"Yes," said Baley. "Evening before last, as we were walking from Gladia's to Fastolfe's I asked Daneel if he had had any contact with Jander during the latter's stay with Gladia and he answered quite simply that he had not. I then turned to ask you the same question and, somehow, I never did. You quashed the impulse for me to do so, I take it."
"Yes, sir."
"Because if I had asked, you would have had to say that you knew him well at that time and you were not prepared to have me know that."
"I was not, sir."
"But during this period of contact with Jander, you knew he was being tested by Amadiro, because, I presume, you could read Jander's mind or detect his positronic potentials - "
"Yes, sir, the same ability covers both robotic and human mental activity. Robots are far easier to understand."
"You disapproved of Amadiro's activities because you agreed with Fastolfe on the matter of settling the Galaxy."
"Yes, sir."
"Why did you not stop Amadiro? Why did you not remove from his mind the impulse to test Jander?"
Giskard said, "Sir, I do not lightly tamper with minds. Amadiro's resolve was so deep and complex that, to remove it, I would have had to do much - and his mind is an advanced and important one that I would be reluctant to damage. I let the matter continue for a great while, during which I pondered on which action would best fulfill my First Law needs. Finally, I decided on the proper manner to correct the situation. It was not an easy decision."
"You decided to immobilize Jander before Amadiro could work out the method for designing a true humaniform robot. You knew how to do so, since you had, over the years, gained a perfect understanding of Fastolfe's theories from Fastolfe's mind. Is that right?"
"Exactly, sir."
"So that Fastolfe was not the only one, after all, expert enough to immobilize Jander."
"In a sense, he was, sir. My own ability is merely the reflection - or the extension - of his."
"But it will do. Did you not see that this immobilization would place Fastolfe in great danger? That he would be the natural suspect? Did you plan on admitting your action and revealing your abilities if that - were necessary to save him?"
Giskard said, "I did indeed see that Dr. Fastolfe would be in a painful situation, but I did not intend to admit my guilt. I had hoped to utilize the situation as a wedge for getting you to Aurora."
"Getting me here? Was that your idea?" Baley felt rather stupefied.
"Yes, sir. With your permission, I would like to explain."
Giskard said, "I knew of you from Miss Gladia and from Dr. Fastolfe, not only from what they said but from what was learned of the situation on Earth. Earthmen in their minds, it was clear, live behind walls, which they find difficult to escape from, but it was just as clear to me that Aurorans live behind walls, too.
"Aurorans live behind walls made of robots, who shield them from all the vicissitudes - of life and who, in Amadiro's plans, would build up shielded societies to wall up Aurorans, settling new worlds. Aurorans also live behind walls made up of their own extended lives, which forces them to overvalue individuality and keeps them from pooling their scientific resources. Nor do they indulge in the rough-and-tumble of controversy, but, through their Chairman, demand a short circuiting of all uncertainty and, that decisions on solutions be reached before problems are aired. They could not be bothered with actually thrashing out best solutions. What they wanted were quiet solutions.
"The Earthman's walls are crude and literal, so that their existence is obtrusive and obvious - and there are always some who long to escape. The Aurorans' walls are immaterial and aren't even seen as walls, so that none can even conceive of escaping. It seemed to me, then, that it must be Earthmen and not Aurorans - or any other Spacers - who must settle the Galaxy and establish what will someday become a Galactic Empire.
"All this was Dr. Fastolfe's reasoning and I agreed with it. Dr. Fastolfe was, however, satisfied with the reasoning, while I, given my own abilities, could not be. I had to examine the mind of at least one Earthman directly, in order that I might check my conclusions, and you were the Earthman I thought I could bring to Aurora. The immobilization of Jander served both to stop Amadiro and to be the occasion for your visit. I pushed Miss Gladia very slightly to have her suggest your coming to Dr. Fastolfe; I pushed him in turn, very slightly, to have him suggest it to the Chairman; and I pushed the Chairman, very slightly, to have him agree. Once you arrived, I studied you and was pleased - with what I found."
Giskard stopped speaking and became robotically impassive again.
Baley frowned. "It occurs to me that I have earned no credit in what I have done here. You must have seen to it that I found my way to the truth."
"No, sir. On the contrary. I placed barriers in your way reasonable ones, of course. I refused to let you recognize my abilities, even though I was forced to give myself away. I made sure that you felt dejection and despair at odd times. I encouraged you to risk the open, in order to study your responses. Yet you found your way through and over all these obstacles and I was pleased.
"I found that you longed for the walls of your City but recognized that you must learn to do without them. I found that you suffered from the view of Aurora from space and from your exposure to the storm, but that neither prevented you from thinking nor drove you from your problem. I found that you accept your shortcomings and your brief life - and that, you do not dodge controversy."
Baley said, "How do you know I am representative of Earthpeople generally?"