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“Regardless, sir,” began La
Again Byerley turned to the woman, who still regarded him expressionlessly. “Pardon me. I’ve caught your name correctly, haven’t I? Dr. Susan Calvin?”
“Yes, Mr. Byerley.”
“You’re the U. S. Robot’s psychologist, aren’t you?”
“Robopsychologist, please.”
“Oh, are robots so different from men, mentally?”
“Worlds different.” She allowed herself a frosty smile, “Robots are essentially decent.”
Humor tugged at the corners of the lawyer’s mouth, “Well, that’s a hard blow. But what I wanted to say was this. Since you’re a psycho – a robopsychologist, and a woman, I’ll bet that you’ve done something that Dr. La
“And what is that?”
“You’ve got something to eat in your purse.”
Something caught in the schooled indifference of Susan Calvin’s eyes. She said, “You surprise me, Mr. Byerley.”
And opening her purse, she produced an apple. Quietly, she handed it to him. Dr. La
Calmly, Stephen Byerley bit into it, and calmly he swallowed it
“You see, Dr. La
Dr. La
Susan Calvin said, “I was curious to see if you would eat it, but, of course, in the present case, it proves nothing.”
Byerley gri
“Of course not. It is obvious, Dr. La
“Now wait,” snarled La
“But, Dr. La
La
“Publicity works both ways, sir. If Qui
“You mean you-” La
“Exactly. I mean that I’m going to let him go ahead, choose his rope, test its strength, cut off the right length, tie the noose, insert his head and grin. I can do what little else is required.”
“You are mighty confident.”
Susan Calvin rose to her feet, “Come, Alfred, we won’t change his mind for him.”
“You see.” Byerley smiled gently. “You’re a human psychologist, too.”
But perhaps not all the confidence that Dr. La
The figure in the wheel chair looked up as he entered and smiled. Byerley’s face lit with affection. He crossed over to it.
The cripple’s voice was a hoarse, grating whisper that came out of a mouth forever twisted to one side, leering out of a face that was half scar tissue, “You’re late, Steve.”
“I know, John, I know. But I’ve been up against a peculiar and interesting trouble today.”
“So?” Neither the torn face nor the destroyed voice could carry expression but there was anxiety in the clear eyes. “Nothing you can’t handle?”
“I’m not exactly certain. I may need your help. You’re the brilliant one in the family. Do you want me to take you out into the garden? It’s a beautiful evening.”
Two strong arms lifted John from the wheel chair. Gently, almost caressingly, Byerley’s arms went around the shoulders and under the swathed legs of the cripple. Carefully, and slowly, he walked through the rooms, down the gentle ramp that had been built with a wheel chair in mind, and out the back door into the walled and wired garden behind the house.
“Why don’t you let me use the wheel chair, Steve? This is Silly.”
“Because I’d rather carry you. Do you object? You know that you’re as glad to get out of that motorized buggy for a while, as I am to see you out. How do you feel today?” He deposited John with infinite care upon the cool grass.
“How should I feel? But tell me about your troubles.”
“Qui
John’s eyes opened wide, “How do you know? It’s impossible. I won’t believe it.”
“Oh, come, I tell you it’s so. He had one of the big-shot scientists of U. S. Robot amp; Mechanical Men Corporation over at the office to argue with me.”
Slowly John’s hands tore at the grass, “I see. I see.”
Byerley said, “But we can let him choose his ground. I have an idea. Listen to me and tell me if we can do it-”
The scene as it appeared in Alfred La
Francis Qui
“Are you going to gamble on that, Mr. Qui
“Well, it’s your gamble, really.”
“Look here,” La
“Do you think so?” Qui
La
Qui
La
Susan Calvin glanced at him humorlessly, then fixed cold eyes on Mr. Qui
“The two methods of proof are the physical and the psychological. Physically, you can dissect him or use an X-ray. How to do that would be your problem. Psychologically, his behavior can be studied, for if he is a positronic robot, he must conform to the three Rules of Robotics. A positronic brain ca
She spoke them carefully, clearly, quoting word for word the famous bold print on page one of the “Handbook of Robotics.”
“I’ve heard of them,” said Qui