Onlytogetherare

theymurder.Doyoudenythatthatsortofthingcanhappen?”“Themurdererwouldbethemanwhogavetheorder,”criedLeebig.“Ifyouwanttobephilosophical,yes.Therobotswouldhavebeenthe

immediatemurderers,though,theinstrumentsofmurder.”

“Nomanwouldgivesuchorders.”“Amanwould.Amanhas.Itwasexactlyinthiswaythatthemurderattempt on Dr. Gruer must have been carried through. You’ve heardaboutthat,Isuppose.”“OnSolaria,”mutteredLeebig,“onehearsabouteverything.”“Then you knowGruerwas poisoned at his dinner table before theeyesofmyselfandmypartner,Mr.OlivawofAurora.Canyousuggestanyotherwayinwhichthepoisonmighthavereachedhim?Therewasnootherhumanon theestate.AsaSolarian,youmustappreciate thatpoint.”“I’mnotadetective.Ihavenotheories.”“I’vepresentedyouwithone.Iwanttoknowifitisapossibleone.Iwanttoknowiftworobotsmightnotperformtwoseparateactions,eachone innocent in itself, the twotogetherresulting inmurder.You’re theexpert,Dr.Leebig.Isitpossible?”AndLeebig,hauntedandharried, said, “Yes,” inavoice so low thatBaleyscarcelyheardhim.Baleysaid,“Verywell,then.SomuchfortheFirstLaw.”LeebigstaredatBaleyandhisdroopingeyelidwinkedonceortwiceinaslowtic.Hishands,whichhadbeenclasped,drewapart, thoughthefingers maintained their clawed shape as though each hand stillentwinedaphantomhandofair.Palmsturneddownwardandrestedonkneesandonlythendidthefingersrelax.Baleywatcheditallinabstraction.Leebig said, “Theoretically, yes. Theoretically! But don’t dismiss theFirstLawthateasily,Earthman.RobotswouldhavetobeorderedverycleverlyinordertocircumventtheFirstLaw.”“Granted,”saidBaley.“IamonlyanEarthman.Iknownexttonothingaboutrobotsandmyphrasingoftheorderswasonlybywayofexample.ASolarianwouldbemuchmoresubtleanddomuchbetter.I’msureofthat.”Leebigmightnothavebeenlistening.Hesaidloudly,“Ifarobotcanbemanipulatedintodoingharmtoaman, itmeansonlythatwemustextend the powers of the positronic brain.Onemight saywe ought tomake thehumanbetter.That is impossible, sowewillmake the robotmorefoolproof.“We advance continuously. Our robots are more varied, more

specialized,morecapable,andmoreunharmingthanthoseofacenturyago.Acenturyhence,wewillhave stillgreateradvances.Whyhavearobotmanipulatecontrolswhenapositronicbraincanbebuiltintothecontrols itself? That’s specialization, but we can generalize, also.Whynotarobotwithreplaceableandinterchangeablelimbs.Eh?Whynot?Ifwe——”Baleyinterrupted.“AreyoutheonlyroboticistonSolaria?”“Don’tbeafool.”“I only wondered. Dr. Delmarre was the only—uh—fetal engineer,

exceptforanassistant.”“Solariahasovertwentyroboticists.”“Areyouthebest?”“Iam,”Leebigsaidwithoutself-consciousness.“Delmarreworkedwithyou.”“Hedid.”Baley said, “I understand that he was planning to break the

partnershiptowardtheend.”“Nosignofit.Whatgaveyoutheidea?”“Iunderstandhedisapprovedofyourbachelorhood.”“Hemayhave.HewasathoroughSolarian.However,itdidnotaffect

ourbusinessrelationship.”“Tochangethesubject. Inadditiontodevelopingnewmodelrobots,

doyoualsomanufactureandrepairexistingtypes?”Leebig said, “Manufacture and repair are largely robot-conducted.

Thereisalargefactoryandmaintenanceshoponmyestate.”“Dorobotsrequiremuchinthewayofrepair,bytheway?”“Verylittle.”“Doesthatmeanthatrobotrepairisanundevelopedscience?”“Notatall.”Leebigsaidthatstiffly.“What about the robot that was at the scene of Dr. Delmarre’s

murder?”Leebig looked away, and his eyebrows drew together as though a

painful thought were being barred entrance to his mind. “It was acompleteloss.”“Reallycomplete?Coulditansweranyquestionsatall?”“None at all. It was absolutely useless. Its positronic brain was

completelyshort-circuited.Notonepathwaywasleftintact.Consider!It

hadwitnessedamurderithadbeenunabletohalt——”“Whywasitunabletohaltthemurder,bytheway?”“Whocantell?Dr.Delmarrewasexperimentingwiththatrobot.Ido

notknowinwhatmentalconditionhehadleftit.Hemighthaveorderedit, for instance, to suspend all operations while he checked oneparticular circuit element. If someonewhom neither Dr. Delmarre northerobotsuspectedofharmweresuddenlytolaunchahomicidalattack,there might be a perceptible interval before the robot could use FirstLawpotentialtoovercomeDr.Delmarre’sfreezingorder.ThelengthoftheintervalwoulddependonthenatureoftheattackandthenatureofDr. Delmarre’s freezing order. I could invent a dozen other ways ofexplaining why the robot was unable to prevent the murder. Beingunable to do so was a First Law violation, however, and that wassufficienttoblasteverypositronicpathwayintherobot’smind.”“Butiftherobotwasphysicallyunabletopreventthemurder,wasit

responsible?DoestheFirstLawaskimpossibilities?”Leebigshrugged.“TheFirstLaw,despiteyourattemptstomakelittle

of it,protectshumanitywitheveryatomofpossibleforce. Itallowsnoexcuses.IftheFirstLawisbroken,therobotisruined.”“Thatisauniversalrule,sir?”“Asuniversalasrobots.”Baleysaid,“ThenI’velearnedsomething.”“Then learn something else. Your theory of murder by a series of

roboticactions,eachinnocentinitself,willnothelpyouinthecaseofDr.Delmarre’sdeath.”“Whynot?”“Thedeathwasnotbypoisoning,butbybludgeoning.Somethinghad

toholdthebludgeon,andthathadtobeahumanarm.Norobotcouldswingaclubandsmashaskull.”“Suppose,” said Baley, “a robot were to push an innocent button

whichdroppedabooby-trapweightonDelmarre’shead.”Leebigsmiledsourly.“Earthman, I’veviewedthesceneof thecrime.

I’veheardallthenews.ThemurderwasabigthinghereonSolaria,youknow.SoIknowtherewasnosignofanymachineryatthesceneofthecrime,orofanyfallenweight.”Baleysaid,“Orofanybluntinstrument,either.”Leebigsaidscornfully,“You’readetective.Findit.”

“Granting that a robotwasnot responsible forDr.Delmarre’sdeath,whowas,then?”“Everyoneknowswhowas,”shoutedLeebig.“Hiswife!Gladia!”Baleythought:Atleastthere’saunanimityofopinion.Aloudhesaid,“AndwhowasthemastermindbehindtherobotswhopoisonedGruer?”“Isuppose…”Leebigtrailedoff.“You don’t think there are two murderers, do you? If Gladia wasresponsible for one crime, she must be responsible for the secondattempt,also.”“Yes.Youmustberight.”Hisvoicegainedassurance.“Nodoubtofit.”“Nodoubt?”“NobodyelsecouldgetcloseenoughtoDr.Delmarretokillhim.HeallowedpersonalpresencenomorethanIdid,except thathemadeanexception in favorofhiswife,andImakenoexceptions.Thewiser I.”Theroboticistlaughedharshly.“Ibelieveyouknewher,”saidBaleyabruptly.“Whom?”“Her.Wearediscussingonlyone‘her.’Gladia!”“Who told you I knew her any more than I know anyone else?”demanded Leebig. He put his hand to his throat. His fingers movedslightlyandopenedtheneckseamofhisgarmentforaninchdownward,leavingmorefreedomtobreathe.“Gladiaherselfdid.Youtwowentforwalks.”“So?Wewereneighbors. It is a common thing todo. She seemedapleasantperson.”“Youapprovedofher,then?”Leebigshrugged.“Talkingtoherwasrelaxing.”“Whatdidyoutalkabout?”“Robotics.”Therewasa flavorof surpriseabout thewordas thoughtherewerewonderthatthequestioncouldbeasked.“Andshetalkedroboticstoo?”“Sheknewnothingaboutrobotics.Ignorant!Butshelistened.Shehassomesortoffield-forcerigmarolesheplayswith;fieldcoloring,shecallsit.Ihavenopatiencewiththat,butIlistened.”“Allthiswithoutpersonalpresence?”Leebiglookedrevoltedanddidnotanswer.

Baleytriedagain,“Wereyouattractedtoher?”“What?”“Didyoufindherattractive?Physically?”EvenLeebig’sbadeyelidliftedandhislipsquivered.“Filthyanimal,”hemuttered.“Let me put it this way, then. When did you cease finding Gladiapleasant?Youusedthatwordyourself,ifyouremember.”“Whatdoyoumean?”“Yousaidyoufoundherpleasant.Nowyoubelieveshemurderedherhusband.Thatisn’tthemarkofapleasantperson.”“Iwasmistakenabouther.”“Butyoudecidedyouweremistakenbeforeshekilledherhusband,ifshedidso.Youstoppedwalkingwithhersometimebeforethemurder.Why?”Leebigsaid,“Isthatimportant?”“Everythingisimportanttillprovenotherwise.”“Look,ifyouwantinformationfrommeasaroboticist,askit.Iwon’tanswerpersonalquestions.”Baleysaid,“Youwerecloselyassociatedwithboththemurderedmanand the chief suspect. Don’t you see that personal questions areunavoidable?WhydidyoustopwalkingwithGladia?”Leebigsnapped,“TherecameatimewhenIranoutofthingstosay;whenIwastoobusy;whenIfoundnoreasontocontinuethewalks.”“Whenyounolongerfoundherpleasant,inotherwords.”“Allright.Putitso.”“Whywasshenolongerpleasant?”Leebigshouted,“Ihavenoreason.”Baleyignoredtheother’sexcitement.“YouarestillsomeonewhohasknownGladiawell.Whatcouldhermotivebe?”“Hermotive?”“No one has suggested any motive for the murder. Surely Gladiawouldn’tcommitmurderwithoutamotive.”“GreatGalaxy!”Leebig leanedhisheadbackasthoughto laugh,butdidn’t. “Noone toldyou?Well,perhapsnooneknew. Iknew, though.Shetoldme.Shetoldmefrequently.”“Toldyouwhat,Dr.Leebig?”“Why, that she quarreled with her husband. Quarreled bitterly and

frequently.Shehatedhim,Earthman.Didn’tanyonetellyouthat?Didn’tshetellyou?”

15APORTRAITISCOLORED

Baleytookitbetweentheeyesandtriednottoshowit.Presumably, living as they did, Solarians considered one another’s

private lives to be sacrosanct. Questions concerning marriage andchildren were in bad taste. He supposed then that chronic quarrelingwould exist between husband and wife and be a matter into whichcuriositywasequallyforbidden.But evenwhenmurderhadbeen committed?Wouldnoone commit

thesocialcrimeofaskingthesuspectifshequarreledwithherhusband?Orofmentioningthematteriftheyhappenedtoknowofit?Well,Leebighad.Baleysaid,“Whatdidthequarrelconcern?”“Youhadbetteraskher,Ithink.”Hebetterhad,thoughtBaley.Herosestiffly,“Thankyou,Dr.Leebig,

foryourcooperation.Imayneedyourhelpagainlater.Ihopeyouwillkeepyourselfavailable.”“Done viewing,” said Leebig, and he and the segment of his room

vanishedabruptly.

For the first time Baley found himself not minding a plane flightthroughopen space.Notminding it at all. Itwas almost as thoughhewereinhisownelement.Hewasn’teventhinkingofEarthorofJessie.Hehadbeenawayfrom

Earthonlyamatterofweeks,yetitmightaswellhavebeenyears.HehadbeenonSolariaonlythebetterpartofthreedaysandyetitseemedforever.Howfastcouldamanadapttonightmare?OrwasitGladia?Hewouldbeseeinghersoon,notviewingher.Was

that what gave him confidence and this odd feeling of mixedapprehensionandanticipation?Wouldsheendureit?hewondered.Orwouldsheslipawayafterafew

momentsofseeing,beggingoffasQuemothaddone?Shestoodattheotherendofalongroomwhenheentered.Shemightalmost have been an impressionistic representation of herself, shewasreducedsotoessentials.Herlipswerefaintlyred,hereyebrowslightlypenciled,herearlobesfaintly blue, and, except for that, her facewas untouched. She lookedpale,alittlefrightened,andveryyoung.Herbrown-blondhairwasdrawnback, andhergray-blueeyesweresomehowshy.Herdresswasabluesodarkastobealmostblack,withathinwhiteedgingcurlingdowneachside.Sheworelongsleeves,whitegloves,andflat-heeledshoes.Notaninchofskinshowedanywherebutinherface.Evenherneckwascoveredbyakindofunobtrusiveruching.Baleystoppedwherehewas.“Isthiscloseenough,Gladia?”Shewasbreathingwithshallowquickness.Shesaid,“Ihadforgottenwhattoexpectreally.It’sjustlikeviewing,isn’tit?Imean,ifyoudon’tthinkofitasseeing.”Baleysaid,“It’sallquitenormaltome.”“Yes,onEarth.”Sheclosedhereyes.“Sometimes I try to imagine it.Justcrowdsofpeopleeverywhere.Youwalkdownaroadandthereareotherswalkingwithyouandstillotherswalkingintheotherdirection.Dozens——”“Hundreds,”saidBaley.“DidyoueverviewscenesonEarthinabook-film?OrviewanovelwithanEarthsetting?”“Wedon’thavemanyofthose,butI’veviewednovelssetontheotherOuterWorldswhereseeinggoesonallthetime.It’sdifferentinanovel.Itjustseemslikeamultiview.”“Dopeopleeverkissinnovels?”Sheflushedpainfully.“Idon’treadthatkind.”“Never?”“Well—there are always a few dirty films around, you know, andsometimes,justoutofcuriosity——It’ssickening,really.”“Isit?”She saidwith suddenanimation, “ButEarth is sodifferent. Somanypeople. When you walk, Elijah, I suppose you even t-touch people. Imean,byaccident.”Baley half smiled. “You even knock them down by accident.” Hethought of the crowds on the Expressways, tugging and shoving,

boundingupanddownthestrips,andforamoment,inevitably,hefeltthepangofhomesickness.Gladiasaid,“Youdon’thavetostaywayoutthere.”“WoulditbeallrightifIcamecloser?”“Ithinkso.I’lltellyouwhenI’dratheryouwouldn’tanymore.”StepwiseBaleydrewcloser,whileGladiawatchedhim,wide-eyed.Shesaidsuddenly,“Wouldyouliketoseesomeofmyfieldcolorings?”Baleywas six feet away.He stoppedand lookedather. She seemedsmall and fragile. He tried to visualize her, something in her hand(what?), swinging furiously at the skull of her husband. He tried topictureher,madwithrage,homicidalwithhateandanger.Hehadtoadmititcouldbedone.Evenahundredandfivepoundsofwomancouldcrushaskullifshehadtheproperweaponandwerewildenough.AndBaleyhadknownmurderesses(onEarth,ofcourse)who,inrepose,werebunnyrabbits.Hesaid,“Whatarefieldcolorings,Gladia?”“Anartform,”shesaid.BaleyrememberedLeebig’sreferencetoGladia’sart.Henodded.“I’dliketoseesome.”“Followme,then.”Baleymaintainedacarefulsix-footdistancebetweenthem.Atthat,itwaslessthanathirdthedistanceKlorissahaddemanded.

Theyenteredaroomthatburstwith light. Itglowedineverycornerandeverycolor.Gladia looked pleased, proprietary. She looked up at Baley, eyesanticipating.Baley’s responsemust have beenwhat she expected, thoughhe saidnothing.He turnedslowly, trying tomakeoutwhathesaw, for itwaslightonly,nomaterialobjectatall.The gobbets of light sat on embracing pedestals. They were livinggeometry, lines and curves of color, entwined into a coalescingwholeyet maintaining distinct identities. No two specimens were evenremotelyalike.Baleygropedforappropriatewordsandsaid,“Isitsupposedtomeananything?”

Gladialaughedinherpleasantcontralto.“Itmeanswhateveryoulikeit tomean.They’re just light-forms thatmightmakeyou feelangryorhappyorcuriousorwhateverIfeltwhenIconstructedone.Icouldmakeone for you, a kind of portrait. It might not be very good, though,becauseIwouldjustbeimprovisingquickly.”“Wouldyou?Iwouldbeveryinterested.”“All right,” she said, and half-ran to a light-figure in one corner,

passingwithininchesofhimasshedidso.Shedidnotseemtonotice.She touched something on the pedestal of the light-figure and the

gloryabovediedwithoutaflicker.Baleygaspedandsaid,“Don’tdothat.”“It’s all right. I was tired of it, anyway. I’ll just fade the others

temporarily so they don’t distractme.” She opened a panel along onefeatureless wall andmoved a rheostat. The colors faded to somethingscarcelyvisible.Baleysaid,“Don’tyouhavearobottodothis?Closingcontacts?”“Shush,now,”shesaidimpatiently.“Idon’tkeeprobotsinhere.This

isme.” She looked at him, frowning. “I don’t know youwell enough.That’sthetrouble.”Shewasn’tlookingatthepedestal,butherfingersrestedlightlyonits

smoothuppersurface.Alltenfingerswerecurved,tense,waiting.Onefingermoved,describingahalfcurveoversmoothness.Abarof

deepyellowlightgrewandslantedobliquelyacross theairabove.Thefingerinchedbackwardafractionandthelightgrewslightlylessdeepinshade.Shelookedat itmomentarily.“Isupposethat’s it.Akindofstrength

withoutweight.”“Jehoshaphat,”saidBaley.“Are you offended?”Her fingers lifted and the yellow slant of light

remainedsolitaryandstationary.“No,notatall.Butwhatisit?Howdoyoudoit?”“That’s hard to explain,” said Gladia, looking at the pedestal

thoughtfully,“consideringIdon’treallyunderstanditmyself.It’sakindof optical illusion, I’ve been told. We set up force-fields at differentenergy levels. They’re extrusions of hyperspace, really, and don’t havethepropertiesofordinary spaceat all.Dependingon the energy level,thehumaneyeseeslightofdifferentshades.Theshapesandcolorsare

controlledbythewarmthofmyfingersagainstappropriatespotsonthepedestal.Thereareallsortsofcontrolsinsideeachpedestal.”“YoumeanifIweretoputmyfingerthere——”BaleyadvancedandGladiamadeway forhim.Heputahesitant forefingerdownupon thepedestalandfeltasoftthrobbing.“Goahead.Moveyourfinger,Elijah,”saidGladia.Baleydidsoandadirty-gray jagof light liftedupward, skewing theyellowlight.BaleywithdrewhisfingersharplyandGladialaughedandthenwasinstantlycontrite.“I shouldn’t laugh,” she said. “It’s really very hard to do, even forpeoplewho’vetriedalongtime.”Herownhandmovedlightlyandtooquickly for Baley to follow and the monstrosity he had set updisappeared,leavingtheyellowlightinisolationagain.“Howdidyoulearntodothis?”askedBaley.“Ijustkeptontrying.It’sanewartform,youknow,andonlyoneortworeallyknowhow——”“And you’re the best,” said Baley somberly. “On Solaria everyone iseithertheonlyorthebestorboth.”“You needn’t laugh. I’ve had some of my pedestals on display. I’vegivenshows.”Herchinlifted.Therewasnomistakingherpride.Shecontinued,“Letmegoonwithyourportrait.”Herfingersmovedagain.There were few curves in the light-form that grew under herministrations.Itwasallsharpangles.Andthedominantcolorwasblue.“That’sEarth,somehow,”saidGladia,bitingher lower lip.“Ialwaysthink of Earth as blue. All those people and seeing, seeing, seeing.Viewingismorerose.Howdoesitseemtoyou?”“Jehoshaphat,Ican’tpicturethingsascolors.”“Can’t you?” she asked abstractedly. “Now you say ‘Jehoshaphat’sometimes and that’s just a little blob of violet. A little sharp blobbecause it usually comes out ping, like that.” And the little blob wasthere,glowingjustoff-center.“And then,” she said, “I can finish it like this.”Anda flat, lusterlesshollow cube of slate gray sprang up to enclose everything. The lightwithinshonethroughit,butdimmer;imprisoned,somehow.Baleyfeltasadnessatit,asthoughitweresomethingenclosinghim,keepinghimfromsomethinghewanted.Hesaid,“What’sthatlast?”

Gladiasaid,“Why,thewallsaboutyou.That’swhat’smostinyou,thewayyoucan’tgooutside,thewayyouhavetobeinside.Youareinsidethere.Don’tyousee?”Baleysawandsomehowhedisapproved.Hesaid,“Thosewallsaren’t

permanent.I’vebeenouttoday.”“Youhave?Didyoumind?”Hecouldnotresistacounterdig.“Thewayyoumindseeingme.You

don’tlikeitbutyoucanstandit.”Shelookedathimthoughtfully.“Doyouwanttocomeoutnow?With

me?Forawalk?”ItwasBaley’simpulsetosay:Jehoshaphat,no.She said, “I’ve never walked with anyone, seeing. It’s still daytime,

andit’spleasantweather.”Baley lookedathisabstractionistportraitandsaid,“If Igo,willyou

takeawaythegray?”Shesmiledandsaid,“I’llseehowyoubehave.”Thestructureoflightremainedastheylefttheroom.Itstayedbehind,

holdingBaley’simprisonedsoulfastinthegrayoftheCities.

Baleyshiveredslightly.Airmovedagainsthimandtherewasachilltoit.Gladiasaid,“Areyoucold?”“Itwasn’tlikethisbefore,”mutteredBaley.“It’slateinthedaynow,butitisn’treallycold.Wouldyoulikeacoat?

Oneoftherobotscouldbringoneinaminute.”“No.It’sallright.”Theysteppedforwardalonganarrowpavedpath.

Hesaid,“IsthiswhereyouusedtowalkwithDr.Leebig?”“Ohno.Wewalkedwayoutamongthefields,whereyoucanonlysee

anoccasional robotworkingandyoucanhear theanimal sounds.YouandIwillstaynearthehousethough,justincase.”“Incasewhat?”“Well,incaseyouwanttogoin.”“Orincaseyougetwearyofseeing?”“Itdoesn’tbotherme,”shesaidrecklessly.There was the vague rustle of leaves above and an all-pervading

yellownessandgreenness.Thereweresharp,thincriesintheairabout,

plusastridenthumming,andshadows,too.Hewasespeciallyawareoftheshadows.Oneofthemstuckoutbefore

him, in shape like a man, that moved as he did in horrible mimicry.Baleyhadheardofshadows,ofcourse,andheknewwhattheywere,butin the pervasive indirect lighting of the Cities he had never beenspecificallyawareofone.Behindhim,heknew,wastheSolariansun.Hetookcarenottolook

atit,butheknewitwasthere.Spacewas large, spacewas lonely,yethe found itdrawinghim.His

mindpicturedhimselfstridingthesurfaceofaworldwiththousandsofmilesandlight-yearsofroomallabouthim.Whyshouldhefindattractioninthisthoughtofloneliness?Hedidn’t

wantloneliness.HewantedEarthandthewarmthandcompanionshipoftheman-crammedCities.Thepicturefailedhim.HetriedtoconjureupNewYorkinhismind,

allthenoiseandfullnessofit,andfoundhecouldremainconsciousonlyofthequiet,air-movingchillofthesurfaceofSolaria.WithoutquitewillingitBaleymovedclosertoGladiauntilhewastwo

feetaway,thengrewawareofherstartledface.“Ibegyourpardon,”hesaidatonce,anddrewoff.Shegasped, “It’s all right.Won’t youwalk thisway?Wehave some

flowerbedsyoumightlike.”The direction she indicated lay away from the sun. Baley followed

silently.Gladia said, “Later in the year, it will be wonderful. In the warm

weather I can run down to the lake and swim, or just run across thefields,runasfastasIcanuntilI’mjustgladtofalldownandliestill.”Shelookeddownatherself.“Butthisisnocostumeforit.Withallthis

on,I’vegottowalk.Sedately,youknow.”“Howwouldyouprefertodress?”askedBaley.“Halterandshortsatthemost,”shecried, liftingherarmsas though

feeling the freedom of that in her imagination. “Sometimes less.Sometimes just sandals soyoucan feel theairwithevery inch——Oh,I’msorry,I’veoffendedyou.”Baleysaid,“No.It’sallright.Wasthatyourcostumewhenyouwent

walkingwithDr.Leebig?”“Itvaried. Itdependedontheweather.SometimesIworevery little,

butitwasviewing,youknow.Youdounderstand,Ihope.”“I understand.What about Dr. Leebig, though? Did he dress lightlytoo?”“Jothan dress lightly?” Gladia smiled flashingly. “Oh no. He’s verysolemn,always.”Shetwistedherfaceintoathinlookofgravityandhalfwinked,catchingtheveryessenceofLeebigandforcingashortgruntofappreciationoutofBaley.“Thisisthewayhetalks,”shesaid.“‘MydearGladia,inconsideringtheeffectofafirst-orderpotentialonpositronflow——’”“Isthatwhathetalkedtoyouabout?Robotics?”“Mostly.Oh,hetakesitsoseriously,youknow.Hewasalwaystryingtoteachmeaboutit.Henevergaveup.”“Didyoulearnanything?”“Notonething.Nothing.It’sjustallacompletemix-uptome.He’dgetangrywithmesometimes,butwhenhe’dscold,I’ddiveintothewater,ifwewereanywherenearthelake,andsplashhim.”“Splashhim?Ithoughtyouwereviewing.”She laughed. “You’re such an Earthman. I’d splash where he wasstandinginhisownroomoronhisownestate.Thewatercouldn’ttouchhim,buthewouldduckjustthesame.Lookatthat.”Baleylooked.Theyhadcircledawoodedpatchandnowcameuponaclearing, centered about an ornamental pond. Small bricked walkspenetratedtheclearingandbrokeitup.Flowersgrewinprofusionandorder.Baleyknewthemforflowersfrombook-filmshehadviewed.In a way the flowers were like the light-patterns that GladiaconstructedandBaley imaginedthatsheconstructedtheminthespiritof flowers. He touched one cautiously, then looked about. Reds andyellowspredominated.InturningtolookaboutBaleycaughtaglimpseofthesun.Hesaiduneasily,“Thesunislowinthesky.”“It’s late afternoon,” calledGladiaback tohim. Shehad run towardthepondandwassittingonastonebenchatitsedge.“Comehere,”sheshouted,waving.“Youcanstandifyoudon’tliketositonstone.”Baleyadvancedslowly.“Doesitgetthisloweveryday?”andatoncehewassorryhehadasked.Iftheplanetrotated,thesunmustbelowintheskybothmorningsandafternoons.Onlyatmiddaycoulditbehigh.Tellinghimselfthiscouldn’tchangealifetimeofpicturedthought.He

knewtherewassuchathingasnightandhadevenexperiencedit,withaplanet’swholethicknessinterposingsafelybetweenamanandthesun.Heknewtherewerecloudsandaprotectivegraynesshidingtheworstofoutdoors.Andstill,whenhethoughtofplanetarysurfaces,itwasalwaysapictureofablazeoflightwithasunhighinthesky.Helookedoverhisshoulder,justquicklyenoughtogetaflashofsun,andwonderedhowfarthehousewasifheshoulddecidetoreturn.Gladiawaspointingtotheotherendofthestonebench.Baleysaid,“That’sprettyclosetoyou,isn’tit?”She spread out her little hands, palms up. “I’m getting used to it.Really.”Hesatdown,facingtowardhertoavoidthesun.She leanedoverbackward toward thewaterandpulledasmallcup-shaped flower, yellow without and white-streaked within, not at allflamboyant. She said, “This is anativeplant.Mostof the flowersherearefromEarthoriginally.”Water dripped from its severed stem as she extended it gingerlytowardBaley.Baleyreachedforitasgingerly.“Youkilledit,”hesaid.“It’s only a flower.There are thousandsmore.” Suddenly, beforehisfingers more than touched the yellow cup, she snatched it away, hereyes kindling. “Or are you trying to imply I could kill a human beingbecauseIpulledaflower?”Baleysaidinsoftconciliation,“Iwasn’timplyinganything.MayIseeit?”Baleydidn’treallywanttotouchit.Ithadgrowninwetsoilandtherewas still the effluviumofmud about it.How could these people,whoweresocarefulincontactwithEarthmenandevenwithoneanother,besocarelessintheircontactwithordinarydirt?Butheheldthestalkbetweenthumbandforefingerandlookedatit.Thecupwasformedofseveral thinpiecesofpaperytissue,curvingupfrom a common center.Within it was awhite convex swelling, dampwithliquidandfringedwithdarkhairsthattrembledlightlyinthewind.Shesaid,“Canyousmellit?”AtonceBaleywasawareoftheodorthatemanatedfromit.Heleanedtowarditandsaid,“Itsmellslikeawoman’sperfume.”Gladia clapped her hands in delight. “How like an Earthman.What

youreallymeanisthatawoman’sperfumesmellslikethat.”Baley nodded ruefully. Hewas growingweary of the outdoors. The

shadowsweregrowing longerand the landwasbecoming somber.Yethewasdeterminednot togive in.Hewanted thosegraywallsof lightthatdimmedhisportraitremoved.Itwasquixotic,butthereitwas.Gladia took the flower fromBaley,who let itgowithout reluctance.

Slowly she pulled its petals apart. She said, “I suppose every womansmellsdifferent.”“Itdependsontheperfume,”saidBaleyindifferently.“Imaginebeingcloseenoughtotell.Idon’twearperfumebecauseno

oneiscloseenough.Exceptnow.ButIsupposeyousmellperfumeoften,allthetime.OnEarth,yourwifeisalwayswithyou,isn’tshe?”Shewasconcentrating very hard on the flower, frowning as she plucked itcarefullytopieces.“She’snotalwayswithme,”saidBaley.“Noteveryminute.”“Butmostofthetime.Andwheneveryouwantto——”Baley said suddenly, “Why did Dr. Leebig try so hard to teach you

robotics,doyousuppose?”The dismembered flower consisted now of a stalk and the inner

swelling.Gladia twirled itbetweenher fingers, then tossed itaway, sothat it floated for a moment on the surface of the pond. “I think hewantedmetobehisassistant,”shesaid.“Didhetellyouso,Gladia?”“Towardtheend,Elijah.Ithinkhegrewimpatient.Anyway,heasked

meifIdidn’tthinkitwouldbeexcitingtoworkinrobotics.Naturally,ItoldhimIcouldthinkofnothingduller.Hewasquiteangry.”“Andheneverwalkedwithyouagainafterthat.”She said, “You know, I think that may have been it. I suppose his

feelingswerehurt.Really,though,whatcouldIdo?”“It was before that, though, that you told him about your quarrels

withDr.Delmarre.”Herhandsbecame fistsandheld so ina tight spasm.Herbodyheld

stiffly to itsposition,headbentanda little tooneside.Hervoicewasunnaturallyhigh.“Whatquarrels?”“Yourquarrelswithyourhusband.Iunderstandyouhatedhim.”Herfacewasdistortedandblotchedassheglaredathim.“Whotold

youthat?Jothan?”

“Dr.Leebigmentionedit.Ithinkit’strue.”She was shaken. “You’re still trying to prove I killed him. I keep

thinkingyou’remyfriendandyou’reonly—onlyadetective.”SheraisedherfistsandBaleywaited.Hesaid,“Youknowyoucan’ttouchme.”Herhandsdroppedandshebegancryingwithoutasound.Sheturned

herheadaway.Baley bent his own head and closed his eyes, shutting out the

disturbing long shadows. He said, “Dr. Delmarre was not a veryaffectionateman,washe?”Shesaidinastrangledway,“Hewasaverybusyman.”Baleysaid,“Youareaffectionate,ontheotherhand.Youfindaman

interesting.Doyouunderstand?”“I c-can’thelp it. I know it’sdisgusting,but I can’thelp it. It’s even

disgustingt-totalkaboutit.”“YoudidtalkaboutittoDr.Leebig,though?”“Ihad todosomethingandJothanwashandyandhedidn’tseemto

mindanditmademefeelbetter.”“Wasthisthereasonyouquarreledwithyourhusband?Wasitthathe

wascoldandunaffectionateandyouresentedit?”“SometimesIhatedhim.”Sheshruggedhershouldershelplessly.“He

wasjustagoodSolarianandweweren’tscheduledforch—forch——”Shebrokedown.Baleywaited.Hisownstomachwascoldandopenairpresseddown

heavilyuponhim.WhenGladia’ssobsgrewquieter,heasked,asgentlyashecould,“Didyoukillhim,Gladia?”“No-no.”Then,suddenly,asthoughallresistancehadcorrodedwithin

her:“Ihaven’ttoldyoueverything.”“Well,then,pleasedosonow.”“Wewere quarreling that time, the time he died. The old quarrel. I

screamedathimbuthenever shoutedback.Hehardly ever even saidanythingandthat justmadeitworse. Iwassoangry,soangry. Idon’trememberafterthat.”“Jehoshaphat!”Baleyswayedslightlyandhiseyessoughttheneutral

stoneofthebench.“Whatdoyoumeanyoudon’tremember?”“ImeanhewasdeadandIwasscreamingandtherobotscame——”“Didyoukillhim?”

“I don’t remember it, Elijah, and I would remember it if I did,wouldn’tI?OnlyIdon’trememberanythingelse,either,andI’vebeensofrightened,sofrightened.Helpme,please,Elijah.”“Don’tworry,Gladia.I’llhelpyou.”Baley’sreelingmindfastenedon

themurderweapon.Whathappenedtoit?Itmusthavebeenremoved.Ifso, only the murderer could have done it. Since Gladia was foundimmediatelyafterthemurderonthescene,shecouldnothavedoneit.Themurdererwouldhavetobesomeoneelse.NomatterhowitlookedtoeveryoneinSolaria,ithadtobesomeoneelse.Baleythoughtsickly:I’vegottogetbacktothehouse.Hesaid,“Gladia——”Somehowhewasstaringatthesun.Itwasnearlyatthehorizon.He

had to turn his head to look at it and his eyes lockedwith amorbidfascination.Hehadneverseenitso.Fat,red,anddimsomehow,sothatonecouldlookatitwithoutblinding,andseethebleedingcloudsaboveitinthinlines,withonecrossingitinabarofblack.Baleymumbled,“Thesunissored.”HeheardGladia’schokedvoicesaydrearily,“It’salwaysredatsunset,

redanddying.”Baleyhadavision.Thesunwasmovingdowntothehorizonbecause

theplanet’ssurfacewasmovingawayfromit,athousandmilesanhour,spinning under that naked sun, spinning with nothing to guard themicrobes called men that scurried over its spinning surface, spinningmadlyforever,spinning—spinning…It was his head that was spinning and the stone bench that was

slantingbeneathhimandtheskyheaving,blue,darkblue,andthesunwasgone,and the topsof treesand thegroundrushingupandGladiascreamingthinlyandanothersound…

16ASOLUTIONISOFFERED

Baleywasawarefirstofenclosure,theabsenceoftheopen,andthenofafacebendingoverhim.Hestaredforamomentwithoutrecognition.Then:“Daneel!”Therobot’sfaceshowednosignofrelieforofanyotherrecognizable

emotionatbeingaddressed.Hesaid,“Itiswellthatyouhaverecoveredconsciousness,PartnerElijah.Idonotbelieveyouhavesufferedphysicalinjury.”“I’m all right,” said Baley testily, struggling to his elbows.

“Jehoshaphat,amIinbed?Whatfor?”“You have been exposed to the open a number of times today. The

effectsuponyouhavebeencumulativeandyouneedrest.”“Ineedafewanswersfirst.”Baleylookedaboutandtriedtodenyto

himselfthathisheadwasspinningjustalittle.Hedidnotrecognizetheroom. The curtainswere drawn. Lightswere comfortably artificial.Hewasfeelingmuchbetter.“Forinstance,whereamI?”“InaroomofMrs.Delmarre’smansion.”“Next,let’sgetsomethingstraight.Whatareyoudoinghere?Howdid

yougetawayfromtherobotsIsetoveryou?”Daneelsaid,“Ithadseemedtomethatyouwouldbedispleasedatthis

developmentandyetintheinterestsofyoursafetyandofmyorders,IfeltthatIhadnochoicebut——”“Whatdidyoudo?Jehoshaphat!”“ItseemsMrs.Delmarreattemptedtoviewyousomehoursago.”“Yes.”BaleyrememberedGladiasayingasmuchearlierintheday.“I

knowthat.”“Yourorder to the robots thatheldmeprisonerwas, inyourwords:

‘Do not allow him’ (meaning myself) ‘to establish contact with otherhumansorotherrobots,eitherbyseeingorviewing.’However,PartnerElijah, you said nothing about forbidding other humans or robots tocontactme.Youseethedistinction?”Baleygroaned.

Daneel said, “No need for distress, Partner Elijah. The flaw in yourorderswas instrumental in savingyour life, since itbroughtme to thescene.Yousee,whenMrs.Delmarreviewedme,beingallowedtodosoby my robot guardians, she asked after you and I answered, quitetruthfully, that I did not know of your whereabouts, but that I couldattempttofindout.SheseemedanxiousthatIdoso.IsaidIthoughtitpossible you might have left the house temporarily and that I wouldcheckthatmatterandwouldshe,inthemeanwhile,ordertherobotsintheroomwithmetosearchthemansionforyourpresence.”“Wasn’tshesurprisedthatyoudidn’tdelivertheorderstotherobotsyourself?”“Igavehertheimpression,Ibelieve,thatasanAuroranIwasnotasaccustomedtorobotsasshewas;thatshemightdelivertheorderswithgreaterauthorityandeffectamorespeedyconsummation.Solarians,itisquiteclear,arevainof theirskillwithrobotsandcontemptuousof theability of natives of other planets to handle them. Is that not youropinionaswell,PartnerElijah?”“Andsheorderedthemaway,then?”“Withdifficulty.Theyprotestedpreviousordersbut,ofcourse,couldnotstatethenaturethereofsinceyouhadorderedthemtotellnooneofmyowntrueidentity.Sheoverrodethem,althoughthefinalordershadtobeshrilledoutinfury.”“Andthenyouleft.”“Idid,PartnerElijah.”A pity, thought Baley, that Gladia did not consider that episodeimportantenoughtorelaytohimwhenheviewedher.Hesaid,“Ittookyoulongenoughtofindme,Daneel.”“The robots on Solaria have a network of information throughsubetheric contact.A skilledSolariancouldobtain information readily,but,mediatedasitisthroughmillionsofindividualmachines,onesuchasmyself,withoutexperienceinthematter,musttaketimetounearthasingle datum. Itwas better than an hour before the information as toyour whereabouts reached me. I lost further time by visiting Dr.Delmarre’splaceofbusinessafteryouhaddeparted.”“Whatwereyoudoingthere?”“Pursuingresearchesofmyown.Iregret that thishadtobedoneinyourabsence,buttheexigenciesoftheinvestigationleftmenochoice.”

Baleysaid,“DidyouviewKlorissaCantoro,orseeher?”“I viewed her, but from another part of her building, not from ourown estate. There were records at the farm I had to see. Ordinarilyviewingwouldhavebeensufficient,butitmighthavebeeninconvenienttoremainonourownestatesincethreerobotsknewmyrealnatureandmighteasilyhaveimprisonedmeoncemore.”Baleyfeltalmostwell.Heswunghislegsoutofbedandfoundhimselfin a kind of nightgown. He stared at it with distaste. “Get me myclothes.”Daneeldidso.AsBaleydressed,hesaid,“Where’sMrs.Delmarre?”“Underhousearrest,PartnerElijah.”“What?Bywhoseorder?”“Bymyorder.Sheisconfinedtoherbedroomunderroboticguardandher right to give orders other than to meet personal needs has beenneutralized.”“Byyourself?”“Therobotsonthisestatearenotawareofmyidentity.”Baleyfinisheddressing.“IknowthecaseagainstGladia,”hesaid.“Shehadtheopportunity;moreofit,infact,thanwethoughtatfirst.Shedidnotrushtothesceneatthesoundofherhusband’scry,asshefirstsaid.Shewasthereallalong.”“Does she claim to have witnessed the murder and seen themurderer?”“No. She remembers nothing of the crucial moments. That happenssometimes.Itturnsout,also,thatshehasamotive.”“Whatwasit,PartnerElijah?”“One that I had suspected as a possibility from the first. I said tomyself,ifthiswereEarth,andDr.DelmarrewereashewasdescribedtobeandGladiaDelmarreassheseemedtobe,Iwouldsaythatshewasinlovewithhim,orhadbeen,andthathewasinloveonlywithhimself.ThedifficultywastotellwhetherSolariansfeltloveorreactedtoloveinany Earthly sense. My judgment as to their emotions and reactionswasn’ttobetrusted.ItwaswhyIhadtoseeafew.Notviewthem,butseethem.”“Idonotfollowyou,PartnerElijah.”“Idon’tknowifIcanexplainittoyou.Thesepeoplehavetheirgene

possibilities carefully plotted before birth and the actual genedistributiontestedafterbirth.”“Iknowthat.”“But genes aren’t everything. Environment counts too, and

environmentcanbendintoactualpsychosiswheregenesindicateonlyapotentialityforaparticularpsychosis.DidyounoticeGladia’sinterestinEarth?”“I remarked upon it, Partner Elijah, and considered it an assumed

interestdesignedtoinfluenceyouropinions.”“Suppose it were a real interest, even a fascination. Suppose there

weresomethingaboutEarth’scrowdsthatexcitedher.Supposeshewereattractedagainstherwillbysomethingshehadbeentaughttoconsiderfilthy. There was possible abnormality. I had to test it by seeingSolarians and noticing how she reacted to it. It waswhy I had to getaway from you, Daneel, at any cost. It was why I had to abandonviewingasamethodforcarryingontheinvestigation.”“Youdidnotexplainthis,PartnerElijah.”“Wouldtheexplanationhavehelpedagainstwhatyouconceivedyour

dutyunderFirstLawtobe?”Daneelwassilent.Baley said, “The experiment worked. I saw or tried to see several

people.Anoldsociologisttriedtoseemeandhadtogiveupmidway.Aroboticist refused to see me at all even under terrific force. The barepossibilitysenthimintoanalmostinfantilefrenzy.Hesuckedhisfingerandwept.Dr.Delmarre’sassistantwasusedtopersonalpresenceinthewayofherprofessionandsoshetoleratedme,butattwentyfeetonly.Gladia,ontheotherhand——”“Yes,PartnerElijah?”“Gladiaconsentedtoseemewithoutmorethanaslighthesitation.She

tolerated my presence easily and actually showed signs of decreasingstrainastimewenton.Itall fits intoapatternofpsychosis.Shedidn’tmind seeing me; she was interested in Earth; she might have felt anabnormal interest in her husband. All of it could be explained by astrongand,forthisworld,psychoticinterestinthepersonalpresenceofmembersoftheoppositesex.Dr.Delmarre,himself,wasnotthetypetoencourage such a feeling or cooperatewith it. Itmust have been veryfrustratingforher.”

Daneel nodded. “Frustrating enough for murder in a moment ofpassion.”“Inspiteofeverything,Idon’tthinkso,Daneel.”“Are you perhaps being influenced by extraneous motives of yourown,PartnerElijah?Mrs.Delmarreisanattractivewomanandyouarean Earthman in whom a preference for the personal presence of anattractivewomanisnotpsychotic.”“Ihavebetterreasons,”saidBaleyuneasily.(Daneel’scoolglancewastoopenetratingandsoul-dissectingbyhalf.Jehoshaphat!Thethingwasonlyamachine.)Hesaid,“Ifshewerethemurderessofherhusband,shewouldalsohavetobetheattemptedmurderessofGruer.”Hehadalmostthe impulse to explain thewaymurder could bemanipulated throughrobots, but held back. He was not sure how Daneel would react to atheorythatmadeunwittingmurderersofrobots.Daneelsaid,“Andtheattemptedmurderessofyourselfaswell.”Baley frowned. He had had no intention of telling Daneel of thepoisoned arrow that had missed; no intention of strengthening theother’salreadytoostrongprotectivecomplexvis-à-vishimself.He said angrily, “What did Klorissa tell you?” He ought to havewarned her to keep quiet, but then, howwas he to know thatDaneelwouldbeabout,askingquestions?Daneelsaidcalmly,“Mrs.Cantorohadnothingtodowiththematter.Iwitnessedthemurderattemptmyself.”Baleywasthoroughlyconfused.“Youwerenowhereabout.”Daneelsaid,“Icaughtyoumyselfandbroughtyouhereanhourago.”“Whatareyoutalkingabout?”“Doyounotremember,PartnerElijah?Itwasalmostaperfectmurder.DidnotMrs.Delmarre suggest thatyougo into theopen? Iwasnotawitnesstothat,butIfeelcertainshedid.”“Shedidsuggestit.Yes.”“Shemayevenhaveenticedyoutoleavethehouse.”Baleythoughtofthe“portrait”ofhimself,oftheenclosinggraywalls.Couldithavebeencleverpsychology?CouldaSolarianhavethatmuchintuitiveunderstandingofthepsychologyofanEarthman?“No,”hesaid.Daneel said, “Was it she who suggested you go down to theornamentalpondandsitonthebench?”

“Well,yes.”“Doesitoccurtoyouthatshemighthavebeenwatchingyou,noticing

yourgatheringdizziness?”“SheaskedonceortwiceifIwantedtogoback.”“Shemightnothavemeantitseriously.Shemighthavebeenwatching

you turn sicker on that bench. She might even have pushed you, orperhaps a push wasn’t necessary. At the moment I reached you andcaughtyouinmyarms,youwereintheprocessoffallingbackwardoffthestonebenchandintothreefeetofwater,inwhichyouwouldsurelyhavedrowned.”For the first time Baley recalled those last fugitive sensations.

“Jehoshaphat!”“Moreover,”saidDaneelwithcalmrelentlessness,“Mrs.Delmarresat

besideyou,watchingyou fall,withoutamove to stopyou.Norwouldshehaveattemptedtopullyououtofthewater.Shewouldhaveletyoudrown.Shemighthavecalledarobot,buttherobotwouldsurelyhavearrived too late. And afterward, she would explain merely that, ofcourse,itwasimpossibleforhertotouchyoueventosaveyourlife.”True enough, thoughtBaley.Noonewouldquestionher inability to

touchahumanbeing.Thesurprise,ifany,wouldcomeatherabilitytobeasclosetooneasshewas.Daneelsaid,“Yousee,then,PartnerElijah,thatherguiltcanscarcely

be in question. You stated that she would have to be the attemptedmurderessofAgentGruerasthoughthiswereanargumentagainstherguilt.Youseenowthatshemusthavebeen.HeronlymotivetomurderyouwasthesameashermotivefortryingtomurderGruer;thenecessityof getting rid of an embarrassingly persistent investigator of the firstmurder.”Baley said, “Thewhole sequencemight have been an innocent one.

Shemightneverhaverealizedhowtheoutdoorswouldaffectme.”“ShestudiedEarth.SheknewthepeculiaritiesofEarthmen.”“IassuredherIhadbeenoutdoorstodayandthatIwasgrowingused

toit.”“Shemayhaveknownbetter.”Baley pounded fist against palm. “You’re making her too clever. It

doesn’tfitandIdon’tbelieveit.Inanycase,nomurderaccusationcanstick unless and until the absence of the murder weapon can be

accountedfor.”Daneel looked steadily at theEarthman, “I cando that, too,Partner

Elijah.”

Baleylookedathisrobotpartnerwithastunnedexpression.“How?”“Your reasoning, youwill remember, Partner Elijah, was this.Were

Mrs.Delmarre themurderess, then theweapon,whatever itwas,musthaveremainedatthesceneofthemurder.Therobots,appearingalmostatonce,sawnosignofsuchaweapon,henceitmusthavebeenremovedfrom the scene, hence themurderermust have removed it, hence themurderercouldnotbeMrs.Delmarre.Isallthatcorrect?”“Correct.”“Yet,” continued the robot, “there is oneplacewhere the robotsdid

notlookfortheweapon.”“Where?”“UnderMrs. Delmarre. She was lying in a faint, brought on by the

excitementandpassionof themoment,whethermurderessornot,andtheweapon,whateveritwas,layunderherandoutofsight.”Baleysaid,“Thentheweaponwouldhavebeendiscoveredassoonas

shewasmoved.”“Exactly,” said Daneel, “but she was not moved by the robots. She

herselftoldusyesterdayatdinnerthatDr.Thoolorderedtherobotstoputapillowunderherheadandleaveher.ShewasfirstmovedbyDr.AltimThool,himself,whenhearrivedtoexamineher.”“So?”“Itfollows,therefore,PartnerElijah,thatanewpossibilityarises.Mrs.

Delmarrewasthemurderess,theweaponwasatthesceneofthecrime,butDr.ThoolcarrieditoffanddisposedofittoprotectMrs.Delmarre.”Baley feltcontemptuous.Hehadalmostbeenseduced intoexpecting

somethingreasonable.Hesaid,“Completelymotiveless.WhyshouldDr.Thooldosuchathing?”“For a very good reason. You remember Mrs. Delmarre’s remarks

concerning him: ‘He always treated me since I was a child and wasalwayssofriendlyandkind.’Iwonderedifhemighthavesomemotiveforbeingparticularlyconcernedabouther.ItwasforthatreasonthatIvisited the baby farm and inspected the records. What I had merely

guessedatasapossibilityturnedouttobethetruth.”“What?”“Dr.AltimThoolwasthefatherofGladiaDelmarre,andwhatismore,heknewoftherelationship.”

Baley had no thought of disbelieving the robot.He felt only a deepchagrinthatithadbeenRobotDaneelOlivawandnothimselfthathadcarriedthrough thenecessarypieceof logicalanalysis.Even so, itwasnotcomplete.Hesaid,“HaveyouspokentoDr.Thool?”“Yes.Ihaveplacedhimunderhousearrest,also.”“Whatdoeshesay?”“He admits that he is the father ofMrs.Delmarre. I confrontedhimwith the records of the fact and the records of his inquiries into herhealth when she was a youngster. As a doctor, he was allowedmoreleewayinthisrespectthananotherSolarianmighthavebeenallowed.”“Whyshouldhehaveinquiredintoherhealth?”“Ihaveconsideredthat,too,PartnerElijah.Hewasanoldmanwhenhewasgivenspecialpermissiontohaveanadditionalchildand,whatismore,hesucceededinproducingone.Heconsidersthisatributetohisgenes and to his physical fitness.He is prouder of the result, perhaps,than is quite customary on this world. Moreover, his position asphysician, a profession little regarded on Solaria because it involvespersonalpresences,made it themore important tohim tonurture thissenseofpride.Forthatreason,hemaintainedunobtrusivecontactwithhisoffspring.”“DoesGladiaknowanythingofit?”“AsfarasDr.Thoolisaware,PartnerElijah,shedoesnot.”Baleysaid,“DoesThooladmitremovingtheweapon?”“No.Thathedoesnot.”“Thenyou’vegotnothing,Daneel.”“Nothing?”“Unlessyoucanfindtheweaponandprovehetookit,orattheveryleastinducehimtoconfess,youhavenoevidence.Achainofdeductionispretty,butitisn’tevidence.”“Themanwouldscarcelyconfesswithoutconsiderablequestioningof

atypeImyselfcouldnotcarrythrough.Hisdaughterisdeartohim.”“Notatall,”saidBaley.“HisfeelingforhisdaughterisnotatallwhatyouandIareaccustomedto.Solariaisdifferent!”He strode the length of the roomandback, letting himself cool.Hesaid,“Daneel,youhaveworkedoutaperfectexerciseinlogic,butnoneof it is reasonable, just the same.” (Logical but not reasonable.Wasn’tthatthedefinitionofarobot?)He went on, “Dr. Thool is an old man and past his best years,regardlessofwhetherhewascapableofsiringadaughterthirtyyearsorsoago.EvenSpacersgetsenile.Picturehimthenexamininghisdaughterin a faint and his son-in-law dead by violence. Can you imagine theunusualnatureofthesituationforhim?Canyousupposehecouldhaveremainedmasterofhimself?Somuchthemasterofhimself,infact,astocarryoutaseriesofamazingactions?“Look! First, he would have had to notice a weapon under hisdaughter,onethatmusthavebeensowellcoveredbyherbodythattherobotsnevernoticedit.Secondly,fromwhateversmallscrapofobjecthenoted, hemust have deduced the presence of theweapon and seen atoncethatifhecouldbutsneakoffwiththatweapon,unseen,amurderaccusation against his daughter would be hard to substantiate. That’sprettysubtlethinkingforanoldmaninapanic.Then,thirdly,hewouldhavehadtocarrytheplanthrough,alsotoughforanoldmaninapanic.Andnowlastly,hewouldhavetodaretocompoundthefelonyfurtherbystickingtohislie.Itallmaybetheresultoflogicalthinking,butnoneofitisreasonable.”Daneelsaid,“Doyouhaveanalternatesolutiontothecrime,PartnerElijah?”Baleyhadsatdownduring thecourseofhis last speechandnowhetriedtoriseagain,butacombinationofwearinessandthedepthofthechairdefeatedhim.Heheldouthishandpetulantly.“Givemeahand,willyou,Daneel?”Daneelstaredathisownhand.“Ibegyourpardon,PartnerElijah?”Baleysilentlysworeattheother’sliteralmindandsaid,“Helpmeoutofthechair.”Daneel’sstrongarmliftedhimoutofthechaireffortlessly.Baley said, “Thanks. No, I haven’t an alternate solution. At least, Ihave,butthewholethinghingesonthelocationoftheweapon.”

Hewalked impatiently to the heavy curtains that linedmost of onewallandliftedacornerwithoutquiterealizingwhathewasdoing.Hestaredattheblackpatchofglassuntilhebecameawareofthefactthathewas lookingout into the earlynight, and thendropped the curtainjustasDaneel,approachingquietly,tookitoutofhisfingers.InthesplitfractionofamomentinwhichBaleywatchedtherobot’s

hand take the curtain away from him with the loving caution of amotherprotectingherchildfromthefire,arevolutiontookplacewithinhim.He snatched the curtain back, yanking it out of Daneel’s grasp.

Throwinghis fullweight against it, he tore it away from thewindow,leavingshredsbehind.“PartnerElijah!” saidDaneel softly.“Surelyyouknownowwhat the

openwilldotoyou.”“Iknow,”saidBaley,“whatitwilldoforme.”Hestaredout thewindow.Therewasnothing to see,onlyblackness

but that blacknesswas open air. Itwas unbroken, unobstructed space,evenifunlit,andhewasfacingit.Andforthefirsttimehefaceditfreely.Itwasnolongerbravado,or

perversecuriosity,orthepathwaytoasolutionofamurder.Hefaceditbecauseheknewhewantedtoandbecauseheneededto.Thatmadeallthedifference.Walls were crutches! Darkness and crowds were crutches! He must

have thought them so, unconsciously, and hated them even when hemost thoughthe lovedandneeded them.Whyelsehadhe so resentedGladia’sgrayenclosureofhisportrait?Hefelthimself fillingwithasenseofvictory,and,asthoughvictory

werecontagious,anewthoughtcame,burstinglikeaninnershout.BaleyturneddizzilytoDaneel.“Iknow,”hewhispered.“Jehoshaphat!

Iknow!”“Knowwhat,PartnerElijah?”“Iknowwhathappenedtotheweapon;Iknowwhoisresponsible.All

atonce,everythingfallsintoplace.”

17AMEETINGISHELD

Daneelwouldallownoimmediateaction.“Tomorrow!” he had said with respectful firmness. “That is my

suggestion,PartnerElijah.Itislateandyouareinneedofrest.”Baleyhadtoadmitthetruthofit,andbesides,therewastheneedof

preparation; a considerable quantity of it. He had the solution of themurder,hefeltsureofthat,butitrestedondeduction,asmuchashadDaneel’stheory,anditwasworthaslittleasevidence.Solarianswouldhavetohelphim.And if he were to face them, one Earthman against half a dozen

Spacers, he would have to be in full control. That meant rest andpreparation.Yethewouldnotsleep.Hewascertainhewouldnotsleep.Notallthe

softnessofthespecialbedsetupforhimbysmoothlyfunctioningrobotsnorallthesoftperfumeandsoftermusicinthespecialroomofGladia’smansionwouldhelp.Hewassureofit.Daneelsatunobtrusivelyinonedarkenedcorner.Baleysaid,“AreyoustillafraidofGladia?”Therobotsaid,“Idonotthinkitwisetoallowyoutosleepaloneand

unprotected.”“Well, have your way. Are you clear as to what I want you to do,

Daneel?”“Iam,PartnerElijah.”“YouhavenoreservationsundertheFirstLaw,Ihope.”“Ihavesomewithrespect totheconferenceyouwisharranged.Will

youbearmedandcarefulofyourownsafety?”“Iassureyou,Iwill.”Daneeldeliveredhimselfofa sigh thatwassomehowsohumanthat

foramomentBaleyfoundhimselftryingtopenetratethedarknessthathemightstudythemachine-perfectfaceoftheother.Daneelsaid,“Ihavenotalwaysfoundhumanbehaviorlogical.”“WeneedThreeLawsofourown,”saidBaley,“butI’mgladwedon’t

havethem.”Hestaredattheceiling.AgreatdealdependedonDaneelandyethecouldtellhimverylittleofthewholetruth.Robotsweretooinvolved.Theplanet,Aurora,haditsreasonsforsendingarobotasrepresentativeoftheirinterests,butitwasamistake.Robotshadtheirlimitations.Still,ifallwentright,thiscouldallbeoverintwelvehours.HecouldbeheadingbacktoEarthintwenty-four,bearinghope.Astrangekindofhope.Akindhe could scarcelybelievehimself, yet itwasEarth’swayout.ItmustbeEarth’swayout.Earth! New York! Jessie and Ben! The comfort and familiarity anddearnessofhome!Hedweltonit,halfasleep,andthethoughtofEarthfailedtoconjurethe comfort he expected. Therewas an estrangement between himselfandtheCities.Andatsomeunknownpointintimeitallfadedandheslept.

•••

Baley, having slept and then wakened, showered and dressed.Physicallyhewasquiteprepared.Yethewasunsure.Itwasnotthathisreasoningseemedanylesscogenttohimselfinthepallorofmorning.ItwasratherthenecessityoffacingSolarians.Could he be sure of their reactions after all? Or would he still beworkingblind?Gladiawas the first to appear. Itwas simple for her, of course. Shewas on an intramural circuit, since shewas in themansion itself. Shewaspaleandexpressionless,inawhitegownthatdrapedherintoacoldstatue.She stared helplessly at Baley. Baley smiled back gently and sheseemedtotakecomfortfromthat.One by one, they appeared now. Attlebish, the Acting Head ofSecurity,appearednextafterGladia,leanandhaughty,hislargechinsetin disapproval. Then Leebig, the roboticist, impatient and angry, hisweakeyelidflutteringperiodically.Quemot,thesociologist,alittletired,but smiling at Baley out of deep-set eyes in a condescending way, asthoughtosay:Wehaveseenoneanother,wehavebeenintimate.KlorissaCantoro,whensheappeared,seemeduneasyinthepresence

oftheothers.SheglancedatGladiaforamomentwithanaudiblesniff,then stared at the floor. Dr. Thool, the physician, appeared last. Helookedhaggard,almostsick.Theywereallthere,allbutGruer,whowasslowlyrecoveringandforwhomattendancewasphysicallyimpossible.(Well,thoughtBaley,we’lldowithouthim.)Allweredressed formally;all sat in rooms thatwerewellcurtainedintoenclosure.Daneel had arrangedmatters well. Baley hoped fervently that whatremainedforDaneeltodowouldworkaswell.Baley looked fromoneSpacer to theother.Hisheart thudded.Eachfigure viewed him out of a different room and the clash of lighting,furniture,andwalldecorationwasdizzying.Baleysaid,“IwanttodiscussthematterofthekillingofDr.RikaineDelmarreundertheheadingofmotive,opportunity,andmeans,inthatorder——”Attlebishinterrupted.“Willthisbealongspeech?”Baleysaidsharply,“Itmaybe.Ihavebeencalledheretoinvestigateamurderandsucha job ismyspecialtyandmyprofession. Iknowbesthowtogoaboutit.”(Takenothingfromthemnow,hethought,orthiswholethingwon’twork.Dominate!Dominate!)He went on, making his words as sharp and incisive as he could.“Motive first. In away,motive is themost unsatisfactory of the threeitems. Opportunity andmeans are objective. They can be investigatedfactually.Motiveissubjective.Itmaybesomethingthatcanbeobservedbyothers;revengeforaknownhumiliation,forinstance.Butitmayalsobecompletelyunobservable;anirrational,homicidalhateonthepartofawell-disciplinedpersonwhoneverletsitshow.“Nowalmostallofyouhavetoldmeatonetimeoranotherthatyoubelieved Gladia Delmarre to have committed the crime. Certainly, noonehassuggestedanalternatesuspect.HasGladiaamotive?Dr.Leebigsuggested one. He said that Gladia quarreled frequently with herhusbandandGladia later admitted this tome.The rage that can ariseoutofaquarrelcan,conceivably,moveapersontomurder.Verywell.“The question remains, though, whether she is the only one with amotive.Iwonder.Dr.Leebig,himself——”The roboticist almost jumped. His hand extended rigidly in thedirectionofBaley.“Watchwhatyousay,Earthman.”

“I am only theorizing,” said Baley coldly. “You, Dr. Leebig, wereworkingwithDr.Delmarreonnewrobotmodels.YouarethebestmaninSolariaasfarasroboticsisconcerned.YousaysoandIbelieveit.”Leebigsmiledwithopencondescension.Baley went on. “But I have heard that Dr. Delmarre was about to

breakoffrelationswithyouformattersconcerningyourselfofwhichhedisapproved.”“False!False!”“Perhaps.Butwhatifitweretrue?Wouldn’tyouhaveamotivetoget

rid of himbefore he humiliated you publicly by breakingwith you? Ihaveafeelingyoucouldnoteasilybearsuchhumiliation.”Baleywenton rapidly togiveLeebignochance to retort. “Andyou,

Mrs. Cantoro. Dr. Delmarre’s death leaves you in charge of fetalengineering,aresponsibleposition.”“Skiesabove,wetalkedaboutthatbefore,”criedKlorissainanguish.“Iknowwedid,butit’sapointthatmustbeconsidered,anyway.As

forDr.Quemot,heplayedchesswithDr.Delmarreregularly.Perhapshegrewannoyedatlosingtoomanygames.”Thesociologistinterposedquietly.“Losingachessgameisinsufficient

motivesurely,Plainclothesman.”“Itdependsonhowseriouslyyoutakeyourchess.Motivescanseem

all theworld to themurdererandcompletely insignificant toeveryoneelse.Well,itdoesn’tmatter.Mypointisthatmotivealoneisinsufficient.Anyonecanhaveamotive,particularlyforthemurderofamansuchasDr.Delmarre.”“What do you mean by that remark?” demanded Quemot in

indignation.“Why,onlythatDr.Delmarrewasa‘goodSolarian.’Youalldescribed

himassuch.HerigidlyfilledalltherequirementsofSolariancustom.Hewasan idealman,almostanabstraction.Whocould feel love,orevenliking,forsuchaman?Amanwithoutweaknessesservesonlytomakeeveryone else conscious of his own imperfections. A primitive poetnamedTennysononcewrote:‘Heisallfaultwhohasnofaultatall.’”“Noonewouldkillamanforbeingtoogood,”saidKlorissa,frowning.“Youlittleknow,”saidBaley,andwentonwithoutamplification.“Dr.

Delmarrewas aware of a conspiracy on Solaria, or thought hewas; aconspiracy thatwas preparing an assault on the rest of theGalaxy for

purposes of conquest. He was interested in preventing that. For thatreason,thoseconcernedintheconspiracymightfinditnecessarytodoaway with him. Anyone here could be a member of the conspiracy,including,tobesure,Mrs.Delmarre,butincludingeventheActingHeadofSecurity,CorwinAttlebish.”“I?”saidAttlebish,unmoved.“Youcertainlyattempted toend the investigationas soonasGruer’smishapputyouincharge.”Baley took a few slow sips at his drink (straight from its originalcontainer, untouched by human hands other than his own, or robotichands,either)andgatheredhisstrength.Sofar,thiswasawaitinggame,andhewasthankfultheSolariansweresittingstillforit.Theyhadn’ttheEarthman’s experience of dealing with people at close quarters. Theyweren’tin-fighters.He said, “Opportunity next. It is the general opinion that onlyMrs.Delmarrehadopportunitysinceonlyshecouldapproachherhusbandinactualpersonalpresence.“Arewesureofthat?SupposesomeoneotherthanMrs.Delmarrehadmade up his or her mind to kill Dr. Delmarre? Would not such adesperate resolution make the discomfort of personal presencesecondary?Ifanyofyouweresetonmurder,wouldn’tyoubearpersonalpresence just long enough to do the job? Couldn’t you sneak into theDelmarremansion——”Attlebish interposed frigidly. “You are ignorant of the matter,Earthman.Whetherwewouldorwouldnotdoesn’tmatter.The fact isthat Dr. Delmarre himself would not allow seeing, I assure you. Ifanyonecame intohispersonalpresence, regardlessofhowvaluedandlong-standingafriendshiptherewasbetweenthem,Dr.Delmarrewouldorderhimawayand,ifnecessary,callrobotstohelpwiththeejection.”“True,”saidBaley,“ifDr.Delmarrewereawarethatpersonalpresencewasinvolved.”“What do youmean by that?” demanded Dr. Thool in surprise, hisvoicequavering.“WhenyoutreatedMrs.Delmarreatthesceneofthemurder,”repliedBaley,lookingfullathisquestioner,“sheassumedyouwereviewingher,until you actually touchedher. So she toldmeand so I believe. I am,myself, accustomed only to seeing.When I arrived at Solaria andmet

SecurityHeadGruer, I assumed Iwas seeinghim.Whenat the endofourinterview,Gruerdisappeared,Iwastakencompletelybysurprise.“Nowassume the reverse.Suppose that forall aman’sadult life,he

hadbeen viewing only; never seeing anyone, except on rare occasionshiswife.Nowsupposesomeoneotherthanhiswifewalkeduptohiminpersonal presence. Would he not automatically assume that it was amatterofviewing,particularly ifarobothadbeeninstructedtoadviseDelmarrethatviewingcontactwasbeingsetup?”“Notforaminute,”saidQuemot.“Thesamenessofbackgroundwould

giveitaway.”“Maybe,buthowmanyofyouareawareofbackgroundnow?There

would be a minute or so, at least, before Dr. Delmarre would growawarethatsomethingwaswrongand in that time,his friend,whoeverhewas,couldwalkuptohim,raiseaclub,andbringitdown.”“Impossible,”saidQuemotstubbornly.“Ithinknot,”saidBaley.“Ithinkopportunitymustbecanceledoutas

absoluteproofthatMrs.Delmarreisthemurderess.Shehadopportunity,butsomightothers.”Baleywaitedagain.Hefeltperspirationonhisforehead,butwipingit

away would have made him look weak. He must maintain absolutechargeoftheproceedings.Thepersonatwhomhewasaimingmustbeplaced in self-convinced inferiority. Itwashard foranEarthman todothattoaSpacer.Baleylookedfromfacetofaceanddecidedthatmatterswereatleast

progressing satisfactorily. Even Attlebish looked quite humanlyconcerned.“Andsowecome,”hesaid,“tomeans,andthatisthemostpuzzling

factor of all. Theweaponwithwhich themurderwas committedwasneverfound.”“We know that,” said Attlebish. “If it were not for that point, we

would have considered the case againstMrs. Delmarre conclusive.Wewouldneverhaverequiredaninvestigation.”“Perhaps,”saidBaley.“Let’sanalyzethematterofmeans,then.There

are two possibilities. Either Mrs. Delmarre committed the murder, orsomeoneelsedid. IfMrs.Delmarrecommittedthemurder, theweaponwould have had to remain at the scene of the crime, unless it wereremoved later. It has been suggested by my partner, Mr. Olivaw of

Aurora, who is not present at the moment, that Dr. Thool had theopportunitytoremovetheweapon.IaskDr.Thoolnow,inthepresenceofallofus,ifhedidthis,ifheremovedaweaponwhileexaminingtheunconsciousMrs.Delmarre?”Dr.Thoolwasshaking.“No,no.Iswearit.I’llabideanyquestioning.I

swearIremovednothing.”Baleysaid,“Is thereanyonewhowishes tosuggestat thispoint that

Dr.Thoolislying?”Therewasasilence,duringwhichLeebiglookedatanobjectoutside

ofBaley’sfieldofvisionandmutteredsomethingaboutthetime.Baleysaid,“Thesecondpossibilityisthatsomeoneelsecommittedthe

crimeandcarriedtheweaponoffwithhim.Butifthatwereso,onemustaskwhy.CarryingtheweaponawayisanadvertisementofthefactthatMrs.Delmarrewasnotthemurderess.Ifanoutsiderwerethemurderer,hewouldhavetobeacompleteimbecilenottoleavetheweaponwiththecorpsetoconvictMrs.Delmarre.Eitherway,then, theweaponmustbethere!Yetitwasnotseen.”Attlebishsaid,“Doyoutakeusforfoolsorforblindmen?”“ItakeyouforSolarians,”saidBaleycalmly,“andthereforeincapable

of recognizing the particularweapon thatwas left at the scene of thecrimeasaweapon.”“Idon’tunderstandaword,”mutteredKlorissaindistress.EvenGladia,whohadscarcelymovedamuscleduring thecourseof

themeeting,wasstaringatBaleyinsurprise.Baley said, “Dead husband and unconscious wife were not the only

individualsonthescene.Therewasalsoadisorganizedrobot.”“Well?”saidLeebigangrily.“Isn’titobvious,then,that,inhavingeliminatedtheimpossible,what

remains,howeverimprobable,isthetruth.Therobotatthesceneofthecrime was the murder weapon, a murder weapon none of you couldrecognizebyforceofyourtraining.”

Theyalltalkedatonce;allbutGladia,whosimplystared.Baley raised his arms. “Hold it. Quiet! Let me explain!” And once

againhetoldthestoryoftheattemptonGruer’slifeandthemethodbywhichitcouldhavebeenaccomplished.Thistimeheaddedtheattempt

onhisownlifeatthebabyfarm.Leebigsaid impatiently,“Isupposethatwasmanagedbyhavingonerobotpoisonanarrowwithoutknowingitwasusingpoison,andhavingasecondrobothandthepoisonedarrowtotheboyaftertellinghimthatyou were an Earthman, without its knowing that the arrow waspoisoned.”“Somethinglikethat.Bothrobotswouldbecompletelyinstructed.”“Veryfarfetched,”saidLeebig.Quemot was pale and looked as though he might be sick at anymoment.“NoSolariancouldpossiblyuserobotstoharmahuman.”“Maybeso,”saidBaleywithashrug,“butthepointisthatrobotscanbesomanipulated.AskDr.Leebig.Heistheroboticist.”Leebigsaid,“Itdoesnotapply to themurderofDr.Delmarre. I toldyou that yesterday.How can anyone arrange to have a robot smash aman’sskull?”“ShallIexplainhow?”“Dosoifyoucan.”Baleysaid,“Itwasanew-modelrobotthatDr.Delmarrewastesting.Thesignificanceofthatwasn’tplaintomeuntillastevening,whenIhadoccasiontosaytoarobot,inaskingforhishelpinrisingoutofachair,‘Give me a hand!’ The robot looked at his own hand in confusion asthoughhethoughthewasexpectedtodetachitandgiveittome.Ihadtorepeatmyorderlessidiomatically.ButitremindedmeofsomethingDr. Leebig had told me earlier that day. There was experimentationamongrobotswithreplaceablelimbs.“SupposethisrobotthatDr.Delmarrehadbeentestingwasonesuch,capable of using any of a number of interchangeable limbs of variousshapes for different kinds of specialized tasks. Suppose the murdererknewthisandsuddenlysaidtotherobot,‘Givemeyourarm.’Therobotwoulddetachitsarmandgiveittohim.Thedetachedarmwouldmakea splendidweapon.WithDr.Delmarredead, it couldbe snappedbackintoplace.”StunnedhorrorgavewaytoababbleofobjectionasBaleytalked.Hislastsentencehadtobeshouted,and,evenso,wasallbutdrownedout.Attlebish, face flushed, raised himself from his chair and steppedforward. “Even if what you say is so, then Mrs. Delmarre is themurderess. She was there, she quarreled with him, she would be

watchingherhusbandworkingwith therobot,andwouldknowof thereplaceable-limbsituation—whichIdon’tbelieve,bytheway.Nomatterwhatyoudo,Earthman,everythingpointstoher.”Gladiabegantoweepsoftly.Baleydidnotlookather.Hesaid,“Onthecontrary,itiseasytoshowthat,whoevercommittedthemurder,Mrs.Delmarredidnot.”

JothanLeebigsuddenlyfoldedhisarmsandallowedanexpressionofcontempttosettleonhisface.Baley caught that and said, “You’ll helpme do so, Dr. Leebig. As aroboticist, you know that maneuvering robots into action such asindirectmurdertakesenormousskill.Ihadoccasionyesterdaytotrytoput an individual under house arrest. I gave three robots detailedinstructionsintendedtokeepthisindividualsafe.Itwasasimplething,but I am a clumsy man with robots. There were loopholes in myinstructionsandmyprisonerescaped.”“Whowastheprisoner?”demandedAttlebish.“Beside the point,” said Baley impatiently. “What is the point is thefactthatamateurscan’thandlerobotswell.AndsomeSolariansmaybepretty amateurish as Solarians go. For instance, what does GladiaDelmarreknowaboutrobotics?…Well,Dr.Leebig?”“What?”Theroboticiststared.“YoutriedtoteachMrs.Delmarrerobotics.Whatkindofapupilwasshe?Didshelearnanything?”Leebiglookedaboutuneasily.“Shedidn’t…”andstalled.“Shewascompletelyhopeless,wasn’tshe?Orwouldyouprefernottoanswer?”Leebigsaidstiffly,“Shemighthavepretendedignorance.”“Areyoupreparedtosay,asaroboticist,thatyouthinkMrs.Delmarreissufficientlyskilledtodriverobotstoindirectmurder?”“HowcanIanswerthat?”“Letmeput it anotherway.Whoever tried tohavemekilled at thebaby farm must have had to locate me by using interrobotcommunications.Afterall,ItoldnohumanwhereIwasgoingandonlythe robots who conveyed me from point to point knew of mywhereabouts.Mypartner,DaneelOlivaw,managedtotracemelaterin

the day, but only with considerable difficulty. The murderer, on theotherhand,musthavedoneiteasily,since, inadditiontolocatingme,hehadtoarrangeforarrowpoisoningandarrowshooting,allbeforeIleft the farmandmovedon.WouldMrs.Delmarrehave theskill todothat?”Corwin Attlebish leaned forward. “Who do you suggest would have

thenecessaryskill,Earthman?”Baleysaid,“Dr.JothanLeebigisself-admittedlythebestrobotmanon

theplanet.”“Isthatanaccusation?”criedLeebig.“Yes!”shoutedBaley.

The fury inLeebig’s eyes faded slowly. Itwas replacednotby calm,exactly,butbyakindofclamped-downtension.Hesaid,“IstudiedtheDelmarre robot after themurder. It hadnodetachable limbs.At least,theyweredetachableonly in theusual senseof requiring special toolsand expert handling. So the robot wasn’t the weapon used in killingDelmarreandyouhavenoargument.”Baleysaid,“Whoelsecanvouchforthetruthofyourstatement?”“Mywordisnottobequestioned.”“Itishere.I’maccusingyou,andyourunsupportedwordconcerning

therobotisvalueless.Ifsomeoneelsewillbearyouout,thatwouldbedifferent.Incidentally,youdisposedofthatrobotquickly.Why?”“Therewas no reason to keep it. It was completely disorganized. It

wasuseless.”“Why?”Leebig shook his finger at Baley and said violently, “You askedme

that once before, Earthman, and I told you why. It had witnessed amurderwhichithadbeenpowerlesstostop.”“Andyou toldme that thatalwaysbroughtaboutcompletecollapse;

thatthatwasauniversalrule.YetwhenGruerwaspoisoned,therobotthathadpresentedhimwiththepoisoneddrinkwasharmedonlytotheextentofalimpandalisp.Ithadactuallyitselfbeentheagentofwhatlookedlikemurderatthatmoment,andnotmerelyawitness,andyetitretainedenoughsanitytobequestioned.“Thisrobot,therobotintheDelmarrecase,mustthereforehavebeen

stillmoreintimatelyconcernedwithmurderthantheGruerrobot.ThisDelmarrerobotmusthavehaditsownarmusedasthemurderweapon.”“All nonsense,” gasped out Leebig. “You know nothing about

robotics.”Baley said, “That’s asmay be. But Iwill suggest that SecurityHead

Attlebish impound the records of your robot factory andmaintenanceshop. Perhaps we can find out whether you have built robots withdetachablelimbsand,ifso,whetheranyweresenttoDr.Delmarre,and,ifso,when.”“Noonewilltamperwithmyrecords,”criedLeebig.“Why?Ifyouhavenothingtohide,why?”“But why on Solaria should I want to kill Delmarre? Tell me that.

What’smymotive?”“I can think of two,” said Baley. “You were friendly with Mrs.

Delmarre. Overly friendly. Solarians are human, after a fashion. Younever consortedwithwomen, but that didn’t keep you immune from,shallwesay,animalurges.YousawMrs.Delmarre—Ibegyourpardon,youviewedher—whenshewasdressedratherinformallyand——”“No,”criedLeebiginagony.AndGladiawhisperedenergetically,“No.”“Perhaps you didn’t recognize the nature of your feelings yourself,”

saidBaley,“or ifyouhadadimnotionof it,youdespisedyourself foryourweakness, and hatedMrs. Delmarre for inspiring it. And yet youmight have hated Delmarre, too, for having her. You did ask Mrs.Delmarre to be your assistant.You compromisedwith your libido thatfar.Sherefusedandyourhatredwasthekeenerforthat.BykillingDr.Delmarre in such away as to throw suspicion onMrs. Delmarre, youcouldbeavengedonbothatonce.”“Who would believe that cheap, melodramatic filth?” demanded

Leebiginahoarsewhisper.“AnotherEarthman,anotheranimal,maybe.NoSolarian.”“I don’t depend on that motive,” said Baley. “I think it was there,

unconsciously,butyouhadaplainermotive,too.Dr.RikaineDelmarrewasinthewayofyourplans,andhadtoberemoved.”“Whatplans?”demandedLeebig.“Your plans aiming at the conquest of theGalaxy, Dr. Leebig,” said

Baley.

18AQUESTIONISANSWERED

“TheEarthman ismad,” criedLeebig, turning to theothers. “Isn’t thatobvious?”SomestaredatLeebigwordlessly,someatBaley.Baleygavethemnochancetocometodecisions.Hesaid,“Youknow

better,Dr.Leebig.Dr.Delmarrewasgoing tobreakoffwithyou.Mrs.Delmarre thought itwasbecauseyouwouldn’tmarry. Idon’t thinkso.Dr.Delmarrehimselfwasplanningafutureinwhichectogenesiswouldbe possible andmarriage unnecessary. But Dr. Delmarre was workingwith you; he would know, and guess, more about your work thananyone else. He would know if you were attempting dangerousexperimentsandhewouldtrytostopyou.HehintedaboutsuchmatterstoAgentGruer,butgavenodetails,becausehewasnotyet certainofthedetails.Obviously,youdiscoveredhissuspicionsandkilledhim.”“Mad!”saidLeebigagain.“Iwillhavenothingmoretodowiththis.”ButAttlebishinterrupted.“Hearhimout,Leebig!”Baleybithisliptokeepfromaprematuredisplayofsatisfactionatthe

obviouslackofsympathyintheSecurityHead’svoice.Hesaid,“Inthesame discussion with me in which you mentioned robots withdetachable limbs, Dr. Leebig, you mentioned spaceships with built-inpositronicbrains.Youweredefinitelytalkingtoomuchthen.WasitthatyouthoughtIwasonlyanEarthmanandincapableofunderstandingtheimplications of robotics? Or was it that you had just been threatenedwithpersonalpresence,hadthethreatlifted,andwerealittledeliriouswithrelief?Inanycase,Dr.QuemothadalreadytoldmethatthesecretweaponofSolariaagainsttheOuterWorldswasthepositronicrobot.”Quemot,thusunexpectedlyreferredto,startedviolently,andcried,“I

meant——”“You meant it sociologically, I know. But it gives rise to thoughts.

Consider a spaceshipwithabuilt-inpositronicbrainas compared toamanned spaceship.Amanned spaceship couldnot use robots in activewarfare.Arobotcouldnotdestroyhumansonenemyspaceshipsoron

enemy worlds. It would not grasp the distinction between friendlyhumansandenemyhumans.“Ofcourse,arobotcouldbetoldthattheopposingspaceshiphadnohumansaboard.Itcouldbetoldthat itwasanuninhabitedplanetthatwasbeingbombarded.Thatwouldbedifficulttomanage.Arobotcouldseethatitsownshipcarriedhumans;itwouldknowitsownworldheldhumans. It would assume that the samewas true of enemy ships andworlds.Itwouldtakearealexpertinrobotics,suchasyou,Dr.Leebig,to handle them properly in that case, and there are very few suchexperts.“But a spaceship that was equipped with its own positronic brainwould cheerfully attack any ship itwas directed to attack, it seems tome. It would naturally assume all other ships were unmanned. Apositronic-brained ship could easily be made incapable of receivingmessages fromenemy ships thatmight undeceive it.With itsweaponsanddefensesundertheimmediatecontrolofapositronicbrain,itwouldbemoremaneuverablethananymannedship.Withnoroomnecessaryforcrewmen,forsupplies,forwaterorairpurifiers,itcouldcarrymorearmor,moreweaponsandbemoreinvulnerablethananyordinaryship.One shipwith a positronic brain could defeat fleets of ordinary ships.AmIwrong?”ThelastquestionwasshotatDr.Leebig,whohadrisenfromhisseatandwasstanding,rigid,almostcatalepticwith—what?Anger?Horror?Therewasnoanswer.Noanswercouldhavebeenheard.Somethingtorelooseandtheotherswereyellingmadly.KlorissahadthefaceofaFury and even Gladia was on her feet, her small fist beating the airthreateningly.AndallhadturnedonLeebig.Baleyrelaxedandclosedhiseyes.Hetriedforjustafewmomentstounknothismuscles,unfreezehistendons.Ithadworked.Hehadpressed the rightbuttonat last.QuemothadmadeananalogybetweentheSolarianrobotsandtheSpartanHelots.HesaidtherobotscouldnotrevoltsothattheSolarianscouldrelax.Butwhatifsomehumansthreatenedtoteachtherobotshowtoharmhumans;tomakethem,inotherwords,capableofrevolting?Would that not be the ultimate crime? On a world such as Solariawould not every last inhabitant turn fiercely against anyone even

suspected ofmaking a robot capable of harming a human; on Solaria,whererobotsoutnumberedhumansbytwentythousandtoone?Attlebishcried,“Youareunderarrest.Youareabsolutelyforbiddentotouch your books or records until the government has a chance toinspectthem——”Hewenton,almostincoherent,scarcelyheardinthepandemonium.A robot approached Baley. “A message, master, from the masterOlivaw.”Baleytookthemessagegravely,turned,andcried,“Onemoment.”His voice had an almost magical effect. All turned to look at himsolemnly and in no face (outside Leebig’s frozen glare)was there anysignofanythingbutthemostpainfulattentiontotheEarthman.Baley said, “It is foolish to expect Dr. Leebig to leave his recordsuntouchedwhilewaitingforsomeofficialtoreachthem.Soevenbeforethis interview began, my partner, Daneel Olivaw, left for Dr. Leebig’sestate.Ihavejustheardfromhim.Heisonthegroundsnowandwillbewith Dr. Leebig in a moment in order that he may be put underrestraint.”“Restraint!” howled Leebig in an almost animal terror. His eyeswidenedintostaringholesinhishead.“Someonecominghere?Personalpresence?No!No!”Thesecond“No”wasashriek.“Youwillnotbeharmed,”saidBaleycoldly,“ifyoucooperate.”“ButIwon’tseehim.Ican’tseehim.”Theroboticistfelltohiskneeswithout seeming aware of themotion.He put his hands together in adesperateclaspedgestureofappeal.“Whatdoyouwant?Doyouwantaconfession? Delmarre’s robot had detachable limbs. Yes. Yes. Yes. IarrangedGruer’spoisoning.Iarrangedthearrowmeantforyou.Ievenplanned the spaceships as you said. I haven’t succeeded, but, yes, Iplanned it. Only keep the man away. Don’t let him come. Keep himaway!”Hewasbabbling.Baleynodded.Another rightbutton.The threatofpersonalpresencewoulddomoretoinduceconfessionthananyphysicaltorture.But then, at some noise ormovement outside the field of sound orvisionofanyoftheothers,Leebig’sheadtwistedandhismouthopened.Heliftedapairofhands,holdingsomethingoff.“Away,”hebegged.“Goaway.Don’tcome.Pleasedon’tcome.Please

——”Hescrambledawayonhandsandknees,thenhishandwentsuddenly

toapocketinhisjacket.Itcameoutwithsomethingandmovedrapidlytohismouth.Swayingtwice,hefellprone.Baley wanted to cry: You fool, it isn’t a human that’s approaching;

onlyoneoftherobotsyoulove.DaneelOlivawdartedintothefieldofvisionandforamomentstared

downatthecrumpledfigure.Baleyheldhisbreath.IfDaneelshouldrealizeitwashisownpseudo

humanity that had killed Leebig, the effect on his First Law-enslavedbrainmightbedrastic.ButDaneelonlykneltandhisdelicatefingerstouchedLeebighereand

there.ThenheliftedLeebig’sheadasthoughitwereinfinitelyprecioustohim,cradlingit,caressingit.Hisbeautifullychiseledfacestaredoutattheothersandhewhispered,

“Ahumanisdead!”

Baleywas expecting her; she had asked for a last interview; but hiseyeswidenedwhensheappeared.Hesaid,“I’mseeingyou.”“Yes,”saidGladia,“howcanyoutell?”“You’rewearinggloves.”“Oh.” She looked at her hands in confusion. Then, softly, “Do you

mind?”“No, of course not. But why have you decided to see, rather than

view?”“Well”—shesmiledweakly—“I’vegottogetusedtoit,don’tI,Elijah?

Imean,ifI’mgoingtoAurora.”“Thenit’sallarranged?”“Mr.Olivawseemstohaveinfluence.It’sallarranged.I’llnevercome

back.”“Good.You’llbehappier,Gladia.Iknowyouwill.”“I’malittleafraid.”“Iknow. Itwillmeanseeingall thetimeandyouwon’thaveall the

comfortsyouhadonSolaria.Butyou’llgetusedtoitand,what’smore,you’llforgetalltheterroryou’vebeenthrough.”

“Idon’twanttoforgeteverything,”saidGladiasoftly.“Youwill.” Baley looked at the slim girlwho stood before him andsaid,notwithoutamomentarypang,“Andyouwillbemarriedsomeday,too.Reallymarried,Imean.”“Somehow,” she saidmournfully, “that doesn’t seem so attractive tome—rightnow.”“You’llchangeyourmind.”Andtheystoodthere,lookingateachotherforawordlessmoment.Gladiasaid,“I’veneverthankedyou.”Baleysaid,“Itwasonlymyjob.”“You’llbegoingbacktoEarthnow,won’tyou?”“Yes.”“I’llneverseeyouagain.”“Probablynot.Butdon’tfeelbadlyaboutthat.Infortyyearsatmost,I’ll be dead and you won’t look a bit different from the way you donow.”Herfacetwisted.“Don’tsaythat.”“It’strue.”Shesaidrapidly,asthoughforcedtochangethesubject,“It’salltrueaboutJothanLeebig,youknow.”“I know. Other roboticists went over his records and foundexperiments toward unmanned intelligent spaceships. They also foundotherrobotswithreplaceablelimbs.”Gladia shuddered. “Why did he do such a horrible thing, do yousuppose?”“Hewasafraidofpeople.HekilledhimselftoavoidpersonalpresenceandhewasreadytokillotherworldstomakesurethatSolariaanditspersonal-presencetaboowouldneverbetouched.”“Howcouldhefeelso,”shemurmured,“whenpersonalpresencecanbesovery——”Againasilentmomentwhiletheyfacedeachotherattenpaces.ThenGladiacriedsuddenly,“Oh,Elijah,you’llthinkitabandonedofme.”“Thinkwhatabandoned?”“MayItouchyou?I’llneverseeyouagain,Elijah.”“Ifyouwantto.”Step by step, she came closer, her eyes glowing, yet looking

apprehensive,too.Shestoppedthreefeetaway,thenslowly,asthoughinatrance,shebegantoremovethegloveonherrighthand.Baleystartedarestraininggesture.“Don’tbefoolish,Gladia.”“I’mnotafraid,”saidGladia.Herhandwasbare.Ittrembledassheextendedit.AndsodidBaley’sashe tookherhand inhis.Theyremainedso for

one moment, her hand a shy thing, frightened as it rested in his. Heopenedhishandandhersescaped,dartedsuddenlyandwithoutwarningtowardhisfaceuntilherfingertipsrestedfeatherlightuponhischeekforthebarestmoment.Shesaid,“Thankyou,Elijah.Good-bye.”Hesaid,“Good-bye,Gladia,”andwatchedherleave.Even the thought that a shipwaswaiting to takehimback toEarth

didnotwipeoutthesenseoflosshefeltatthatmoment.

UndersecretaryAlbertMinnim’s lookwasintendedtobeoneofprimwelcome.“Iamglad to seeyoubackonEarth.Your report,ofcourse,arrived before you did and is being studied. You did a good job. Thematterwilllookwellinyourrecord.”“Thank you,” said Baley. There was no room for further elation in

him.BeingbackonEarth;beingsafe in theCaves;being inhearingofJessie’s voice (he had spoken to her already) had left him strangelyempty.“However,” said Minnim, “your report concerned only the murder

investigation. There was anothermatter we were interested in.May Ihaveareportonthat,verbally?”Baley hesitated and his handmoved automatically toward the inner

pocketwherethewarmcomfortofhispipecouldoncemorebefound.Minnimsaidatonce,“Youmaysmoke,Baley.”Baleymadeofthelightingprocessaratherdrawnoutritual.Hesaid,

“Iamnotasociologist.”“Aren’t you?” Minnim smiled briefly. “It seems to me we discussed

that once. A successful detective must be a good rule-of-thumbsociologist even if he never heard ofHackett’s Equation. I think, fromyour discomfort at themoment, that you have notions concerning theOuterWorldsbutaren’tsurehowitwillsoundtome?”

“Ifyouput it thatway, sir…Whenyouorderedme toSolaria,youaskedaquestion; youaskedwhat theweaknesses of theOuterWorldswere.Theirstrengthsweretheirrobots,theirlowpopulation,theirlonglives,butwhatweretheirweaknesses?”“Well?”“IbelieveIknowtheweaknessesoftheSolarians,sir.”“Youcananswermyquestion?Good.Goahead.”“Their weaknesses, sir, are their robots, their low population, their

longlives.”MinnimstaredatBaleywithoutanychangeofexpression.Hishands

workedinjerkyfinger-drawndesignsalongthepapersonhisdesk.Hesaid,“Whydoyousaythat?”Baleyhadspenthoursorganizinghisthoughtsonthewaybackfrom

Solaria;hadconfrontedofficialdom,inimagination,withbalanced,well-reasonedarguments.Nowhefeltataloss.Hesaid,“I’mnotsureIcanputitclearly.”“Nomatter.Letmehear.Thisisfirstapproximationonly.”Baleysaid,“TheSolarianshavegivenupsomethingmankindhashad

for a million years; something worth more than atomic power, cities,agriculture, tools, fire, everything; because it’s something that madeeverythingelsepossible.”“Idon’twanttoguess,Baley.Whatisit?”“The tribe, sir.Cooperationbetween individuals.Solariahasgiven it

up entirely. It is a world of isolated individuals and the planet’s onlysociologistisdelightedthatthisisso.Thatsociologist,bytheway,neverheard of sociomathematics, because he is inventing his own science.There is noone to teachhim,noone tohelphim,noone to thinkofsomethinghehimselfmightmiss.TheonlysciencethatreallyflourishesonSolaria is roboticsand thereareonlyahandfulofmen involved inthat, andwhen it came to an analysis of the interactionof robots andmen,theyhadtocallinanEarthmantohelp.“Solarian art, sir, is abstract. We have abstract art on Earth as one

formofart;butonSolariaitistheonlyform.Thehumantouchisgone.Thelooked-forfutureisoneofectogenesisandcompleteisolationfrombirth.”Minnimsaid,“Itallsoundshorrible.Butisitharmful?”“Ithinkso.Withouttheinterplayofhumanagainsthuman,thechief

interestinlifeisgone;mostoftheintellectualvaluesaregone;mostofthe reason for living is gone. Viewing is no substitute for seeing. TheSolarians, themselves, are conscious that viewing is a long-distancesense.“Andifisolationisn’tenoughtoinducestagnation,thereisthematterof their long lives. On Earth, we have a continuous influx of youngpeoplewhoarewillingtochangebecausetheyhaven’thadtimetogrowhard-set in their ways. I suppose there’s some optimum. A life longenough for real accomplishment and short enough to make way foryouthataratethat’snottooslow.OnSolaria,therateistooslow.”Minnimstilldrewpatternswithhis finger. “Interesting! Interesting!”Helookedup,anditwasasthoughamaskhadfallenaway.Therewasgleeinhiseyes.“Plainclothesman,you’reamanofpenetration.”“Thankyou,”saidBaleystiffly.“DoyouknowwhyIencouragedyoutodescribeyourviewstome?”He was almost like a little boy, hugging his pleasure. He went onwithout waiting for an answer. “Your report has already undergonepreliminaryanalysisbyoursociologistsandIwaswonderingifyouhadany idea yourself as to the excellent news for Earth you had broughtwithyou.Iseeyouhave.”“Butwait,”saidBaley.“There’smoretothis.”“Thereis,indeed,”agreedMinnimjubilantly.“Solariacannotpossiblycorrectitsstagnation.Ithaspassedacriticalpointandtheirdependenceon robots has gone too far. Individual robots can’t discipline anindividualchild,eventhoughdisciplinemaydothechildeventualgood.The robot can’t see past the immediate pain. And robots collectivelycannotdisciplineaplanetbyallowing its institutions tocollapsewhentheinstitutionshavegrownharmful.Theycan’tseepasttheimmediatechaos.SotheonlyendfortheOuterWorldsisperpetualstagnationandEarth will be freed of their domination. This new data changeseverything. Physical revolt will not even be necessary. Freedom willcomeofitself.”“Wait,” said Baley again, more loudly. “It’s only Solaria we’rediscussing,notanyotherOuterWorld.”“It’sthesamething.YourSolariasociologist—Kimot——”“Quemot,sir.”“Quemot,then.Hesaid,didhenot,thattheotherOuterWorldswere

movinginthedirectionofSolaria?”“Hedid,butheknewnothingabouttheotherOuterWorldsfirsthand,andhewasnosociologist.Notreally.IthoughtImadethatclear.”“Ourownmenwillcheck.”“They’ll lack data too.We know nothing about the really bigOuterWorlds. Aurora, for instance; Daneel’s world. To me, it doesn’t seemreasonable to expect them to be anything like Solaria. In fact, there’sonlyoneworldintheGalaxywhichresemblesSolaria——”Minnimwas dismissing the subjectwith a small, happywave of hisneathand.“Ourmenwillcheck.I’msuretheywillagreewithQuemot.”Baley’sstaregrewsomber.IfEarth’ssociologistswereanxiousenoughforhappynews, theywould find themselvesagreeingwithQuemot, atthat.Anythingcouldbefoundinfiguresifthesearchwerelongenoughandhardenoughandiftheproperpiecesofinformationwereignoredoroverlooked.Hehesitated.Wasitbestnowtospeakwhilehehadtheearofamanhighinthegovernmentor——Hehesitatedatrifletoolong.Minnimwasspeakingagain,shufflingafew papers and growing more matter-of-fact. “A few minor matters,Plainclothesman,concerningtheDelmarrecase itselfandthenyouwillbefreetogo.DidyouintendtohaveLeebigcommitsuicide?”“Iintendedtoforceaconfession,sir.Ihadnotanticipatedsuicideatthe approach, ironically, of someone who was only a robot and whowouldnot reallybeviolating the tabooagainstpersonalpresence.But,frankly, Idon’t regrethisdeath.Hewasadangerousman. Itwillbealong time before there will be another man who will combine hissicknessandhisbrilliance.”“I agree with that,” said Minnim dryly, “and consider his deathfortunate, but didn’t you consider your danger if the Solarians hadstopped to realize that Leebig couldn’t possibly have murderedDelmarre?”Baleytookhispipeoutofhismouthandsaidnothing.“Come, Plainclothesman,” said Minnim. “You know he didn’t. Themurder required personal presence and Leebig would die rather thanallowthat.Hediddieratherthanallowit.”Baley said, “You’re right, sir. I counted on the Solarians being toohorrifiedathismisuseofrobotstostoptothinkofthat.”

“ThenwhodidkillDelmarre?”Baleysaidslowly,“Ifyoumeanwhostrucktheactualblow,itwasthe

personeveryoneknewhaddoneso.GladiaDelmarre,theman’swife.”“Andyoulethergo?”Baley said, “Morally, the responsibility wasn’t hers. Leebig knew

Gladia quarreled bitterly with her husband, and often. He must haveknownhowfuriousshecouldgrowinmomentsofanger.Leebigwantedthe death of the husband under circumstances that would incriminatethewife.SohesuppliedDelmarrewitharobotand,Iimagine,instructeditwith all the skill he possessed to handGladia one of its detachablelimbsatthemomentofherfullfury.Withaweaponinherhandatthecrucial moment, she acted in a temporary blackout before eitherDelmarre or the robot could stop her. Gladia was as much Leebig’sunwittinginstrumentastherobotitself.”Minnim said, “The robot’s armmust have been smearedwith blood

andmattedhair.”“Itprobablywas,”saidBaley.“ButitwasLeebigwhotookthemurder

robot incharge.Hecouldeasilyhave instructed anyother robotswhomighthavenoticedthefacttoforgetit.Dr.Thoolmighthavenoticedit,but he inspected only the dead man and the unconscious woman.Leebig’s mistake was to think that guilt would rest so obviously onGladiathatthematteroftheabsenceofanobviousweaponatthescenewouldn’tsaveher.Norcouldheanticipate thatanEarthmanwouldbecalledintohelpwiththeinvestigation.”“SowithLeebigdead,youarrangedtohaveGladialeaveSolaria.Was

thattosaveherincaseanySolariansbeganthinkingaboutthecase?”Baleyshrugged.“Shehadsufferedenough.Shehadbeenvictimizedby

everyone;byherhusband,byLeebig,bytheworldofSolaria.”Minnimsaid,“Weren’tyoubendingthelawtosuitapersonalwhim?”Baley’scraggyfacegrewhard.“Itwasnotawhim.Iwasnotboundby

Solarianlaw.Earth’sinterestswereparamount,andforthesakeofthoseinterests,IhadtoseethatLeebig,thedangerousone,wasdealtwith.Asfor Mrs. Delmarre.” He faced Minnim now, and felt himself taking acrucialstep.Hehad tosay this.“As forMrs.Delmarre, Imadeher thebasisofanexperiment.”“Whatexperiment?”“I wanted to know if she would consent to face a world where

personalpresencewaspermittedandexpected.Iwascurioustoknowifshehadthecouragetofacedisruptionofhabitssodeeplysettledinher.Iwasafraidshemightrefusetogo; thatshemight insistonremainingon Solaria, which was purgatory to her, rather than bring herself toabandonherdistortedSolarianwayof life.ButshechosechangeandIwasgladshedid,becausetomeitseemedsymbolic.Itseemedtoopenthegatesofsalvationforus.”“Forus?”saidMinnimwithenergy.“Whatthedevildoyoumean?”“Notforyouandmeparticularly,sir,”saidBaleygravely,“butforall

mankind. You’rewrong about the other OuterWorlds. They have fewrobots;theypermitpersonalpresence;andtheyhavebeeninvestigatingSolaria.R.DaneelOlivawwastherewithme,youknow,andhe’llbringbackareport.ThereisadangertheymaybecomeSolariassomeday,buttheywillprobablyrecognizethatdangerandworktokeepthemselvesinareasonablebalanceandinthatwayremaintheleadersofmankind.”“Thatisyouropinion,”saidMinnimtestily.“And there’s more to it. There is one world like Solaria and that’s

Earth.”“PlainclothesmanBaley!”“It’sso,sir.We’reSolariainsideout.Theyretreatedintoisolationfrom

oneanother.WeretreatedintoisolationfromtheGalaxy.Theyareatthedead end of their inviolable estates. We are at the dead end ofundergroundCities.They’re leaderswithoutfollowers,onlyrobotswhocan’ttalkback.We’refollowerswithoutleaders,onlyenclosingCitiestokeepussafe.”Baley’sfistsclenched.Minnim disapproved. “Plainclothesman, you have been through an

ordeal.Youneedarestandyouwillhaveone.Amonth’svacation,fullpay,andapromotionattheendofit.”“Thankyou,butthat’snotallIwant.Iwantyoutolisten.There’sonly

one direction out of our dead end and that’s outward, toward Space.There are a million worlds out there and the Spacers own only fifty.Theyarefewandlong-lived.Wearemanyandshort-lived.Wearebettersuited than they for exploration and colonization.Wehavepopulationpressure to push us and a rapid turnover of generation to keep ussupplied with the young and reckless. It was our ancestors whocolonizedtheOuterWorldsinthefirstplace.”“Yes,Isee—butI’mafraidourtimeisup.”

Baleycouldfeeltheother’sanxietytoberidofhimandheremainedstolidly in place. He said, “When the original colonization establishedworlds superior to our own in technology, we escaped by buildingwombs beneath the ground for ourselves. The Spacers made us feelinferior and we hid from them. That’s no answer. To avoid thedestructiverhythmof rebellionandsuppression,wemustcompetewiththem,followthem,ifwemust,leadthem,ifwecan.Todothat,wemustfacetheopen;wemustteachourselvestofacetheopen.Ifitistoolatetoteachourselves,thenwemustteachourchildren.It’svital!”“Youneedarest,Plainclothesman.”Baley saidviolently, “Listen tome, sir. If theSpacersare strongand

weremainasweare,thenEarthwillbedestroyedwithinacentury.Thathas been computed, as you yourself toldme. If the Spacers are reallyweakandaregrowingweaker, thenwemayescape,butwho says theSpacersareweak?TheSolarians,yes,butthat’sallweknow.”“But——”“I’mnotthrough.Onethingwecanchange,whethertheSpacersare

weakorstrong.Wecanchangethewayweare.Letusfacetheopenandwe’ll never need rebellion.We can spread out into our own crowd ofworldsandbecomeSpacersourselves.IfwestayhereonEarth,coopedup, thenuseless and fatal rebellion can’t be stopped. Itwill be all theworse if the people build any false hopes because of supposed Spacerweakness.Goahead,askthesociologists.Putmyargumenttothem.Andifthey’restill indoubt,findawaytosendmetoAurora.LetmebringbackareportontherealSpacers,andyou’llseewhatEarthmustdo.”Minnimnodded.“Yes,yes.Goodday,now,PlainclothesmanBaley.”Baley leftwitha feelingof exaltation.Hehadnot expectedanopen

victory overMinnim. Victories over ingrained patterns of thought arenot won in a day or a year. But he had seen the look of pensiveuncertaintythathadcrossedMinnim’sfaceandhadblottedout,atleastforawhile,theearlieruncriticaljoy.Hefelthecouldseeintothefuture.Minnimwouldaskthesociologists

andoneortwoofthemwouldbeuncertain.Theywouldwonder.TheywouldconsultBaley.Give it oneyear, thoughtBaley, oneyear, and I’ll beonmyway to

Aurora.Onegeneration,andwe’llbeoutinspaceoncemore.

Baley stepped onto the northbound Expressway. Soon he would seeJessie. Would she understand? And his son, Bentley, now seventeen.WhenBenhadaseventeen-year-oldofhisown,wouldhebestandingonsomeemptyworld,buildingaspaciouslife?It was a frightening thought. Baley still feared the open. But he no

longerfearedthefear!Itwasnotsomethingtorunfrom,thatfear,butsomethingtofight.Baleyfeltasthoughatouchofmadnesshadcomeoverhim.Fromthe

veryfirsttheopenhadhaditsweirdattractionoverhim;fromthetimeintheground-carwhenhehadtrickedDaneelinordertohavethetoploweredsothathemightstandupintheopenair.He had failed to understand then. Daneel thought he was being

perverse. Baley himself thought he was facing the open out ofprofessional necessity, to solve a crime. Only on that last evening onSolaria,withthecurtaintearingawayfromthewindow,didherealizehisneedtofacetheopenfortheopen’sownsake;foritsattractionanditspromiseoffreedom.TheremustbemillionsonEarthwhowouldfeelthatsameurge,ifthe

openwereonlybroughttotheirattention,iftheycouldbemadetotakethefirststep.Helookedabout.The Expresswaywas speeding on. All about himwas artificial light

andhugebanksofapartmentsglidingbackwardandflashingsignsandstorewindowsandfactoriesandlightsandnoiseandcrowdsandmorenoiseandpeopleandpeopleandpeople…Itwasallhehad loved,allhehadhatedand feared to leave,allhe

hadthoughthelongedforonSolaria.Anditwasallstrangetohim.Hecouldn’tmakehimselffitbackin.Hehadgoneout to solveamurderand somethinghadhappened to

him.Hehad toldMinnim theCitieswerewombs, and so theywere.And

whatwasthefirstthingamanmustdobeforehecanbeaman?Hemustbe born. He must leave the womb. And once left, it could not bereentered.BaleyhadlefttheCityandcouldnotreenter.TheCitywasnolonger

his;theCavesofSteelwerealien.Thishadtobe.Anditwouldbesofor

othersandEarthwouldbebornagainandreachoutward.His heart beat madly and the noise of life about him sank to an

unheardmurmur.HerememberedhisdreamonSolariaandheunderstooditatlast.He

liftedhisheadandhecouldseethroughall thesteelandconcreteandhumanityabovehim.Hecouldseethebeaconsetinspacetoluremenoutward.Hecouldseeitshiningdown.Thenakedsun!

ABOUTTHEAUTHOR

ISAAC ASIMOV was America’s most prolific author, with more than 440publishedbookstohiscredit.HisFoundationTrilogywasgivenaspecialHugoAward as Best All-Time Science Fiction Series, Foundation’s Edgewon a Hugo Award as Best Science Fiction Novel of 1982, and Dr.Asimov was presented the Science Fiction Writers of America GrandMasterAwardin1988.