Chapter 6

Seldon looked up. A young man was standing¹ before him, looking down at him with an expression of amused contempt. Next to him was another young man--a bit younger, perhaps. Both were large and appeared to be strong. They were dressed in an extreme of Trantorian fashion, Seldon judged--boldly clashing colors, broad fringed belts, round hats with wide brims all about and the two ends of a bright pink ribbon extending from the brim to the back of the neck.
In Seldons eyes, it was amusing and he smiled.
The young man before him snapped, "Whatre you grinning at, misfit?" Seldon ignored the manner of address and said gently, "Please pardon my smile. I was merely enjoying your costume."
"My costume? So? And what are you wearing? Whats that awful offal you call clothes?" His hand went out and his finger flicked³ at the lapel of Seldons jacket--disgracefully heavy and dull, Seldon himself thought, in comparison to the others lighthearted colors.
Seldon said, "Im afraid its my Outworlder clothes. Theyre all I have." He couldnt help notice that the few others who were sitting in the small park were rising to their feet and walking off. It was as though they were expecting trouble and had no desire to remain in the vicinity. Seldon wondered if his new friend, Hummin, was leaving too, but he felt it injudicious to take his eyes away from the young man who was confronting him. He teetered back on his chair slightly.
The young man said, "You an Outworlder?"
"Thats right. Hence my clothes."
"Hence? What kind of words that? Outworld word?"
"What I meant was, that was why my clothes seem peculiar⁴ to you. Im a visitor here."
"From what planet?"
"Helicon."
The young mans eyebrows⁵ drew together. "Never heard of it."
"Its not a large planet."
"Why dont you go back there?"
"I intend to. Im leaving tomorrow."
"Sooner! Now!"
The young man looked at his partner. Seldon followed the look and caught a glimpse of Hummin. He had not left, but the park was now empty except for himself, Hummin, and the two young men.
Seldon said, "Id thought Id spend today sight-seeing."
"No. You dont want to do that. You go home now."
Seldon smiled. "Sorry. I wont⁷."
The young man said to his partner. "You like his clothes, Marbie?"
Marbie spoke⁸ for the first time. "No. Disgusting. Turns the stomach."
"Cant⁹ let him go around turning stomachs, Marbie. Not good for peoples health."
"No, not by no means, Alem," said Marbie.
Alem grinned. "Well now. You heard what Marbie said."
And now Hummin spoke. He said, "Look, you two, Alem, Marbie, whatever your names are. Youve had your fun. Why dont you go away?"
Alem, who had been leaning slightly toward Seldon, straightened and turned. "Who are you?"
"Thats not your business," snapped Hummin.
"Youre Trantorian?" asked Alem.
"Also not your business."
Alem frowned and said, "Youre dressed Trantorian. Were not interested in you, so dont go looking for problems."
"I intend to stay. That means there are two of us. Two against two doesnt sound like your kind of fight. Why dont you go away and get some friends so you can handle two people?"
Seldon said, "I really think you ought to get away if you can, Hummin. Its kind of you to try to protect me, but I dont want you harmed."
"These are not dangerous people, Seldon. Just half-credit lackeys¹⁰."
"Lackeys!" The word seemed to infuriate Alem, so that Seldon thought it must have a more insulting meaning on Trantor than it had on Helicon.
"Here, Marbie," said Alem with a growl¹¹. "You take care of that other motherlackey and Ill rip the clothes off this Seldon. Hes the one we want. Now--"
His hands came down sharply to seize Seldons lapels and jerk him upright.
Seldon pushed away, instinctively¹² it would seem, and his chair tipped backward. He seized the hands stretched toward him, his foot went up, and his chair went down.
Somehow Alem streaked¹³ overhead, turning as he did so, and came down hard on his neck and back behind Seldon.
Seldon twisted as his chair went down and was quickly on his feet, staring down at Alem, then looking sharply to one side for Marbie. Alem lay unmoving, his face twisted in agony. He had two badly sprained¹⁴ thumbs, excruciating pain in his groin, and a backbone¹⁵ that had been badly jarred. Hummins left arm had grabbed Marbies neck from behind and his right arm had pulled the others right arm backward at a vicious angle. Marbies face was red as he labored¹⁶ uselessly for breath. A knife, glittering with a small laser inset, lay on the ground beside them.
Hummin eased his grip slightly and said, with an air of honest concern, "Youve hurt that one badly."
Seldon said, "Im afraid so. If he had fallen a little differently, he would have snapped his neck."
Hummin said, "What kind of a mathematician¹⁷ are you?"
"A Heliconian one." He stooped to pick up the knife and, after examining it, said, "Disgusting--and deadly."
Hummin said, "An ordinary blade would do the job without requiring a power source.--But lets let these two go. I doubt they want to continue any further."
He released Marbie, who rubbed first his shoulder then his neck. Gasping¹⁸ for air, he turned hate-filled eyes on the two men. Hummin said sharply, "You two had better get out of here. Otherwise well have to give evidence against you for assault and attempted murder. This knife can surely be traced to you."
Seldon and Hummin watched while Marbie dragged Alem to his feet and then helped him stagger away, still bent¹⁹ in pain. They looked back once or twice, but Seldon and Hummin watched impassively.
Seldon held out his hand. "How do I thank you for coming to the aid of a stranger against two attackers? I doubt I would have been able to handle them both on my own."
Hummin raised his hand in a deprecatory manner. "I wasnt afraid of them. Theyre just street-brawling lackeys. All I had to do was get my hands on them--and yours, too, of course."
"Thats a pretty deadly grip you have," Seldon mused².
Hummin shrugged²⁰. "You too." Then, without changing his tone of voice, he said, "Come on, wed⁶ better get out of here. Were wasting time."
Seldon said, "Why do we have to get away? Are you afraid those two will come back?"
"Not in their lifetime. But some of those brave people who cleared out of the park so quickly in their eagerness to spare themselves a disagreeable sight may have alerted the police."
"Fine. We have the hoodlums names. And we can describe them fairly well."
"Describe them? Why would the police want them?"
"They committed an assault--"
"Dont be foolish. We dont have a scratch. Theyre virtually hospital bait, especially Alem. Were the ones who will be charged."
"But thats impossible. Those people witnessed the fact that--"
"No people will be called.--Seldon, get this into your head. Those two came to find you--specifically you. They were told you were wearing Heliconian clothes and you must have been described precisely²¹. Perhaps they were even shown a holograph. I suspect they were sent by the people who happen to control the police, so lets not wait any longer."
Hummin hurried off, his hand gripping Seldons upper arm. Seldon found the grip impossible to shake and, feeling like a child in the hands of an impetuous nurse, followed.
They plunged²² into an arcade²³ and, before Seldons eyes grew accustomed to the dimmer light, they heard the burring sound of a ground-cars brakes.
"There they are," muttered Hummin. "Faster, Seldon." They hopped²⁴ onto a moving corridor and lost themselves in the crowd.

1 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

2 mused   

v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事）

参考例句：

• \"I wonder if I shall ever see them again, \"he mused. “我不知道是否还可以再见到他们，”他沉思自问。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• \"Where are we going from here?\" mused one of Rutherford's guests. 卢瑟福的一位客人忍不住说道：‘我们这是在干什么？” 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史

3 flicked   

（尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的过去式和过去分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等）

参考例句：

• She flicked the dust off her collar. 她轻轻弹掉了衣领上的灰尘。
• I idly picked up a magazine and flicked through it. 我漫不经心地拿起一本杂志翻看着。

4 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

5 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

6 wed   

v.娶，嫁，与…结婚

参考例句：

• The couple eventually wed after three year engagement.这对夫妇在订婚三年后终于结婚了。
• The prince was very determined to wed one of the king's daughters.王子下定决心要娶国王的其中一位女儿。

7 wont   

adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯

参考例句：

• He was wont to say that children are lazy.他常常说小孩子们懒惰。
• It is his wont to get up early.早起是他的习惯。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 cant   

n.斜穿，黑话，猛扔

参考例句：

• The ship took on a dangerous cant to port.船只出现向左舷危险倾斜。
• He knows thieves'cant.他懂盗贼的黑话。

10 lackeys   

n.听差( lackey的名词复数 )；男仆（通常穿制服）；卑躬屈膝的人；被待为奴仆的人

参考例句：

• When the boss falls from power, his lackeys disperse. 树倒猢狲散。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The singer was surrounded by the usual crowd of lackeys and hangers on. 那个歌手让那帮总是溜须拍马、前呼後拥的人给围住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 growl   

v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣

参考例句：

• The dog was biting,growling and wagging its tail.那条狗在一边撕咬一边低声吼叫，尾巴也跟着摇摆。
• The car growls along rutted streets.汽车在车辙纵横的街上一路轰鸣。

12 instinctively   

adv.本能地

参考例句：

• As he leaned towards her she instinctively recoiled. 他向她靠近，她本能地往后缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He knew instinctively where he would find her. 他本能地知道在哪儿能找到她。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 streaked   

adj.有条斑纹的，不安的v.快速移动( streak的过去式和过去分词 )；使布满条纹

参考例句：

• The children streaked off as fast as they could. 孩子们拔脚飞跑 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• His face was pale and streaked with dirt. 他脸色苍白，脸上有一道道的污痕。 来自辞典例句

14 sprained   

v.&n. 扭伤

参考例句：

• I stumbled and sprained my ankle. 我摔了一跤，把脚脖子扭了。
• When Mary sprained her ankles, John carried her piggyback to the doctors. 玛丽扭伤了足踝，约翰驮她去看医生。

15 backbone   

n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气

参考例句：

• The Chinese people have backbone.中国人民有骨气。
• The backbone is an articulate structure.脊椎骨是一种关节相连的结构。

16 labored   

adj.吃力的，谨慎的v.努力争取(for)( labor的过去式和过去分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转

参考例句：

• I was close enough to the elk to hear its labored breathing. 我离那头麋鹿非常近，能听见它吃力的呼吸声。 来自辞典例句
• They have labored to complete the job. 他们努力完成这一工作。 来自辞典例句

17 mathematician   

n.数学家

参考例句：

• The man with his back to the camera is a mathematician.背对着照相机的人是位数学家。
• The mathematician analyzed his figures again.这位数学家再次分析研究了他的这些数字。

18 gasping   

adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词

参考例句：

• He was gasping for breath. 他在喘气。
• "Did you need a drink?""Yes, I'm gasping!” “你要喝点什么吗？”“我巴不得能喝点！”

19 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

20 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

22 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

23 arcade   

n.拱廊；(一侧或两侧有商店的)通道

参考例句：

• At this time of the morning,the arcade was almost empty.在早晨的这个时候，拱廊街上几乎空无一人。
• In our shopping arcade,you can find different kinds of souvenir.在我们的拱廊市场，你可以发现许多的纪念品。

24 hopped   

跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花

参考例句：

• He hopped onto a car and wanted to drive to town. 他跳上汽车想开向市区。
• He hopped into a car and drove to town. 他跳进汽车，向市区开去。