The central rooms of the Project complex had suddenly sprouted1 in color and light, with holography filling the air with shifting three-dimensional images of Seldon at different places and different times. There was Dors Venabili smiling, looking somewhat younger-Raych as a teenager, still unpolished-Seldon and Amaryl, looking unbelievably young, bent2 over their computers. There was even a fleeting3 sight of Eto Demerzel, which filled Seldon's heart with yearning4 for his old friend and the security he had felt before Demerzel's departure.
The Emperor Cleon appeared nowhere in the holographics. It was not because holographs of him did not exist, but it was not wise, under the rule of the junta5, to remind people of the past Imperium.
It all poured outward, overflowing6, filling room after room, building after building. Somehow, time had been found to convert the entire University into a display the likes of which Seldon had never seen or even imagined. Even the dome7 lights were darkened to produce an artificial night against which the University would sparkle for three days.
"Three days!" said Seldon, half-impressed, half-horrified.
"Three days," said Dors Venabili, nodding her head. "The University would consider nothing less."
"The expense! The labor8!" said Seldon, frowning.
"The expense is minimal," said Dors, "compared to what you have done for the University. And the labor is all voluntary. The students turned out and took care of everything."
A from-the-air view of the University appeared now, panoramically9, and Seldon stared at it with a smile forcing itself onto his countenance10.
Dors said, "You're pleased. You've done nothing but grouse11 these past few months about how you didn't want any celebration for being an old man-and now look at you."
"Well, it is flattering. I had no idea that they would do anything like this."
"Why not? You're an icon12, Hari. The whole world-the whole Empire-knows about you."
"They do not," said Seldon, shaking his head vigorously. "Not one in a billion knows anything at all about me-and certainly not about psychohistory. No one outside the Project has the faintest knowledge of how psychohistory works and not everyone inside does, either."
"That doesn't matter, Hari. It's you. Even the quadrillions who don't know anything about you or your work know that Hari Seldon is the greatest mathematician13 in the Empire."
"Well," said Seldon, looking around, "they certainly are making me feel that way right now. But three days and three nights! The place will be reduced to splinters."
"No, it won't. All the records have been stored away. The computers and other equipment have been secured. The students have set up a virtual security force that will prevent anything from being damaged."
"You've seen to all of that, haven't you, Dors?" said Seldon, smiling at her fondly.
"A number of us have. It's by no means all me. Your colleague Tamwile Elar has worked with incredible dedication14."
Seldon scowled15.
"What's the matter with Elar?" said Dors.
Seldon said, "He keeps calling me `Maestro.' "
Dors shook her head. "Well, there's a terrible crime."
Seldon ignored that and said, "And he's young."
"Worse and worse. Come, Hari, you're going to have to learn to grow old gracefully-and to begin with you'll have to show that you're enjoying yourself. That will please others and increase their enjoyment16 and surely you would want to do that. Come on. Move around. Don't hide here with me. Greet everyone. Smile. Ask after their health. And remember that, after the banquet, you're going to have to make a speech."
"I dislike banquets and I doubly dislike speeches."
"You'll have to, anyway. Now move!"
Seldon sighed dramatically and did as he was told. He cut quite an imposing17 figure as he stood in the archway leading into the main hall. I'he voluminous First Minister's robes of yesteryear were gone, as were the Heliconian-style garments he had favored in his youth. Now Seldon wore an outfit18 that bespoke19 his elevated status: straight pants, crisply pleated, a modified tunic20 on top. Embroidered21 in silver thread above his heart was the insignia: SELDON PSYCHOHISTORY PROJECT AT STREELING UNIVERSITY. It sparkled like a beacon22 against the dignified23 titanium-gray hue24 of his clothing. Seldon's eyes twinkled in a face now lined by age, his sixty years given away as much by his wrinkles as by his white hair.
He entered the room in which the children were feasting. The room had been entirely25 cleared, except for trestles with food upon them. The children rushed up to him as soon as they saw him-knowing, as they did, that he was the reason for the feast-and Seldon tried to avoid their clutching fingers.
"Wait, wait, children," he said. "Now stand back."
He pulled a small computerized robot from his pocket and placed it on the floor. In an Empire without robots, this was something that he could expect to be eye-popping. It had the shape of a small furry26 animal, but it also had the capacity to change shapes without warning (eliciting squeals27 of children's laughter each time) and when it did so, the sounds and motions it made changed as well.
"Watch it," said Seldon, "and play with it, and try not to break it. Later on, there'll be one for each of you."
He slipped out into the hallway leading back to the main hall and realized, as he did so, that Wanda was following him.
"Grandpa," she said.
Well, of course, Wanda was different. He swooped28 down and lifted her high in the air, turned her over, and put her down.
"Are you having a good time, Wanda?" he asked.
"Yes," she said, "but don't go into that room."
"Why not, Wanda? It's my room. It's the office where I work."
"It's where I had my bad dream."
"I know, Wanda, but that's all over, isn't it?" He hesitated, then he led Wanda to one of the chairs lining29 the hallway. He sat down and placed her on his lap.
"Wanda," he said, "are you sure it was a dream?"
"I think it was a dream."
"Were you really sleeping?"
"I think I was."
She seemed uncomfortable talking about it and Seldon decided30 to let it go. There was no use pushing her any further.
He said, "Well, dream or not, there were two men and they talked of lemonade death, didn't they?"
Wanda nodded reluctantly.
Seldon said, "You're sure they said lemonade?"
Wanda nodded again.
"Might they have said something else and you thought they said lemonade?"
"Lemonade is what they said."
Seldon had to be satisfied with that. "Well, run off and have a good time, Wanda. Forget about the dream."
"All right, Grandpa." She cheered up as soon as the matter of the dream was dismissed and off she went to join the festivities.
Seldon went to search for Manella. It took him an extraordinarily31 long time to find her, since, at every step, he was stopped, greeted, and conversed32 with.
Finally he saw her in the distance. Muttering, "Pardon me- Pardon me- There's someone I must- Pardon me-," he worked his way over to her with considerable trouble.
"Manella," he said and drew her off to one side, smiling mechanically in all directions.
"Yes, Hari," she said. "Is something wrong?"
"It's Wanda's dream."
"Don't tell me she's still talking about it."
"Well, it's still bothering her. Listen, we have lemonade at the party, haven't we?"
"Of course, the children adore it. I've added a couple of dozen different Mycogenian taste buds to very small glasses of different shapes and the children try them one after the other to see which taste best. The adults have been drinking it, too. I have. Why don't you taste it, Hari? It's great."
"I'm thinking. If it wasn't a dream, if the child really heard two men speak of lemonade death-" He paused, as though ashamed to continue.
Manella said, "Are you thinking that someone poisoned the lemonade? That's ridiculous. By now every child in the place would be sick or dying."
"I know," muttered Seldon. "I know."
He wandered off and almost didn't see Dors when he passed her. She seized his elbow.
"Why the face?" she said. "You look concerned."
"I've been thinking of Wanda's lemonade death."
"So have I, but I can't make anything of it so far."
"I can't help but think of the possibility of poisoning."
"Don't. I assure you that every bit of food that came into this party has been molecularly33 checked. I know you'll think that's my typical paranoia34, but my task is guarding you and that is what I must do."
"And everything is-"
"No poison. I promise you."
Seldon smiled, "Well, good. That's a relief. I didn't really think-"
"Let's hope not," said Dors dryly. "What concerns me far more than this myth of poison is that I have heard that you're going to be seeing that monster Tennar in a few days."
"Don't call him a monster, Dors. Be careful. We're surrounded by cars and tongues."
Dors immediately lowered her voice. "I suppose you're right. Look ;round. All these smiling faces-and yet who knows which of our friends' will be reporting back to the head and his henchmen when the night is over? Ah, humans! Even after all these thousands of centuries, to think that such base treachery still exists. It seems to me to be so unnecessary. Yet I know the harm it can do. That is why I must go with you, Hari."
"Impossible, Dors. It would just complicate35 matters for me. I'll go Myself and I'll have no trouble."
"You would have no idea how to handle the General."
Seldon looked grave. "And you would? You sound exactly like Elar. He, too, is convinced that I am a helpless old fool. He, too, wants to come with me-or, rather, to go in my place. -I wonder how many people on Trantor are willing to take my place," he added with clear sarcasm36. "Dozens? Millions?"
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
sprouted
|
|
| v.发芽( sprout的过去式和过去分词 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
bent
|
|
| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
fleeting
|
|
| adj.短暂的，飞逝的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
yearning
|
|
| a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
junta
|
|
| n.团体；政务审议会 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
overflowing
|
|
| n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
dome
|
|
| n.圆屋顶，拱顶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
labor
|
|
| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
panoramically
|
|
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
10
countenance
|
|
| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
grouse
|
|
| n.松鸡；v.牢骚，诉苦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
icon
|
|
| n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
mathematician
|
|
| n.数学家 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
dedication
|
|
| n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
scowled
|
|
| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
enjoyment
|
|
| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
imposing
|
|
| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
outfit
|
|
| n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
bespoke
|
|
| adj.（产品）订做的；专做订货的v.预定( bespeak的过去式 )；订（货）；证明；预先请求 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
tunic
|
|
| n.束腰外衣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
embroidered
|
|
| adj．绣花的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
beacon
|
|
| n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
dignified
|
|
| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
hue
|
|
| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
entirely
|
|
| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
furry
|
|
| adj.毛皮的；似毛皮的；毛皮制的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
squeals
|
|
| n.长而尖锐的叫声( squeal的名词复数 )v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
swooped
|
|
| 俯冲，猛冲( swoop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
lining
|
|
| n.衬里，衬料 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
decided
|
|
| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
extraordinarily
|
|
| adv.格外地；极端地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
conversed
|
|
| v.交谈，谈话( converse的过去式 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
molecularly
|
|
| 分子状态地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
paranoia
|
|
| n.妄想狂，偏执狂；多疑症 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
complicate
|
|
| vt.使复杂化，使混乱，使难懂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
sarcasm
|
|
| n.讥讽，讽刺，嘲弄，反话 （adj.sarcastic） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |