Forward the Foundation

The magistrate said, "Track down one dead and two wounded nameless faceless Trantorians? Are you aware that on Trantor over two thousand people are found dead every day-by knife wounds alone. Unless these things are reported to us at once, we are helpless. Your story of being assaulted once before will not hold water. What we must do is deal with the events of today, which were reported and which had a security officer as a witness.

"So, let's consider the situation as of now. Why do you think the fellow was going to attack? Simply because you happened to be passing by? Because you seemed old and defenseless? Because you looked like you might be carrying a great deal of credits? What do you think?"

"I think, Magistrate, it was because of who I am."

The magistrate looked at his papers. "You are Hari Seldon, a professor and a scholar. Why should that make you subject to assault, particularly?"

"Because of my views."

"Your views. Well-" The magistrate shuffled some papers perfunctorily. Suddenly he stopped and looked up, peering at Seldon. "Wait-Hari Seldon." A look of recognition spread across his face. "You're the psychohistory buff, aren't you?"

"Yes, Magistrate."

"I'm sorry. I don't know anything about it except the name and the fact that you go around predicting the end of the Empire or something like that."

"Not quite, Magistrate. But my views have become unpopular because they are proving to be true. I believe it is for that reason that there are those who want to assault me or, even more likely, are being paid to assault me."

The magistrate stared at Seldon and then called over the arresting security officer. "Did you check up on the man who was hurt? Does he have a record?"

The security officer cleared her throat. "Yes, sir. He's been arrested several times. Assault, mugging."

"Oh, he's a repeat offender, is he? And does the professor have a record?"

"No, sir."

"So we have an old and innocent man fighting off a known mugger-and you arrest the old and innocent man. Is that it?"

The security officer was silent.

The magistrate said, "You may go, Professor."

"Thank you, sir. May I have my cane?"

The magistrate snapped his fingers at the officer, who handed over the cane.

"But one thing, Professor," said the magistrate. "If you use that cane again, you had better be absolutely certain you can prove it was in self-defense. Otherwise-"

"Yes, sir." And Hari Seldon left the magistrate's chambers, leaning heavily on his cane but with his head held high.

20

Wanda was crying bitterly, her face wet with tears, her eyes red, her cheeks swollen.

Hari Seldon hovered over her, patting her on the back, not knowing quite how to comfort her.

"Grandpa, I'm a miserable failure. I thought I could push people and I could when they didn't mind being pushed too much, like Mom and Dad-and even then it took a long time. I even worked out a rating system of sorts, based on a ten-point scale-sort of a mental pushing power gauge. Only I assumed too much. I assumed that I was a ten, or at least a nine. But now I realize that, at most, I rate a seven."

Wanda's crying had stopped and she sniffed occasionally as Hari stroked her hand. "Usually-usually-I have no trouble. If I concentrate, I can hear people's thoughts and when I want, I push them. But those muggers! I could hear them all right, but there was nothing I could do to push them away."

"I thought you did very well, Wanda."

"I didn't. I had a fan-fantasy. I thought people would come up behind you and in one mighty push I'd send them flying. That way I was going to be your bodyguard. That's why I offered to be your bod-bodyguard. Only I wasn't. Those two guys came up and I couldn't do a thing."

"But you could. You made the first man hesitate. That gave me a chance to turn and clobber him."

"No no. I had nothing to do with it. All I could do was warn you he was there and you did the rest."

"The second man ran away."

"Because you clobbered the first guy. I had nothing to do with it." She broke out again in tears of frustration. "And then the magistrate. I insisted on the magistrate. I thought I would push and he would let you go at once."

"He did let me go and it was practically at once."

"No. He put you through a miserable routine and saw the light only when he realized who you were. I had nothing to do with it. I flopped everywhere. I could have gotten you into so much trouble."

"No, I refuse to accept that, Wanda. If your pushing didn't work quite as well as you had hoped it would, it was only because you were working under emergency conditions. You couldn't have helped it. But, Wanda, look-I have an idea."

Catching the excitement in his voice, she looked up. "What kind of idea, Grandpa?"

"Well, it's like this, Wanda. You probably realize that I've got to have credits. Psychohistory simply can't continue without it and I cannot bear the thought of having it all come to nothing after so many years of hard work."

"I can't bear it, either. But how can we get the credits?"