The young man arrived at precisely¹ 4 T.S.T. (Trantorian Standard Time) and Seldon smiled. He loved punctual people. He placed his hands on his desk and made ready to heave to his feet, but the young man said, "Please, Professor, I know you have a bad leg. You needn't stand up."
    Seldon said, "Thank you, young man. However, that does not mean that you cannot sit down. Please do."
    The young man removed his jacket and sat down.
    Seldon said, "You must forgive me .     when we met and set up this appointment, I neglected to learn your name-which is .     ?
    "Stettin Palver," said the young man.
    "Ah. Palver!         The name sounds familiar."
    "It should, Professor. My grandfather boasted frequently of having known you."
    "Your grandfather. Of course. Joramis Palver. He was two years younger than I was, as I recall. I tried to get him to join me in psychohistory, but he refused. He said there was no chance of his ever learning enough mathematics to make it possible. Too bad! How is Joramis, by the way?"
    Palver said solemnly, "I'm afraid that Joramis has gone the way of old men generally. He's dead."
    Seldon winced². Two years younger than he himself was-and dead. An old friend and they had lost touch to such a degree that, when death came, it did so unknowingly.
    Seldon sat there for a while and finally muttered, "I'm sorry."
    The young man shrugged⁴. "He had a good life."
    "And you, young man, where did you have your schooling⁵?"
    "Langano University."
    Seldon frowned. "Langano? Stop me if I'm wrong, but that's not on Trantor, is it?"
    "No. I wanted to try a different world. The Universities on Trantor, as you undoubtedly⁶ know very well, are all overcrowded. I wanted to find a place where I could study in peace."

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