18 Overthrow
第18章 颠覆
THALUS, EMMER:……A sergeant in the armed security forces of the Wye Sector of ancient Trantor... Aside from these totally unremarkable vital statistics, nothing is known of the man except that on one occasion he held the fate of the Galaxy in his fist.
爱玛·塔勒斯：……古川陀卫荷区武装维安部队的一名中士……除了这些毫无重要性的体格资料外，对此人的一切几乎一无所知。只知道在某个关键时刻，银河的命运曾经掌握在他手中。
ENCYCLOPEDIA GALACTICA
……《银河百科全书》
Breakfast the next morning was served in an alcove near the rooms of the captured three and it was luxurious indeed. There certainly was a considerable variety to the food and more than enough of everything.
翌日上午，遭到软禁的三个人在一间凹室中享用早餐，该处离他们三人的房间都不远。那实在是一顿奢豪的餐点，食物当然种类繁多，而且每一样都供过于求。
Seldon sat at the breakfast table with a mound of spicy sausages before him, totally ignoring Dors Venabilis gloomy predictions concerning stomachs and colic.
谢顿面对着餐桌上堆积如山的加味腊肠，完全不理会铎丝·凡纳比里有关反胃与腹痛的忧心警告。
Raych said, "The dame……the Madam Mayor said when she came to see me last night……"
芮奇说：“那娘儿们……区长女士昨晚来看我的时候说……”
"She came to see you?" said Seldon.
“她去看过你？”谢顿问。
"Yeah. She said she wanted to make sure I was comfortable. She said when she had a chance she would take me to a zoo."
“是啊，她说她要确定我住得舒服。她还说有机会的话，她会带我去动物园。”
"A zoo?" Seldon looked at Dors. "What kind of zoo can they have on Trantor? Cats and dogs?"
“动物园？”谢顿望向铎丝，“川陀能有什么样的动物园？猫狗展览？”
"There are some aboriginal animals," said Dors, "and I imagine they import some aboriginals from other worlds and there are also the shared animals that all the worlds have……other worlds having more than Trantor, of course. As a matter of fact, Wye has a famous zoo, probably the best on the planet after the Imperial Zoo itself."
“这里的确有些本土动物。”铎丝说，“我猜想他们还进口一些其他世界的本土动物，此外某些动物则是每个世界都有的……当然，在其他世界上要比川陀数量多。事实上，卫荷有个着名的动物园，在这颗行星上，它的评价也许仅次于帝国动物园。”
Raych said, "Shes a nice old lady."
芮奇说：“她是个不错的老大姐。”
"Not that old," said Dors, "but shes certainly feeding us well."
“并没有那么老，”铎丝说，“但她的确让我们吃得很好。”
"Theres that," admitted Seldon.
“这倒没错。”谢顿承认。
When breakfast was over, Raych left to go exploring.
吃完早餐后，芮奇径自跑到别处去探险。
Once they had retired to Dorss room, Seldon said with marked discontent, "I don't know how long well be left to ourselves. Shes obviously plotted ways of preoccupying our time."
一旦他们回到铎丝的房间，谢顿立刻带着明显的不满说：“我不知道我们将被不闻不问多少时日。她显然早有计划，准备消磨我们的时间。”
Dors said, "Actually, we have little to complain of at the moment. Were much more comfortable here than we were either in Mycogen or Dahl."
铎丝说：“其实，此刻我们没有什么好抱怨的。比起在麦曲生或达尔，我们在这里要舒适得多。”
Seldon said, "Dors, youre not being won over by that woman, are you?"
谢顿说：“铎丝，你不会被那个女人笼络了吧？”
"Me? By Rashelle? Of course not. How can you possibly think so?"
“我？被芮喜尔笼络？当然没有。你怎么可能这样想？”
"Well, youre comfortable. Youre well-fed. It would be natural to relax and accept what fortune brings."
“嗯，你觉得舒服，吃得也好。这自然会使人松懈下来，接受命运的安排。”
"Yes, very natural. And why not do that?"
“是的，非常自然。咱们何不那样做呢？”
"Look, you were telling me last night about whats going to happen if she wins out. I may not be much of a historian myself, but I am willing to take your word for it and, actually, it makes sense……even to a nonhistorian. The Empire will shatter and its shards will be fighting each other for……for……indefinitely. She must be stopped."
“听好，昨天晚上你告诉我，倘若她成功会有什么后果。我自己也许没有什么历史素养，但我愿意相信你的说法。事实上，那很有道理……即使对历史门外汉而言。帝国将四分五裂，残存的碎片将互相争斗……直到……永无止境。一定要阻止她才行。”
"I agree," said Dors. "She must be. What I fail to see is how we can manage to do that little thing right at this moment." She looked at Seldon narrowly. "Hari, you didn't sleep last night, did you?"
“我同意，”铎丝说，“一定要阻止她。我想不出来的是，此时此刻，我们怎样才能做到这件鸡毛蒜皮的小事。”她仔细端详谢顿，“哈里，你昨晚一夜没睡，是吗？”
"Did you?" It was apparent he had not.
“你自己呢？”显然他的确没睡。
Dors stared at him, a troubled look clouding her face. "Have you lain awake thinking of Galactic destruction because of what I said?"
铎丝凝视着他，脸上笼罩着阴郁的神情。“因为我说的那些话，害你整夜都在思考银河帝国毁灭的问题？”
"That and some other things. Is it possible to reach Chetter Hummin?" This last was said in a whisper.
“还有其他一些事。有没有可能联络到契特·夫铭？”最后一句话是悄声说的。
Dors said, "I tried to reach him when we first had to flee arrest in Dahl. He didn't come. Im sure he received the message, but he didn't come. It may be that, for any of a number of reasons, he just couldnt come to us, but when he can he will."
铎丝说：“当我们在达尔开始逃避追捕时，我就试图和他联络，结果他没有来。我确定他收到了那道讯息，可是他并未回应。也许由于某种原因，他暂时无法来找我们，但他能抽身时一定会来。”
"Do you suppose something has happened to him?"
“你猜想他发生了什么事吗？”
"No," said Dors patiently. "I don't think so."
“不，”铎丝坚毅地说，“我不这么想。”
"How can you know?"
“你怎么知道？”
"The word would somehow get to me. Im sure of it. And the word hasnt gotten to me."
“否则我总会听到一些消息，这点我敢确定。但至今我未曾听到任何消息。”
Seldon frowned and said, "Im not as confident as you are about all this. In fact, Im not confident at all. Even if Hummin came, what can he do in this case? He cant fight all of Wye. If they have, as Rashelle claims, the best-organized army on Trantor, what will he be able to do against it?"
谢顿皱了皱眉头，又说：“对于这一切，我不像你那么自信。事实上，我连一点自信都没有。即使夫铭来到此地，这回他又能做些什么？他无法和整个卫荷对抗。倘若芮喜尔所言属实，他们拥有川陀上组织最严密的军队，他又有什么办法与之抗衡？”
"Theres no point in discussing that. Do you suppose you can convince Rashelle……bang it into her head somehow……that you don't have psychohistory?"
“讨论这件事根本没有意义。你以为你能说服芮喜尔……用什么方法把话灌进她的脑袋……让她相信你并未拥有心理史学？”
"Im sure shes aware that I don't have it and that Im not going to get it for many years……if at all. But shell say I have psychohistory and if she does that skillfully enough, people will believe her and eventually they will act on what she says my predictions and pronouncements are……even if I don't say a word."
“我确定她明白这一点，也了解未来许多年内我都无法改变这个事实……即使有这个可能。但她会宣称我拥有心理史学，而只要她做得足够高明，人们就会相信她。最后不论她说我的预测和断言是什么，他们都会根据她的说法采取行动……即使我一个字也没说。”
"Surely, that will take time. She wont build you up overnight. Or in a week. To do it properly, it might take her a year."
“当然，那需要些许时日。她不能让你在一夜成名，或是一周之内。想要好好做成这件事，可能要花上她一年的时间。”
Seldon was pacing the length of the room, turning sharply on his heel and striding back. "That might be so, but I don't know. There would be pressure on her to do things quickly. She doesnt strike me as the kind of woman who has cultivated the habit of patience. And her old father, Mannix IV, would be even more impatient. He must feel the nearness of death and if hes worked for this all his life, he would much prefer to see it done a week before his death rather than a week after. Besides……"
谢顿正在房中来回踱步，走到墙角才猛然向后转，再大踏步走回来。“或许就是这样，可是我不知道。应该会有些压力促使她尽快行动。在我看来，她是从未培养出耐心的那种女人。而她的老父亲，曼尼克斯四世，甚至会更没有耐心。他一定感到死期将近，如果他一生都在经营这件事，他会非常希望成功之日是在他死前一周，而不是死后一周。此外……”
Here he paused and looked around the empty room. "Besides what?"
说到这里他忽然打住，开始环顾这个空洞的房间。“此外什么？”
"Well, we must have our freedom. You see, Ive solved the psychohistory problem."
“嗯，我们必须拥有自由。你可知道，我已经解决了心理史学的问题。”
Dorss eyes widened. "You have it! Youve worked it out."
铎丝睁大眼睛。“你解决了！你发展出来了。”
"Not worked it out in the full sense. That might take decades……centuries, for all I know. But I now know its practical, not just theoretical. I know it can be done so I must have the time, the peace, the facilities to work at it. The Empire must be held together till I……or possibly my successors……will learn how best to keep it so or how to minimize the disaster if it does split up despite us. It was the thought of having a beginning to my task and of not being able to work at it, that kept me up last night."
“不能算完全发展出来。据我判断，那可能要花上数十年……数世纪。但我现在终于知道它是可行的，而不只是理论的产物。我知道它能成功，但我必须要有充足的时间、太平的局势以及必要的环境才能工作。帝国必须保持完整，直到我……也可能是我的后继者……找出维持现状的最好方法；万一它无论如何都会分裂，则要设法让灾难减至最小程度。就是因为想到我的工作有了起点，却又无法着手进行，我昨晚才整夜未曾合眼。”
It was their fifth day in Wye and in the morning Dors was helping Raych into a formal costume that neither was quite familiar with.
这是他们来到卫荷的第五天早上，铎丝正在帮芮奇穿上一件正式服装，两人对这种装束都不怎么熟悉。
Raych looked at himself dubiously in the holomirror and saw a reflected image that faced him with precision, imitating all his motions but without any inversion of left and right. Raych had never used a holomirror before and had been unable to keep from trying to feel it, then laughing, almost with embarrassment, when his hand passed through it while the images hand poked ineffectually at his real body.
芮奇以怀疑的眼神望着全息镜中的自己，看到一个准确面对着他的反射影像，模仿着他所有的动作，却没有任何左右反转。芮奇以前从未用过全息镜，忍不住试着伸手摸了摸。当他的手穿过那面镜子，而影像的手刺入他的真实身躯时，他突然哈哈大笑，几乎有点不好意思。
He said at last, "I look funny."
最后他终于说：“我看来很可笑。”
He studied his tunic, which was made of a very pliant material, with a thin filigreed belt, then passed his hands up a stiff collar that rose like a cup past his ears on either side.
他打量着身上的短袖袍，那是用非常柔软的质料裁制的，附有一条缠绕金丝的细皮带。然后，他用双手顺了顺硬邦邦的衣领，它像个杯子那样竖在他的耳朵两旁。
"My head looks like a ball inside a bowl."
“我的头好像是放在碗里的球。”
Dors said, "But this is the sort of thing rich children wear in Wye. Everyone who sees you will admire you and envy you."
铎丝说：“但卫荷富家子弟穿的就是这种东西。凡是看到你的人都会赞美你、羡慕你。”
"With my hair all stuck down?"
“我的头发得全部趴下吗？”
"Certainly. Youll wear this round little hat."
“这还用说，你要戴着这顶小圆帽。”
"Itll make my head more like a ball."
“它会让我的头更像个球。”
"Then don't let anyone kick it. Now, remember what I told you. Keep your wits about you and don't act like a kid."
“那就注意别让人踢它。好，记住我告诉你的话。你要随时保持警觉，别表现得像个孩子。”
"But I am a kid," he said, looking up at her with a wide-eyed innocent expression.
“但我就是个孩子啊。”他一面说，一面张大眼睛抬头望着她，露出一副无辜的表情。
"Im surprised to hear you say that," said Dors. "Im sure you think of yourself as a twelve-year-old adult."
“听你这样讲令我很惊讶。”铎丝说，“我确定你自认是个十二岁的成年人。”
Raych grinned. "Okay. Ill be a good spy."
芮奇咧嘴笑了笑。“好吧，我会做个好间谍。”
"Thats not what Im telling you to be. don't take chances. don't sneak behind doors to listen. If you get caught at it, youre no good to anyone……especially not to yourself."
“那可不是我叫你做的事。别冒任何险，别躲在门后偷听。假如被当场抓到，对任何人都没好处……尤其是对你自己。”
"Aw, cmon, Missus, what do ya think I am? A kid or somethin?"
“喔，得了吧，姑奶奶，你以为我是什么？一个乳臭未干的孩子？”
"You just said you were, didn't you, Raych? You just listen to everything thats said without seeming to. And remember what you hear. And tell us. Thats simple enough."
“你刚刚正是这么说的，芮奇，有没有？你只要注意听别人说的每句话，但不要表现得像是在这样做。记住你所听到的一切，然后告诉我们，就是那么简单。”
"Simple enough for you to say, Missus Venabili," said Raych with a grin, "and simple enough for me to do."
“凡纳比里姑奶奶，你说得很简单，”芮奇又咧嘴一笑，“而我做起来也很简单。”
"And be careful."
“要小心点。”
Raych winked. "You bet."
芮奇眨了眨眼。“一定。”
A flunky (as coolly impolite as only an arrogant flunky can be) came to take Raych to where Rashelle was awaiting him.
一名仆役来接芮奇（从未见过那么傲慢自大、那么不客气的仆役），带他去见正在等他的芮喜尔。
Seldon looked after them and said thoughtfully, "He probably wont see the zoo, hell be listening so carefully. Im not sure its right to thrust a boy into danger like that."
谢顿望着他们的背影，若有所思地说：“他也许不会看到什么动物，但他会非常仔细地偷听。把一个孩子推进那样的险境，我不确定这样做对不对。”
"Danger? I doubt it. Raych was brought up in the slums of Billibotton, remember. I suspect he has more alley smarts than you and I put together. Besides, Rashelle is fond of him and will interpret everything he does in his favor. Poor woman."
“险境？我可不相信。芮奇是在脐眼的贫民窟长大的，记得吧。我猜想他的生存能力比你我加起来还要强。此外，芮喜尔喜欢他，会把他做的每件事都往好处想……可怜的女人。”
"Are you actually sorry for her, Dors?"
“铎丝，你真的觉得她可怜吗？”
"Do you mean that shes not worth sympathy because shes a Mayors daughter and considers herself a Mayor in her own right……and because shes intent on destroying the Empire? Perhaps youre right, but even so there are some aspects of her for which one might show some sympathy. For instance, shes had an unhappy love affair. Thats pretty evident. Undoubtedly, her heart was broken……for a time, at least."
“你的意思是她不值得同情，因为她是区长的女儿，而且自认为是理所当然的区长，还因为她打算毁掉帝国？也许你是对的，但即使如此，她也有某些方面值得我们表现些许同情。比如说，她曾有一段悲剧收场的恋情，那十分明显。毫无疑问，她的心碎了……至少有那么一阵子。”
Seldon said, "Have you ever had an unhappy love affair, Dors?"
谢顿说：“你曾有过一段悲剧收场的恋情吗，铎丝？”
Dors considered for a moment or two, then said, "Not really. Im too involved with my work to get a broken heart."
铎丝考虑了一两秒钟，然后说：“不能算有。我太专注于自己的工作，没时间心碎。”
"I thought as much."
“我早就想到了。”
"Then why did you ask?"
“那你为何还要问？”
"I might have been wrong."
“我有可能猜错。”
"How about you?"
“你自己呢？”
Seldon seemed uneasy. "As a matter of fact, yes. I have spared the time for a broken heart. Badly cracked, anyway."
谢顿显得很不自在。“事实上，的确有。我曾花了些时间来修补一颗破碎的心。至少，它裂得很严重。”
"I thought as much."
“我早就想到了。”
"Then why did you ask?"
“那你又为何还要问？”
"Not because I thought I might be wrong, I promise you. I just wanted to see if you would lie. You didn't and Im glad."
“并非因为我认为自己有可能猜错，我不骗你。我只是想看看你会不会说谎。你说了实话，令我很高兴。”
There was a pause and then Seldon said, "Five days have passed and nothing has happened."
顿了一下之后，谢顿又说：“五天过去了，什么事都没有发生。”
"Except that we are being treated well, Hari."
“不过我们一直受到良好待遇，哈里。”
"If animals could think, theyd think they were being treated well when they were only being fattened for the slaughter."
“如果家畜有思想，它们也会认为受到良好待遇，虽然养肥它们只是为了屠宰罢了。”
"I admit shes fattening the Empire for the slaughter."
“我承认她正在养肥帝国以待屠宰。”
"But when?"
“可是什么时候呢？”
"I presume when shes ready."
“我猜是当她准备妥当后。”
"She boasted she could complete the coup in a day and the impression I got was that she could do that on any day."
“她夸口说能在一天之内完成政变，而我所得到的印象，是她能在任何一天进行。”
"Even if she could, she would want to make sure that she could cripple the Imperial reaction and that might take time."
“即使她有这个能力，她还得确定能够消弭帝国的反击，那可能需要些时间。”
"How much time? She plans to cripple the reaction by using me, but she is making no effort to do so. There is no sign that shes trying to build up my importance. Wherever I go in Wye Im unrecognized. There are no Wyan crowds gathering to cheer me. Theres nothing on the news holocasts."
“多少时间？她计划利用我来消弭那些反击，可是她并未进行这方面的努力。没有迹象显示她试图宣传我的重要性。我在卫荷不论走到哪里，都没有任何人认识我。卫荷的群众不会聚过来向我欢呼，全息新闻里也什么都没有。”
Dors smiled. "One would almost suppose that your feelings are hurt at not being made famous. Youre naive, Hari. Or not a historian, which is the same thing. I think you had better be more pleased that the study of psychohistory will be bound to make a historian of you than that it may save the Empire. If all human beings understood history, they might cease making the same stupid mistakes over and over."
铎丝微微一笑。“别人几乎会以为你是因为没能出名而感到难过。你太天真了，哈里。或者应该说你并非历史学家，而这是同一回事。研究心理史学必定会使你成为一位历史学家，相较之下拯救帝国的机会倒没有那么大，对于这个事实，我认为你最好更满意点。如果所有的人类都了解历史，他们或许就不会一而再、再而三地犯同样愚蠢的错误。”
"In what way am I naive?" asked Seldon lifting his head and staring down his nose at her.
“我哪里天真了？”谢顿扬起头来，视线往下射向她。
"Dont be offended, Hari. I think its one of your attractive features, actually."
“别生气，哈里。其实，我认为那是你迷人的特点之一。”
"I know. It arouses your maternal instincts and you have been asked to take care of me. But in what way am I naive?"
“我知道。它激起了你的母性本能，何况你曾经受托照顾我。可是我哪里天真了？”
"In thinking that Rashelle would try to propagandize the population of the Empire, generally, into accepting you as seer. She would accomplish nothing in that way. Quadrillions of people are hard to move quickly. There is social and psychological inertia, as well as physical inertia. And, by coming out into the open, she would simply alert Demerzel."
“你认为芮喜尔会试图对帝国民众做全面性宣传，让大家接受你是个先知。那样做她必将一无所获，万兆民众并不容易很快被打动。除了有形的惯性之外，还有社会上和心理上的惯性。而且，假如那样公然行事，她等于是在警告丹莫刺尔。”
"Then what is she doing?"
“那她正在做什么呢？”
"My guess is that the information about you……suitably exaggerated and glorified……is going out to a crucial few. It is going to those Viceroys of sectors, those admirals of fleets, those people of influence she feels look kindly upon her……or grimly upon the Emperor. A hundred or so of those who might rally to her side will manage to confuse the Loyalists just long enough to allow Rashelle the First to set up her New Order firmly enough to beat off whatever resistance might develop. At least, I imagine that is how she reasons."
“我的猜想是，有关你的消息……经过适度的夸大和美化……正在传给关键的少数人；传给她觉得对她友善，或是厌恶帝国的星区总督、舰队司令，以及具有影响力的人士。一百多个这样的人若是站在她那边，就能令忠贞之士困惑好一阵子，足以让芮喜尔一世稳稳建立起她的新秩序，并击败任何可能发展出的反抗力量。至少，我猜她心中是那样盘算的。”
"And yet we haven't heard from Hummin."
“但我们还没有夫铭的消息。”
"Im sure he must be doing something just the same. This is too important to ignore."
“我确信他一定已经在做些什么，他不会忽略这么重要的事。”
"Has it occurred to you that he might be dead?"
“你有没有想到过他可能死了？”
"Thats a possibility, but I don't think so. If he was, the news would reach me."
“那是可能性之一，但我不那么想，否则我会得到消息。”
"Here?"
“在这里？”
"Even here."
“即使在这里。”
Seldon raised his eyebrows, but said nothing.
谢顿扬起眉毛，但没有再说什么。
Raych came back in the late afternoon, happy and excited, with descriptions of monkeys and of Bakarian demoires and he dominated the conversation during dinner.
芮奇在接近傍晚时分回来，他既高兴又兴奋，不停地叙述着猴子与巴卡鹤的种种。而在晚餐时，从头到尾也都是他主导着谈话。
It was not until after dinner when they were in their own quarters that Dors said, "Now, tell me what happened with Madam Mayor, Raych. Tell me anything she did or said that you think we ought to know."
直到晚餐结束，他们回到自己的寝室，铎丝才说：“好啦，芮奇，告诉我区长女士发生了些什么事。无论她所做的或所说的任何事，你认为我们该知道的通通告诉我。”
"One thing," said Raych, his face lighting up. "Thats why she didn't show at dinner, I bet."
“有一件事，”芮奇变得满面春风，“我敢打赌，那就是她没出席晚餐的原因。”
"What was it?"
“是什么事？”
"The zoo was closed except for us, you know. There were lots of us……Rashelle and me and all sorts of guys in uniforms and dames in fancy clothes and like that. Then this guy in a uniform……a different guy, who wasn't there to begin with……came in toward the end and he said something in a low voice and Rashelle turned to all the people and made with her hand like they shouldnt move and they didnt. And she went a little ways away with this new guy, so she could talk to him and no one could hear her. Except I kept paying no attention and kept looking at the different cages and sort of moved near to Rashelle so I could hear her. "
“你知道吗，动物园今天关闭，只对我们开放。我们有许多人……我和芮喜尔和穿制服的各种哥儿们和穿着拉风衣裳的各种娘儿们等等。然后一个穿制服的哥儿们……另一个哥儿们，他原来不在那里……在快结束的时候走进来。他低声说了些什么，芮喜尔就转向大家，做了一个好像他们不该动的手势，于是他们就不动了。然后，她和这个新来的哥儿们走开些，这样她就能和他说话，别人却听不到她说什么。不过我继续装得心不在焉，继续逛着各个笼子，就这样凑近了芮喜尔，所以我能听到她讲的话。
She said, How dare they? like she was real mad. And the guy in the uniform, he looked nervous……I just got quick looks because I was trying to make out like I was watching the animals……so mostly I just heard the words. He said somebody……I don't remember the name, but he was a general or somethin. He said this general said the officers had sworn religious to Rashelles old man……"
“她说：‘他们怎么敢？’像是她真的火了。那个穿制服的哥儿们，他看来很紧张……我只是很快看了一眼，因为我试着装得像是在观看动物，所以大多数时间我只是听到那些对话。他说某个人，我不记得名字，但他是个将军什么的。他说这个将军说，军官都曾经对芮喜尔的老头宣誓教宗……”
"Sworn allegiance," said Dors.
“宣誓效忠。”铎丝说。
"Somethin like that and they was nervous about havin to do what a dame says. He said they wanted the old man or else, if he was kind of sick, he should pick some guy to be Mayor, not a dame."
“反正差不多，而他们对于服从一个娘儿们感到不对劲。他说他们要那个老头，或者，如果他生了病之类的，他应该挑个哥儿们做区长，而不是一个娘儿们。”
"Not a dame? Are you sure?"
“不是一个娘儿们？你确定吗？”
"Thats what he said. He like whispered it. He was so nervous and Rashelle was so mad she could hardly speak. She said, Ill have his head. They will all swear allegiance to me tomorrow and whoever refuses will lave cause to regret it before an hour has passed. Thats exactly what she said. She broke up the whole party and we all came back and she didn't say one word to me all the time. Just sat there, looking kinda mean and angry."
“他就是那么说的，他说的差不多是悄悄话。他是那么紧张，芮喜尔又是那么恼火，几乎说不出话来。她说：‘我要他的脑袋。明天他们通通要对我宣誓效忠，不论谁拒绝，不出一小时他就会后悔。’她就是这样说的，一字不差。她解散了整个活动，我们就全部回来了。她一直没对我说半句话，只是坐在那里，看来有点儿又急又气。”
Dors said, "Good. don't you mention this to anyone, Raych."
铎丝说：“很好。芮奇，你可别对任何人提起这件事。”
"Course not. Is it what you wanted?"
“当然不会。这就是你要的吗？”
"Very much what I wanted. You did well, Raych. Now, go to your room and forget the whole thing. don't even think about it."
“正是我要的，芮奇，你做得很好。好啦，回到你的房间，把整件事忘掉，甚至不要再回想。”
Once he was gone, Dors turned to Seldon and said, "This is very interesting. Daughters have succeeded fathers……or mothers, for that matter……and held Mayoralties or other high offices on any number of occasions. There have even been reigning Empresses, as you undoubtedly know, and I cant recall that there was ever in Imperial history any serious question of serving under one. It makes one wonder why such a thing should now, arise in Wye."
他离开之后，铎丝立刻转向谢顿说：“这非常有意思。过去有许许多多的例子，是女儿继父亲或母亲之后，接掌区长职位或其他高位。过去甚至有些君临天下的女皇，你无疑也知道这件事。而我想不起来在帝国历史上，有哪个女皇的领导曾经引起严重问题。这不禁令人纳闷，如今在卫荷怎么会发生这种事。”
Seldon said, "Why not? Weve only recently been in Mycogen, where women are held in a total lack of esteem and couldnt possibly hold positions of power, however minor."
谢顿说：“有何不可？我们最近才在麦曲生待过，那里的女人完全不受尊重，不可能掌握任何的权力，不论多么低微。”
"Yes, of course, but thats an exception. There are other places where women dominate. For the most part, though, government and power have been more or less equisexual. If more men tend to hold high positions, it is usually because women tend to be more bound……biologically……to children."
“当然没错，但那是个例外。也有一些地方，是由女性主宰一切。不过，大多数的情况，则是政治和权力多少都是两性平等的。若说掌握高位的男性较多，通常是因为女性受子女的牵绊较重……就生物观点而言。”
"But what is the situation in Wye?"
“但卫荷的情况又如何呢？”
"Equisexual, as far as I know. Rashelle didn't hesitate to assume Mayoral power and I imagine old Mannix didn't hesitate to grant it to her. And she was surprised and furious at encountering male dissent. She cant have expected it."
“据我所知，是两性平等。芮喜尔并未犹豫僭取区长的权力，我猜想老曼尼克斯也未曾犹豫让她接手。在男性的反弹出现之际，她感到惊讶和狂怒，因为她万万没有料到。”
Seldon said, "Youre clearly pleased at this. Why?"
谢顿说：“你显然因此感到高兴。为什么？”
"Simply because its so unnatural that it must be contrived and I imagine Hummin is doing the contriving."
“因为它既然如此不寻常，就一定是人为策动的结果，而我猜想幕后策动者正是夫铭。”
Seldon said thoughtfully, "You think so?"
谢顿意味深长地说：“你这么想吗？”
"I do," said Dors.
“我这么想。”铎丝道。
"You know," said Seldon, "so do I."
“你可知道，”谢顿说，“我也这么想。”
It was their tenth day in Wye and in the morning Hari Seldons door signal sounded and Raychs high-pitched voice outside was crying out, "Mister! Mister Seldon! Its war!"
这是他们来到卫荷的第十天早上，哈里·谢顿的房门讯号突然响起，外面随即传来芮奇高亢的声音：“大哥！谢顿大哥！战争爆发了！”
Seldon took a moment to swap from sleep to wakefulness and scrambled out of bed. He was shivering slightly (the Wyans liked their domiciles on the chilly side, he had discovered quite early in his stay there) when he threw the door open.
谢顿花了片刻时间从睡梦中惊醒，然后匆匆爬下床来。当他推开房门的时候，身子不禁微微发抖。卫荷人喜欢让他们的住所保持低温，住在此地不久之后他便发现了。
Raych bounced in, excited and wide-eyed. "Mister Seldon, they have Mannix, the old Mayor. They have……"
芮奇跳进来，兴奋得睁大眼睛。“谢顿大哥，他们抓到了曼尼克斯，那个老区长！他们还……”
"Who have, Raych?"
“芮奇，他们是谁？”
"The Imperials, Their jets came in last night all over. The news holocasts are telling all about it. Its on in Missuss room. She said to let ya sleep, but I figured ya would wanner know."
“帝国军队。他们的喷射机昨晚飞进来，到处都是。在姑奶奶的房间，全息新闻正在播报一切经过。她说要让你睡觉，但我料想你会想知道。”
"And you were quite right." Seldon pausing only tong enough to throw on a bathrobe, burst into Dorss room. She was fully dressed and was watching the holo-set in the alcove.
“你的料想相当正确。”谢顿只耽搁了披上浴袍的时间，就立刻闯进铎丝房里。她早已穿戴整齐，正在凹室内观看全息电视。
Behind the clear, small image of a desk sat a man, with the Spaceship-and-Sun sharply defined on the left-front of his tunic. On either side, two soldiers, also wearing the Spaceship-and-Sun, stood armed. The officer at the desk was saying, "……is under the peaceful control of his Imperial Majesty. Mayor Mannix is safe and well and is in full possession of his Mayoral powers under the guidance of friendly Imperial troops. He will be before you soon to urge calm on all Wyans and to ask any Wyan soldiers still in arms to lay them down."
画面中，一张整洁的小办公桌后面坐着一名男子，他的短袖军服左胸处有个耀眼的“星舰与太阳”标志。他的左右各站着一名武装士兵，两人身上也都挂着“星舰与太阳”。办公桌后面的军官正在说：“……已在皇帝陛下的和平控制之下。而在帝国部队的友善关护下，曼尼克斯区长安然无事，充分掌握着区长的权力。他很快就会出现在大家面前，来劝导所有的卫荷人保持冷静，并要求仍有武装的卫荷战士放下武器。”
There were other news holocasts by various newsmen with unemotional voices, all wearing Imperial armbands. The news was all the same: surrender by this or that unit of the Wyan security forces after firing a few shots for the record……and sometimes after no resistance at all. This town center and that town center were occupied……and there were repeated views of Wyan crowds somberly watching Imperial forces marching down the streets.
此外还有几段全息新闻是由记者所播报的，那些记者都佩戴着帝国臂章，声音则毫无感情。那些新闻可说千篇一律，或是在象征性开火后，或是根本未曾抵抗，卫荷维安武力的这个、那个部队便全部投降，这个、那个市镇中心已被占领，卫荷群众面色凝重地看着帝国军队列队通过大街小巷……这样的画面不断重复着。
Dors said, "It was perfectly executed, Hari. Surprise was complete. There was no chance of resistance and none of consequence was offered."
铎丝说：“这是一次完美的行动，哈里，完全出其不意。根本没有抵抗的机会，根本没有重大的抵抗行动。”
Then Mayor Mannix IV appeared, as had been promised. He was standing upright and, perhaps for the sake of appearances, there were no Imperials in sight, though Seldon was reasonably certain that an adequate number were present just out of camera range.
然后，正如刚才所预报的，区长曼尼克斯四世出现了。他笔直地站着，或许为了顾全他的面子，画面中看不见帝国军士。不过谢顿相当确定，站在镜头外的绝对少不了。
Mannix was old, but his strength, though worn, was still apparent. His eyes did not meet the holo-camera and his words were spoken as though forced upon him……but, as had been promised, they counseled Wyans to remain calm, to offer no resistance, to keep Wye from harm, and to cooperate with the Emperor who, it was hoped, would survive long on the throne.
曼尼克斯相当年迈，虽然神情疲惫，但体力显然还不错。他的目光并未对准全息摄影机，而他说的话似乎都是被强迫的……正如刚才的预报，内容是劝告卫荷人要保持冷静，别做任何抵抗，以免卫荷受到伤害。此外还要和大帝充分合作，并祝大帝万寿无疆。
"No mention of Rashelle," said Seldon. "Its as though his daughter doesnt exist."
“没有提到芮喜尔，”谢顿说，“仿佛他的女儿并不存在。”
"No one has mentioned her," said Dors, "and this place, which is, after all, her residence……or one of them……hasnt been attacked. Even if she manages to slip away and take refuge in some neighboring sector, I doubt she will be safe anywhere on Trantor for long."
“没有任何人提到她。”铎丝说，“而这个地方毕竟是她的官邸，至少是其中之一，却并没有遭到攻击。即使她设法溜走，前往邻区寻求庇护，我也不信川陀上有任何角落，能让她始终安全无虞。”
"Perhaps not," came a voice; "but Ill be safe here for a little while."
“也许不能，”突然传来另一个声音，“但我在这里起码暂时安全。”
Rashelle entered. She was properly dressed, properly calm. She was even smiling, but it was no smile of joy; it was, rather, a cold baring of teeth.
芮喜尔走进来。她穿着如常，镇静如常。她甚至带着微笑，但与其说那是笑容，更像是一种龇牙咧嘴的冷酷表情。
The three stared at her in surprise for a moment and Seldon wondered if she had any of her servants with her or if they had promptly deserted her at the first sign of adversity.
其他三人惊讶地望了她片刻。谢顿纳闷是否还有任何随从跟着她，或是事变的迹象一出现，他们便立刻弃她而去。
Dors said a little coldly, "I see, Madam Mayor, that your hopes for a coup can not be maintained. Apparently, you have been forestalled."
铎丝冷冷地说道：“依我看，区长女士，你想发动政变的希望破灭了。显然，对方已经先发制人。”
"I have not been forestalled. I have been betrayed. My officers have been tampered with and……against all history and rationality……they have refused to fight for a woman but only for their old master. And, traitors that they are, they then let their old master be seized so that he cannot lead them in resistance."
“不是先发制人，而是我遭到了背叛。我的军官受到挑拨，他们拒绝为一名女子而战，只肯效忠他们的老主子……这违背了所有的历史和理性。然后，他们这些不折不扣的叛徒，又坐视老主子给敌人捉去，无法再领导他们抵抗到底。”
She looked about for a chair and sat down. "And now the Empire must continue to decay and die when I was prepared to offer it new life."
她环顾四周，找了一张椅子坐下来。“现在，帝国一定会继续衰败和死亡，就在我准备给它新生命的时候。”
"I think," said Dors, "the Empire has avoided an indefinite period of useless fighting and destruction. Console yourself with that, Madam Mayor."
“我倒认为，”铎丝说，“帝国避免了一场无限期的无端争战和破坏。用这个事实来安慰你自己吧，区长女士。”
It was as though Rashelle did not hear her. "So many years of preparation destroyed in a night." She sat there beaten, defeated, and seemed to have aged twenty years.
芮喜尔仿佛没有听到对方说的话。“这么多年的准备，竟然毁于一夕之间。”她坐在那里咀嚼失败的苦果，似乎一下子老了二十岁。
Dors said, "It could scarcely have been done in a night. The suborning of your officers……if that took place……must have taken time."
铎丝说：“几乎不可能在一夕之间做到这种事。想要怂恿你的军官……倘若真有此事……一定需要一段时间。”
"At that, Demerzel is a master and quite obviously I underestimated him. How he did it, I don't know……threats, bribes, smooth and specious argument. He is a master at the art of stealth and betrayal……I should have known."
“这种事情，丹莫刺尔是个中高手，而我显然低估了他。至于他是怎么做的，我并不知道……威胁，利诱，用似是而非的言论好言相劝。他是玩弄阴谋和鼓动叛变的高手，我早就该知道。”
She went on after a pause. "If this was outright force on his part, I would have had no trouble destroying anything he sent against us. Who would think that Wye would be betrayed, that an oath of allegiance would be so lightly thrown aside?"
顿了顿之后，她继续说：“倘若他全然是以武力入侵，我将毫不费力地摧毁他派来的任何部队。谁会想到卫荷竟然会遭到背叛，而效忠的誓言那么轻易就被抛到一旁？”
Seldon said with automatic rationality, "But I imagine the oath was made not to you, but to your father."
谢顿自然而然以理性的态度说：“但我猜想宣誓的对象并不是你，而是你的父亲。”
"Nonsense," said Rashelle vigorously. "When my father gave me the Mayoral office, as he was legally entitled to do, he automatically passed on to me any oaths of allegiance made to him. There is ample precedence for this. It is customary to have the oath repeated to the new ruler, but that is a ceremony only and not a legal requirement. My officers know that, though they choose to forget. They use my womanhood as an excuse because they quake in fear of Imperial vengeance that would never have come had they been staunch or tremble with greed for promised rewards they will surely never get……if I know Demerzel."
“荒谬。”芮喜尔中气十足地说，“当家父将区长职位交给我的时候……依法他有权这样做……任何对他效忠的誓言也自动转移到我身上，这在过去有许多先例。依照惯例，他们会对新任统治者再宣誓一次，但那只是一种仪式，而不是必需的法律程序。我的军官都知道这点，可是他们故意忘记。我是女流之辈成了他们的借口，因为他们一想到帝国的报复就吓得发抖……假使他们忠贞不二，根本不会有那种事；或者，因为他们一想到对方应允的赏赐就贪婪得打颤……如果我没看错丹莫刺尔，他们绝对得不到。”
She turned sharply toward Seldon. "He wants you, you know. Demerzel struck at us for you."
她猛然转向谢顿。“他想要你，你知道吗，丹莫刺尔攻打我们是为了你。”
Seldon started. "Why me?"
谢顿吃了一惊。“为什么要我？”
"Dont be a fool. For the same reason I wanted you……to use you as a tool, of course." She sighed. "At least I am not utterly betrayed. There are still loyal soldiers to be found……Sergeant!"
“别傻了。和我要你的原因一样……当然是把你当做工具。”她叹了一声，“至少我没有彻底遭到背叛，我还能找到忠诚依旧的战士……中士！”
Sergeant Emmer Thalus entered with a soft cautious step that seemed incongruous, considering his size. His uniform was spruce, his long blond mustache fiercely curled.
爱玛·塔勒斯中士蹑手蹑脚走进来，这种步伐与他的块头似乎不太调和。他的制服笔挺亮丽，长长的金色八字胡弯曲得很厉害。
Madam Mayor, he said, drawing himself to attention with a snap.
“区长女士。”他一面说，一面“啪”地一声立定站好。
He was still, in appearance, the side of beef that Hari had named him……a man still following orders blindly, totally oblivious to the new and changed state of affairs.
他看起来仍是谢顿所谓的大块头……一个仍旧盲目服从命令，完全无视情势已有崭新变化的人。
Rashelle smiled sadly at Raych. "And how are you, little Raych? I had meant to make something of you. It seems now I wont be able to."
芮喜尔对芮奇露出苦笑。“你好吗，小芮奇？我曾有意好好栽培你，现在似乎办不到了。”
"Hello, Missus……Madam," said Raych awkwardly.
“嗨，姑奶奶……女士。”芮奇笨拙地说。
"And to have made something of you too, Dr. Seldon," said Rashelle, "and there also I must crave pardon. I cannot."
“我也想要好好栽培你，谢顿博士。”芮喜尔说，“而我也必须请你原谅，我已经无能为力。”
"For me, Madam, you need have no regrets."
“女士，你不需要对我感到抱歉。”
"But I do. I cannot very well let Demerzel have you. That would be one victory too many for him and at least I can stop that."
“可是我要，我不能眼睁睁让丹莫刺尔得到你。那将使他获得一次太大的胜利，至少我能阻止这件事。”
"I would not work for him, Madam, I assure you, any more than I would have worked for you."
“我不会为他工作的，女士，我向你保证，就像我不会为你工作一样。”
"It is not a matter of work. It is a matter of being used. Farewell, Dr. Seldon. Sergeant, blast him."
“这不是为谁工作的问题，而是被谁利用的问题。永别了，谢顿博士……中士，轰掉他。”
The sergeant drew his blaster at once and Dors, with a loud cry, lunged forward……but Seldon reached out for her and caught her by the elbow. He hung on desperately.
中士立刻掏出手铳，铎丝随即大喊一声，同时猛力向前冲……谢顿却伸手抓住她的手肘，并且死命抓着不放。
"Stay back, Dors," he shouted, "or hell kill you. He wont kill me. You too, Raych. Stand back. don't move."
“待在后面，铎丝，”他叫道，“否则他会杀了你。放心，他不会杀我的。你也一样，芮奇，站在后面，不要乱动。”
Seldon faced the sergeant. "You hesitate, Sergeant, because you know you cannot shoot. I might have killed you ten days ago, but I did not. And you gave me your word of honor at that time that you would protect me."
谢顿面向中士说：“你在犹豫，中士，因为你知道你不能发射。十天前我有机会杀你，但我没有那样做。你当时曾以荣誉向我担保，保证你会保护我。”
"What are you waiting for?" snapped Rashelle. "I said shoot him down, Sergeant."
“你还在等什么？”芮喜尔怒吼道，“中士，我说把他射倒。”
Seldon said nothing more. He stood there while the sergeant, eyes bulging, held his blaster steady and pointed at Seldons head.
谢顿不再说什么，他只是站在那里。那位中士则稳稳地握着手铳，瞄准着谢顿的头颅，他的双眼几乎要爆出来。
"You have your order!" shrieked Rashelle.
“我已经下达命令！”芮喜尔尖叫道。
"I have your word," said Seldon quietly.
“我拥有你的承诺。”谢顿以平静的口吻说。
And Sergeant Thalus said in a choked tone, "Dishonored either way." His hand fell and his blaster clanged to the floor.
塔勒斯中士则以哽塞的声音说：“怎么做都是荣誉扫地。”他的手垂下来，手铳掉到地板上，发出铿锵一声。
Rashelle cried out, "Then you too betray me."
芮喜尔高声喊道：“那么你也背叛了我！”
Before Seldon could move or Dors free herself from his grip, Rashelle seized the blaster, turned it on the sergeant, and closed contact.
在谢顿能够有所行动之前，在铎丝尚未挣脱他的双手之际，芮喜尔抓起那把手铳，对准中士，然后扣下扳机。
Seldon had never seen anyone blasted before. Somehow, from the name of the weapon perhaps, he had expected a loud noise, an explosion of flesh and blood. This Wyan blaster, at least, did nothing of the sort. What mangling it did to the organs inside the sergeants chest Seldon could not tell but, without a change in expression, without a wince of pain, the sergeant crumbled and fell, dead beyond any doubt or any hope.
谢顿从未见过任何人遭手铳轰击。然而，或许是这个武器的名字所引起的联想，他一直以为会有一声巨响，以及血肉横飞的爆炸。事实上，至少这把卫荷手铳并未造成那种效果。它对中士胸腔内的器官究竟造成什么样的损伤，谢顿完全无从查考，但是中士在表情不变、毫无痛苦神色的情况下，就倒在地上瘫成一团，成为一具绝无疑问也绝无希望的死尸。
And Rashelle turned the blaster on Seldon with a firmness that put to rest any hope for his own life beyond the next second.
芮喜尔转过手铳对准谢顿，从她坚毅的表情看来，他已经没有希望活过下一秒钟。
It was Raych, however, who jumped into action the moment the sergeant fell. Racing between Seldon and Rashelle, he waved his hands wildly.
然而，就在中士倒地那一刻，芮奇同时展开行动。他跑到谢顿与芮喜尔之间，举起双手疯狂地挥动。
"Missus, Missus," he called. "Dont shoot."
“姑奶奶，姑奶奶，”他叫道，“别发射。”
For a moment, Rashelle looked confused. "Out of the way, Raych. I don't want to hurt you."
一时之间，芮喜尔显得相当为难。“闪开，芮奇，我不想伤害你。”
That moment of hesitation was all Dors needed. Breaking loose violently, she plunged toward Rashelle with a long low dive. Rashelle went down with a cry and the blaster hit the ground a second time.
那片刻的迟疑正是铎丝所需要的。她猛力挣脱了谢顿，以贴地俯冲的姿势撞向芮喜尔。芮喜尔大叫一声，随即仆倒在地，那把手铳则再度掉到地上。
Raych retrieved it.
芮奇赶紧把它捡起来。
Seldon, with a deep and shuddering breath, said, "Raych, give that to me." But Raych backed away.
谢顿一面发抖，一面做了一次深呼吸，然后说：“芮奇，把它给我。”
"Ya aint gonna kill her, are ya, Mister Seldon? She was nice to me."
芮奇却向后退去。“你不是要杀掉她吧，啊，谢顿大哥？她对我不赖。”
"I wont kill anyone, Raych," said Seldon. "She killed the sergeant and would have killed me, but she didn't shoot rather than hurt you and well let her live for that."
“芮奇，我不会杀害任何人。”谢顿说，“她杀了那名中士，而且正准备杀我，但她由于怕伤了你而下不了手。看在这个份上，我们会让她活下去。”
It was Seldon, who now sat down, the blaster held loosely in his hand, while Dors removed the neuronic whip from the dead sergeants other holster.
现在轮到谢顿坐在椅子上，右手轻轻握着那把手铳。铎丝则从中士尸体上另一个皮套中取走神经鞭。
A new voice rang out. "Ill take care of her now, Seldon."
一个新的声音突然响起：“谢顿，把她交给我处理吧。”
Seldon looked up and in sudden joy said, "Hummin! Finally!"
谢顿抬起头来，惊喜万分地说：“夫铭！终于来了！”
"Im sorry it took so long, Seldon. I had a lot to do. How are you, Dr. Venabili? I take it this is Mannixs daughter, Rashelle. But who is the boy?"
“很抱歉我来得那么迟，谢顿，但我有很多事要做。你好吗，凡纳比里博士？我猜这就是曼尼克斯的女儿，芮喜尔。可是这男孩又是谁？”
"Raych is a young Dahlite friend of ours," said Seldon.
“芮奇来自达尔，是我们的小朋友。”谢顿说。
Soldiers were entering and, at a small gesture from Hummin, they lifted Rashelle respectfully.
一队士兵鱼贯而入，夫铭做了一个小小的手势，他们便以尊敬的态度扶起芮喜尔。
Dors, able to suspend her intent surveillance of the other woman, brushed at her clothes with her hands and smoothed her blouse. Seldon suddenly realized that he was still in his bathrobe.
铎丝终于不必目不转睛地监视着那个女人，她用手理了理衣服，并把上衣稍稍拉平。谢顿此时突然意识到自己仍穿着浴袍。
Rashelle, shaking herself loose from the soldiers with contempt, pointed to Hummin and said to Seldon, "Who is this?"
芮喜尔轻蔑地挣脱了身旁的士兵，她指着夫铭，对谢顿说：“这是谁？”
Seldon said, "It is Chetter Hummin, a friend of mine and my protector on this planet."
谢顿说：“他是我的朋友契特·夫铭，也是我在本行星的保护者。”
"Your protector." Rashelle laughed madly. "You fool! You idiot! That man is Demerzel and if you look at your Venabili woman, you will see from her face that she is perfectly aware of that. You have been trapped all along, far worse than ever you were with me!"
“你的‘保护者’？”芮喜尔纵声狂笑，“你这个傻瓜！你这个白痴！这个人就是丹莫刺尔。而你只要仔细看看你的女人凡纳比里，就不难从她脸上看出来，她也早已心知肚明。你从头到尾都陷在一个圈套里，比在我的圈套中还糟得多！”
Hummin and Seldon sat at lunch that day, quite alone, a pall of quiet between them for the most part.
当天中午，夫铭与谢顿共进午餐，除此之外没有别人，而且大多数时间两人都沉默不语。
It was toward the end of the meal that Seldon stirred and said in a lively voice, "Well, sir, how do I address you? I think of you as Chester Hummin still, but even if I accept you in your other persona, I surely cannot address you as Eto Demerzel. In that capacity, you have a title and I don't know the proper usage. Instruct me."
直到这一餐快要结束时，谢顿才挪动了一下，并以轻快的声音说：“好啦，阁下，我该如何称呼你？我仍然把你想成‘契特·夫铭’，但即使我接受你的另一个身份，也当然不能称呼你‘伊图·丹莫刺尔’。在那个身份下，你拥有一个头衔，但我不知道正确的说法。教导我吧。”
The other said gravely, "Call me Hummin……if you don't mind. Or Chetter. Yes, I am Eto Demerzel, but with respect to you I am Hummin. As a matter of fact, the two are not distinct. I told you that the Empire is decaying and failing. I believe that to be true in both my capacities. I told you that I wanted psychohistory as a way of preventing that decay and failure or of bringing about a renewal and reinvigoration if the decay and failure must run its course. I believe that in both my capacities too."
对方以严肃的口吻说：“如果你不介意，就叫我‘夫铭’吧，或者‘契特’也行。没错，我就是伊图·丹莫刺尔，但是对你而言，我仍旧是夫铭。事实上，这两者并没有分别。我曾经告诉你，帝国正在衰败和没落，我的两个身份都相信这是真的。我也告诉过你，我想用心理史学来预防这种衰败和没落，而衰败和没落倘若无可避免，就以它作为革新和复兴的工具。对于这点，我的两个身份也都相信。”
"But you had me in your grip……I presume you were in the vicinity when I had my meeting with His Imperial Majesty."
“可是我一直在你的掌握中。我猜当我觐见皇帝陛下时，你也在附近。”
"With Cleon. Yes, of course."
“你觐见克里昂时。没错，当然。”
"And you might have spoken to me, then, exactly as you later did as Hummin."
“那么，你当时应该就能和我谈谈，正如后来你以夫铭的身份所做的那样。”
"And accomplished what? As Demerzel, I have enormous tasks. I have to handle Cleon, a well-meaning but not very capable ruler, and prevent him, insofar as I can, from making mistakes. I have to do my bit in governing Trantor and the Empire too. And, as you see, I had to spend a great deal of time in preventing Wye from doing harm."
“又会有什么成果呢？身为丹莫刺尔，我有数不清的工作。我必须应付克里昂，一个好心肠却不很能干的统治者，尽我所能来预防他犯错。我还得为治理川陀以及整个帝国尽一己之力。此外，你也看得出来，我当初得投入大量的时间，防止卫荷造成任何伤害。”
"Yes, I know," murmured Seldon.
“是的，我明白。”谢顿喃喃道。
"It wasn't easy and I nearly lost out. I have spent years sparring carefully with Mannix, learning to understand his thinking and planning a countermove to his every move. I did not think, at any time, that while he was still alive he would pass on his powers to his daughter. I had not studied her and I was not prepared for her utter lack of caution. Unlike her father, she has been brought up to take power for granted and had no clear idea of its limitations. So she got you and forced me to act before I was quite ready."
“这可不容易，我几乎失败了。我花了许多年的时间，谨慎地和曼尼克斯周旋，学着了解他的想法，并针对他的每一步行动，策划出反制之道。我却从来没有想到，他会在有生之年把权位传给他的女儿。我没有研究过她，不知道该如何应付她全然鲁莽的行动。她和她的父亲不同，从小就把权力视为理所当然，对它的局限性没有明确的概念。所以她才会把你抓来，迫使我在准备妥当前便采取行动。”
"You almost lost me as a result. I faced the muzzle of a blaster twice."
“结果使你几乎失去了我。我曾两度面对手铳的铳口。”
"I know," said Hummin, nodding. "And we might have lost you Upperside too……another accident I could not foresee."
“我知道。”夫铭一面说一面点头，“我们在上方也差点失去你，那是我所无法预见的另一个意外。”
"But you haven't really answered my question. Why did you send me chasing all over the face of Trantor to escape from Demerzel when you yourself were Demerzel?"
“可是你还没有真正回答我的问题。你自己就是丹莫刺尔，为何还要让我为了逃避丹莫刺尔而亡命整个川陀？”
"You told Cleon that psychohistory was a purely theoretical concept, a kind of mathematical game that made no practical sense. That might indeed have been so, but if I approached you officially, I was sure you would merely have maintained your belief. Yet I was attracted to the notion of psychohistory. I wondered whether it might not be, after all, just a game. You must understand that I didn't want merely to use you, I wanted a real and practical psychohistory.
“你告诉克里昂说心理史学是纯然的理论概念，是一种数学游戏，并没有实质上的意义。这点或许的确是事实，但我如果以官方身份询问你，我确定你只会坚持自己的信念。然而心理史学的想法吸引了我，我好奇它会不会并非只是一种数学游戏。你一定了解我并非只是想利用你，我想要的是真正的、可行的心理史学。
"So I sent you, as you put it, chasing all over the face of Trantor with the dreaded Demerzel close on your heels at all times. That, I felt, would concentrate your mind powerfully. It would make psychohistory something exciting and much more than a mathematical game. You would try to work it out for the sincere idealist Hummin, where you would not for the Imperial flunky Demerzel. Also, you would get a glimpse of various sides of Trantor and that too would be helpful……certainly more helpful than living in an ivory tower on a far-off planet, surrounded entirely by fellow mathematicians. Was I right? Have you made progress?"
“所以正如你所说，我让你亡命整个川陀，而可怕的丹莫刺尔则随时随地紧跟在后。我觉得这样一来，会让你的心智高度集中。它会使心理史学成为令人振奋的目标，而绝非只是数学游戏。为了真诚的理想主义者夫铭，你会尝试把它发展出来，但你不会为皇帝的奴才丹莫刺尔这样做。此外，你会因此而窥见川陀各个角落，而这同样有帮助……绝对比关在一颗遥远行星上的象牙塔里，身边全是同行的数学家更有帮助。我说得对吗？你有些进展了吗？”
Seldon said, "In psychohistory? Yes, I did, Hummin. I thought you knew."
谢顿说：“心理史学？是的，有了，夫铭，我以为你知道了。”
"How should I know?"
“我怎么会知道？”
"I told Dors."
“我告诉铎丝了。”
"But you hadn't told me. Nevertheless, you tell me so now. That is good news."
“但是你没有告诉我。无论如何，你现在告诉了我。这真是个好消息。”
"Not entirely," said Seldon. "I have made only the barest beginning. But it is a beginning."
“并不尽然。”谢顿说，“我仅仅刚跨出一小步，但的确是个起步。”
"Is it the kind of beginning that can be explained to a nonmathematician?"
“这个起步能解释给非数学家听吗？”
"I think so. You see, Hummin, from the start I have seen psychohistory as a science that depends on the interaction of twenty-five million worlds, each with an average population of four thousand million. Its too much. Theres no way of handling something that complex. If I was to succeed at all, if there was to be any way of finding a useful psychohistory, I would first have to find a simpler system.
“我想可以。你知道吗，夫铭，刚开始的时候，我将心理史学视为由两千五百万个世界的互动所决定的科学，而每个世界的平均人口为十几亿。那实在太多了，根本没有办法处理那么复杂的东西。假如我想要成功，假如我想找到一个通往实用心理史学的途径，首先我得找到一个较为简单的系统。
"So I thought I would go back in time and deal with a single world, a world that was the only one occupied by humanity in the dim age before the colonization of the Galaxy. In Mycogen they spoke of an original world of Aurora and in Dahl I heard word of an original world of Earth. I thought they might be the same world under different names, but they were sufficiently different in one key point, at least, to make that impossible. And it didn't matter. So little was known of either one, and that little so obscured by myth and legend, that there was no hope of making use of psychohistory in connection with them."
“所以我曾经想到，我应该回溯过去，以便处理一个单一的世界。在人类尚未殖民银河的鸿蒙时期，它是唯一住有人类的世界。在麦曲生，他们提到一个名叫奥罗拉的起源世界；而在达尔，我又听说有个叫做地球的起源世界。我曾想到它们可能是同一个世界的两个名字，但至少在一个关键点上，两者具有充分的差异，使得这个假设变得不可能。不过这不重要，我们对两者都只知道一点点，而这一点点又被神话和传说所混淆，根本没有希望利用心理史学加以研究。”
He paused to sip at his cold juice, keeping his eyes firmly on Hummins face.
他顿了一下，呷了一口冰果汁，双眼始终紧盯着夫铭的脸庞。
Hummin said, "Well? What then?"
夫铭说：“嗯？后来呢？”
"Meanwhile, Dors had told me something I call the hand-on-thigh story. It was of no innate significance, merely a humorous and entirely trivial tale. As a result, though, Dors mentioned the different sex mores on various worlds and in various sectors of Trantor. It occurred to me that she treated the different Trantorian sectors as though they were separate worlds. I thought, idly, that instead of twenty-five million different worlds, I had twenty-five million plus eight hundred to deal with. It seemed a trivial difference, so I forgot it and thought no more about it.
“与此同时，铎丝对我讲了一个我称之为毛手毛脚的故事。它并没有什么深刻含意，只是极其普通的幽默小品。不过，铎丝因而提到性爱风俗因地而异，每个世界和川陀上每个区都各有不同。这使我想到，她将川陀各个行政区视为一个个独立的世界。我无端冒出一个念头，我需要研究的不只是两千五百万个不同的世界，而是两千五百万再加上八百个。这样的差别几乎可以忽略，所以我立刻抛到脑后，未曾再去想它。
"But as I traveled from the Imperial Sector to Streeling to Mycogen to Dahl to Wye, I observed for myself how different each was. The thought of Trantor……not as a world but as a complex of worlds……grew stronger, but still I didn't see the crucial point.
“可是一路上，我从皇区转到斯璀璘，再从斯璀璘转到麦曲生，再从麦曲生转到达尔，再从达尔转到卫荷，我自己观察到各区的差异有多大。这使我越来越有那种感觉……川陀不是一个世界，而是许多世界的复合体。但是，我仍未洞察真正的关键。
"It was only when I listened to Rashelle……you see, it was good that I was finally captured by Wye and it was good that Rashelles rashness drove her into the grandiose schemes that she imparted to me……When I listened to Rashelle, as I said, she told me that all she wanted was Trantor and some immediately adjacent worlds. It was an Empire in itself, she said, and dismissed the outer worlds as distant nothings.
“直到我听了芮喜尔的一席话……你看，我终究被卫荷抓到其实是件好事；芮喜尔的轻率驱使她想实现霸业也是件好事，因为她把一切计划与我分享……我刚才要讲的是，她告诉我说她想要的只有川陀，以及邻近几个世界而已。它本身就是一个帝国，她这么说，她还把外围世界嗤为‘等于并不存在’的遥远国度。
"It was then that, in a moment, I saw what I must have been harboring in my hidden thoughts for a considerable time. On the one hand, Trantor possessed an extraordinarily complex social system, being a populous world made up of eight hundred smaller worlds. It was in itself a system complex enough to make psychohistory meaningful and yet it was simple enough, compared to the Empire as a whole, to make psychohistory perhaps practical.
“就是在那一刻，我忽然看见了一定被我深藏在思想中好一段时间的灵感。这样说吧，川陀拥有格外复杂的社会结构，是由八百个小世界组成的一个人口众多的大世界。它本身就是一个足够复杂的系统，足以使得心理史学具有意义；可是和整个帝国相比，它又足够简单，或许能让心理史学成为可行。
"And the Outer Worlds, the twenty-five million of them? They were distant nothings. Of course, they affected Trantor and were affected by Trantor, but these were second-order effects. If I could make psychohistory work as a first approximation for Trantor alone, then the minor effects of the Outer Worlds could be added as later modifications. Do you see what I mean? I was searching for a single world on which to establish a practical science of psychohistory and I was searching for it in the far past, when all the time the single world I wanted was under my feet now."
“至于那些外围世界，那两千五百万个世界又如何呢？它们‘等于并不存在’。当然，它们会对川陀造成影响，也会受到川陀的影响，但那些都是二阶效应。如果我能让心理史学成为对川陀本身的一阶近似描述，那么外围世界所有的微小影响都能在事后再加进来，作为一种二阶修正。你懂我的意思吗？我一直在寻找一个单一世界，以便建立一个实用的心理史学，我不断在遥远的过去中寻找，其实，我要的那个世界始终在我脚下。”
Hummin said with obvious relief and pleasure, "Wonderful!"
夫铭带着明显的宽心与喜悦说：“太好了！”
"But its all left to do, Hummin. I must study Trantor in sufficient detail. I must devise the necessary mathematics to deal with it. If I am lucky and live out a full lifetime, I may have the answers before I die. If not, my successors will have to follow me. Conceivably, the Empire may have fallen and splintered before psychohistory becomes a useful technique."
“可是一切还有待努力，夫铭。我必须将川陀研究得足够仔细，我必须发明必要的数学来处理它。如果我够幸运，可以活完这一辈子，我也许能在去世之前找到答案。如果不行，我的后继者必须再接再厉。可想而知的是，在心理史学成为一个有用的技术之前，帝国或许已经衰亡并四分五裂。”
"I will do everything I can to help you."
“我会尽一切力量帮助你。”
"I know it," said Seldon.
“我知道。”谢顿说。
"You trust me, then, despite the fact I am Demerzel?"
“这么说，你相信我，虽然我其实是丹莫刺尔？”
"Entirely. Absolutely. But I do so because you are not Demerzel."
“全然相信，绝对相信。不过我这么做，却是因为你并非丹莫刺尔。”
"But I am," insisted Hummin.
“但我的确是啊。”夫铭坚持道。
"But you are not. Your persona as Demerzel is as far removed from the truth as is your persona as Hummin."
“但你的确不是。你的丹莫刺尔身份还远不如夫铭这个身份来得真实。”
"What do you mean?" Hummins eyes grew wide and he backed away slightly from Seldon.
“你是什么意思？”夫铭张大双眼，和谢顿的距离也拉开了些。
"I mean that you probably chose the name Hummin out of a wry sense of what was fitting. Hummin is a mispronunciation of human, isn't it?"
“我的意思是，你选择‘夫铭’这个名字，也许是出于一种自我解嘲的幽默感。‘夫铭’脱胎于‘人名’两字，对不对？”
Hummin made no response. He continued to stare at Seldon.
夫铭并未做出回应，他继续凝视着谢顿。
And finally Seldon said, "Because youre not human, are you, Hummin/Demerzel? Youre a robot."
最后谢顿终于说：“因为你不是人，对不对，夫铭／丹莫刺尔？你其实是个机器人。”