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Chapter 56
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They were not noticed.
Hari Seldon and Dors Venabili repeated the trip of the day before and this time no one gave them a second look. Hardly anyone even gave them a first look. On several occasions, they had to tuck their knees to one side to allow someone sitting on an inner seat to get past them and out. When someone got in, they quickly realized they had to move over if there was an inner empty seat. This time they quickly grew tired of the smell of kirtles that were not freshly laundered1 because they were not so easily diverted by what went on outside. But eventually they were there.
"Thats the library," said Seldon in a low voice.
"I suppose so," said Dors. "At least thats the building that Mycelium Seventy-Two pointed2 out yesterday."
They sauntered toward it leisurely3.
"Take a deep breath," said Seldon. "This is the first hurdle4."
The door ahead was open, the light within subdued5. There were five broad stone steps leading upward. They stepped onto the lowermost one and waited several moments before they realized that their weight did not cause the steps to move upward. Dors grimaced6 very slightly and gestured Seldon upward. Together they walked up the stairs, feeling embarrassed on behalf of Mycogen for its backwardness.
Then, through a door, where, at a desk immediately inside was a man bent7 over the simplest and clumsiest computer Seldon had ever seen. The man did not look up at them. No need, Seldon supposed. White kirtle, bald head--all Mycogenians looked so nearly the same that ones eyes slid off them and that was to the tribespeoples advantage at the moment.
The man, who still seemed to be studying something on the desk, said, "Scholars?"
"Scholars," said Seldon.
The man jerked his head toward a door. "Go in. Enjoy."
They moved inward and, as nearly as they could see, they were the only ones in this section of the library. Either the library was not a popular resort or the scholars were few or--most likely--both.
Seldon whispered, "I thought surely we would have to present some sort of license8 or permission form and I would have to plead having forgotten it."
"He probably welcomes our presence under any terms. Did you ever see a place like this? If a place, like a person, could be dead, we would be inside a corpse9."
Most of the books in this section were print-books like the Book in Seldons inner pocket. Dors drifted along the shelves, studying them. She said, "Old books, for the most part. Part classic. Part worthless."
"Outside books? Non-Mycogen, I mean?"
"Oh yes. If they have their own books, they must be kept in another section. This one is for outside research for poor little self-styled scholars like yesterdays.--This is the reference department and heres an Imperial Encyclopedia10 ... must be fifty years old if a day ... and a computer." She reached for the keys and Seldon stopped her.
"Wait. Something could go wrong and well be delayed."
He pointed to a discreet11 sign above a free-standing set of shelves that glowed with the letters TO THE SACR TORIUM. The second A in SACRATORIUM was dead, possibly recently or possibly because no one cared. (The Empire, thought Seldon, was in decay. All parts of it. Mycogen too.)
He looked about. The poor library, so necessary to Mycogenian pride, perhaps so useful to the Elders who could use it to find crumbs12 to shore up their own beliefs and present them as being those of sophisticated tribespeople, seemed to be completely empty. No one had entered after them.
Seldon said, "Lets step in here, out of eyeshot of the man at the door, and put on our sashes."
And then, at the door, aware suddenly there would be no turning back if they passed this second hurdle, he said, "Dors, dont come in with me."
She frowned. "Why not?"
"Its not safe and I dont want you to be at risk."
"I am here to protect you," she said with soft firmness.
"What kind of protection can you be? I can protect myself, though you may not think it. And Id be handicapped by having to protect you. Dont you see that?"
"You mustnt be concerned about me, Hari," said Dors. "Concern is my part." She tapped her sash where it crossed in the space between her obscured breasts.
"Because Hummin asked you to?"
"Because those are my orders."
She seized Seldons arms just above his elbow and, as always, he was surprised by her firm grip. She said, "Im against this, Hari, but if you feel you must go in, then I must go in too."
"All right, then. But if anything happens and you can wriggle13 out of it, run. Dont worry about me."
"Youre wasting your breath, Hari. And youre insulting me."
Seldon touched the entrance panel and the portal slid open. Together, almost in unison14, they walked through.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 laundered 95074eccc0837ff352682b72828e8414     
v.洗(衣服等),洗烫(衣服等)( launder的过去式和过去分词 );洗(黑钱)(把非法收入改头换面,变为貌似合法的收入)
参考例句:
  • Send these sheets to be laundered. 把这些床单送去洗熨。 来自辞典例句
  • The air seems freshly laundered. Sydney thinks of good drying weather. 空气似乎被清洗过,让悉妮想起晴朗干爽适合晒衣服的好天气。 来自互联网
2 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
3 leisurely 51Txb     
adj.悠闲的;从容的,慢慢的
参考例句:
  • We walked in a leisurely manner,looking in all the windows.我们慢悠悠地走着,看遍所有的橱窗。
  • He had a leisurely breakfast and drove cheerfully to work.他从容的吃了早餐,高兴的开车去工作。
4 hurdle T5YyU     
n.跳栏,栏架;障碍,困难;vi.进行跨栏赛
参考例句:
  • The weather will be the biggest hurdle so I have to be ready.天气将会是最大的障碍,所以我必须要作好准备。
  • She clocked 11.6 seconds for the 80 metre hurdle.八十米跳栏赛跑她跑了十一秒六。
5 subdued 76419335ce506a486af8913f13b8981d     
adj. 屈服的,柔和的,减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
  • I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候,我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。
6 grimaced 5f3f78dc835e71266975d0c281dceae8     
v.扮鬼相,做鬼脸( grimace的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He grimaced at the bitter taste. 他一尝那苦味,做了个怪相。
  • She grimaced at the sight of all the work. 她一看到这么多的工作就皱起了眉头。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 bent QQ8yD     
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。
8 license B9TzU     
n.执照,许可证,特许;v.许可,特许
参考例句:
  • The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
  • The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。
9 corpse JYiz4     
n.尸体,死尸
参考例句:
  • What she saw was just an unfeeling corpse.她见到的只是一具全无感觉的尸体。
  • The corpse was preserved from decay by embalming.尸体用香料涂抹以防腐烂。
10 encyclopedia ZpgxD     
n.百科全书
参考例句:
  • The encyclopedia fell to the floor with a thud.那本百科全书砰的一声掉到地上。
  • Geoff is a walking encyclopedia.He knows about everything.杰夫是个活百科全书,他什么都懂。
11 discreet xZezn     
adj.(言行)谨慎的;慎重的;有判断力的
参考例句:
  • He is very discreet in giving his opinions.发表意见他十分慎重。
  • It wasn't discreet of you to ring me up at the office.你打电话到我办公室真是太鲁莽了。
12 crumbs crumbs     
int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式
参考例句:
  • She stood up and brushed the crumbs from her sweater. 她站起身掸掉了毛衣上的面包屑。
  • Oh crumbs! Is that the time? 啊,天哪!都这会儿啦?
13 wriggle wf4yr     
v./n.蠕动,扭动;蜿蜒
参考例句:
  • I've got an appointment I can't wriggle out of.我有个推脱不掉的约会。
  • Children wriggle themselves when they are bored.小孩子感到厌烦时就会扭动他们的身体。
14 unison gKCzB     
n.步调一致,行动一致
参考例句:
  • The governments acted in unison to combat terrorism.这些国家的政府一致行动对付恐怖主义。
  • My feelings are in unison with yours.我的感情与你的感情是一致的。


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