. "Well, ain't that too
bad for you." He gave his cigar a few chomps and played a card.

Jordan had been looking out of the window. The ship had tilted and he
could see without rising the rim of Earth forming a beautiful geometric
arc, hazy and blue in its shimmering atmosphere.

"Come on, play," the pilot said, impatiently. "I just led an ace."

Jordan put down his cards. "I guess I better quit," he said.

"What the devil!" the pilot said angrily. "You can't quit like that in
the middle of a deal. I got a flush and aces."

"I'm sorry," Jordan said, "but I'm going to lie down in my cabin until
we are given clearance."

He opened the door of the little room and went into the hall. He walked
down past his own cabin and stopped in front of another door, a new one
that was sheathed in permallium. He hesitated a few moments; then he
snapped open the outside latch and walked in, letting the door swing
closed behind him.

* * * * *

Hall lay unmoving in the middle of the floor, his legs and arms fastened
in greaves of permallium.

Jordan was embarrassed. He did not look directly at the robot.

"I don't know whether you want to talk to me or not," he started. "If
you don't want to, that's all right. But, I've followed you since you
landed on Earth, and I don't understand why you did what you did. You
don't have to tell me, but I wish you would. It would make me feel
better."

The robot shrugged--a very human gesture, Jordan noted.

"G-go ahead and ask me," he said. "It d-doesn't make any difference
now."

Jordan sat down on the floor. "The boy was the one who gave you away. If
not for him, no one would have ever known what planet you were on. Why
did you let the kid get away?"

The robot looked straight at the agent. "Would you kill a child?" he
asked.

"No, of course not," Jordan said a little bit annoyed, "but I'm not a
robot either." He waited for a further explanation, but when he saw none
was coming, he said: "I don't know what you were trying to do in that
powerhouse at Ballarat, but, whatever it was, that old man couldn't have
stopped you. What happened?"

"I l-lost my head," the robot said quietly. "The alarm and the lights
rattled me, and I got into a p-panic."

"I see," said Jordan, frustrated, not really seeing at all. He sat back
and thought for a moment. "Let me put it this way. Why do you stutter?"

Hall smiled a wry smile. "Th-that used to be a m-military secr