Cleon was no longer quite the handsome young monarch that his holographs portrayed. Perhaps he still was-in the holographs-but his mirror told a different story. His most recent birthday had been celebrated with the usual pomp and ritual, but it was his fortieth just the same.
    The Emperor could find nothing wrong with being forty. His health was perfect. He had gained a little weight but not much. His face would perhaps look older, if it were not for the microadjustments that were made periodically and that gave him a slightly enameled look.
    He had been on the throne for eighteen years-already one of the longer reigns of the century-and he felt there was nothing that might necessarily keep him from reigning another forty years and perhaps having the longest reign in Imperial history as a result.
    Cleon looked at the mirror again and thought he looked a bit better if he did not actualize the third dimension.
    Now take Demerzel-faithful, reliable, necessary, unbearable Demerzel. No change in him. He maintained his appearance and, as far as Cleon knew, there had been no microadjustments, either. Of course, Demerzel was so close-mouthed about everything. And he had never been young. There had been no young look about him when he first served Cleon's father and Cleon had been the boyish Prince Imperial. And there was no young look about him now. Was it better to have looked old at the start and to avoid change afterward?
    Change!
    It reminded him that he had called Demerzel in for a purpose and not just so that he might stand there while the Emperor ruminated. Demerzel would take too much Imperial rumination as a sign of old age.
    "Demerzel," he said.
    "Sire?"
    "This fellow Joranum. I tire of hearing of him."
    "There is no reason you should hear of him, Sire. He is one of those phenomena that are thrown to the surface of the news for a while and then disappears."
    "But he doesn't disappear."
    "Sometimes it takes a while, Sire."
    "What do you think of him, Demerzel?"
    "He is dangerous but has a certain popularity. It is the popularity that increases the danger."
    "If you find him dangerous and if I find him annoying, why must we wait? Can't he simply be imprisoned or executed or something?"
    "The political situation on Trantor, Sire, is delicate-"
    "It is always delicate. When have you told me that it is anything but delicate?"
    "We live in delicate times, Sire. It would be useless to move strongly against him if that would but exacerbate the danger."
    "I don't like it. I may not be widely read-an Emperor doesn't have the time to be widely read-but I know my Imperial history, at any rate. There have been a number of cases ............