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Chapter 17
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Sleep eluded1 Seldon. He tossed and turned in the dark, thinking. He had have never felt quite so alone or quite so helpless as he did after Hummin had nodded, pressed his hand briefly2, and left him behind. Now he was on a strange world--and in a strange part of that world. He was without the only person he could consider a friend (and that of less than a days duration) and he had no idea of where he was going or what he would be doing, either tomorrow or at any time in the future.
None of that was conducive3 to sleep so, of course, at about the time he decided4, hopelessly, that he would not sleep that night or, possibly, ever again, exhaustion5 overtook him ...
When he woke up it was still dark--or not quite, for across the room he saw a red light flashing brightly and rapidly, accompanied by a harsh, intermittent6 buzz. Undoubtedly7, it was that which had awakened8 him. As he tried to remember where he was and to make some sort of sense out of the limited messages his senses were receiving, the flashing and buzzing ceased and he became aware of a peremptory9 rapping.
Presumably, the rapping was at the door, but he didnt remember where the door was. Presumably, also, there was a contact that would flood the room with light, but he didnt remember where that was either.
He sat up in bed and felt along the wall to his left rather desperately10 while calling out, "One moment, please."
He found the necessary contact and the room suddenly bloomed with a soft light. He scrambled11 out of bed, blinking, still searching for the door, finding it, reaching out to open it, remembering caution at the last moment, and saying in a suddenly stern, no-nonsense voice, "Whos there?"
A rather gentle womans voice said, "My dame12 is Dors Venabili and I have come to see Dr. Hari Seldon."
Even as that was said, a woman was standing13 just in front of the door, without that door ever having been opened.
For a moment, Hari Seldon stared at her in surprise, then realized that he was wearing only a one-piece undergarment. He let out a strangled gasp14 and dashed for the bed and only then realized that he was staring at a holograph. It lacked the hard edge of reality and it became apparent the woman wasnt looking at him. She was merely showing herself for identification. He paused, breathing hard, then said, raising his voice to be heard through the door, "If youll wait, Ill be with you. Give me ... maybe half an hour."
The woman--or the holograph, at any rate--said, "Ill wait," and disappeared.
There was no shower, so he sponged himself, making a rare mess on the tiled floor in the washroom corner. There was toothpaste but no toothbrush, so he used his finger. He had no choice but to put on the clothes he had been wearing the day before. He finally opened the door.
He realized, even as he did so, that she had not really identified herself. She had merely given a name and Hummin had not told him whom to expect, whether it was to be this Dors Somebody or anyone else. He had felt secure because the holograph was that of a personable young woman, but for all he knew there might be half a dozen hostile young men with her.
He peered out cautiously, saw only the woman, then opened the door sufficiently15 to allow her to enter. He immediately closed and locked the door behind her. "Pardon me," he said, "What time is it?"
"Nine," she said, "The day has long since begun."
As far as official time was concerned, Trantor held to Galactic Standard, since only so could sense be made out of interstellar commerce and governmental dealings. Each world, however, also had a local time system and Seldon had not yet come to the point where he felt at home with casual Trantorian references to the hour.
"Midmorning?" he said.
"Of course."
"There are no windows in this room," he said defensively.
Dors walked to his bed, reached out, and touched a small dark spot on the wall.
Red numbers appeared on the ceiling just over his pillow. They read: 0903. She smiled without superiority. "Im sorry," she said. "But I rather assumed Chetter Hummin would have told you Id be coming for you at nine. The trouble with him is hes so used to knowing, he sometimes forgets that others occasionally dont know.--And I shouldnt have used radio-holographic identification. I imagine you dont have it on Helicon and Im afraid I must have alarmed you."
Seldon felt himself relax. She seemed natural and friendly and the casual reference to Hummin reassured16 him. He said, "Youre quite wrong about Helicon, Miss--"
"Please call me Dors."
"Youre still wrong about Helicon, Dors. We do have radioholography, but Ive never been able to afford the equipment. Nor could anyone in my circle, so I havent actually had the experience. But I understood what had happened soon enough."
He studied her. She was not very tall, average height for a woman, he judged. Her hair was a reddish-gold, though not very bright, and was arranged in shore curls about her head. (He had seen a number of women in Trantor with their hair so arranged. It was apparently17 a local fashion that would have been laughed at in Helicon.) She was not amazingly beautiful, but was quite pleasant to look at, this being helped by full lips that seemed to have a slight humorous curl to them. She was slim, well-built, and looked quite young. (Too young, he thought uneasily, to be of use perhaps.)
"Do I pass inspection18?" she asked. (She seemed to have Hummins trick of guessing his thoughts, Seldon thought, or perhaps he himself lacked the trick of hiding them.)
He said, "Im sorry. I seem to have been staring, but Ive only been trying to evaluate you. Im in a strange place. I know no one and have no friends."
"Please, Dr. Seldon, count me as a friend. Mr. Hummin has asked me to take care of you."
Seldon smiled ruefully. "You may be a little young for the job."
"Youll find I am not."
"Well, Ill try to be as little trouble as possible. Could you please repeat your name?"
"Dors Venabili." She spelled the last name and emphasized the stress on the second syllable19. "As I said, please call me Dors and if you dont object too strenuously20 I will call you Hari. Were quite informal here at the University and there is an almost self-conscious effort to show no signs of status, either inherited or professional."
"Please, by all means, call me Hari."
"Good. I shall remain informal then. For instance, the instinct for formality, if there is such a thing, would cause me to ask permission to sit down. Informally, however, I shall just sit." She then sat down on the one chair in the room.
Seldon cleared his throat. "Clearly, Im not at all in possession of my ordinary faculties21. I should have asked you to sit." He sat down on the side of his crumpled22 bed and wished he had thought to straighten it out somewhat--but he had been caught by surprise.
She said pleasantly, "This is how its going to work, Hari. First, well go to breakfast at one of the University cafes. Then Ill get you a room in one of the domiciles--a better room than this. Youll have a window. Hummin has instructed me to get you a credit tile in his name, but it will take me a day or two to extort23 one out of the University bureaucracy. Until thats done, Ill be responsible for your expenses and you can pay me back later.--And we can use you. Chetter Hummin told me youre a mathematician24 and for some reason theres a serious lack of good ones at the University."
"Did Hummin tell you that I was a good mathematician?"
"As a matter of fact, he did. He said you were a remarkable25 man--"
"Well." Seldon looked down at his fingernails. "I would like to be considered so, but Hummin knew me for less than a day and, before that, he had heard me present a paper, the quality of which he has no way of judging. I think he was just being polite."
"I dont think so," said Dors. "He is a remarkable person himself and has had a great deal of experience with people. Ill go by his judgment26. In any case, I imagine youll have a chance to prove yourself. You can program computers, I suppose."
"Of course."
"Im talking about teaching computers, you understand, and Im asking if you can devise programs to teach various phases of contemporary mathematics."
"Yes, thats part of my profession. Im assistant professor of mathematics at the University of Helicon."
She said, "Yes, I know. Hummin told me that. It means, of course, that everyone will know you are a non-Trantorian, but that will present no serious problems. Were mainly Trantorian here at the University, but theres a substantial minority of Outworlders from any number of different worlds and thats accepted. I wont27 say that youll never hear a planetary slur28 but actually the Outworlders are more likely to use them than the Trantorians. Im an Outworlder myself, by the way."
"Oh?" He hesitated and then decided it would be only polite to ask. "What world are you from?"
"Im from Cinna. Have you ever heard of it?"
Hed be caught out if he was polite enough to lie, Seldon decided, so he said, "No."
"Im not surprised. Its probably of even less account than Helicon is. Anyway, to get back to the programming of mathematical teaching computers, I suppose that that can be done either proficiently29 or poorly."
"Absolutely."
"And you would do it proficiently."
"I would like to think so."
"There you are, then. The University will pay you for that, so lets go out and eat. Did you sleep well, by the way?"
"Surprisingly, I did."
"And are you hungry?"
"Yes, but--" He hesitated.
She said cheerfully, "But youre worried about the quality of the food, is that it? Well, dont be. Being an Outworlder myself, I can understand your feelings about the strong infusion30 of microfood into everything, but the University menus arent bad. In the faculty31 dining room, at least. The students suffer a bit, but that serves to harden them."
She rose and turned to the door, but stopped when Seldon could not keep himself from saying, "Are you a member of the faculty?"
She turned and smiled at him impishly. "Dont I look old enough? I got my doctorate32 two years ago at Cinna and Ive been here ever since. In two weeks, Ill be thirty."
"Sorry," said Seldon, smiling in his turn, "but you cant33 expect to look twenty-four and not raise doubts as to your academic status."
"Arent you nice?" said Dors and Seldon felt a certain pleasure wash over him. After all, he thought, you cant exchange pleasantries with an attractive woman and feel entirely34 like a stranger.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 eluded 8afea5b7a29fab905a2d34ae6f94a05f     
v.(尤指机敏地)避开( elude的过去式和过去分词 );逃避;躲避;使达不到
参考例句:
  • The sly fox nimbly eluded the dogs. 那只狡猾的狐狸灵活地躲避开那群狗。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The criminal eluded the police. 那个罪犯甩掉了警察的追捕。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
2 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。
3 conducive hppzk     
adj.有益的,有助的
参考例句:
  • This is a more conducive atmosphere for studying.这样的氛围更有利于学习。
  • Exercise is conducive to good health.体育锻炼有助于增强体质。
4 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
5 exhaustion OPezL     
n.耗尽枯竭,疲惫,筋疲力尽,竭尽,详尽无遗的论述
参考例句:
  • She slept the sleep of exhaustion.她因疲劳而酣睡。
  • His exhaustion was obvious when he fell asleep standing.他站着睡着了,显然是太累了。
6 intermittent ebCzV     
adj.间歇的,断断续续的
参考例句:
  • Did you hear the intermittent sound outside?你听见外面时断时续的声音了吗?
  • In the daytime intermittent rains freshened all the earth.白天里,时断时续地下着雨,使整个大地都生气勃勃了。
7 undoubtedly Mfjz6l     
adv.确实地,无疑地
参考例句:
  • It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
  • He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。
8 awakened de71059d0b3cd8a1de21151c9166f9f0     
v.(使)醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 );(使)觉醒;弄醒;(使)意识到
参考例句:
  • She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。
  • The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 peremptory k3uz8     
adj.紧急的,专横的,断然的
参考例句:
  • The officer issued peremptory commands.军官发出了不容许辩驳的命令。
  • There was a peremptory note in his voice.他说话的声音里有一种不容置辩的口气。
10 desperately cu7znp     
adv.极度渴望地,绝望地,孤注一掷地
参考例句:
  • He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
  • He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。
11 scrambled 2e4a1c533c25a82f8e80e696225a73f2     
v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 );攀登;争夺;(军事飞机)紧急起飞
参考例句:
  • Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
12 dame dvGzR0     
n.女士
参考例句:
  • The dame tell of her experience as a wife and mother.这位年长妇女讲了她作妻子和母亲的经验。
  • If you stick around,you'll have to marry that dame.如果再逗留多一会,你就要跟那个夫人结婚。
13 standing 2hCzgo     
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。
14 gasp UfxzL     
n.喘息,气喘;v.喘息;气吁吁他说
参考例句:
  • She gave a gasp of surprise.她吃惊得大口喘气。
  • The enemy are at their last gasp.敌人在做垂死的挣扎。
15 sufficiently 0htzMB     
adv.足够地,充分地
参考例句:
  • It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
  • The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。
16 reassured ff7466d942d18e727fb4d5473e62a235     
adj.使消除疑虑的;使放心的v.再保证,恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词)
参考例句:
  • The captain's confidence during the storm reassured the passengers. 在风暴中船长的信念使旅客们恢复了信心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • The doctor reassured the old lady. 医生叫那位老妇人放心。 来自《简明英汉词典》
17 apparently tMmyQ     
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎
参考例句:
  • An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽,豁然开朗。
  • He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。
18 inspection y6TxG     
n.检查,审查,检阅
参考例句:
  • On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查,发现肉变质了。
  • The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。
19 syllable QHezJ     
n.音节;vt.分音节
参考例句:
  • You put too much emphasis on the last syllable.你把最后一个音节读得太重。
  • The stress on the last syllable is light.最后一个音节是轻音节。
20 strenuously Jhwz0k     
adv.奋发地,费力地
参考例句:
  • The company has strenuously defended its decision to reduce the workforce. 公司竭力为其裁员的决定辩护。
  • She denied the accusation with some warmth, ie strenuously, forcefully. 她有些激动,竭力否认这一指责。
21 faculties 066198190456ba4e2b0a2bda2034dfc5     
n.能力( faculty的名词复数 );全体教职员;技巧;院
参考例句:
  • Although he's ninety, his mental faculties remain unimpaired. 他虽年届九旬,但头脑仍然清晰。
  • All your faculties have come into play in your work. 在你的工作中,你的全部才能已起到了作用。 来自《简明英汉词典》
22 crumpled crumpled     
adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式
参考例句:
  • She crumpled the letter up into a ball and threw it on the fire. 她把那封信揉成一团扔进了火里。
  • She flattened out the crumpled letter on the desk. 她在写字台上把皱巴巴的信展平。
23 extort KP1zQ     
v.勒索,敲诈,强要
参考例句:
  • The blackmailer tried to extort a large sum of money from him.勒索者企图向他勒索一大笔钱。
  • They absolutely must not harm the people or extort money from them.严格禁止坑害勒索群众。
24 mathematician aoPz2p     
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。
25 remarkable 8Vbx6     
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的
参考例句:
  • She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
  • These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。
26 judgment e3xxC     
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见
参考例句:
  • The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
  • He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。
27 wont peXzFP     
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。
28 slur WE2zU     
v.含糊地说;诋毁;连唱;n.诋毁;含糊的发音
参考例句:
  • He took the remarks as a slur on his reputation.他把这些话当作是对他的名誉的中伤。
  • The drug made her speak with a slur.药物使她口齿不清。
29 proficiently YkSzuk     
ad.熟练地
参考例句:
  • Language Skills: Ability to write and speak English proficiently. 语言要求:有良好的英语读写能力。
  • Although not a diplomat, he can proficiently use diplomatic terms. 他虽然不是外交官,却能熟练地使用外交辞令。
30 infusion CbAz1     
n.灌输
参考例句:
  • Old families need an infusion of new blood from time to time.古老的家族需要不时地注入新鲜血液。
  • Careful observation of the infusion site is necessary.必须仔细观察输液部位。
31 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。
32 doctorate fkEzt     
n.(大学授予的)博士学位
参考例句:
  • He hasn't enough credits to get his doctorate.他的学分不够取得博士学位。
  • Where did she do her doctorate?她在哪里攻读博士?
33 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。
34 entirely entirely     
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
  • His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。


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