to build a star in the lab so far.

"But it _is_ possible to test the theories of astrophysics analogically
by extrapolating on data that _can_ be tested in a physics lab.

"What I'm talking about is a system that Snookums, simply because he is
what he is, cannot test or experiment upon, in any way whatsoever. A
system that has, in short, no connection with the physical world
whatsoever."

Leda Crannon thought it over. "Well, assuming all that, I imagine that
it would eventually ruin Snookums. He's built to experiment, and if he's
kept from experimenting for too long, he'll exceed the optimum randomity
of his circuits." She swallowed. "If he hasn't already."

"I thought so. And so did someone else," said Mike thoughtfully.

"Well, for Heaven's sake! What is this system?" Leda asked in sudden
exasperation.

"You're close," said Mike the Angel.

"What are you talking about?"

"Theology," said Mike. "He was pumped full of Christian theology, that's
all. Good, solid, Catholic theology. Bishop Costin's mathematical
symbolization of it is simply a result of the verbal logic that had been
smoothed out during the previous two thousand years. Snookums could
reduce it to math symbols and equations, anyway, even if we didn't have
Bishop Costin's work."

He showed her the book from Mellon's room.

"It doesn't even require the assumption of a soul to make it foul up a
robot's works. He doesn't have any emotions, either. And he can't handle
something that he can't experiment with. It would have driven him
insane, all right. But he _isn't_ insane."

Leda looked puzzled. "But--"

"Do you know why?" Mike interrupted.

"No."

"Because he found something that he could experiment with. He found a
material basis for theological experimentation."

She looked still more puzzled. "What could that be?"

"Me," said Mike the Angel. "Me. Michael Raphael Gabriel. I'm an
angel--an archangel. As a matter of fact, I'm _three_ archangels. For
all I know, Snookums has equated me with the Trinity."

"But--how did he get that idea?"

"Mostly from the Book of Tobit," said Mike. "That's where an archangel
takes the form of a human being and travels around with Tobit the
Younger, remember? And, too, he probably got more information from the
first part of Luke's Gospel, where Gabriel tells the Blessed Virgin that
she's about to become a mother."

"But would he have figured that out for himself?"

"Possibly," said Mike, "but I doubt