She gasped and interrupted sharply, "I haven't used that name since arriving here. Please don't you use it."
"What do the Aurorans call you, then?"
"They say Gladia Solaria, but that's just an indication that I'm an alien and I don't want that either. I am simply Gladia. One name. It's not an Auroran name and I doubt that there's another one on this planet, so it's sufficient. I'll continue to call you Elijah, if you don't mind."
"I don't mind."
Gladia said, "I would like to serve tea." It was a statement and Baley nodded.
He said, "I didn't know that Spacers drank tea."
"It's not Earth tea. It's a plant extract that is pleasant but is not considered harmful in any way. We call it tea."
She lifted her arm and Baley noted that the sleeve held tightly at the wrist and that joining it were thin, flesh-colored gloves. She was still exposing the minimum of body surface in his presence. She was still minimizing the chance of infection.
Her arm remained in the air for a moment and, after a few more moments, a robot appeared with a tray. He was patently even more primitive than Giskard, but he distributed the teacups, the small sandwiches, and the bite-sized bits of pastry, smoothly. He poured tea with what amounted to grace.
Baley said curiously, "How do you do that, Gladia?"
"Do what, Elijah?"
"You lift your arm whenever you want something and the robots always know what it is. How did this one know you wanted tea served?"
"It's not difficult. Every time I lift my arm, it distorts a small electromagnetic field that is maintained continuously across the room. Slightly different positions of my hand and fingers produce different distortions and my robots can interpret these distortions as orders. I only use it for simple orders: Come here! Bring tea! And so on."
"I haven't noticed Dr. Fastolfe using the system at his establishment."
"It's not really Auroran. It's our system in Solaria and I'm used to it. - Besides, I always have tea at this time. Borgraf expects it."
"This is Borgraf?" Baley eyed the robot with some interest, aware that he had only glanced at him before. Familiarity was quickly breeding indifference. Another day and he would not notice robots at all. They would flutter about him unseen and chores would appear to do themselves.
Nevertheless, he did not want to fail to notice them. He wanted them to fail to be there. He said, "Gladia, I want to be alone with you. Not even robots. - Giskard, join Daneel. You can stand guard from there."
"Yes, sir," said Giskard, brought suddenly to awareness and response by the sound of his name.
Gladia seemed distantly amused. "You Earthpeople are so odd. I know you have robots on Earth, but you don't seem to know how to handle them. You bark your orders, as though they're deaf."
She turned to Borgraf and, in a low voice, said, "Borgraf, none of you are to enter the room until summoned. Do not interrupt us for anything short of a clear and present emergency."
Borgraf said, "Yes, ma'am." He stepped back, glanced over the table as though checking whether he had omitted anything, turned, and left the room.
Baley was amused, in his turn. Gladia's voice had been soft, but her tone had been as crisp as though she were a sergeant-major addressing a recruit. But then, why should he be surprised? He had long known that it was easier to see another's follies than one's own.
Gladia said, "We are now alone, Elijah. Even the robots are gone."
Baley said, "You are not afraid to be alone with me?"
Slowly, she shook her head. "Why should I be? A raised arm, a gesture, a startled outcry - and several robots would be here promptly. No one on any Spacer world has any reason to fear any other human being. This is not Earth. Whyever should you ask, anyway?"
"Because there are other fears than physical ones. I would not offer you violence of any kind or mistreat you physically in any way. But are you not afraid of my questioning and what it might uncover about you? Remember that this is not Solaria, either. On Solaria, I sympathized with you and was intent on demonstrating your innocence."
She said in a low voice, "Don't you sympathize with me now?"
"It's not a husband dead this time. You are not suspected of murder. It's only a robot that has been destroyed and, as far as I know, you are suspected of nothing. Instead, it is Dr. Fastolfe who is my problem. It is of the highest importance to me - for reasons I need not go into - that I be able to demonstrate his innocence. If the process turns out to be damaging to you, I will not be able to help it. I do not intend to go out of my way to save you pain. It is only fair that I tell you this."
She raised her head and fixed her eyes on his arrogantly. "Why should anything be damaging to me?"
"Perhaps we will now proceed to find out," said Baley coolly, "without Dr. Fastolfe present to interfere." He plucked one of the small sandwiches out of the dish with a small fork (there was no point in using his fingers and perhaps making the entire dish unusable to Gladia), scraped it off onto his own plate, popped it into his mouth, and then sipped at his tea.
She matched him sandwich for sandwich, sip for sip. If he were going to be cool, so was she, apparently.
"Gladia," said Baley, "it is important that I know, exactly, the relationship between you and Dr. Fastolfe. You live near him and the two of you form what is virtually a single robotic household. He is clearly concerned for you. He has made no effort to defend his own innocence, aside from the mere statement that he is innocent, but he defends you strongly the moment I harden my questioning."