31
Baley woke with a start and drew in his breath with sharp suspicion. There was a faint and unrecognizable odor in the air that vanished by his second breath.
Daneel stood gravely at the side of the bed. He said, "I trust, Partner Elijah, that you have slept well."
Baley looked around. The drapes were still closed, but it was clearly daylight Outside. Giskard was laying out clothing, totally different, from shoes to jacket, from anything he had worn the day before.
He said, "Quite well, Daneel. Did something awaken me?"
"There was an injection of antisomnin in the room's air circulation, Partner Elijah. It activates the arousal system. We used a smaller than normal amount, since we were uncertain of your reaction. Perhaps we should have used a smaller amount still."
Baley said, "It did seem to be rather like a paddle over the rear. What time is it?"
Daneel said, "It is 07:05, by Auroran measure. Physiologically, breakfast will be ready in half an hour." He said it without a trace of humor, though a human being might have found a smile appropriate.
Giskard said, his voice stiffer and a trifle less intoned than Daneel's, "Sir, friend Daneel and I may not enter the Personal. If you will do so and let us know if there is anything you will need, we will supply it at once."
"Yes, of course." Baley raised himself, swung around, and got out of bed.
Giskard began stripping the bed at once. "May I have your pajamas, sir?"
Baley hesitated for a moment only. It was a robot who asked, nothing more. He disrobed and handed the garment to Giskard, who took it with a small, grave nod of acceptance.
Baley looked at himself with distaste. He was suddenly conscious of a middle-aged body that was very likely in less good condition than Fastolfe's, which was nearly three times as old.
Automatically, he looked for his slippers and found there were none. Presumably, he needed none. The floor seemed warm and soft to his feet.
He stepped into the Personal and called out for instructions. From the other side of the illusory section of the wall, Giskard solemnly explained the working of the shaver, of the toothpaste dispenser, explained how to put the flushing device on automatic, how to control the temperature of the shower.
Everything was on a grander and more elaborate scale than anything Earth had to offer and there were no partitions on the other side of which he could hear the movements and involuntary sounds of someone else, something he had to ignore rigidly to maintain the illusion of privacy.
It was effete, thought Baley somberly as he went through the luxurious ritual, but it was an effeteness that (he already knew) he could become accustomed to. If he stayed here on Aurora any length of time, he would find the culture shock of returning to Earth painfully intense, particularly with respect to the Personal. He hoped that the readjustment would not take long, but he also hoped that any Earthpeople who settled new worlds would not feel impelled to cling to the concept of Community Personals.
Perhaps, thought Baley, that was how one ought to define "effete": That to which one can become easily accustomed.
Baley stepped out of the Personal, various functions completed, chin new-cropped, teeth glistening, body showered and dry. He said, "Giskard, where do I find the deodorant?"
Giskard said, "I do not understand, sir."
Daneel said quickly, "When you activated the lathering control, Partner Elijah, that introduced a deodorant effect. I ask pardon for friend Giskard's failure to understand. He lacks my experience on Earth."
Baley lifted his eyebrows dubiously and began to dress with Giskard's help.
He said, "I see that you and Giskard are still with me every step of the way. Has there been any sign of any attempt at putting me out of the way?"
Daneel said, "None thus far, Partner Elijah. Nevertheless, it would be wise to have friend Giskard and myself with you at all times, if that can possibly be managed."
"Why is that, Daneel?"
"For two reasons, Partner Elijah. First, we can help you with any aspect of Auroran culture or folkways with which you are unfamiliar. Second, friend Giskard, in particular, can record and reproduce every word of every conversation you may have. This may be of value to you. You will recall that there were times in your conversations with both Dr. Fastolfe and with Miss Gladia when friend Giskard and I were at a distance or in another room - "
"So that conversations were not recorded by Giskard?"
"Actually, they were, Partner Elijah, but with low fidelity and there may be portions that will not be as clear as we would want them to be. It would be better if we stayed as close to you as is convenient."
Baley said, "Daneel, are you of the opinion that I will be more at ease if I think of you as guides and as recording devices, rather than as guards? Why not simply come to the conclusion that, as guards, you two are completely unnecessary. Since there have been no attempts at me so far, why isn't it possible to conclude that there will be no attempts at me in the future?"
"No, Partner Elijah, that would be incautious. Dr. Fastolfe feels that you are viewed with great apprehension by his enemies. They had made attempts to persuade the Chairman not to give Dr. Fastolfe permission to call you in and they will surely continue to attempt to persuade him to have you ordered back to Earth at the earliest possible moment."
"That sort of peaceful opposition requires no guards."
"No, sir, but if the opposition has reason to fear that you may exculpate Dr. Fastolfe, it is possible that they may feel driven to extremes. You are, after all, not an Auroran and the inhibitions against violence on our world would therefore be weakened in your case."
Baley said dourly, "The fact that I've been here a whole day and that nothing has happened should relieve their minds greatly and reduce the threat of violence considerably."
"It would indeed seem so," said Daneel, showing no signs that he recognized the irony in Baley's voice.
"On the other hand," said Baley, "if I seem to make progress, then the danger to me immediately increases."
Daneel paused to consider, then said, "That would seem to be a logical consequence."
"And, therefore, you and Giskard will come with me wherever I go, just in case I manage to do my job a little too well."
Daneel paused again, then said, "Your way of putting it, Partner Elijah, puzzles me, but you seem to be correct."
"In that case," said Baley, "I'm ready for breakfast, though it does take the edge off my appetite to be told that the alternative to failure is attempted assassination."
32
Fastolfe smiled at Baley across the breakfast table. "Did you sleep well, Mr. Baley?"
Baley studied the slice of ham with fascination. It had to be cut with a knife. It was grainy. It had a discrete strip of fat running down one side. It had, in short, not been processed. The result was that it tasted hammier, so to speak.
There were also fried eggs, with the yolk flattened semisphere in the center, rimmed by white, rather like some daisies that Ben had pointed out to him in the field back on Earth. Intellectually, he knew what an egg looked like before it was processed and he knew that it contained both a yolk and a white, but he had never seen them still separate when ready to eat. Even on the ship coming here and even on Solaria, eggs, when served, were scrambled.
He looked up sharply at Fastolfe. "Pardon me?"
Fastolfe said patiently, "Did you sleep well?"
"Yes. Quite well. I would probably still be sleeping if it hadn't been for the antisomnin."
"Ah yes. Not quite the hospitality a guest has the right to expect, but I felt you might want an early start."
"You are entirely right. And I'm not exactly a guest, either."
Fastolfe ate in silence for a moment or two. He sipped at his hot drink, then said, "Has any enlightenment come overnight? Have you awakened, perhaps, with a new perspective, a new thought?"
Baley looked at Fastolfe suspiciously, but the other's face reflected no sarcasm. As Baley lifted his drink to his lips, he said, "I'm afraid not. I am as intellectual now as I was last night." He sipped and involuntarily made a face.
Fastolfe said, "I'm sorry. You find the drink unpalatable?"
Baley grunted and cautiously tasted it again.
Fastolfe said, "It is simply coffee, you know. Decaffeinated."
Baley frowned. "It doesn't taste like coffee and - Pardon me, Dr. Fastolfe, I don't want to begin to sound paranoid, but Daneel and I have just had a half-joking exchange on the possibility of violence against me - half-joking on my part, of course, not on Daneel's - and it is in my mind that one way they might get at me is - "
His voice trailed away.
Fastolfe's eyebrows moved upward. He reached for Baley's coffee with a murmur of apology and smelled it. He then ladled out a small portion by spoon and tasted it. He said, "Perfectly normal, Mr. Baley. This is not an attempt at poisoning."
Baley said, "I'm sorry to behave so foolishly, since I know this has been prepared by your own robots - but are you certain?"
Fastolfe smiled. "Robots have been tampered with before now. - However, there has been no tampering this time. It is just that coffee, although universally popular on the various worlds, comes in different strains. It is notorious that each human being prefers the coffee of his own world. I'm sorry, Mr. Baley, I have no Earth strain to give you. Would you prefer milk? That is relatively constant from world to world. Fruit juice? Aurora's grape juice is considered superior throughout the worlds, generally. There are some who hint, darkly, that we allow it to ferment somewhat, but that, of course, is not true. Water?"
"I'll try your grape juice." Baley looked at the coffee dubiously. "I suppose I ought to try to get used to this."
"Not at all," said Fastolfe. "Why seek out the unpleasant if that is unnecessary? - And so" - his smile seemed a bit strained as he returned to his earlier remark - "night and sleep have brought no useful reflection to you?"
"I'm sorry," said Baley. Then, frowning at a dim memory, "Although - "
"Yes?"
"I have the impression that just before falling asleep, in the free-association limbo between sleep and waking, it seemed to me that I had something."
"Indeed? What?"
"I don't know. The thought drove me into wakefulness but didn't follow me there. Or else some imagined sound distracted me. I don't remember. I snatched at the thought, but didn't retrieve it. It's gone. I think that this sort of thing is not uncommon."
Fastolfe looked thoughtful. "Are you sure of this?"
"Not really. The thought grew so tenuous so rapidly I couldn't even be sure that I had actually had it. And even if I had, it may have seemed to make sense to me only because I was half asleep. If it were repeated to me now in broad daylight, it might make no sense at all."
"But whatever it was and, however fugitive, it would have left a trace, surely."
"I imagine so, Dr. Fastolfe. In which case, it will come to me again. I'm confident of that."
"Ought we to wait?"
"What else can we do?"
"There's such a thing as a Psychic Probe."
Baley sat, back in his chair and stared at Fastolfe for a moment. He said, "I've heard of it, but it isn't used in police work on Earth."
"We're not on Earth, Mr. Baley," said Fastolfe softly.
"It can do brain damage. Am I not right?"
"Not likely, in the proper hands."
"Not impossible, even in the proper hands," said Baley. "It's my understanding that it cannot be used on Aurora except under sharply defined conditions. Those it is used on must be guilty of a major crime or must - "
"Yes, Mr. Baley, but that refers to Aurorans. You are not an Auroran."
"You mean because I'm an Earthman I'm to be treated as inhuman?"
Fastolfe smiled and spread his hands. "Come, Mr. Baley. It was just a thought. Last night you were desperate enough to suggest trying to solve our dilemma by placing Gladia in a horrible and tragic position. I was wondering if you were desperate enough to risk yourself?"
Baley rubbed his eyes and, for a minute or so, remained silent. Then, in an altered voice, he said, "I was wrong last night - I admitted it. As for this matter now, there is no assurance that what I thought of, when half-asleep, had any relevance to the problem. It may have been pure fantasy - illogical nonsense. There may have been no thought at all. Nothing. Would you consider it wise, for so small a likelihood of gain, to risk damage to my brain, when it is upon that for which you say you depend for a solution to the problem?"
Fastolfe nodded. "You plead your case eloquently - and I was not really serious."
"Thank you, Dr. Fastolfe."
"But, where are we to go from here?"
"For one thing, I wish to speak to Gladia again. There are points concerning which I need clarification."
"You should have taken them up last night."
"So I should, but I had more than I could properly absorb last night and there were points that escaped me. I am an investigator and not an infallible computer."
Fastolfe said, "I was not imputing blame. It's just that I hate to see Gladia unnecessarily disturbed. In view of what you told me last night, I can only assume she must be in a state of deep distress."
"Undoubtedly. But she is also desperately anxious to find out what happened - who, if anyone, killed the one she viewed as her husband. That's understandable, too. I'm sure she'll be willing to help me. And I wish to speak to another person as well."
"To whom?"
"To your daughter Vasilia."
"To Vasilia? Why? What purpose will that serve?"
"She is a roboticist. I would like to talk to a roboticist other than yourself."
"I do not wish that, Mr. Baley."
They had finished eating. Baley stood up. "Dr. Fastolfe, once again I must remind you that I am here at your request. I have no formal authority to do police work. I have no connection with any Auroran authorities. The only chance I have of getting to the bottom of this miserable mess is to hope that various people will voluntarily cooperate with me and answer my questions.
"If you stop me from attempting this, then it is clear that I can get no farther than I am right now, which is nowhere. It will also look extremely bad for you - and therefore for Earth so I urge you not to stand in my way. If you make it possible for me to interview anyone I wish - or even simply try to make it possible by interceding on my behalf - then the people of Aurora will surely consider that to be a sign of self-conscious innocence on your part. If you hamper my investigation, on the other hand, to what conclusion can they come but that you are guilty and fear exposure?"
Fastolfe said, with poorly suppressed annoyance, "I understand that, Mr. Baley. But why Vasilia? There are other roboticists."
"Vasilia is your daughter. She knows you. She might have strong opinions concerning the likelihood of your destroying a robot. Since she is a member of the Robotics Institute and on the side of your political enemies, any favorable evidence she may give would be persuasive."
"And if she testifies against me?"
"We'll face that when it comes. Would you get in touch with her and ask her to receive me?"
Fastolfe said resignedly, "I will oblige you, but you are mistaken if you think I can easily persuade her to see you. She may be too busy - or think she is. She may be away from Aurora. She may simply not wish to be involved. I tried to explain last night that she has reason - thinks she has reason to be hostile to me. My asking her to see you may indeed impel her to refuse, merely as a sign of her displeasure with me."
"Would you try, Dr. Fastolfe?"
Fastolfe sighed. "I will try while you are at Gladia's. I presume you wish to see her directly? I might point out that a trimensional viewing would do. The image is high enough in quality so that you will not be able to tell it from personal presence.
"I'm aware of that, Dr. Fastolfe, but Gladia is a Solarian and has unpleasant associations with trimensional viewing. And, in any case, I am of the opinion that there is an intangible additional effectiveness in being within touching distance. The present situation is too delicate and the difficulties too great for me to want to give up that additional effectiveness."
"Well, I'll alert Gladia." He turned away, hesitated, and turned back. "But, Mr. Baley - "
"Yes, Dr. Fastolfe?"
"Last night you told me that the situation was serious enough for you to I disregard any convenience it might cause Gladia. There were, you pointed out, greater things at stake."
"That's so, but you can rely on me not to disturb her if I can help it."
"I am not talking about Gladia now. I merely warn you that this essentially proper view of yours should be extended to myself. I don't expect you to worry about my convenience or pride if you should get a chance to talk to Vasilia. I don't look forward to the results, but if you do talk to her, I will have to endure any ensuing embarrassment and you must not seek to spare me. Do you understand?"
"To be perfectly honest, Dr. Fastolfe, it was never my intention to spare you. If I have to weigh your embarrassment or shame against the welfare of your policies and against the welfare of my world, I would not hesitate a moment to shame you.
"Good! - And Mr. Baley, we must extend that attitude also to yourself. Your convenience must not be allowed to stand in the way."
"It wasn't allowed to do so when you decided to have me brought here without consulting me."
"I'm referring to something else. If, after a reasonable time not a long time, but a reasonable time - you make no progress toward a solution, we will have to consider the possibilities of psychic-probing, after all. Our last chance might be to find out what it is your mind knows that you do not know it knows."
"It may know nothing, Dr. Fastolfe."
Fastolfe looked at Baley sadly. "Agreed. But, as you said concerning the possibility of Vasilia testifying against me we'll face that when it comes."
He turned away again and walked out of the room.
Baley looked after him thoughtfully. It seemed to him now that if he made progress he would face physical reprisals of an unknown - but possibly dangerous - kind. And if he did not make progress, he would face the Psychic Probe, which could scarcely be better.
"Jehoshaphat!" he muttered softly to himself.
33
The walk to Gladia's seemed shorter than it had on the day before. The day was sunlit and pleasant again, but the vista looked not at all the same. The sunlight slanted from the opposite direction, of course, and the coloring seemed slightly different.
It could be that the plant life looked a bit different in the morning than in the evening - or smelled different. Baley had, on occasion, thought that of Earth's plant life as well, he remembered.
Daneel and Giskard accompanied him again, but they traveled more closely to him and seemed less intensely alert.
Baley said idly, "Does the sun shine here all the time?"
"It does not, Partner Elijah," said Daneel. "Were it to do so, that would be disastrous for the plant world and, therefore, for humanity. The prediction is, in fact, for the sky to cloud over in the course of the day."
"What was that?" asked Baley, startled. A small and gray-brown animal was crouched in the grass. Seeing them, it hopped away in leisurely fashion.
"A rabbit, sir," said Giskard.
Baley relaxed. He had seen them in the fields of Earth, too.
Gladia was not waiting for them at the door this time, but she was clearly expecting them. When a robot ushered them in, she did not stand up, but said, with something between crossness and weariness, "Dr. Fastolfe told me you had to see me again. What now?"
She was wearing a robe that clung tightly to her body and was clearly wearing nothing underneath. Her hair was pulled back shapelessly and her face was pallid. She looked more drawn than she had the day before and it was clear that she had had little sleep.
Daneel, remembering what had happened the day before, did not enter the room. Giskard entered, however, glanced keenly about, then retired to a wall niche. One of Gladia's robots stood in another niche.
Baley said, "I'm terribly sorry, Gladia, to have to bother you again."
Gladia said, "I forgot to tell you last night that, after Jander is torched, he will, of course, be recycled for use in the robot factories, again. It will be amusing, I suppose, to know that each time I see a newly formed robot, I can take time to realize that many of Jander's atoms form part of him."
Baley said, "We ourselves, when we die, are recycled and who knows what atoms of whom are in you and me right now or in whom ours will someday be."
"You are very right, Elijah. And you remind me how easy it is to philosophize over the sorrows of others."
"That is right, too, Gladia, but I did not come to philosophize."
"Do what you came to do, then?"
"I must ask questions."
"Weren't yesterday's enough? Have you spent the time since then in thinking up new ones?"
"In part, yes, Gladia. - Yesterday, you said that even after you were with Jander - as wife and husband - there were men who offered themselves to you and that you refused. It is that which I must question you about."
"Why?"
Baley ignored the question. "Tell me," he said, "how many men offered themselves to you during the time you were married to Jander?"
"I don't keep records, Elijah. Three or four."
"Were any of them persistent? Did anyone offer himself more than once?"
Gladia, who had been avoiding his eyes, now looked at him full and said, "Have you talked to others about this?"
Baley shook his head. "I have talked on this subject to no one but you. From your question, however, I suspect that there was at least one who was persistent."
"One. Santirix Gremionis." She sighed. "Aurorans have such peculiar names and he was peculiar - for an Auroran. I had never met one as repetitious in the matter as he. He was always polite, always accepted my refusal with a small smile and a stately bow, and then, as like as not, he would try again the next week or even the next day. The mere repetition was a small discourtesy. A decent Auroran would accept a refusal permanently unless the prospective partner made it reasonably plain there was a change of mind."
"Tell me again - Did those who offered themselves to you know of your relationship with Jander?"
"It was not something I mentioned in casual conversation."
"Well, then, consider this Gremionis, specifically. Did he know that Jander was your husband?"
"I never told him so."
"Don't dismiss it like that, Gladia. It's not a matter of his being told. Unlike the others, he offered himself repeatedly. How often would you say, by the way? Three times? Four? How many?"
"I did not count," said Gladia wearily. "It might have been a dozen times or more. If he weren't a likable person otherwise, I would have had my robots bar the establishment to him."
"Ah, but you didn't. And it takes time to make multiple offerings. He came to see you. He encountered you. He had time to note Jander's presence and how you behaved to him. Might he not have guessed at the relationship?"
Gladia shook her head. "I don't think so. Jander never intruded when I was with any human being."
"Were those your instructions? I presume they must have been."
"They were. And before you suggest I was ashamed of the relationship, it was merely an attempt to avoid bothersome complications. I have retained some instinct of privacy about sex that Aurorans don't have."
"Think again. Might he have guessed? Here he is, a man in love - "
"In love!" The sound she made was almost a snort. "What do Aurorans know of love?"
"A man who considers himself in love. You are not responsive. Might he not, with the sensitivity and suspicion of a disappointed lover, have guessed? Consider! Did he ever make any roundabout reference to Jander? Anything to cause you the slightest suspicion - "
"No! No! It would be unheard of for any Auroran to comment adversely on the sexual preferences or habits of another."
"Not necessarily adversely. A humorous comment, perhaps. Any indication that he suspected the relationship."
"No! If young Gremionis had ever breathed a word of that sort, he would never have seen the inside of my establishment again and I would have seen to it that he never approached me again. - But he wouldn't have done anything of the sort. He was the soul of eager politeness to me."
"You say 'young.' How old is this Gremionis?"
"About my age. Thirty-five. Perhaps even a year or two younger."
"A child," said Baley sadly. "Even younger than I am. But at that age - Suppose he guessed at your relationship with Jander and said nothing - nothing at all. Might he not, nevertheless, have been jealous?"
"Jealous?"
It occurred to Baley that the word might have little meaning on Aurora or Solaria. "Angered that you should prefer another to himself."
Gladia said sharply, "I know the meaning of the word 'jealous.' I repeated it only out of surprise that you should think any Auroran was jealous. On Aurora, people are not jealous over sex. Over other things certainly, but not over sex." There was a definite sneer upon her face. "Even if he were jealous, what would it matter? What could he do?"
"Wasn't it possible he might have told Jander that the relationship with a robot would endanger your position on Aurora - "
"That would not have been true!"
"Jander might have believed it if he were told so - believed he was endangering you, - harming you. Might not that have been the reason for the mental freeze-out?"
"Jander would never have believed that. He made me happy every day he was my husband and I told him so."
Baley remained calm. She was missing the point, but he would simply have to make it clearer. "I am sure he believed you, but he might also feel impelled to believe someone else, who told him the reverse. If he were then caught in an unbearable First Law dilemma - "
Gladia's face contorted and she shrieked, "That's mad. You're just telling me the old fairy tale of Susan Calvin and the mindreading robot. No one over the age of ten can possibly believe that."
"Isn't it possible that - "
"No, it isn't. I'm from Solaria and I know enough about robots to know it isn't possible. It would take an incredible expert to tie First Law knots in a robot. Dr. Fastolfe might be able to do it, but certainly not Santirix Gremionis. Gremionis is a stylist. He works on human beings. He cuts hair, designs clothing. I do the same, but at least I work on robots. Gremionis has never touched a robot. He knows nothing about them, except to order one to close the window or something like that. Are you trying to tell me that it was the relationship between Jander and me - me" - she tapped herself harshly on the breastbone with one rigid finger, the swells of her small breasts scarcely showing under her robe - "that caused Jander's death?"
"It was nothing you did knowingly," said Baley, wanting to stop but unable to quit probing. "What if Gremionis had learned from Dr. Fastolfe how to - "
"Gremionis didn't know Dr. Fastolfe and couldn't have understood anything Dr. Fastolfe might have told him, anyhow."
"You can't know for certain what Gremionis might or might not understand and, as for not knowing Dr. Fastolfe - Gremionis must have been frequently, in your establishment if he hounded you so and - "
"And Dr. Fastolfe was almost never in my establishment. Last night, when he came with you, it was only the second time he had crossed my threshold. He was afraid that to be too close to me would drive me away. He admitted that once. He lost his daughter that way, he thought - something foolish like that. - You see, Elijah, when you live several centuries, you have plenty of time to lose thousands of things. Be thankful for short life, Elijah." She was weeping uncontrollably.
Baley looked and felt helpless. "I'm sorry, Gladia. I have no more questions. Shall I call a robot? Will you need help?"
She shook her head and waved her hand at him. "Just go away - go away," she said in a strangled voice. "Go away."
Baley hesitated and then strode out of the room, taking one last, uncertain look at her as he walked out the door. Giskard followed in his footsteps and Daneel joined him as he left the house. He scarcely noticed. It occurred to him, abstractedly, that he was coming to accept their presence as he would have that of his shadow or of his clothing, that he was reaching a point where he would feel bare without them.
He walked rapidly back toward the Fastolfe establishment his mind churning. His desire to see Vasilia had at first been a matter of desperation, a lack of any other object of curiosity, but now things had changed. There was just a chance that he had stumbled on something vital.
34
Fastolfe's homely face was set in grim lines when Baley returned.
"Any progress?" he asked.
"I eliminated part of a possibility. - Perhaps."
"Part of a possibility? How do you eliminate the other part? Better yet, how do you establish a possibility?"
Baley said, "By finding it impossible to eliminate a possibility, a beginning is made at establishing one."
"And if you find it impossible to eliminate the other part of the possibility you mysteriously mentioned?"
Baley shrugged. "Before we waste our time considering that, I must see your daughter."
Fastolfe looked dejected. "Well, Mr. Baley, I did as, you asked me to do and tried to contact her. It was necessary to awaken her."
"You mean she is in part of the planet where it is night? I hadn't thought of that." Baley felt chagrined. "I'm afraid I'm fool enough to imagine I'm on Earth still. In underground Cities, day and night lose their meaning and time tends to be uniform."
"It's not that bad. Eos is the robotics center of Aurora and you'll find few roboticists who live out of it. She was simply sleeping and being awakened did not improve her temper, apparently. She would not speak to me."
"Call again," said Baley urgently.
"I spoke to her secretarial robot and there was an uncomfortable relaying of messages. She made it quite plain she will not speak to me in any fashion. She was a little more flexible with you. The robot announced that she would give you five minutes on her private viewing channel, if you call - Fastolfe consulted the time-strip on the wall in half an hour. She will not see you in person under any conditions."
"The conditions are insufficient and so is the time. I must see her in person for as long as is needed. Did you explain the importance of this, Dr. Fastolfe?"
"I tried. - She is not concerned."
"You are her father. Surely - "
"She is less inclined to bend her decision for my sake than for a randomly chosen stranger. I knew this, so I made use of Giskard."
"Giskard?"
"Oh yes. Giskard is a great favorite of hers. When she was studying robotics at the university, she took the liberty of adjusting some minor aspects of his programming - and nothing makes for a closer relationship with a robot than that - except for Gladia's method, of course. It was almost as though Giskard were Andrew Martin - "
"Who is Andrew Martin?"
"Was, not is," said Fastolfe. "You have never heard of him?"
"Never!"
"How odd! These ancient legends of ours all have Earth as their setting, yet on Earth they are not known. - Andrew Martin was a robot who, gradually, step by step, was supposed to have become humaniform. To be sure, there have been humaniform robots before Daneel, but they were all simple toys, little - more than automatons. Nevertheless, amazing stories are told of the abilities of Andrew Martin - a sure sign of the legendary nature of the tale. There was a woman who was part of the legends who is usually known as Little Miss. The relationship is too complicated to describe now, but I suppose that every little girl on Aurora has daydreamed of being Little Miss and of having Andrew Martin as a robot. Vasilia did and Giskard was her Andrew Martin."
"Well, then?"
"I asked her robot to tell her that you would be accompanied by Giskard. She hasn't seen him in years and I thought that might lure her into agreeing to see you."
"But it didn't, I presume."
"It didn't."
"Then we must think of something else. There must be some way of inducing her to see me."
Fastolfe said, "Perhaps you will think of one. In a few minutes, you will view her on trimensic and you will have. Five minutes to convince her that she ought to see you personally."
"Five minutes! What can I do in five minutes?"
"I don't know. It is better, after all, than nothing."
35
Fifteen minutes later, Baley stood before the trimensional viewing screen, ready to meet Vasilia Fastolfe.
Dr. Fastolfe had left, saying, with a wry smile, that his presence would certainly make his daughter less amenable to persuasion. Nor was Daneel present. Only Giskard remained behind to keep Baley company.
Giskard said, "Dr. Vasilia's trimensic channel is open for reception. Are you ready, sir?"
"As ready as I can be," said Baley grimly. He had refused to sit, feeling he might be more imposing if he were standing. (How imposing could an Earthman be?)
The screen grew bright as the rest of the room dimmed and a woman appeared in rather uncertain focus, at first. She was standing facing him, her right hand resting, on a laboratory bench laden with sets of diagrams. (No doubt she planned to be imposing, too.)
As the focus sharpened, the edges of the screen seemed to melt away and the image of Vasilia (if it were she) deepened and became three-dimensional. She was standing in the room with every sign of solid reality, except that the decor of the room she was in, did not match the room Baley was in and the break was a sharp one.
She was wearing a dark brown skirt that divided into loose trouser legs that were semitransparent, so that her legs, from midthigh down, were shadowily visible. Her blouse was tight and sleeveless, so that her arms were bare to the shoulder. Her neckline was low and her hair, quite blond, was in tight curls.
She had none of her father's plainness and certainly not his large ears. Baley could only assume she had had a beautiful mother and was fortunate in the allotment of genes.
She was short and Baley could see a remark able resemblance to Gladia in her facial features, although her expression was far colder and seemed to bear the mark of a dominating personality.
She said sharply, "Are you the Earthman come to solve my father's problems?"
"Yes, Dr. Fastolfe," said Baley in an equally clipped manner.
"You may call me Dr. Vasilia. I do not wish the confusion of being mistaken for my father."
"Dr. Vasilia, I must have a chance to deal with you, face-to-face, for a reasonably extended period."
"No doubt you feel that. You are, of course, an Earthman and a certain source of infection."
"I have been medically treated and I am quite safe to be with. Your father has been constantly with me for over a day."
"My father pretends to be an idealist and must do foolish things at times to support the pretense. I will not imitate him."
"I take it you do not wish him harm. You will bring him harm if you refuse to see me."
"You are wasting time. I will not see you, except in this manner, and half the period I have allotted is gone. If you wish, we can stop this now if you find it unsatisfactory."
"Giskard is here, Dr. Vasilia, and would like to urge you to see me."
Giskard stepped into the field of vision. "Good morning, Little Miss," he said in a low voice.
For a moment, Vasilia looked embarrassed and, when she spoke, it was in a somewhat softer tone. "I am glad to view you, Giskard, and will see you any time you wish, but I will not see this Earthman, even at your urging."
"In that case," said Baley, throwing in all his reserves desperately, "I must take the case of Santirix Gremionis to the public without the benefit of having consulted you."
Vasilia's eyes widened and her hand on the table lifted upward and clenched into a fist, "What is this about Gremionis?"
"Only that he is a handsome young man and he knows you well. Am I to deal with these matters without hearing what you have to say?"
"I will tell you right now that - "
"No," said Baley loudly. "You will tell me nothing unless I see you face-to-face."
Her mouth twitched. "I will see you, then, but I will not remain with you one moment more than I choose. I warn you. - And bring Giskard."
The trimensional connection broke off with a snap and Baley felt himself turn dizzy at the sudden change in background that resulted. He made his way to a chair and sat down.
Giskard's hand was on his elbow, making certain that he reached the chair safely. "Can I help you in any way, sir?" he asked.
"I'm all right," said Baley. I just need to catch my breath."
Dr. Fastolfe was standing before him. "My apologies, again, for failure in my duties as a host. I listened on an extension that was equipped to receive and not transmit. I wanted to see my daughter, even if she didn't see me."
"I understand," said Baley, panting slightly. "If manners dictate that what you did requires an apology, then I forgive you."
"But what is this about Santirix Gremionis? The name is unfamiliar to me."
Baley looked up at Fastolfe and said, "Dr. Fastolfe, I heard his name from Gladia this morning. I know very little about him, but I took the chance of saying what I did to your daughter anyway. The odds were heavily against me, but the results were what I wanted them to be, nevertheless. As you see, I can make useful deductions, even when I have very little information, so you had better leave me in peace to continue to do so. Please, in the future, cooperate to the full and make no further mention of a Psychic Probe."
Fastolfe was silent and Baley felt a grim satisfaction at having imposed his will first on the daughter, then on the father.
How long he could continue to do so he did not know.