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Chapter 65
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Amaryl arrived a few minutes before 1400, looking warily1 about. His hair was neat and his thick mustache was combed and turned up slightly at the edges. His T-shirt was startlingly white. He did smell, but it was a fruity odor that undoubtedly2 came from the slightly overenthusiastic use of scent3. He had a bag with him.
Seldon, who had been waiting outside for him, seized one elbow lightly, while Dors seized the other, and they moved rapidly into the elevator. Having reached the correct level, they passed through the apartment into Seldons room. Amaryl said in a low hangdog voice, "Nobody home, huh?"
"Everyones busy," said Seldon neutrally. He indicated the only chair in the room, a pad directly on the floor.
"No," said Amaryl. "I dont need that. One of you two use it." He squatted4 on the floor with a graceful5 downward motion.
Dors imitated the movement, sitting on the edge of Seldons floor-based mattress6, but Seldon dropped down rather clumsily, having to make use of his hands and unable, quite, to find a comfortable position for his legs. Seldon said, "Well, young man, why do you want to see me?"
"Because youre a mathematician7. Youre the first mathematician I ever saw--close up--so I could touch him, you know."
"Mathematicians8 feel like anyone else."
"Not to me, Dr. ...         Seldon?"
"Thats my name."
Amaryl looked pleased. "I finally remembered.--You see, I want to be a mathematician too."
"Very good. Whats stopping you?"
Amaryl suddenly frowned. "Are you serious?"
"I presume something is stopping you. Yes, Im serious."
"Whats stopping me is Im a Dahlite, a heatsinker on Dahl. I dont have the money to get an education and I cant9 get the credits to get an education. A real education, I mean. All they taught me was to read and cipher10 and use a computer and then I knew enough to be a heatsinker. But I wanted more  So I taught myself."
"In some ways, thats the best kind of teaching. How did you do that?"
"I knew a librarian  She was willing to help me  She was a very nice woman and she showed me how to use computers for learning mathematics. And she set up a software system that would connect me with other libraries. Id come on my days off and on mornings after my shift  Sometimes shed lock me in her private room so I wouldnt be bothered by people coming in or she would let me in when the library was closed. She didnt know mathematics herself, but she helped me all she could  She was oldish, a widow lady. Maybe she thought of me as a kind of son or something. She didnt have children of her own."
(Maybe, thought Seldon briefly11, there was some other emotion involved too, but he put the thought away. None of his business.)
"I liked number theory," said Amaryl. "I worked some things out from what I learned from the computer and from the book-films it used to teach me mathematics. I came up with some new things that werent in the book-films." Seldon raised his eyebrows12. "Thats interesting. Like what?"
"Ive brought some of them to you. Ive never showed them to anyone. The people around me--" He shrugged13. "Theyd either laugh or be annoyed. Once I tried to tell a girl I knew, but she just said I was weird14 and wouldnt see me anymore  Is it all right for me to show them to you?"
"Quite all right. Believe me "
Seldon held out his hand aaaaafter a brief hesitation15, Amaryl handed him the bag he was carrying.
For a long time, Seldon looked over Amaryls papers. The work was naive16 in the extreme, but he allowed no smile to cross his face  He followed the demonstrations17, not one of which was new, of course--or even nearly new--or of any importance.
But that didnt matter.
Seldon looked up. "Did you do all of this yourself?"
Amaryl, looking more than half-frightened, nodded his head. Seldon extracted several sheets. "What made you think of this?" His finger ran down a line of mathematical reasoning.
Amaryl looked it over, frowned, and thought about it  Then he explained his line of thinking.
Seldon listened and said, "Did you ever read a book by Anat Bigell?"
"On number theory?"
"The title was Mathematical Deduction18. It wasnt about number theory, particularly."
Amaryl shook his head. "I never heard of him. Im sorry."
"He worked out this theorem of yours three hundred years ago.
Amaryl looked stricken. "I didnt know that."
"Im sure you didnt. You did it more cleverly, though. Its not rigorous, but--"
"What do you mean, rigorous?"
"It doesnt matter." Seldon put the papers back together in a sheaf, restored it to the bag, and said, "Make several copies of all this. Take one copy, have it dated by an official computer, and place it under computerized seal. My friend here, Mistress Venabili, can get you into Streeling University without tuition on some sort of scholarship. Youll have to start at the beginning and take courses in other subjects than mathematics, but--"
By now Amaryl had caught his breath. "Into Streeling University? They wont19 take me "
"Why not? Dors, you can arrange it, cant you?"
"Im sure I can."
"No, you cant," said Amaryl hotly. "They wont take me  Im from Dahl "
"Well?"
"They wont take people from Dahl "
Seldon looked at Dors. "Whats he talking about?"
Dors shook her head. "I really dont know."
Amaryl said, "Youre an Outworlder, Mistress  How long have you been at Streeling?"
"A little over two years, Mr. Amaryl."
"Have you ever seen Dahlites there--short, curly black hair, big mustaches?"
"There are students with all kinds of appearances."
"But no Dahlites. Look again the next time youre there."
"Why not?" said Seldon.
"They dont like us. We look different. They dont like our mustaches."
"You can shave your--" but Seldons voice died under the others furious glance.
"Never. Why should I? My mustache is my manhood."
"You shave your beard. Thats your manhood too."
"To my people it is the mustache."
Seldon looked at Dors again and murmured, "Bald heads, mustaches ... madness."
"What?" said Amaryl angrily.
"Nothing. Tell me what else they dont like about Dahlites."
"They make up things not to like. They say we smell. They say were dirty. They say we steal. They say were violent. They say were dumb."
"Why do they say all this?"
"Because its easy to say it and it makes them feel good. Sure, if we work in the heatsinks, we get dirty and smelly. If were poor and held down, some of us steal and get violent. But that isnt the way it is with all of us. How about those tall yellow-hairs in the Imperial Sector20 who think they own the Galaxy21--no, they do own the Galaxy. Dont they ever get violent? Dont they steal sometimes? If they did my job, theyd smell the way I do. If they had to live the way I have to, theyd get dirty too."
"Who denies that there are people of all kinds in all places?" said Seldon.
"No one argues the matter! They just take it for granted. Master Seldon, Ive got to get away from Trantor. I have no chance on Trantor, no way of earning credits, no way of getting an education, no way of becoming a mathematician, no way of becoming any thing but what they say I am ... a worthless nothing." This last was said in frustration--and desperation.
Seldon tried to be reasonable. "The person Im renting this room from is a Dahlite. He has a clean job. Hes educated."
"Oh sure," said Amaryl passionately22. "There are some. They let a few do it so that they can say it can be done. And those few can live nicely as long as they stay in Dahl. Let them go outside and theyll see how theyre treated. And while theyre in here they make themselves feel good by treating the rest of us like dirt. That makes them yellow-hairs in their own eyes. What did this nice person youre renting this room from say when you told him you were bringing in a heatsinker? What did he say I would be like? Theyre gone now ... wouldnt be in the same place with me."
Seldon moistened his lips. "I wont forget you. Ill see to it that youll get off Trantor and into my own University in Helicon--once Im back there myself."
"Do you promise that? Your word of honor? Even though Im a Dahlite?"
"The fact that youre a Dahlite is unimportant to me. The fact that you are already a mathematician is! But I still cant quite grasp what youre telling me. I find it impossible to believe that there would be such unreasoning feeling against harmless people."
Amaryl said bitterly, "Thats because youve never had any occasion to interest yourself in such things. It can all pass right under your nose and you wouldnt smell a thing because it doesnt affect you. " Dors said, "Mr. Amaryl, Dr. Seldon is a mathematician like you and his head can sometimes be in the clouds. You must understand that. I am a historian, however. I know that it isnt unusual to have one group of people look down upon another group. There are peculiar23 and almost ritualistic hatreds24 that have no rational justification25 and that can have their serious historical influence. Its too bad."
Amaryl said, "Saying something is too bad is easy. You say you disapprove26, which makes you a nice person, and then you can go about your own business and not be interested anymore. Its a lot worse than too bad. Its against everything decent and natural. Were all of us the same, yellow-hairs and black-hairs, tall and short, Easterners, Westerners, Southerners, and Outworlders. Were all of us, you and I and even the Emperor, descended27 from the people of Earth, arent we?"
"Descended from what?" asked Seldon. He turned to look at Dors, his eyes wide.
"From the people of Earth!" shouted Amaryl. "The one planet on which human beings originated."
"One planet? Just one planet?"
"The only planet. Sure. Earth."
"When you say Earth, you mean Aurora28, dont you?"
"Aurora? Whats that?--I mean Earth. Have you never heard of Earth?"
"No," said Seldon. "Actually not."
"Its a mythical29 world," began Dors, "that--"
"Its not mythical. It was a real planet."
Seldon sighed. "Ive heard this all before. Well, lets go through it again. Is there a Dahlite book that tells of Earth?"
"What?"
"Some computer software, then?"
"I dont know what youre talking about."
"Young man, where did you hear about Earth?"
"My dad told me. Everyone knows about it."
"Is there anyone who knows about it especially? Did they teach you about it in school?"
"They never said a word about it there."
"Then how do people know about it?"
Amaryl shrugged his shoulders with an air of being uselessly badgered over nothing. "Everyone just does. If you want stories about it, theres Mother Rittah. I havent heard that shes died yet."
"Your mother? Wouldnt you know--"
"Shes not my mother. Thats just what they call her. Mother Rittah. Shes an old woman. She lives in Billibotton. Or used to."
"Wheres that?"
"Down in that direction," said Amaryl, gesturing vaguely30.
"How do I get there?"
"Get there? You dont want to get there. Youd never come back."
"Why not?"
"Believe me. You dont want to go there."
"But Id like to see Mother Rittah."
Amaryl shook his head. "Can you use a knife?"
"For what purpose? What kind of knife?"
"A cutting knife. Like this." Amaryl reached down to the belt that held his pants tight about his waist. A section of it came away and from one end there flashed out a knife blade, thin, gleaming, and deadly. Dorss hand immediately came down hard upon his right wrist. Amaryl laughed. "I wasnt planning to use it. I was just showing it to you." He put the knife back in his belt. "You need one in self-defense and if you dont have one or if you have one but dont know how to use it, youll never get out of Billibotton alive. Anyway"--he suddenly grew very grave and intent--"are you really serious, Master Seldon, about helping31 me get to Helicon?"
"Entirely32 serious. Thats a promise. Write down your name and where you can be reached by hypercomputer. You have a code, I suppose."
"My shift in the heatsinks has one. Will that do?"
"Yes."
"Well then," said Amaryl, looking up earnestly at Seldon, "this means I have my whole future riding on you, Master Seldon, so please dont go to Billibotton. I cant afford to lose you now."
He turned beseeching33 eyes on Dors and said softly, "Mistress Venabili, if hell listen to you, dont let him go. Please."
Billibotton
DAHL-- ... Oddly enough, the best-known aspect of this sector is Billibotton, a semi-legendary place about which innumerable tales have grown up. In fact, a whole branch of literature now exists in which heroes and adventurers (and victims) must dare the dangers of passing through Billibotton. So stylized have these stories become that the one well-known and, presumably, authentic34 tale involving such a passage, that of Hari Seldon and Dors Venabili, has come to seem fantastic simply by association ...
ENCYCLOPEDIA GALACTICA


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 warily 5gvwz     
adv.留心地
参考例句:
  • He looked warily around him,pretending to look after Carrie.他小心地看了一下四周,假装是在照顾嘉莉。
  • They were heading warily to a point in the enemy line.他们正小心翼翼地向着敌人封锁线的某一处前进。
2 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。
3 scent WThzs     
n.气味,香味,香水,线索,嗅觉;v.嗅,发觉
参考例句:
  • The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
  • The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。
4 squatted 45deb990f8c5186c854d710c535327b0     
v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 );非法擅自占用(土地或房屋);为获得其所有权;而占用某片公共用地。
参考例句:
  • He squatted down beside the footprints and examined them closely. 他蹲在脚印旁仔细地观察。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He squatted in the grass discussing with someone. 他蹲在草地上与一个人谈话。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 graceful deHza     
adj.优美的,优雅的;得体的
参考例句:
  • His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
  • The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。
6 mattress Z7wzi     
n.床垫,床褥
参考例句:
  • The straw mattress needs to be aired.草垫子该晾一晾了。
  • The new mattress I bought sags in the middle.我买的新床垫中间陷了下去。
7 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。
8 mathematicians bca28c194cb123ba0303d3afafc32cb4     
数学家( mathematician的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Do you suppose our mathematicians are unequal to that? 你以为我们的数学家做不到这一点吗? 来自英汉文学
  • Mathematicians can solve problems with two variables. 数学家们可以用两个变数来解决问题。 来自哲学部分
9 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。
10 cipher dVuy9     
n.零;无影响力的人;密码
参考例句:
  • All important plans were sent to the police in cipher.所有重要计划均以密码送往警方。
  • He's a mere cipher in the company.他在公司里是个无足轻重的小人物。
11 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。
12 eyebrows a0e6fb1330e9cfecfd1c7a4d00030ed5     
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。
13 shrugged 497904474a48f991a3d1961b0476ebce     
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》
14 weird bghw8     
adj.古怪的,离奇的;怪诞的,神秘而可怕的
参考例句:
  • From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来,他好像有点怪。
  • His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。
15 hesitation tdsz5     
n.犹豫,踌躇
参考例句:
  • After a long hesitation, he told the truth at last.踌躇了半天,他终于直说了。
  • There was a certain hesitation in her manner.她的态度有些犹豫不决。
16 naive yFVxO     
adj.幼稚的,轻信的;天真的
参考例句:
  • It's naive of you to believe he'll do what he says.相信他会言行一致,你未免太单纯了。
  • Don't be naive.The matter is not so simple.你别傻乎乎的。事情没有那么简单。
17 demonstrations 0922be6a2a3be4bdbebd28c620ab8f2d     
证明( demonstration的名词复数 ); 表明; 表达; 游行示威
参考例句:
  • Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
  • The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。
18 deduction 0xJx7     
n.减除,扣除,减除额;推论,推理,演绎
参考例句:
  • No deduction in pay is made for absence due to illness.因病请假不扣工资。
  • His deduction led him to the correct conclusion.他的推断使他得出正确的结论。
19 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。
20 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。
21 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。
22 passionately YmDzQ4     
ad.热烈地,激烈地
参考例句:
  • She could hate as passionately as she could love. 她能恨得咬牙切齿,也能爱得一往情深。
  • He was passionately addicted to pop music. 他酷爱流行音乐。
23 peculiar cinyo     
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。
24 hatreds 9617eab4250771c7c6d2e3f75474cf82     
n.仇恨,憎恶( hatred的名词复数 );厌恶的事
参考例句:
  • He had more enimies and hatreds than anyone could easily guess from his thoughtful expression. 从他的思想表达方式难以被人猜透来看,他的敌人和仇家是不会多的。 来自辞典例句
  • All the old and recent hatreds come to his mind. 旧恨新仇一起涌上他的心头。 来自互联网
25 justification x32xQ     
n.正当的理由;辩解的理由
参考例句:
  • There's no justification for dividing the company into smaller units. 没有理由把公司划分成小单位。
  • In the young there is a justification for this feeling. 在年轻人中有这种感觉是有理由的。
26 disapprove 9udx3     
v.不赞成,不同意,不批准
参考例句:
  • I quite disapprove of his behaviour.我很不赞同他的行为。
  • She wants to train for the theatre but her parents disapprove.她想训练自己做戏剧演员,但她的父母不赞成。
27 descended guQzoy     
a.为...后裔的,出身于...的
参考例句:
  • A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
  • The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。
28 aurora aV9zX     
n.极光
参考例句:
  • The aurora is one of nature's most awesome spectacles.极光是自然界最可畏的奇观之一。
  • Over the polar regions we should see aurora.在极地高空,我们会看到极光。
29 mythical 4FrxJ     
adj.神话的;虚构的;想像的
参考例句:
  • Undeniably,he is a man of mythical status.不可否认,他是一个神话般的人物。
  • Their wealth is merely mythical.他们的财富完全是虚构的。
30 vaguely BfuzOy     
adv.含糊地,暖昧地
参考例句:
  • He had talked vaguely of going to work abroad.他含糊其词地说了到国外工作的事。
  • He looked vaguely before him with unseeing eyes.他迷迷糊糊的望着前面,对一切都视而不见。
31 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
32 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。
33 beseeching 67f0362f7eb28291ad2968044eb2a985     
adj.恳求似的v.恳求,乞求(某事物)( beseech的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • She clung to her father, beseeching him for consent. 她紧紧挨着父亲,恳求他答应。 来自辞典例句
  • He casts a beseeching glance at his son. 他用恳求的眼光望着儿子。 来自辞典例句
34 authentic ZuZzs     
a.真的,真正的;可靠的,可信的,有根据的
参考例句:
  • This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
  • Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。


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