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Chapter 16
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The room that Hari Seldon found himself in was larger than Hummins room in the Imperial Sector1. It was a bedroom with one corner serving as a washroom and with no sign of any cooking or dining facilities. There was no window, though set in the ceiling was a grilled2 ventilator that made a steady sighing noise. Seldon looked about a bit ruefully.
Hummin interpreted that look with his usual assured manner and said, "Its only for tonight, Seldon. Tomorrow morning someone will come to install you at the University and you will be more comfortable."
"Pardon me, Hummin, but how do you know that?"
"I will make arrangements. I know one or two people here"--he smiled briefly3 without humor--"and I have a favor or two I can ask repayment4 for. Now lets go into some details."
He gazed steadily5 at Seldon and said, "Whatever you have left in your hotel room is lost. Does that include anything irreplaceable?"
"Nothing really irreplaceable. I have some personal items I value for their association with my past life, but if they are gone, they are gone. There are, of course, some notes on my paper. Some calculations. The paper itself."
"Which is now public knowledge until such time as it is removed from circulation as dangerous--which it probably will be. Still, Ill be able to get my hands on a copy, Im sure. In any case, you can reconstruct it, cant6 you?"
"I can. Thats why I said there was nothing really irreplaceable. Also, Ive lost nearly a thousand credits, some books, clothing, my tickets back to Helicon, things like that."
"All replaceable.--Now I will arrange for you to have a credit tile in my name, charged to me. That will take care of ordinary expenses."
"Thats unusually generous of you. I cant accept it."
"Its not generous at all, since Im hoping to save the Empire in that fashion. You must accept it."
"But how much can you afford, Hummin? Ill be using it, at best, with an uneasy conscience."
"Whatever you need for survival or reasonable comfort I can afford, Seldon. Naturally, I wouldnt want you to try to buy the University gymnasium or hand out a million credits in largess."
"You neednt worry, but with my name on record--"
"It might as well be. It is absolutely forbidden for the Imperial government to exercise any security control over the University or its members. There is complete freedom. Anything can be discussed here, anything can be said here."
"What about violent crime?"
"Then the University authorities themselves handle it, with reason and care--and there are virtually no crimes of violence. The students and faculty7 appreciate their freedom and understand its terms. Too much rowdiness, the beginning of riot and bloodshed, and the government may feel it has a right to break the unwritten agreement and send in the troops. No one wants that, not even the government, so a delicate balance is maintained. In other words, Demerzel himself can not have you plucked out of the University without a great deal more cause than anyone in the University has given the government in at least a century and a half. On the other hand, if you are lured8 off the grounds by a student-agent--"
"Are there student-agents?"
"How can I say? There may be. Any ordinary individual can be threatened or maneuvered9 or simply bought--and may remain thereafter in the service of Demerzel or of someone else, for that matter. So I must emphasize this: You are safe in any reasonable sense, but no one is absolutely safe. You will have to be careful. But though I give you that warning, I dont want you to cower10 through life. On the whole, you will be far more secure here than you would have been if you had returned to Helicon or gone to any world of the Galaxy11 outside Trantor."
"I hope so," said Seldon drearily12.
"I know so," said Hummin, "Or I would not feel it wise to leave you."
"Leave me?" Seldon looked up sharply. "You cant do that. You know this world. I dont."
"You will be with others who know this world, who know this part of it, in fact, even better than I do. As for myself, I must go. I have been with you all this day and I dare not abandon my own life any longer. I must not attract too much attention to myself. Remember that I have my own insecurities, just as you have yours."
Seldon blushed. "Youre right. I cant expect you to endanger yourself indefinitely on my behalf. I hope you are not already ruined."
Hummin said coolly, "Who can tell? We live in dangerous times. Just remember that if anyone can make the times safe--if not for ourselves, then for those who follow after us--it is you. Let that thought be your driving force, Seldon."

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1 sector yjczYn     
n.部门,部分;防御地段,防区;扇形
参考例句:
  • The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
  • The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。
2 grilled grilled     
adj. 烤的, 炙过的, 有格子的 动词grill的过去式和过去分词形式
参考例句:
  • He was grilled for two hours before the police let him go. 他被严厉盘查了两个小时后,警察才放他走。
  • He was grilled until he confessed. 他被严加拷问,直到他承认为止。
3 briefly 9Styo     
adv.简单地,简短地
参考例句:
  • I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
  • He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。
4 repayment repayment     
n.偿还,偿还款;报酬
参考例句:
  • I am entitled to a repayment for the damaged goods.我有权利索取货物损坏赔偿金。
  • The tax authorities have been harrying her for repayment.税务局一直在催她补交税款。
5 steadily Qukw6     
adv.稳定地;不变地;持续地
参考例句:
  • The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
  • Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。
6 cant KWAzZ     
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。
7 faculty HhkzK     
n.才能;学院,系;(学院或系的)全体教学人员
参考例句:
  • He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。
  • He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。
8 lured 77df5632bf83c9c64fb09403ae21e649     
吸引,引诱(lure的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • The child was lured into a car but managed to escape. 那小孩被诱骗上了车,但又设法逃掉了。
  • Lured by the lust of gold,the pioneers pushed onward. 开拓者在黄金的诱惑下,继续奋力向前。
9 maneuvered 7d19f91478ac481ffdfcbdf37b4eb25d     
v.移动,用策略( maneuver的过去式和过去分词 );操纵
参考例句:
  • I maneuvered my way among the tables to the back corner of the place. 我在那些桌子间穿行,来到那地方后面的角落。 来自辞典例句
  • The admiral maneuvered his ships in the battle plan. 舰队司令按作战计划进行舰队演习。 来自辞典例句
10 cower tzCx2     
v.畏缩,退缩,抖缩
参考例句:
  • I will never cower before any master nor bend to any threat.我决不会在任何一位大师面前发抖,也不会为任何恐吓所屈服。
  • Will the Chinese cower before difficulties when they are not afraid even of death?中国人死都不怕,还怕困难吗?
11 galaxy OhoxB     
n.星系;银河系;一群(杰出或著名的人物)
参考例句:
  • The earth is one of the planets in the Galaxy.地球是银河系中的星球之一。
  • The company has a galaxy of talent.该公司拥有一批优秀的人才。
12 drearily a9ac978ac6fcd40e1eeeffcdb1b717a2     
沉寂地,厌倦地,可怕地
参考例句:
  • "Oh, God," thought Scarlett drearily, "that's just the trouble. "啊,上帝!" 思嘉沮丧地想,"难就难在这里呀。
  • His voice was utterly and drearily expressionless. 他的声调,阴沉沉的,干巴巴的,完全没有感情。


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