Chapter 23

Wanda's eyes were filled with tears, but the emotion they represented was not sorrow but fury.
    "Grandpa," she said, "I don't understand it. I simply don't understand it. We've been to four different firms. Each one was ruder and nastier to us than the one before. The fourth one just kicked us out. And since then, no one will let us in."
    "It's no mystery, Wanda," said Seldon gently. "When we saw Bindris, he didn't know what we were there for and he was perfectly¹ friendly until I asked for a gift of a few million credits. Then he was a great deal less friendly. I imagine the word went out as to what we wanted and each additional time there was less friendliness² until now, when people won't receive us at all. Why should they? They're not going to give us the credits we need, so why waste time with us?"
    Wanda's anger turned on herself. "And what did I do? I just sat there. Nothing."
    "I wouldn't say that," said Seldon. "Bindris was affected³ by you. It seems to me that he really wanted to give me the credits, largely because of you. You were pushing him and accomplishing something."
    "Not nearly enough. Besides, all he cared about was that I was pretty."
    "Not pretty," muttered Seldon. "Beautiful. Very beautiful."
    "So what do we do now, Grandpa?" asked Wanda. "After all these years, psychohistory will collapse⁴."
    "I suppose that," said Seldon "in a way, it's something that can't be helped. I've been predicting the breakdown⁵ of the Empire for nearly forty years and now that it's come, psychohistory breaks down with it."
    "But psychohistory will save the Empire, at least partly."
    "I know it will, but I can't force it to."
    "Are you just going to let it collapse?"
    Seldon shook his head. "I'll try to keep it from doing so, but I must admit that I don't know how I'm going to do it."
    Wanda said, "I'm going to practice. There must be some way I can strengthen my push, make it easier for me to force people to do what I want them to do."
    "I wish you could manage."
    "What are you going to do, Grandpa?"
    "Well, nothing much. Two days ago, when I was on my way to see the Chief Librarian, I encountered three men in the Library who were arguing about psychohistory. For some reason, one of them impressed me very much. I urged him to come see me and he agreed. The appointment is for this afternoon at my office."
    "Are you going to have him work for you?"
    "I would like to-if I have enough credits to pay him with. But it can't hurt to talk with him. After all, what can I lose?"
   

1 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

2 friendliness   

n.友谊，亲切，亲密

参考例句：

• Behind the mask of friendliness,I know he really dislikes me.在友善的面具后面，我知道他其实并不喜欢我。
• His manner was a blend of friendliness and respect.他的态度友善且毕恭毕敬。

3 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

4 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

5 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。