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. 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.
He said at last, "I look funny."
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.
"My head looks like a ball inside a bowl."
Dors said, "But this is the sort of thing rich children wear in Wye. Everyone who sees you will admire you and envy you."
"With my hair all stuck down?"
"Certainly. Youll wear this round little hat."
"Itll make my head more like a ball."
"Then dont let anyone kick it. Now, remember what I told you. Keep your wits about you and dont act like a kid."
"But I am a kid," he said, looking up at her with a wide-eyed innocent expression.
"Im surprised to hear you say that," said Dors. "Im sure you think of yourself as a twelve-year-old adult."
Raych grinned. "Okay. Ill be a good spy."
"Thats not what Im telling you to be. Dont take chances. Dont sneak behind doors to listen. If you get caught at it, youre no good to anyone--especially not to yourself."
"Aw, cmon, Missus, what do ya think I am? A kid or somethin?"
"You just said you were, didnt you, Raych? You just listen to everything thats said without seeming to. And remember what you hear. And tell us. Thats simple enough."
"Simple enough for you to say, Missus Venabili," said Raych with a grin, "and simple enough for me to do."
"And be careful."
Raych winked. "You bet."
A flunky (as coolly impolite as only an arrogant flunky can be) came to take Raych to where Rashelle was awaiting him.
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."
"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."
"Are you actually sorry for her, Dors?"
"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."
Seldon said, "Have you ever had an unhappy love affair, Dors?"
Dors considered for a moment or two, then said, "Not really. Im too involved with my work to get a broken heart."
"I thought as much."
"Then why did you ask?"
"I might have been wrong."
"How about you?"
Seldon seemed uneasy. "As a matter of fact, yes. I have spared the time for a broken heart. Badly cracked, anyway."
"I thought as much."
"Then why did you ask?"
"Not because I thought I might be wrong, I promise you. I just wanted to see if you would lie. You didnt and Im glad."
There was a pause and then Seldon said, "Five days have passed and nothing has happened."
"Except that we are being treated well, Hari."
"If animals could think, theyd think they were being treated well when they were only being fattened for the slaughter."
"I admit shes fattening the Empire for the slaughter."
"But when?"
"I presume when shes ready."
"She boasted she could complete the coup in a day and the impression I got was that she could do that on any day."
"Even if she could, she would want to make sure that she could cripple the Imperial reaction and that might take time."
"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."
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."
"In what way am I naive?" asked Seldon lifting his head and staring down his nose at her.
"Dont be offended, Hari. I think its one of your attractive features, actually."
"I know. It arouses your ma............