The rest filled the square outside, in swarming4 knots about the open-airtrimensional 'visors.
Ankor Jael made his way into the chamber with the near-futile aid andexertions of the police department, and then through the scarcely smallerconfusion within to Hober Mallow's seat.
Mallow turned with relief, "By Seldon, you cut it thin. Have you got it?""Here, take it," said Jael. "It's everything you asked for.""Good. How are they taking it outside?""They're wild clear through." Jael stirred uneasily, "You should never haveallowed public hearings. You could have stopped them.""I didn't want to.""There's lynch talk. And Publis Manlio's men on the outer planets?
"I wanted to ask you about that, Jael. He's stirring up the Hierarchyagainst me, is he?"" Is he? It's the sweetest setup you ever saw, As Foreign Secretary, hehandles the prosecution5 in a case of interstellar law. As High Priest andPrimate of the Church, he rouses the fanatic6 hordes7?
"Well, forget it. Do you remember that Hardin quotation8 you threw at melast month? We'll show them that the nuclear blaster can point both ways."The mayor was taking his seat now and the council members were rising inrespect.
Mallow whispered, "It's my turn today. Sit here and watch the fun."The day's proceedings9 began and fifteen minutes later, Hober Mallow steppedthrough a hostile whisper to the empty space before the mayor's bench. Alone beam of light centered upon him and in the public 'visors of the city,as well as on the myriads of private 'visors in almost every home of theFoundation's planets, the lonely giant figure of a man stared outdefiantly.
He began easily and quietly, "To save time, I will admit the truth of everypoint made against me by the prosecution. The story of the priest and themob as related by them is perfectly accurate in every detail."There was a stirring in the chamber and a triumphant mass-snarl from thegallery. He waited patiently for silence.
"However, the picture they presented fell short of completion. I ask theprivilege of supplying the completion in my own fashion. My story may seemirrelevant at first. I ask your indulgence for that."Mallow made no reference to the notes before him.
"I begin at the same time as the prosecution did; the day of my meetingwith Jorane Sutt and Jaim Twer. What went on at those meetings you know.
The conversations have been described, and to that description I havenothing to add ?except my own thoughts of that day.
"They were suspicious thoughts, for the events of that day were queer.
Consider. Two people, neither of whom I knew more than casually10, makeunnatural and somewhat unbelievable propositions to me. One, the secretaryto the mayor, asks me to play the part of intelligence agent to thegovernment in a highly confidential11 matter, the nature and importance ofwhich has already been explained to you. The other, self-styled leader of apolitical party, asks me to run for a council seat.
"Naturally I looked for the ulterior motive12. Sutt's seemed evident. Hedidn't trust me. Perhaps he thought I was selling nuclear power to enemiesand plotting rebellion. And perhaps he was forcing the issue, or thought hewas. In that case, he would need a man of his own near me on my proposedmission, as a spy. The last thought, however, did not occur to me untillater on, when Jaim Twer came on the scene.
"Consider again: Twer presents himself as a trader, retired13 into politics,yet I know of no details of his trading career, although my knowledge ofthe field is immense. And further, although Twer boasted of a layeducation, he had never heard of a Seldon crisis."Hober Mallow waited to let the significance sink in and was rewarded withthe first silence he had yet encountered, as the gallery caught itscollective breath. That was for the inhabitants of Terminus itself. The menof the Outer Planets could hear only censored14 versions that would suit therequirements of religion. They would hear nothing of Seldon crises. Butthere would be further strokes they would not miss.
Mallow continued:
"Who here can honestly state that any man with a lay education can possiblybe ignorant of the nature of a Seldon crisis? There is only one type ofeducation upon the Foundation that excludes all mention of the plannedhistory of Seldon and deals only with the man himself as a semi-mythicalwizard?
"I knew at that instant that Jaim Twer had never been a trader. I knew thenthat he was in holy orders and perhaps a full-fledged priest; and,doubtless, that for the three years he had pretended to head a politicalparty of the traders, he had been a bought man of Jorane Sutt.
"At the moment, I struck in the dark. I did not know Sun's purposes withregard to myself, but since he seemed to be feeding me rope liberally, Ihanded him a few fathoms15 of my own. My notion was that Twer was to be withme on my voyage as unofficial guardian16 on behalf of Jorane Sutt. Well, ifhe didn't get on, I knew well there'd be other devices waiting ?and thoseothers I might not catch in time. A known enemy is relatively safe. Iinvited Twer to come with me. He accepted.
"That, gentlemen of the council, explains two things. First, it tells youthat Twer is not a friend of mine testifying against me reluctantly and forconscience' sake, as the prosecution would have you believe. He is a spy,performing his paid job. Secondly17, it explains a certain action of mine onthe occasion of the first appearance of the priest whom I am accused ofhaving murdered ? an action as yet unmentioned, because unknown."Now there was a disturbed whispering in the council. Mallow cleared histhroat theatrically18, and continued:
"I hate to describe my feelings when I first heard that we had a refugeemissionary on board. I even hate to remember them. Essentially, theyconsisted of wild uncertainty20. The event struck me at the moment as a moveby Sutt, and passed beyond my comprehension or calculation. I was at sea ?
and completely.
"There was one thing I could do. I got rid of Twer for five minutes bysending him after my officers. In his absence, I set up a Visual Recordreceiver, so that whatever happened might be preserved for future study.
This was in the hope, the wild but earnest hope, that what confused me atthe time might become plain upon review.
"I have gone over that Visual Record some fifty times since. I have it herewith me now, and will repeat the job a fifty-first time in your presenceright now."The mayor pounded monotonously for order, as the chamber lost itsequilibrium and the gallery roared. In five million homes on Terminus,excited observers crowded their receiving sets more closely, and at theprosecutor's own bench, Jorane Sutt shook his head coldly at the nervoushigh priest, while his eyes blazed fixedly on Mallow's face.
The center of the chamber was cleared, and the lights burnt low. AnkorJael, from his bench on the left, made the adjustments, and with apreliminary click, a holographic scene sprang to view; in color, inthree-dimensions, in every attribute of life but life itself.
There was the missionary19, confused and battered, standing21 between thelieutenant and the sergeant22. Mallow's image waited silently, and then menfiled in, Twer bringing up the rear.
The conversation played itself out, word for word. The sergeant wasdisciplined, and the missionary was questioned. The mob appeared, theirgrowl could be heard, and the Revered23 Jord Parma made his wild appeal.
Mallow drew his gun, and the missionary, as he was dragged away, lifted hisarms in a mad, final curse and a tiny flash of light came and went.
The scene ended, with the officers frozen at the horror of the situation,while Twer clamped shaking hands over his ears, and Mallow calmly put hisgun away.
The lights were on again; the empty space in the center of the floor was nolonger even apparently24 full. Mallow, the real Mallow of the present, tookup the burden of his narration25:
"The incident, you see, is exactly as the prosecution has presented it ?onthe surface. I'll explain that shortly. Jaim Twer's emotions through thewhole business shows clearly a priestly education, by the way.
"It was on that same day that I pointed26 out certain incongruities27 in theepisode to Twer. I asked him where the missionary came from in the midst ofthe near-desolate tract28 we occupied at the time. I asked further where thegigantic mob had come from with the nearest sizable town a hundred milesaway. The prosecution has paid no attention to such problems.
"Or to other points; for instance, the curious point of Jord Parma'sblatant conspicuousness29. A missionary on Korell, risking his life indefiance of both Korellian and Foundation law, parades about in a very newand very distinctive31 priestly costume. There's something wrong there. Atthe time, I suggested that the missionary was an unwitting accomplice32 ofthe Commdor, who was using him in an attempt to force us into an act ofwildly illegal aggression33, to justify34, in law, his subsequent destructionof our ship and of us.
"The prosecution has anticipated this justification35 of my actions. Theyhave expected me to explain that the safety of my ship, my crew, my missionitself were at stake and could not be sacrificed for one man, when that manwould, in any case, have been destroyed, with us or without us. They replyby muttering about the Foundation's 'honor' and the necessity of upholdingour 'dignity' in order to maintain our ascendancy36.
"For some strange reason, however, the prosecution has neglected Jord Parmahimself, 朼s an individual. They brought out no details concerning him;neither his birthplace, nor his education, nor any detail of previoushistory. The explanation of this will also explain the incongruities I havepointed out in the Visual Record you have just seen. The two are connected.
"The prosecution has advanced no details concerning Jord Parma because itcannot. That scene you saw by Visual Record seemed phoney because JordParma was phoney. There never was a Jord Parma. This whole trial is thebiggest farce ever cooked up over an issue that never existed."Once more he had to wait for the babble37 to die down. He said, slowly:
"I'm going to show you the enlargement of a single still from the VisualRecord. It will speak for itself. Lights again, Jael."The chamber dimmed, and the empty air filled again with frozen figures inghostly, waxen illusion. The officers of the Far Star struck their stiff,impossible attitudes. A gun pointed from Mallow's rigid38 hand. At his left,the Revered Jord Parma, caught in mid-shriek, stretched his claws upward,while the failing sleeves hung halfway39.
And from the missionary's hand there was that little gleam that in theprevious showing had flashed and gone. It was a permanent glow now.
"Keep your eye on that light on his hand," called Mallow from the shadows.
"Enlarge that scene, Jael!"The tableau40 bloated quickly. Outer portions fell away as the missionarydrew towards the center and became a giant. Then there was only a hand andan arm, and then only a hand, which filled everything and remained there inimmense, hazy41 tautness42.
The light had become a set of fuzzy, glowing letters: K S P.
"That," Mallow's voice boomed out, "is a sample of tatooing, gentlemen.
Under ordinary light it is invisible, but under ultraviolet light ?withwhich I flooded the room in taking this Visual Record, it stands out inhigh relief. I'll admit it is a naive43 method of secret identification, butit works on Korell, where UV light is not to be found on street comers.
Even in our ship, detection was accidental.
"Perhaps some of you have already guessed what K S P stands for. Jord Parmaknew his priestly lingo44 well and did his job magnificently. Where he hadlearned it, and how, I cannot say, but K S P stands for 'Korellian SecretPolice.'"Mallow shouted over the tumult, roaring against the noise, "I havecollateral proof in the form of documents brought from Korell, which I canpresent to the council if required.
"And where is now the prosecution's case? They have already made andre-made the monstrous suggestion that I should have fought for themissionary in defiance30 of the law, and sacrificed my mission, my ship, andmyself to the 'honor' of the Foundation.
"But to do it for an impostor?
"Should I have done it then for a Korellian secret agent tricked out in therobes and verbal gymnastics probably borrowed of an Anacreonian exile?
Would Jorane Sutt and Publis Manlio have had me fall into a stupid, odioustrap?
His hoarsened voice faded into the featureless background of a shoutingmob. He was being lifted onto shoulders, and carried to the mayor's bench.
Out the windows, he could see a torrent45 of madmen swarming into the squareto add to the thousands there already.
Mallow looked about for Ankor Jael, but it was impossible to find anysingle face in the incoherence of the mass. Slowly he became aware of arhythmic, repeated shout, that was spreading from a small beginning, andpulsing into insanity46:
"Long live Mallow ? long live Mallow ? long live Mallow?
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1
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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perseverance
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| n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠 | |
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4
swarming
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| 密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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5
prosecution
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| n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营 | |
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fanatic
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| n.狂热者，入迷者；adj.狂热入迷的 | |
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7
hordes
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| n.移动着的一大群( horde的名词复数 )；部落 | |
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8
quotation
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| n.引文，引语，语录；报价，牌价，行情 | |
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proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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10
casually
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| adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地 | |
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confidential
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| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
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12
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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13
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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14
censored
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| 受审查的，被删剪的 | |
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15
fathoms
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| 英寻( fathom的名词复数 ) | |
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guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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secondly
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| adv.第二，其次 | |
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theatrically
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| adv.戏剧化地 | |
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missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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revered
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| v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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narration
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| n.讲述，叙述；故事；记叙体 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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incongruities
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| n.不协调( incongruity的名词复数 )；不一致；不适合；不协调的东西 | |
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28
tract
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| n.传单，小册子，大片(土地或森林) | |
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29
conspicuousness
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| 显著，卓越，突出； 显著性 | |
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defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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distinctive
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| adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的 | |
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32
accomplice
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| n.从犯，帮凶，同谋 | |
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33
aggression
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| n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害 | |
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34
justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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35
justification
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| n.正当的理由；辩解的理由 | |
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36
ascendancy
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| n.统治权，支配力量 | |
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37
babble
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| v.含糊不清地说，胡言乱语地说，儿语 | |
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rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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halfway
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| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
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40
tableau
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| n.画面，活人画（舞台上活人扮的静态画面） | |
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41
hazy
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| adj.有薄雾的，朦胧的；不肯定的，模糊的 | |
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42
tautness
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| 拉紧，紧固度 | |
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43
naive
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| adj.幼稚的，轻信的；天真的 | |
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44
lingo
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| n.语言不知所云，外国话，隐语 | |
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45
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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46
insanity
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| n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐 | |
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