"don't be alarmed," said demerzel. "it was my suggestion. i've been here too long and the succession of crises has reached the point where the consideration of the three laws paralyzes me. you are the logical successor."

"i am not the logical successor," said seldon hotly. "what do i know about running an empire? the emperor is foolish enough to believe that i solved this crisis by psychohistory. of course i didn't."

"that doesn't matter, hari. if he believes you have the psychohistorical answer, he will follow you eagerly and that will make you a good first minister."

"he may follow me straight into destruction."

"i feel that your good sense-or intuition-will keep you on target . with or without psychohistory."

"but what will i do without you-daneel?"

"thank you for calling me that. i am demerzel no more, only daneel. as to what you will do without me- suppose you try to put into practice some of joranum's ideas of equality and social justice? he may not have meant them-he may have used them only as ways of capturing allegiance-but they are not bad ideas in themselves. and find ways of having raych help you in that. he clung to you against his own attraction to joranum's ideas and he must feel torn and half a traitor. show him he isn't. in addition, you can work all the harder on psychohistory, for the emperor will be there with you, heart and soul."

"but what will you do, daneel?"

"i have other things in the galaxy to which i must attend. there is still the zeroth law and i must labor for the good of humanity, insofar as i can determine what that might be. and, hari-"

"yes, daneel."

"you still, have dors."

seldon nodded. "yes, i still have dors." he paused for a moment before grasping daneel's firm hand with his own. "good-bye, daneel."

"good-bye, hari," daneel replied.

and with that, the robot turned, his heavy first minister's robe rustling as he walked away, head up, back ramrod straight, along the palace hallway.

seldon stood there for a few minutes after daneel had gone, lost in thought. suddenly he began moving in the direction of the first minister's apartment. seldon had one more thing to tell daneel-the most important thing of all.

seldon hesitated in the softly lit hallway before entering. but the room was empty. the dark robe was draped over a chair. the first minister's chambers echoed hari's last words to the robot: "good-bye, my friend." eto demerzel was gone; r. daneel olivaw had vanished.