PART II SEARCH BY THE FOUNDATION
7 Arcadia
第7章 艾嘉蒂娅
DARELL, ARKADY: novelist, born 11, 5, 362 F.E., died 1, 7, 443 F.E. Although primarily a writer of fiction, Arkady Darell is best known for her biography of her grandmother, Bayta Darell. Based on first-hand information, it has for centuries served as a primary source of information concerning the Mule and his times. ... Like "Unkeyed Memories", her novel "Time and Time and Over" is a stirring reflection of the brilliant Kalganian society of the early Interregnum, based, it is said, on a visit to Kalgan in her youth……
艾卡蒂·达瑞尔：小说家，生于基地纪元362年1月5日，卒于基地纪元443年11月7日。虽然艾卡蒂·达瑞尔的作品以小说为主，传世之作却是她为祖母贝泰·达瑞尔所写的传记。这本传记根据第一手资料写成，数世纪以来，一直是关于骡以及那个时代的权威资料……与着名的小说《未归档的记忆》一样，她所写的《一而再，再而三》生动地反映了卡尔根社会在“大断层”早期的繁华生活。据说，那是根据她少年时期亲访卡尔根的见闻……
ENCYCLOPEDIA GALACTICA
……《银河百科全书》
Arcadia Darell declaimed firmly into the mouthpiece of her transcriber: "The Future of Seldon's Plan, by A. Darell" and then thought darkly that some day when she was a great writer, she would write all her masterpieces under the pseudonym of Arkady. Just Arkady. No last name at all.
艾嘉蒂娅·达瑞尔以稳重的语调，对着听写机的输入端朗读道：“谢顿计划的展望，艾·达瑞尔作。”然后她暗自想到，有朝一日自己成为大作家，要用“艾卡蒂”这个笔名发表所有的不朽之作。就只用艾卡蒂，不要冠上任何姓氏。
"A. Darell" would be just the sort of thing that she would have to put on all her themes for her class in Composition and Rhetoric……so tasteless. All the other kids had to do it, too, except for Olynthus Dam, because the class laughed so when he did it the first time, And "Arcadia" was a little girls name, wished on her because her great-grandmother had been called that; her parents just had no imagination at all.
而“艾·达瑞尔”这样的署名，则是“作文与修辞”这门课的作业所规定的格式……真没品味。同班其他同学也都得这样做，只有丸里萨斯·旦例外，因为当初他以那种方式念出自己的名字，全班同学就笑成一团。“艾嘉蒂娅”则是小女孩的名字，只因为祖母小时候用过，她就要被迫接受；她的父母连一点想象力也没有。
Now that she was two days past fourteen, you'd think they'd recognize the simple fact of adulthood and call her Arkady. Her lips tightened as she thought of her father looking up from his book-viewer just long enough to say, "But if you're going to pretend you're nineteen, Arcadia, what will you do when you're twenty-five and all the boys think you're thirty?"
前天是她的十四岁生日，大家应该体认到一个简单的事实，那就是她已经长大成人，该改口叫她“艾卡蒂”了。她突然撅起嘴来，因为她想起父亲刚才勉强将视线从阅读镜移开一下，抬起头来说：“可是，艾嘉蒂娅，如果你想假装自己已经十九岁，等到二十五岁的时候，男生们都会以为你已经三十了，你该怎么办？”
From where she sprawled across the arms and into the hollow of her own special armchair, she could see the mirror on her dresser. Her foot was a little in the way because her house slipper kept twirling about her big toe, so she pulled it in and sat up with an unnatural straightness to her neck that she felt sure, somehow, lengthened it a full two inches into slim regality.
她正坐在自己专用的大号扶手椅中，两只手臂伸展开来，抬头便能看见梳妆台上的镜子。她的一只脚丫挡住了一点视线，因为拖鞋正挂在拇指上摇晃着。于是她将脚收回来，把身子坐端正，脖子很不自然地伸得笔直。这样一来，她觉得自己又长高两英寸，身材因而显得雅致多了。
For a moment, she considered her face thoughtfully……too fat. She opened her jaws half an inch behind closed lips, and caught the resultant trace of unnatural gauntness at every angle. She licked her lips with a quick touch of tongue and let them pout a bit in moist softness. Then she let her eyelids droop in a weary, worldly way?Oh, golly if only her cheeks weren't that silly pink.
她花了一点时间，若有所思地打量自己的脸庞……太胖啦。于是她紧抿着嘴，将下巴往下伸半英寸，再从各个角度观察这张人工的瘦弱面容。她伸出舌头舔了一下嘴唇，再将湿润的唇微微撅起。然后她缓缓垂下眼睑，表现出历尽沧桑的世故……喔，天哪，双颊为什么是粉红色的，真丑。
She tried putting her fingers to the outer comers of her eye and tilting the lids a bit to get that mysterious exotic languor of the women of the inner star systems, but her hands were in the way and she couldn't see her face very well.
她试着将手指摆在双眼外缘，把眼角微微扯斜，装出内围星系妇女那种神秘而具异国风情的慵懒状。可是这么一来，双手就把脸孔遮住一半，没法看清楚自己的容颜。
Then she lifted her chin, caught herself at a half-profile, and with her eyes a little strained from looking out the comer and her neck muscles faintly aching, she said, in a voice one octave below its natural pitch, "Really, father, if you think it makes a particle of difference to me what some silly old boys think you just……"
她抬起下巴，又想照照自己的侧面。她将眼珠尽量瞥向镜子那一侧，脖子也扭得有些酸疼。此时，她故意用低八度的声调说：“真的，爸爸，如果你以为我会有一点点在乎那些笨男生怎么想，你就实在……”
And then she remembered that she still had the transmitter open in her hand and said, drearily, "Oh, golly," and shut it off.
她忽然想起手中的听写机仍然开着，于是垂头丧气地说：“喔，天哪。”并顺手将它关掉。
The faintly violet paper with the peach margin line on the left had upon it the following:
听写机仍然吐出半张淡紫色的纸，纸张左侧还有美丽的桃色花边，上面赫然印着：
"THE FUTURE OF SELDON'S PLAN
艾·达瑞尔作
"Really, father, if you think it makes a particle of difference to me what some silly old boys think you just "Oh, golly."
真的，爸爸，如果你以为我会有一点点在乎那些笨男生怎么想，你就实在喔，天哪。
She pulled the sheet out of the machine with annoyance and another clicked neatly into place.
她气急败坏地抽出那张纸，再将另一张卷进那台机器里面。
But her face smoothed out of its vexation, nevertheless, and her wide, little mouth stretched into a self-satisfied smile. She sniffed at the paper delicately. just right. Just that proper touch of elegance and charm. And the penmanship was just the last word.
不过，她脸上的气恼表情很快就消失了，宽宽的小嘴巴扯出一个满意的笑容。她把那张纸凑到鼻端，优雅地闻了一下。没错，就该是这种高雅迷人的香味。纸上的笔迹也没话说。
The machine had been delivered two days ago on her first adult birthday. She had said, "But father, everybody……just everybody in the class who has the slightest pretensions to being anybody has one. Nobody but some old drips would use hand machines……"
这台机器是两天前送来的，是父亲送她的成年生日礼物。在此之前，她曾对父亲说：“爸爸，可是每一个人……班上每一个稍微有那么一点点志气的人都有一台。只有那些老古董才用打字机……”
The salesman had said, "There is no other model as compact on the one hand aaaaas adaptable on the other. It will spell and punctuate correctly according to the sense of the sentence. Naturally, it is a great aid to education since it encourages the user to employ careful enunciation and breathing in order to make sure of the correct spelling, to say nothing of demanding a proper and elegant delivery for correct punctuation."
推销员也对她父亲说：“我们这种听写机既小巧又灵活，别的型号通通比不上。它可以根据言语中的含意，列印出正确的文字和标点。它绝对是学习的好帮手，因为它会鼓励使用者注意发音和呼吸，好让它印出正确的字句。不用说，当然还要使用合宜而端庄的口气，才能得到正确的标点符号。”
Even then her father had tried to get one geared for type-print as if she were some dried-up, old-maid teacher.
不过当时看来，父亲只想帮她买一台普通的打字机，好像真把她当成一个老古董和老学究。
But when it was delivered, it was the model she wanted……obtained perhaps with a little more wail and sniffle than quite went with the adulthood of fourteen……and copy was turned out in a charming and entirely feminine handwriting, with the most beautifully graceful capitals anyone ever saw.
等到机器送来的时候，却正是她梦寐以求的那一款。她感动得一把鼻涕一把眼泪，和十四岁的成年生日似乎不大相称。而那台机器列印出来的，则是纯粹女性化的娟秀字迹，看起来优雅、美观而迷人。
Even the phrase, "Oh, golly." somehow breathed glamour when the Transcriber was done with it.
即使是那一句“喔，天哪。”听写机印出的字迹也十分有魅力。
But just the same she had to get it right, so she sat up straight in her chair, placed her first draft before her in businesslike fashion, and began again, crisply and clearly; her abdomen flat, her chest lifted, and her breathing carefully controlled. She intoned, with dramatic fervor:
可是无论如何，她必须循规蹈矩使用才行。所以她又端坐在椅子上，正经八百地把草稿放在面前，准备重新开始。她先缩腹再挺胸，小心翼翼地控制呼吸，然后以充满热情的语气，一字一句清清楚楚地朗诵道：
The Future of Seldon's Plan.
"The Foundation's past history is, I am sure, well-known to all of us who have had the good fortune to be educated in our planet's efficient and well-staffed school system.
我们这些有幸能在本行星高效率、高素质的教育体系下受教育的学生，我确信，大家都对基地过去的历史了若指掌。
(There! That would start things off right with Miss Erlking, that mean old hag.)
哈！爱尔金小姐，那个刻薄的老巫婆，一定会对这个开头十分满意。
That past history is largely the past history of the great Plan of Hari Seldon. The two are one. But the question in the mind of most people today is whether this Plan will continue in all its great wisdom, or whether it will be foully destroyed, or, perhaps, has been so destroyed already.
基地过去的历史，几乎就是伟大谢顿计划的发展史。两者根本就是一体两面。可是如今大多数人心中的疑问，则是这个伟大而睿智的计划能否继续下去，或是会遭到严重破坏，或是也许早已被摧毁了。
"To understand this, it may be best to pass quickly over some of the highlights of the Plan as it has been revealed to humanity thus far.
想要了解这个问题，最好让我们先浏览一下，谢顿计划至今已对人类揭示的几个重点。
(This part was easy because she had taken Modern History the semester before.)
这部分很容易写，因为她上学期刚修过“近代史”这门课。
"In the days, nearly four centuries ago, when the First Galactic Empire was decaying into the paralysis that preceded final death, one man……the great Hari Seldon……foresaw the approaching end. Through the science of psychohistory, the intrissacies of whose mathematics has long since been forgotten,
大约四个世纪前，当时第一银河帝国几乎已经瘫痪，眼看就要灭亡，有一个人……伟大的哈里·谢顿……预见了这个即将来临的末日。他与他的同僚利用心理史学……这门科学的复杂数学如今早已失传……
(She paused in a trifle of doubt. She was sure that "intricacies" was pronounced with soft c's but the spelling didn't look right. Oh, well, the machine couldn't very well be wrong?
她忽然停下来，这里出现了小小的疑问。她确定“复杂”的“复”应该读第三声，可是机器选的字好像不大对劲。喔，别担心，机器是不可能出错的。
he and the men who worked with him are able to foretell the course of the great social and economic currents sweeping the Galaxy at the time. It was possible for them to realize that, left to itself, the Empire would break up, and that thereafter there would be at least thirty thousand years of anarchic chaos prior to the establishment of a new Empire.
预测出了银河历史巨流的整体发展方向。他们得以发现一个事实：若放任历史自行发展，帝国必将崩溃瓦解，至少会有三万年的无政府动乱状态，之后才有可能建立一个新的帝国。
"It was too late to prevent the great Fall, but it was still possible, at least, to cut short the intermediate period of chaos. The Plan was, therefore, evolved whereby only a single millennium would separate the Second Empire from the First. We are completing the fourth century of that millennium, and many generations of men have lived and died while the Plan has continued its inexorable workings.
想要阻止帝国衰亡为时已晚，但是，至少还有可能缩短那段动乱时期。因此，谢顿计划的主要目的，是要使第一帝国与第二帝国的间隔缩短成一个仟年。如今过了将近四个世纪，花开花落，花落花开，而谢顿计划依旧继续运作。
"Hari Seldon established two Foundations at the opposite ends of the Galaxy, in a manner and under such circumstances as would yield the best mathematical solution for his psychohistorical problem. In one of these, our Foundation, established here on Terminus, there was concentrated the physical science of the Empire, and through the possession of that science, the Foundation was able to withstand the attacks of the barbarous kingdoms which had broken away and become independent, out at the hinge of the Empire.
哈里·谢顿在银河中两个遥相对峙的端点，分别建立一个基地。他为这两个基地所选取的各种条件，得以诱发心理史学问题的最佳数学解答。其中之一，我们的基地，设立在这个端点星上，集中了帝国时期所有的物理科学。凭借着这些科学，基地足以抵抗周围蛮荒王国的攻击。那些王国毫无例外，都是不久前从帝国边缘脱离而独立的。
"The Foundation, indeed, was able to conquer in its turn these short-lived kingdoms by means of the leadership of a series of wise and heroic men like Salvor Hardin and Hober Mallow who were able to interpret the Plan intelligently and to guide our land through its complications. All our planets still revere their memories although centuries have passed.
基地由于有一代代英勇睿智的领导者，例如塞佛·哈定、侯伯·马洛，因此很快就征服了那些短命的王国。这些英雄都能明智地诠释谢顿计划，并且领导我们克服艰难的情势。数个世纪过去了，基地各个世界仍旧缅怀他们的功绩。
(She had written "intricacies" here also, but decided not to risk it a second time.)
"Eventually, the Foundation established a commercial system which controlled a large portion of the Siwennian and Anacreonian sectors of the Galaxy, and even defeated the remnants of the old Empire under its last great general, Bel Riose. It seemed that nothing could now stop the workings of Seldon's plan. Every crisis that Seldon had planned had come at its appropriate time and had been solved, and with each solution the Foundation had taken another giant stride toward Second Empire and peace.
终于，基地建立了一个庞大的商业体系，控制着安纳克里昂与西维纳星区的大部分，甚至击败苟延残喘的旧帝国，打败了帝国的最后一名大将……贝尔·里欧思。这时候，谢顿计划似乎再也没有任何阻碍。谢顿策划的每一个危机，都能在准确的时机出现，并且一一顺利化解。而每解除一个危机，基地便向第二帝国以及永久和平再迈出一大步。
"And then,
此时，
(Her breath came short at this point, and she hissed the word, between her teeth, but the Transmitter simply wrote them calmly and gracefully.)
念到这里，她一口气没喘过来，只能从牙缝中轻轻吐出这两个字。不过听写机照样将这两字印得清清楚楚、漂漂亮亮。
with the last remnants of the dead First Empire gone and with only ineffectual warlords ruling over the splinters and remnants of the decayed colossus,
第一帝国最后的残余势力烟消云散，只剩下许多无能的军阀，统治着这块硕大的残躯。
(She got that phrase out of a thriller on the video last week, but old Miss Erlking never listened to anything but symphonies and lectures, so she'd never know.)
“硕大的残躯”是她上周从惊悚片中学到的，不过爱尔金小姐一向只听古典音乐与教学节目，所以绝对不会露出马脚。
there came the Mule. "This strange man was not allowed for in the Plan. He was a mutant, whose birth could not have been predicted. He had strange and mysterious power of controlling and manipulating human emotions and in this manner could bend all men to his will. With breath-taking swiftness, he became a conqueror and Empire-builder, until, finally, he even defeated the Foundation itself.
不料，冒出了骡这号人物。谢顿计划并未考虑到这个异人。他是个突变种，他的出现是无从预测的。骡具有奇异而神秘的力量，能控制并操纵人类的情感，使得所有的人都臣服于他的意志。他以惊人的速度成为一名征服者以及帝国的开创者。最后，他竟然还征服了基地。
"Yet he never obtained universal dominion, since in his first overpowering lunge he was stopped by the wisdom and daring of a great woman
但他从未完成一统银河的壮举，因为他势如破竹的第一波攻势，最后被一位睿智、勇敢、伟大的女性化解于无形。
(Now there was that old problem again. Father would insist that she never bring up the fact that she was the grandchild of Bayta Darell. Everyone knew it and Bayta was just about the greatest woman there ever was and she had stopped the Mule singlehanded.)
现在她又碰到那个老问题：父亲向来不准她提到自己是贝泰·达瑞尔的孙女。可是人人都知道这件事，而且贝泰可算是有史以来最伟大的女性，她的确以一己之力阻止了骡。
in a manner the true story of which is known in its entirety to very few.
然而整个事件的来龙去脉，真正知晓的人少之又少。
(There! If she had to read it to the class, that last could he said in a dark voice, and someone would be sure to ask what the true story was, and then……well, and then she couldn't help tell the truth if they asked her, could she? In her mind, she was already wordlessly whizzing through a hurt and eloquent explanation to a stern and questioning paternal parent.)
哈！如果她得向全班朗读这篇作文，上面这句话就可以用神秘兮兮的语气来念，这样一来，一定会有人问她实情究竟如何。然后嘛，嗯，如果他们非问不可，自己就不得不说实话了，对不对？她在心中迅速转念，已经想到势必面对父亲的严厉质问，并且拟好一段听来委屈却振振有词的辩解。
"After five years of restricted rule, another change took place, the reasons for which are not known, and the Mule abandoned all plans for further conquest. His last five years were those of an enlightened despot.
经过五年的极权统治，又出现了一个变化，原因至今不明。总之，骡放弃了一切扩张政策。他在位的最后五年，实行的是开明专制。
"It is said by some that the change in the Mule was brought about by the intervention of the Second Foundation. However, no man has ever discovered the exact location of this other Foundation, nor knows its exact function, so that theory remains unproven.
有人说，骡的改变是由于第二基地的介入。然而，从来没有人发现另外那个基地的正确位置，也没有人知道它的真正作用，所以上述理论始终未被证实。
"A whole generation has passed since the death of the Mule. What of the future, then, now that he has come and gone? He interrupted Seldon's Plan and seemed to have burst it to fragments, yet as soon as he died, the Foundation rose again, like a nova from the dead ashes of a dying star.
如今，距离骡的覆亡又过了整整一个世代。在骡倏来倏去之后，未来又将如何发展呢？骡干扰了谢顿计划，似乎已经令它四分五裂，但在他死后，基地随即复兴，如同从垂死恒星的灰烬中重生的新星。
(She had made that up herself.)
上面这段是她的创作。
Once again, the planet Terminus houses the center of a commercial federation almost as great and as rich as before the conquest, and even more peaceful and democratic.
于是，端点星再次成为一个商业联邦的中心。它几乎恢复了沦陷之前的富庶与强盛，甚至变得更和平、更民主。
"Is this planned? Is Seldon's great dream still alive, and will a Second Galactic Empire yet be formed six hundred years from now? I, myself, believe so, because This was the important part. Miss Erlking always had those large, ugly red-pencil scrawls that went: 'But this is only descriptive. What are your personal reactions? Think! Express yourself! Penetrate your own soul!' Penetrate your own soul. A lot she knew about souls, with her lemon face that never smiled in its life……
这个发展也在计划之中吗？谢顿伟大的梦想依旧健在吗？六百年后，真会有第二银河帝国兴起吗？我个人相信答案是肯定的，因为这是最重要的部分。爱尔金小姐总是喜欢用红铅笔，批上一些又大又丑的评语：“但这只是叙述而已。你个人的心得呢？用心想一想！表达出自己的想法！洞察你的心灵深处！”洞察你的心灵深处，她可真了解人类的心灵，她那张丑脸一辈子没笑过……
Never at any time has the political situation been so favorable. The old Empire is completely dead and the period of the Mule's rule put an end to the era of warlords that preceded him. Most of the surrounding portions of the Galaxy are civilized and peaceful.
在我们的历史上，从未出现过如今这种大好的情势。旧帝国完全灭亡了，而骡的统治则结束了军阀割据的局面。银河外围大多数地区，都过着文明而和平的日子。
"Moreover the internal health of the Foundation is better than ever before. The despotic times of the pre-Conquest hereditary mayors have given way to the democratic elections of early times. There are no longer dissident worlds of independent Traders; no longer the injustices and dislocations that accompanied accumulations of great wealth in the hands of a few.
更重要的是，基地内部也比往昔健全许多。沦陷前的世袭市长专制时代结束了，基地再度恢复早期的民主选举。银河中再也没有持异议的独立行商世界，也不再有大量财富集中于少数人之手的不均与不公。
"There is no reason, therefore, to fear failure, unless it is true that the Second Foundation itself presents a danger. Those who think so have no evidence to back their claim, but merely vague fears and superstitions. I think that our confidence in ourselves, in our nation, and in Hari Seldon's great Plan should drive from our hearts and minds all uncertainties and
因此之故，我们没有理由畏惧失败，除非第二基地真对我们构成威胁。不过那些抱持这种想法的人，除了茫然的畏惧与迷信，无法提出任何证据。我认为，我们对自己、对国家、对伟大谢顿计划的信心，定能消除心中任何的疑虑，
(Hm-mmm. This was awfully corny, but something like this was expected at the end.)
嗯……这是可怕的陈腔滥调，不过作文的结尾总得写点这种东西。
so I say……
所以我说……
That is as far as "The Future of Seldon's Plan" got, at that moment, because there was the gentlest little tap on the window, and when Arcadia shot up to a balance on one arm of the chair, she found herself confronted by a smiling face beyond the glass, its even symmetry of feature interestingly accentuated by the short, vertical fine of a finger before its lips.
写到这里，《谢顿计划的展望》又不得不暂停，因为玻璃窗发出了轻微的敲击声。当艾嘉蒂娅撑着椅子扶手引颈而望时，竟然发现自己和窗外的一张笑脸遥遥相对。那是一名男子的脸孔，被竖在嘴唇上的食指分成两半，更加凸显了这张脸的左右对称。
With the slight pause necessary to assume an attitude of bepuzzlement, Arcadia dismounted from the armchair, walked to the couch that fronted the wide window that held the apparition and, kneeling upon it, stared out thoughtfully.
艾嘉蒂娅只顿了一下，便及时换上一副茫然的表情。她从扶手椅上爬下来，走到大窗台前的沙发旁，然后跪在沙发上，若有所思地瞪着窗外。
The smile upon the man's face faded quickly. While the fingers of one hand tightened whitely upon the sill, the other made a quick gesture. Arcadia obeyed calmly, and closed the latch that moved the lower third of the window smoothly into its socket in the wall, allowing the warm spring air to interfere with the conditioning within.
那张脸孔上的笑容很快消失了。那人一只手紧抓着窗台，连指节都已泛白，另一只手则迅速做了一个手势。艾嘉蒂娅立即会意，按动了一下开关，玻璃窗最下面的三分之一部分随即滑进墙壁。春天温暖的空气立刻飘进来，干扰了室内的空调。
"You can't get in," she said, with comfortable smugness. "The windows are all screened, and keyed only to people who belong here. If you come in, all sorts of alarms will break loose." A pause, then she added, "You look sort of silly balancing on that ledge underneath the window. If you're not careful, you'll fall and break your neck and a lot of valuable flowers."
“你不能进来。”她装模作样，洋洋得意地说，“窗子都加装了防盗幕，只认得住在这里的人。如果你钻进来，各式各样的警铃都会铃声大作。”她顿了一顿，又补充道：“你这样踩着窗户下的台子，身手一点也不高明。一个不小心，你就会摔断那根不值钱的脖子，还会压坏好些珍贵的花朵。”
"In that case," said the man at the window, who had been thinking that very thing……with a slightly different arrangement of adjectives?"will you shut off the screen and let me in?"
“既然这样，”窗边那个人也正在担心这件事……但认为“不值钱”和“珍贵”两个形容词应该交换一下，“你能不能关掉防盗幕，让我爬进去？”
"No use in doing that'" said Arcadia. "You're probably thinking of a different house, because I'm not the kind of girl who lets strange men into their ... her bedroom this time of night." Her eyes, as she said it, took on a heavy-lidded sultriness……or an unreasonable facsimile thereof.
“你苦苦哀求也没用，”艾嘉蒂娅说，“你也许闯错了地方，因为我可不是那种随便的女孩，这么晚还会让陌生男子钻进她们……钻进她的卧室。”在说这句话的时候，她的眼睑微微下垂，露出一个性感的表情……或者应该说，模仿得过分惟妙惟肖。
All traces of humor whatever had disappeared from the young stranger's face. He muttered, "This is Dr. Darell's house, isn't it?"
年轻男子脸上的顽皮神色早已消失无踪。他喃喃道：“这里是达瑞尔博士的住宅，对不对？”
"Why should I tell you?"
“我为什么要告诉你？”
"Oh, Galaxy?Good-by……"
“喔，银河啊……再见……”
"If you jump off, young man, I will personally give the alarm." (This was intended as a refined and sophisticated thrust of irony, since to Arcadia's enlightened eyes, the intruder was an obviously mature thirty, at least……quite elderly, in fact.)
“年轻人，如果你跳下去，我马上按警铃。”“年轻人”是她故意选用的讽刺字眼，用来表现自己的世故与练达。因为看在艾嘉蒂娅精明的眼里，这家伙显然有三十几岁……事实上，实在很老了。
Quite a pause. Then, tightly, he said, "Well, now, look here, girlie, if you don't want me to stay, and don't want me to go, what do you want me to do?"
僵持了一会儿，那人硬邦邦地说：“好吧，姑娘，我问你，你不准我待在这里，又不准我走，到底想要我怎么做？”
"You can come in, I suppose. Dr. Darell does live here. I'll shut off the screen now……"
“我想，你可以进来。达瑞尔博士的确住在这里。我来关掉防盗幕……”
Warily, after a searching look, the young man poked his hand through the window, then hunched himself up and through it. He brushed at his knees with an angry, slapping gesture, and lifted a reddened face at her.
“年轻人”先探头看了看，才小心翼翼将右手伸进窗内，再一挺身钻进屋子。他气呼呼地使劲拍打膝盖上的灰尘，又抬起通红的脸孔对着艾嘉蒂娅。
"You're quite sure that your character and reputation won't suffer when they find me here, are you?"
“万一被人发现我在这里，你确定你的人格和名誉不会受损吗？”
"Not as much as yours would, because just as soon as I hear footsteps outside, I'll just shout and yell and say you forced your way in here."
“你的人格和名誉才会一败涂地呢，因为只要听到外面有脚步声，我就会立刻大喊大叫，说你强行闯进我的房间。”
"Yes?" he replied with heavy courtesy, "And how do you intend to explain the shut-off protective screen?"
“是吗？”他以谦恭无比的态度说道，“防盗幕可是你自己关掉的，你又要如何解释？”
"Poof! That would be easy. There wasn't any there in the first place."
“哼！那还不简单，其实根本没有什么防盗幕。”
The man's eyes were wide with chagrin. "That was a bluff? How old are you, kid?"
那人将眼睛睁得老大，一副恼羞成怒的样子。“你在唬人？小丫头，你今年多大了？”
"I consider that a very impertinent question, young man. And I am not accustomed to being addressed as 'kid.'"
“年轻人，我认为这是个非常不礼貌的问题。而且，我也不习惯被人称作‘小丫头’。”
"I don't wonder. You're probably the Mule's grandmother in disguise. Do you mind if I leave now before you arrange a lynching party with myself as star performer?"
“我绝不怀疑，你可能是骡的祖母化装的。在你来不及呼朋引类，对我动用私刑之前，我可不可以赶紧溜走？”
"You had better not leave……because my father's expecting you."
“你最好别走……因为家父正在等你。”
The man's look became a wary one, again. An eyebrow shot up as he said, lightly, "Oh? Anyone with your father?'
那人的表情再度变得小心谨慎。他扬起一道眉毛，故意随口问道：“哦？有人跟令尊在一起吗？”
"No."
“没有。”
"Anyone called on him lately?'
“最近有人来拜访他吗？”
"Only tradespeople……and you."
“只有推销员……还有你。”
"Anything unusual happen at all?"
“有没有任何不寻常的事？”
"Only you."
“只有你。”
"Forget me, will you? No, don't forget me. Tell me, how did you know your father was expecting me?"
“饶了我吧，好不好？不，别饶我。告诉我，你怎么知道令尊正在等我？”
"Oh, that was easy. Last week, he received a Personal Capsule, keyed to him personally, with a self-oxidizing message, you know. He threw the capsule shell into the Trash Disinto, and yesterday, he gave Poli……that's our maid, you see……a month's vacation so she could visit her sister in Terminus City, and this afternoon, he made up the bed in the spare room. So I knew he expected somebody that I wasn't supposed to know anything about. Usually, he tells me everything."
“喔，那还不简单。上个星期，你知道吗，他收到一个私人信囊，只有他本人才能开启，里面有一张会自行氧化的信笺。他还特别把信囊丢进垃圾分解器。昨天，他主动放波莉一个月的假……你知道吗，波莉是我们的女佣……让她去探望住在端点市的姐姐。今天下午，他又在客房里整理床铺。所以我晓得他正在等什么人，却故意不让我知道。通常，他什么事都会告诉我的。”
"Really! I'm surprised he has to. I should think you'd know everything before he tells you."
“真的！我难以相信他有这个必要。我以为他还没说，你就什么都知道了。”
'I usually do." Then she laughed. She was beginning to feel very much at ease. The visitor was elderly, but very distinguished-looking with curly brown hair and very blue eyes. Maybe she could meet somebody like that again, sometimes, when she was old herself.
“通常都是这样。”说完她就哈哈大笑，开始感到无比的轻松自在。这个访客年纪不小了，不过外表十分出色，有着一头棕色的鬈发，还有一对深蓝色的眼珠。也许，等到自己年纪够大的时候，还能再遇到类似的人物。
"And just how," he asked, "did you know it was I he expected."
“可是，”那人又问道，“你又怎么知道我就是他要等的人？”
"Well, who else could it be? He was expecting somebody in so secrety a way, if you know what I mean……and then you come gumping around trying to sneak through windows, instead of walking through the front door, the way you would if you had any sense." She remembered a favorite line, and used it promptly. "Men are so stupid!"
“唉，还会有谁呢？他神秘兮兮地在等一个人，希望你懂得我的意思……然后你就愣头愣脑地来了，还想要从窗户钻进来。如果你有一点常识，就该知道从大门走进来。”她突然想到一句精彩的台词，立刻派上用场：“男人全都这么笨！”
"Pretty stuck on yourself, aren't you, kid? I mean, Miss. You could be wrong, you know. What if I told you that all this is a mystery to me and that as far as I know, your father is expecting someone else, not me."
“你倒满有自信的嘛，小丫头，对不对？不，我是说‘小姐’。你知道吗，你可能都猜错了。万一我现在告诉你，我被你搞得一头雾水，而且据我所知，令尊等的不是我而是别人，你又该怎么办？”
"Oh, I don't think so. I didn't ask you to come in, until after I saw you drop your briefcase."
“喔，我可不这么想。我原本不想让你进来，直到看见你把手提箱丢下去，我才改变主意的。”
"My what?"
“我的什么？”
"Your briefcase, young man. I'm not blind. You didn't drop it by accident, because you looked down first, so as to make sure it would land right. Then you must have realized it would land just under the hedges and wouldn't be seen, so you dropped it and didn't look down afterwards. Now since you came to the window instead of the front door, it must mean that you were a little afraid to trust yourself in the house before investigating the place. And after you had a little trouble with me, you took care of your briefcase before taking care of yourself, which means that you consider whatever your briefcase has in it to be more valuable than your own safety, and that means that as long as you're in here and the briefcase is out there and we know that it's out there, you're probably pretty helpless."
“你的手提箱，年轻人。我可不是瞎子，你并非不小心，而是故意丢下去的。因为你先向下面看了一眼，估计一下它会落在哪里。等你确定它会掉进树篱里面，不会被人看见，这才把手提箱丢下去，然后就没有再向下望一眼。既然你故意不走大门，而准备爬窗户，就意味着你不太敢确定是否找对地方，想要先观察一下。当你被我发现之后，你首先想到的是手提箱，而不是你自己的安危，这就意味着，你把里面的东西看得比自己更重要。由此可知，既然你人在屋内，而你我都知道手提箱还在屋外，你也许根本无计可施。”
She paused for a much-needed breath, and the man said, grittily, "Except that I think I'll choke you just about medium dead and get out of here, with the briefcase."
说到这里，她实在需要停下来喘一口气。那人趁机回嘴道：“不过，我想我可以把你勒得半死，然后逃出去，捡起手提箱远走高飞。”
"Except, young man, that I happen to have a baseball bat under my bed, which I can reach in two seconds from where I'm sitting, and I'm very strong for a girl."
“不过，年轻人，我的床底下刚好有一根球棒，我两秒钟之内就能抓到手里，而且我是个非常强壮的女生。”
Impasse. Finally, with a strained courtesy, the "young man" said, "Shall I introduce myself, since we're being so chummy. I'm Pelleas Anthor. And your name?"
僵持了好一阵子，最后，“年轻人”终于以做作的礼貌口吻说：“既然我们这么谈得来，我应该自我介绍一下。我叫裴礼斯·安索，你叫什么名字？”
"I'm Arca?Arkady Darell. Pleased to meet you."
“我叫艾嘉……艾卡蒂·达瑞尔，很高兴认识你。”
"And now Arkady, would you be a good little girl and call your father?"
“好啦，艾卡蒂，你能不能做个好女孩，把令尊请过来？”
Arcadia bridled. "I'm not a little girl. I think you're very rude……especially when you're asking a favor."
艾嘉蒂娅气呼呼地抬起头来。“我可不是女孩，我认为你这样说非常没有礼貌……尤其是拜托别人帮忙的时候。”
Pelleas Anthor sighed. "Very well. Would you be a good, kind, dear, little old lady, just chock full of lavender, and call your father?"
裴礼斯·安索叹了一口气。“说得好……请问你能不能做一个好心、善良、可爱的老妇人，把令尊请过来？”
"That's not what I meant either, but I抣l call him. Only not so I'll take my eyes off you, young man." And she stamped on the floor.
“我也不是那个意思，但我会叫他的。年轻人，可是别以为我会把视线从你身上移开。”她开始用力踏着地板。
There came the sound of hurrying footsteps in the hall, and the door was flung open.
走廊随即传来一阵急促的脚步声，卧室的门随即被猛力打开。
"Arcadia? There was a tiny explosion of exhaled air, and Dr. Darell said, "Who are you, sir?"
“艾嘉蒂娅……”达瑞尔博士吁了一口气，改口问道，“先生，你是谁？”
Pelleas sprang to his feet in what was quite obviously relief. "Dr. Toran Darell? I am Pelleas Anthor. You've received word about me, I think. At least, your daughter says you have."
裴礼斯赶紧站起来，看来显然松了一口气。“杜伦·达瑞尔博士？我是裴礼斯·安索。我想，你已经收到那封信了。至少，令爱是这么说的。”
"My daughter says I have?" He bent a frowning glance at her which caromed harmlessly off the wide-eyed and impenetrable web of innocence with which she met the accusation.
“我女儿说的？”他皱起眉头，用责备的眼神瞪了艾嘉蒂娅一眼，却看到她正张大眼睛，露出一副无懈可击的无辜状，遂不得不收回严厉的目光。
Dr. Darell said, finally: "I have been expecting you. Would you mind coming down with me, please?" And he stopped as his eye caught a flicker of motion, which Arcadia caught simultaneously.
达瑞尔博士终于再度开口：“我的确正在等你。请跟我下楼好吗？”他突然打住，因为看到旁边有东西在闪动，而艾嘉蒂娅也注意到了。
She scrambled toward her Transcriber, but it was quite useless, since her father was standing right next to it. He said, sweetly, "You've left it going all this time, Arcadia."
她赶紧扑向那台听写机，却根本来不及了，因为父亲已经站在机器旁边。他以温柔的口吻说：“艾嘉蒂娅，它一直都开着呢。”
"Father," she squeaked, in real anguish, "it is very ungentlemanly to read another person's private correspondence, especially when it's talking correspondence."
“爸爸，”她又气又恼地尖叫，“看人家的私人信件是非常不道德的行为，看人家的谈话记录就更不用说了。”
"Ah," said her father, "but 'talking correspondence' with a strange man in your bedroom! As a father, Arcadia, I must protect you against evil."
“啊，”父亲说，“不过这个‘谈话记录’，是你和一个陌生男子在卧室录下的！艾嘉蒂娅，身为你的父亲，我必须保护你。”
"Oh, golly……it was nothing like that."
“喔，天哪……根本不是那么回事。”
Pelleas laughed suddenly, "Oh, but it was, Dr. Darell. The young lady was going to accuse me of all sorts of things, and I must insist that you read it, if only to clear my name."
裴礼斯突然哈哈大笑。“喔，达瑞尔博士，就是那么回事。这位小姐准备指控我许多罪名，即使为了洗刷我的冤屈，我也得请你务必读一遍。”
"Oh? Arcadia held back her tears with an effort. Her own father didn't even trust her. And that darned Transcriber?If that silly fool hadn't come gooping at the window, and making her forget to turn it off. And now her father would be making long, gentle speeches about what young ladies aren't supposed to do. There just wasn't anything they were supposed to do, it looked like, except choke and die, maybe.
“喔……”艾嘉蒂娅强忍住泪水。竟然连亲生父亲也不相信自己。那台可恶的听写机……要不是那个笨蛋愣头愣脑摸到窗口，她也不会忘记把机器关掉。现在，父亲一定准备发表长篇大论，细数年轻女子不该做的每一件事。看来，好像根本没有什么是她们应当做的，也许上吊是唯一的例外。
"Arcadia," said her father, gently, "it strikes me that a young lady……"
“艾嘉蒂娅，”父亲以温和的语气说，“我认为一个年轻女子……”
She knew it. She knew it.
她就知道，她早就知道。
"杝hould not be quite so impertinent to men older than she is.
“……对一位比自己年长的人，不该这么没有礼貌。”
"Well, what did he want to come peeping around my window for? A young lady has a right to privacy?Now I'll have to do my whole darned composition over."
“可是，谁叫他到我的窗户旁边探头探脑？一个年轻女子总该有隐私权吧……你看，现在我得从头念一遍这篇可恶的作文。”
"It's not up to you to question his propriety in coming to your window. You should simply not have let him in. You should have called me instantly……especially if you thought I was expecting him."
“他爬到你的窗边究竟对不对，不是你应该质疑的问题。你根本就不该让他进来，应该立刻通知我……更何况你也认为我在等他。”
She said, peevishly, "It's just as well if you didn't see him……stupid thing. Hell give the whole thing away if he keeps on going to windows, instead of doors."
她没好气地说：“你不见他也好……这个傻东西。如果他继续飞檐走壁，迟早会把整件事都抖出来。”
"Arcadia, nobody wants your opinion on matters you know nothing of."
“艾嘉蒂娅，自己不晓得的事，不要随便发表意见。”
"I do, too. It's the Second Foundation, that's what it is."
“我当然晓得。是关于第二基地，对不对？”
There was a silence. Even Arcadia felt a little nervous stirring in her abdomen.
沉默持续了好一阵子。连艾嘉蒂娅也觉得腹部在微微抽搐。
Dr. Darell said, softly, "Where have you heard this?"
然后，达瑞尔博士轻声问道：“你是从哪里听来的？”
"Nowheres, but what else is there to be so secret about? And you don't have to worry that I抣l tell anyone."
“不是从哪里听来的，除了这件事，还有什么值得这么神秘兮兮的吗？你不用担心，我不会告诉任何人。”
"Mr. Anthor," said Dr. Darell, "I must apologize for all this."
“安索先生，”达瑞尔博士说，“我必须为这一切向你道歉。”
"Oh, that's all right," came Anthor's rather hollow response. "It's not your fault if she's sold herself to the forces of darkness. But do you mind if I ask her a question before we go. Miss Arcadia……"
“喔，没什么。”安索公式化地应道，“她若是把自己卖给黑暗势力，也绝不是你的错。但在我们下楼之前，你不介意我再问她一个问题吧。艾嘉蒂娅小姐……”
"What do you want?"
“你想问什么？”
"Why do you think it is stupid to go to windows instead of to doors?"
“你为什么认为不走大门而爬窗户是件傻事呢？”
"Because you advertise what you're trying to hide, silly. If I have a secret, I don't put tape over my mouth and let everyone know I have a secret. I talk just as much as usual, only about something else. Didn't you ever read any of the sayings of Salvor Hardin? He was our first Mayor, you know."
“傻瓜，这等于你在大肆宣扬试图隐瞒什么。倘若我有个秘密，我绝不会把嘴巴贴上胶布，让大家都知道我心中藏着秘密。我会像平常一样谈天说地，只要别提那个秘密就行。你没有读过塞佛·哈定的格言吗？他是我们的首任市长，你知道吧。”
"Yes, I know."
“我知道。”
"Well, he used to say that only a he that wasn't ashamed of itself could possibly succeed. He also said that nothing had to be true, but everything had to sound true. Well, when you come in through a window, it's a lie that's ashamed of itself and it doesn't sound true."
“好，他曾经说过：唯有大言不惭的谎言才能成功。他还说过：凡事都不必是真的，但是都必须让人信以为真。嗯，当你从窗户爬进来的时候，已经违背了这两个原则。”
"Then what would you have done?"
“换成你的话，会怎么做呢？”
"If I had wanted to see my father on top secret business, I would have made his acquaintance openly and seen him about all sorts of strictly legitimate things. And then when everyone knew all about you and connected you with my father as a matter of course, you could be as top secret as you want and nobody would ever think of questioning it."
“如果我有一件最高机密，要来找我爸爸商量，我会在公开场合和他结识，再用各种光明正大的理由来找他。等到大家都认识你，认为你和我爸爸在一起是理所当然的，你就可以和他商量任何机密，绝不会让任何人起疑。”
Anthor looked at the girl strangely, then at Dr. Darell. He said, "Let's go. I have a briefcase I want to pick up in the garden. Wait! Just one last question. Arcadia, you don't really have a baseball bat under your bed, do you?"
安索以不可思议的眼神望着这个女孩，然后再看看达瑞尔博士。“我们走吧。我得到花园去找我的手提箱。等一等！还有最后一个问题。艾嘉蒂娅，你的床底下根本没有球棒吧，对不对？”
"No! I don't."
“没有！当然没有。”
"Hah. I didn't think so."
“哈，我就知道。”
Dr. Darell stopped at the door. "Arcadia," he said, "when you rewrite your composition on the Seldon Plan, don't be unnecessarily mysterious about your grandmother. There is no necessity to mention that part at all."
达瑞尔博士走到门口又停下来。“艾嘉蒂娅，”他叮咛道，“当你重写那篇作文时，不要把奶奶渲染得太过神秘。其实，完全没有必要提那件事。”
He and Pelleas descended the stairs in silence. Then the visitor asked in a strained voice, "Do you mind, sir? How old is she?"
他和裴礼斯一起默默走下楼梯。走到一半，那位访客压低声音问道：“博士，希望你别介意，请问她多大了？”
"Fourteen, day before yesterday."
“十四岁，前天刚过生日。”
"Fourteen? Great Galaxy?Tell me, has she ever said she expects to marry some day?"
“十四岁？银河啊……告诉我，她有没有说将来准备嫁人？”
"No, she hasn't. Not to me."
“没有，她没提过。至少没有对我提过。”
Well, if she ever does, shoot him. The one she's going to marry, I mean." He stared earnestly into the older man's eyes. "I'm serious. Life could hold no greater horror than living with what shell be like when she's twenty. I don't mean to offend you, of course."
“嗯，她若真要嫁人，把他枪毙算了。我是说，她准备嫁的那个人。”他以严肃的目光，凝视着这位前辈的眼睛，“我没有开玩笑。她到了二十岁，跟她生活在一起会是天底下最可怕的事。当然，我绝无意冒犯你。”
"You don't offend me. I think I know what you mean."
“你没有冒犯我。我想我知道你的意思。”
Upstairs, the object of their tender analyses faced the Transcriber with revolted weariness and said, dully: "The future of seldons plan." The Transcriber with infinite aplomb, translated that into elegantly, complicated script capitals as:
而在楼上，这两个人仔细分析的对象则是一肚子的怨气与厌烦。她对着那台听写机，用模糊而懒散的语调念道：“谢、顿……计、划……的、展、望……”听写机则发挥无比精确的功能，将那句话转换成优雅秀丽的字体：
"The Future of Seldon's Plan."
“谢顿计划的展望。”