Chapter 18

Seldon was enraged¹. "I've never been in custody² before in my entire life. A couple of months ago eight men assaulted me. I was able to fight them off with the help of my son, but while that was going on was there a security officer in sight? Did people stop to help me? No. This time, I'm better prepared and I knocked a man flat who had been about to assault me. Was there a security officer in sight? Absolutely. She put the collar on me. There were people watching, too, and they were amused at seeing an old man being taken in for assault and battery. What kind of world do we live on?"
    Civ Novker, Seldon's lawyer, sighed and said calmly, "A corrupt³ world, but don't worry. Nothing will happen to you. I'll get you out on bail⁴ and then, eventually, you'll come back for trial before a jury of your peers and the most you'll get-the very most-are some hard words from the bench. Your age and your reputation-"
    "Forget my reputation," said Seldon, still angry. "I'm a psychohistorian and, at the present time, that is a dirty word. They'll be glad to see me in jail."
    "No, they won't," said Novker. "There may be some screwballs who have it in for you, but I'll see to it that none of them gets on the jury."
    Wanda said, "Do we really have to subject my grandfather to all this? He's not a young man anymore. Can't we just appear before the magistrate⁵ and not bother with a jury trial?"
    The lawyer turned to her. "It can be done. If you're insane, maybe. Magistrates⁶ are impatient power-mad people who would just as soon put a person into jail for a year as listen to him. No one goes up before a magistrate."
    "I think we should," said Wanda.
    Seldon said, "Well now, Wanda, I think we ought to listen to Civ-" But as he said that, he felt a strong churning in his abdomen⁷. It was Wanda's "push." Seldon said, "Well-if you insist."
    "She can't insist," said the lawyer. "I won't allow it."
    Wanda said, "My grandfather is your client. If he wants something done his way, you've got to do it."
    "I can refuse to represent him."
    "Well then, leave," said Wanda sharply, "and we'll face the magistrate alone."
    Novker thought and said, "Very well, then-if you're going to be so adamant⁸. I've represented Hari for years and I suppose I won't abandon him now. But I warn you, the chances are he'll get a jail sentence and I'll have to work like the devil to get it lifted-if I can do it .at all."
    "I'm not afraid," said Wanda.
    Seldon bit his lip and the lawyer turned to him. "What about you? Are you willing to let your granddaughter call the shots?"
    Seldon thought a bit, then admitted, much to the old lawyer's surprise, "Yes. Yes, I am."
   

1 enraged   

使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤

参考例句：

• I was enraged to find they had disobeyed my orders. 发现他们违抗了我的命令，我极为恼火。
• The judge was enraged and stroke the table for several times. 大法官被气得连连拍案。

2 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

3 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

4 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

5 magistrate   

n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官

参考例句：

• The magistrate committed him to prison for a month.法官判处他一个月监禁。
• John was fined 1000 dollars by the magistrate.约翰被地方法官罚款1000美元。

6 magistrates   

地方法官，治安官( magistrate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to come up before the magistrates 在地方法院出庭
• He was summoned to appear before the magistrates. 他被传唤在地方法院出庭。

7 abdomen   

n.腹，下腹(胸部到腿部的部分)

参考例句：

• How to know to there is ascarid inside abdomen?怎样知道肚子里面有蛔虫？
• He was anxious about an off-and-on pain the abdomen.他因时隐时现的腹痛而焦虑。

8 adamant   

adj.坚硬的，固执的

参考例句：

• We are adamant on the building of a well-off society.在建设小康社会这一点上，我们是坚定不移的。
• Veronica was quite adamant that they should stay on.维罗妮卡坚信他们必须继续留下去。