For a long while, they sat silently as the taxi whined through the hundredsof miles of worm-like tunnels toward the University. And then Gaal stirred.
He said:
"Was what you told  the Commissioner true? Would your execution have reallyhastened the Fall?"Seldon said, "I never  lie about psychohistoric findings. Nor would it haveavailed me in  this case. Chen knew I spoke the truth.  He is a very cleverpolitician and  politicians by the very  nature of their work  must have aninstinctive feeling for the truths of psychohistory.""Then  need you  have accepted  exile," Gaal  wondered, but Seldon  did notanswer.
When they burst out upon the University grounds, Gaal's muscles took actionof their own; or rather, inaction. He had to be carried, almost, out of thetaxi.
All the  University was a blaze of light. Gaal  had almost forgotten that asun could exist.
The  University  structures  lacked  the hard  steel-gray  of  the rest  ofTrantor. They were silvery, rather. The metallic luster was almost ivory incolor.
Seldon said, "Soldiers, it seems.""What?" Gaal  brought his eyes to  the prosaic ground and  found a sentinelahead of them.
They  stopped before  him, and  a soft-spoken  captain materialized  from anear-by doorway.
He said, "Dr. Seldon?""Yes.""We have  been waiting for you. You and your men  will be under martial lawhenceforth. I  have been instructed to  inform you that six  months will beallowed you for preparations to leave for Terminus.""Six months!"  began Gaal,  but Seldon's fingers  were upon his  elbow withgentle pressure.
"These are my instructions," repeated the captain.
He  was gone,  and Gaal  turned to Seldon,  "Why, what  can be done  in sixmonths? This is but slower murder.""Quietly. Quietly. Let us reach my office."It  was  not  a  large  office,  but  it  was  quite  spy-proof  and  quiteundetectably so.  Spy-beams trained  upon it received  neither a suspicioussilence  nor  an even  more  suspicious  static. They  received, rather,  aconversation constructed at random out of a vast stock of innocuous phrasesin various tones and voices.
"Now,"   said  Seldon,  at   his  ease,   "six  months  will   be  enough.""I don't see how.""Because, my boy, in a plan such as ours, the actions of others are bent toour needs. Have I  not said to you already that Chen's temperamental makeuphas been subjected to greater scrutiny than that of any other single man inhistory.  The &nb............