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Chapter 55
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The sky was almost cloudless, but it was a pale blue, as though wrapped in a high thin mist. That, thought Seldon, was a good touch, but suddenly he missed the sun itself. No one on Trantor saw the planets sun unless he or she went Upperside and even then only when the natural cloud layer broke. Did native Trantorians miss the sun? Did they give it any thought? When one of them visited another world where a natural sun was in view, did he or she stare, half-blinded, at it with awe1?
Why, he wondered, did so many people spend their lives not trying to find answers to questions--not even thinking of questions to begin with? Was there anything more exciting in life than seeking answers?
His glance shifted to ground level. The wide roadway was lined with low buildings, most of them shops. Numerous individual ground-cars moved in both directions, each hugging the right side. They seemed like a collection of antiques, but they were electrically driven and quite soundless. Seldon wondered if "antique" was always a word to sneer2 at. Could it be that silence made up for slowness? Was there any particular hurry to life, after all?
There were a number of children on the walkways and Seldons lips pressed together in annoyance3. Clearly, an extended life span for the Mycogenians was impossible unless they were willing to indulge in infanticide. The children of both sexes (though it was hard to tell the boys from the girls) wore kirtles that came only a few inches below the knee, making the wild activity of childhood easier.
The children also still had hair, reduced to an inch in length at most, but even so the older ones among them had hoods4 attached to their kirtles and wore them raised, hiding the top of the head altogether. It was as though they were getting old enough to make the hair seem a trifle obscene--or old enough to be wishing to hide it, in longing5 for the day of rite6 of passage when they were depilated.
A thought occurred to Seldon. He said, "Dors, when youve been out shopping, who paid, you or the Raindrop women?"
"I did of course. The Raindrops never produced a credit tile. But why should they? What was being bought was for us, not for them."
"But you have a Trantorian credit tile--a tribeswoman credit tile."
"Of course, Hari, but there was no problem. The people of Mycogen may keep their own culture and ways of thought and habits of life as they wish. They can destroy their cephalic hair and wear kirtles. Nevertheless, they must use the worlds credits. If they dont, that would choke off commerce and no sensible person would want to do that. The credits nerve, Hari." She held up her hand as though she was holding an invisible credit tile.
"And they accepted your credit tile?"
"Never a peep out of them. And never a word about my skincap. Credits sanitize everything."
"Well, thats good. So I can buy--"
"No, Ill do the buying. Credits may sanitize everything, but they more easily sanitize a tribeswoman. Theyre so used to paying women little or no attention that they automatically pay me the same.--And heres the clothing store Ive been using."
"Ill wait out here. Get me a nice red sash--one that looks impressive."
"Dont pretend youve forgotten our decision. Ill get two. And another white kirtle also ... to my measurements."
"Wont7 they think it odd that a woman would be buying a white kirtle?"
"Of course not. Theyll assume Im buying it for a male companion who happens to be my size. Actually, I dont think theyll bother with any assumptions at all as long as my credit tile is good."
Seldon waited, half-expecting someone to come up and greet him as a tribesman or denounce him as one--more likely--but no one did. Those who passed him did so without a glance and even those who glanced in his direction moved on seemingly untouched. He was especially nervous about the gray kirtles--the women--walking by in pairs or, even worse, with a man. They were downtrodden, unnoticed, snubbed. How better to gain a brief notoriety than by shrieking8 at the sight of a tribesman? But even the women moved on.
Theyre not expecting to see a tribesman, Seldon thought, so they dont see one.
That, he decided9, augured10 well for their forthcoming invasion of the Sacratorium. How much less would anyone expect to see tribespeople there and how much more effectively would they therefore fail to see them! He was in fairly good humor when Dors emerged.
"You have everything?"
"Absolutely."
"Then lets go back to the room, so you can change." The white kirtle did not fit her quite as well as the gray one did. Obviously, she could not have tried it on or even the densest11 shopkeeper would have been struck with alarm.
"How do I look, Hari?" she asked.
"Exactly like a boy," said Seldon. "Now lets try the sash ... or obiah. I had better get used to calling it that."
Dors, without her skincap, was shaking out her hair gratefully. She said sharply, "Dont put it on now. Were not going to parade through Mycogen with the sash on. The last thing we want to do is call attention to ourselves."
"No, no. I just want to see how it goes on."
"Well, not that one. This one is better quality and more elaborate."
"Youre right, Dors. Ive got to gather in what attention there is. I dont want them to detect you as a woman."
"Im not thinking of that, Hari. I just want you to look pretty."
"A thousand thanks, but thats impossible, I suspect. Now, lets see, how does this work?"
Together, Hari and Dors practiced putting their obiahs on and taking them off, over and over again, until they could do it in one fluid motion. Dors taught Hari how to do it, as she had seen a man doing it the day before at the Sacratorium.
When Hari praised her for her acute observations, she blushed and said, "Its really nothing, Hari, just something I noticed."
Hari replied, "Then youre a genius for noticing."
Finally satisfied, they stood well apart, each surveying the other. Haris obiah glittered, a bright red dragonlike design standing12 out against a paler field of similar hue13. Dorss was a little less bold, had a simple thin line down the center, and was very light in color.
"There," she said, "just enough to show good taste." She took it off.
"Now," said Seldon, "we fold it up and it goes into one of the inner pockets. I have my credit tile--Hummins, really--and the key to this place in this one and here, on the other side, the Book."
"The Book? Should you be carrying it around?"
"I must. Im guessing that anyone going to the Sacratorium ought to have a copy of the Book with him. They may intone passages or have readings. If necessary, well share the Book and maybe no one will notice. Ready?"
"Ill never be ready, but Im going with you."
"It will be a tedious trip. Will you check my skincap and make sure no hair shows this time? And dont scratch your head."
"I wont. You look all right."
"So do you."
"You also look nervous."
And Seldon said wryly14, "Guess why!"
Dors reached out impulsively15 and squeezed Haris hand, then drew back as if surprised at herself. Looking down, she straightened her white kirtle.
Hari, himself a trifle surprised and peculiarly pleased, cleared his throat and said, "Okay, lets go."
Aerie
ROBOT-- ... A term used in the ancient legends of several worlds for what are more usually called "automata." Robots are described as generally human in shape and made of metal, although some are supposed to have been pseudo-organic in nature. Hari Seldon, in the course of The Flight, is popularly supposed to have seen an actual robot, but that story is of dubious16 origin. Nowhere in Seldons voluminous writings does he mention robots at all, although ...
ENCYCLOPEDIA GALACTICA

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 awe WNqzC     
n.敬畏,惊惧;vt.使敬畏,使惊惧
参考例句:
  • The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
  • The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。
2 sneer YFdzu     
v.轻蔑;嘲笑;n.嘲笑,讥讽的言语
参考例句:
  • He said with a sneer.他的话中带有嘲笑之意。
  • You may sneer,but a lot of people like this kind of music.你可以嗤之以鼻,但很多人喜欢这种音乐。
3 annoyance Bw4zE     
n.恼怒,生气,烦恼
参考例句:
  • Why do you always take your annoyance out on me?为什么你不高兴时总是对我出气?
  • I felt annoyance at being teased.我恼恨别人取笑我。
4 hoods c7f425b95a130f8e5c065ebce960d6f5     
n.兜帽( hood的名词复数 );头巾;(汽车、童车等的)折合式车篷;汽车发动机罩v.兜帽( hood的第三人称单数 );头巾;(汽车、童车等的)折合式车篷;汽车发动机罩
参考例句:
  • Michael looked at the four hoods sitting in the kitchen. 迈克尔瞅了瞅坐在厨房里的四条汉子。 来自教父部分
  • Eskimos wear hoods to keep their heads warm. 爱斯基摩人戴兜帽使头暖和。 来自辞典例句
5 longing 98bzd     
n.(for)渴望
参考例句:
  • Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
  • His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。
6 rite yCmzq     
n.典礼,惯例,习俗
参考例句:
  • This festival descends from a religious rite.这个节日起源于宗教仪式。
  • Most traditional societies have transition rites at puberty.大多数传统社会都为青春期的孩子举行成人礼。
7 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。
8 shrieking abc59c5a22d7db02751db32b27b25dbb     
v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • The boxers were goaded on by the shrieking crowd. 拳击运动员听见观众的喊叫就来劲儿了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • They were all shrieking with laughter. 他们都发出了尖锐的笑声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 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。
10 augured 1de95241a01877ab37856ada69548743     
v.预示,预兆,预言( augur的过去式和过去分词 );成为预兆;占卜
参考例句:
  • The press saw the event as a straw in the wind that augured the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries. 报界把这件事看作是两国之间即将恢复邦交的预兆。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • This augured disaster for 1945. 这就预示1945年要发生灾难。 来自互联网
11 densest 196f3886c6c5dffe98d26ccca5d0e045     
密集的( dense的最高级 ); 密度大的; 愚笨的; (信息量大得)难理解的
参考例句:
  • Past Botoi some of the densest jungle forests on Anopopei grew virtually into the water. 过了坊远湾,岛上的莽莽丛林便几乎直长到水中。
  • Earth is the densest of all of these remaining planets. 地球是所剩下行星中最致密的星球。
12 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。
13 hue qdszS     
n.色度;色调;样子
参考例句:
  • The diamond shone with every hue under the sun.金刚石在阳光下放出五颜六色的光芒。
  • The same hue will look different in different light.同一颜色在不同的光线下看起来会有所不同。
14 wryly 510b39f91f2e11b414d09f4c1a9c5a1a     
adv. 挖苦地,嘲弄地
参考例句:
  • Molly smiled rather wryly and said nothing. 莫莉苦笑着,一句话也没说。
  • He smiled wryly, then closed his eyes and gnawed his lips. 他狞笑一声,就闭了眼睛,咬着嘴唇。 来自子夜部分
15 impulsively 0596bdde6dedf8c46a693e7e1da5984c     
adv.冲动地
参考例句:
  • She leant forward and kissed him impulsively. 她倾身向前,感情冲动地吻了他。
  • Every good, true, vigorous feeling I had gathered came impulsively round him. 我的一切良好、真诚而又强烈的感情都紧紧围绕着他涌现出来。
16 dubious Akqz1     
adj.怀疑的,无把握的;有问题的,靠不住的
参考例句:
  • What he said yesterday was dubious.他昨天说的话很含糊。
  • He uses some dubious shifts to get money.他用一些可疑的手段去赚钱。


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