the
children are raised, so will the future be assured. I will do everything
for the children's good, this is my prime law. All other laws are
secondary to the children's good."

"Thank you, Socrates. You may go."

Metal footsteps retreated. The lorgnette waved again. "Very impressive.
Very efficient. And now, Senator, if we can go. We are to have tea at
the women's club. Varden is reviewing his newest musical comedy."

The Senator said firmly, "Thank you, Doctor Wilson."

His smile was faintly apologetic. It seemed to say that the women's
clubs had many votes, but that Wilson should understand, Wilson's own
vote would be appreciated too. Wilson watched the two re-enter the
helicopter and rise into the morning sunshine. He kicked the dirt with
his shoe and turned to find Socrates behind him. The metallic voice
spoke.

"You are tired. I suggest you go home and rest."

"I'm not tired. Why can they be so blind, so uninterested in the
children?"

"It is our job to teach the children. You are tired. I suggest you go
home and rest."

How can you argue with metal? What can you add to a perfect mechanism,
designed for its job, and integrated with a hundred other perfect
mechanisms? What can you do when a thousand schools are so perfect they
have a life of their own, with no need for human guidance, and, most
significant, no failures from human weakness?

Wilson stared soberly at this school, at the colossus he had helped to
create. He had the feeling that it was wrong somehow, that if people
would only think about it they could find that something was wrong.

"You are tired."

He nodded at Socrates. "Yes, I am tired. I will go home."

Once, on the way home, he stared back toward the school with strange
unease.

* * * * *

Inside the school there was the ringing of a bell. The children trooped
into the large play area that was enclosed in the heart of the great
building. Here and there they began to form in clusters. At the centers
of the clusters were the newest students, the ones that had moved here,
the ones that had been in the robot schools before.

"Is it true that the roboteachers will actually spank you?"

"It's true, all right."

"You're kidding. It's only a story, like Santa Claus or Johnny
Appleseed. The human teachers never spanked us here."

"The robots will spank you if you get out of line."

"My father says no robot can lay a hand on a human."

"These robo