25 DEATH OF A PSYCHOLOGIST
第25章 心理学家之死
After that there were only two weeks left to the life of Ebling Mis.
普利吉来访那天，艾布林·米斯的生命只剩下最后两个星期。
And in those two weeks, Bayta was with him three times. The first time was on the night after the evening upon which they saw Colonel Pritcher. The second was one week later. And the third was again a week later……on the last day……the day Mis died.
在这两周中，贝泰总共和他碰过三次面。第一次是他们见到普利吉上校的那天晚上；第二次是一周后；第三次则是再过一周……也就是米斯生命的最后一天。
First, there was the night of Colonel Pritcher's evening, the first hour of which was spent by a stricken pair in a brooding, unmerry merry-go-round.
普利吉上校那天傍晚匆匆来去后，这对年轻夫妻由于惊恐过度，陷入一片愁云惨雾。当天晚上，他俩心情沉重地你一言我一语，先讨论了一个钟头。
Bayta said, "Torie, let's tell Ebling."
贝泰说：“杜，我们去告诉艾布林。”
Toran said dully, "Think he can help?"
杜伦有气无力地说：“你想他又能帮什么忙？”
"We're only two. We've got to take some of the weight off. Maybe he can help."
“我们只有两个人，必须找人分担一点这个重担。也许他真有办法。”
Toran said, "He's changed. He's lost weight. He's a little feathery; a little woolly." His fingers groped in air, metaphorically. "Sometimes, I don't think he'll help us muchever. Sometimes, I don't think anything will help."
“他整个人都变了。身体愈来愈瘦，有点头重脚轻，还有点失魂落魄。”他的手指在半空中象征性地比画着，“有些时候，我觉得他再也不能帮我们什么。有些时候，我甚至觉得没有任何人能帮我们。”
"Don't!" Bayta's voice caught and escaped a break, "Torie, don't! When you say that, I think the Mule's getting us. Let's tell Ebling, Torie……now!"
“别这样！”贝泰的声音哽塞，她及时打住，顿了一下，“杜，别这样！你这么说，令我感到骡已经控制住我们。我们去告诉艾布林，杜……现在就去！”
Ebling Mis raised his head from the long desk, and bleared at them as they approached. His thinning hair was scuffed up, his lips made sleepy, smacking sounds.
艾布林·米斯从长书桌上抬起头来，稀疏的白发掉得差不多了。他看着两个朦胧的人影慢慢接近，嘴里发出一阵困倦而含糊的声音。
"Eh?" he said. "Someone want me?"
“啊？”他说，“有人来找我吗？”
Bayta bent to her knees, "Did we wake you? Shall we leave?"
贝泰半蹲下来说：“我们吵醒你了吗？是不是要我们走开？”
"Leave? Who is it? Bayta? No, no, stay! Aren't there chairs? I saw them? His finger pointed vaguely.
“走开？是谁？贝泰？不，不，留下来！不是还有椅子吗？我看见过……”他的手指胡乱指了指。
Toran pushed two ahead of him. Bayta sat down and took one of the psychologist's flaccid hands in hers. "May we talk to you, Doctor?" She rarely used the title.
杜伦推过来两张椅子。贝泰坐下来，抓住心理学家软弱无力的右手。“博士，我们可以和你谈谈吗？”她难得用博士这个称谓。
"Is something wrong?" A little sparkle returned to his abstracted eyes. His sagging cheeks regained a touch of color. "Is something wrong?"
“有什么不对劲吗？”他失神的眼睛稍微恢复一点光彩，松垮垮的两颊也重现一丝血色。“有什么不对劲吗？”
Bayta said, "Captain Pritcher has been here. Let me talk, Torie. You remember Captain Pritcher, Doctor?"
贝泰说：“普利吉上尉刚刚来过这里。杜，让我来说。博士，你还记得普利吉上尉吧？”
"Yes?Yes? His fingers pinched his lips and released them. "Tall man. Democrat."
“记得……记得……”他捏了捏自己的嘴唇，又随即松开，“高个子，民主分子。”
"Yes, he. He's discovered the Mule's mutation. He was here, Doctor, and told us."
“没错，就是他。他发现了骡的突变异能。博士，他刚刚来过，把一切都告诉了我们。”
"But that is nothing new. The Mule's mutation is straightened out." In honest astonishment, "Haven't I told you? Have I forgotten to tell you?"
“但这不是什么新发现。骡的突变早就让我弄明白了。”他感到万分惊讶，问道：“我没有告诉你们吗？难道我忘了告诉你们？”
"Forgotten to tell us what?" put in Toran, quickly.
“忘了告诉我们什么？”杜伦立刻反问。
"About the Mule's mutation, of course. He tampers with emotions. Emotional control! I haven't told you? Now what made me forget?" Slowly, he sucked in his under lip and considered.
“当然是关于骡的突变能力。他能影响别人的情感，这叫情感控制！我没有告诉你们吗？是什么害得我忘记的？”他慢慢咬着下唇，开始思索答案。
Then, slowly, life crept into his voice and his eyelids lifted wide, as though his sluggish brain had slid onto a well-greased single track. He spoke in a dream, looking between the two listeners rather than at them. "It is really so simple. It requires no specialized knowledge. In the mathematics of psychohistory, of course, it works out promptly, in a third-level equation involving no more……Never mind that. It can be put into ordinary words……roughly……and have it make sense, which isn't usual with psychohistorical phenomena.
然后，他的声音逐渐有了活力，他的眼睛也张大了。仿佛原本迟钝的头脑，终于滑进一个涂满润滑油的轨道。他瞪着对面两人之间的空隙，用梦呓般的口气说：“这其实很简单，根本不需要专业知识。在心理史学的数学架构中，仅仅牵涉到三阶方程式而已，当然能够立刻得出结果。不过别管数学了，它也能用普通的语言说明……大略说明……而且相当合理。在心理史学中，这种现象并不常见。
"Ask yourselves……What can upset Hari Seldon's careful scheme of history, eh?" He peered from one to the other with a mild, questioning anxiety. "What were Seldon's original assumptions? First, that there would be no fundamental change in human society over the next thousand years.
“问问你们自己……有什么能够推翻哈里·谢顿精密规划的历史，啊？”他带着期望听到答案的表情，来回望着对面的两个人，“谢顿做过哪些原始假设？第一，在未来一千年间，人类社会并不会有基本的变化。
"For instance, suppose there were a major change in the Galaxy's technology, such as finding a new principle for the utilization of energy, or perfecting the study of electronic neurobiology. Social changes would render Seldon's original equations obsolete. But that hasn't happened, has it now?"
“比如说，假设银河系的科技产生重大突破，例如发现了能源的新原理，或是电子神经生物学的研究大功告成。这些结果所导致的社会变迁，将令谢顿的方程式变得落伍。不过这种事并没有发生，对不对？
"Or suppose that a new weapon were to be invented by forces outside the Foundation, capable of withstanding all the Foundation's armaments. That might cause a ruinous deviation, though less certainly. But even that hasn't happened. The Mule's Nuclear Field-Depressor was a clumsy weapon and could be countered. And that was the only novelty he presented, poor as it was.
“此外，假设基地以外的世界发明了一种新武器，足以和基地所有的武力相抗衡。这就可能导致无法挽救的偏差，虽说可能性不大。但是就连这种情况也没有出现。骡的核场抑制器只是一种简陋的武器，其实不难对付。虽然那么粗劣，那却是他唯一的一种新奇武器。
"But there was a second assumption, a more subtle one! Seldon assumed that human reaction to stimuli would remain constant. Granted that the first assumption held true, then the second must have broken down! Some factor must be twisting and distorting the emotional responses of human beings or Seldon couldn't have failed and the Foundation couldn't have fallen. And what factor but the Mule?
“然而，谢顿还有第二个假设，一个更微妙的假设！谢顿假设人类对各种刺激的反应是恒常不变的。倘若第一个假设至今仍旧成立，那么第二个假设一定已经垮台！一定出现了什么因素，使人类的情感反应扭曲和变质，否则谢顿的预测不可能失败，基地也不可能沦陷。而除了骡，还可能有别的因素吗？
"Am I right? Is there a flaw in the reasoning?"
“我说得对不对？我的推理有任何破绽吗？”
Bayta's plump hand patted his gently. "No flaw, Ebling."
贝泰用丰腴的手掌轻拍他的手。“艾布林，没有破绽。”
Mis was joyful, like a child. "This and more comes so easily. I tell you I wonder sometimes what is going on inside me. I seem to recall the time when so much was a mystery to me and now things are so clear. Problems are absent. I come across what might be one, and somehow, inside me, I see and understand. And my guesses, my theories seem always to be borne out. There's a drive in me……always onward……so that I can't stop……and I don't want to eat or sleep……but always go on……and on……and on……"
米斯像小孩子一样高兴。“这个结论，以及其他许多结果，我都得来不费功夫。我告诉你们，有时我会怀疑自己起了什么变化。我似乎还记得过去常常面对无数的疑团，如今却通通一清二楚。难题全部消失了；无论碰到任何疑问，不知怎地，我在内心深处很快就能恍然大悟。而我的各种猜测、各种理论，好像总是能够找到佐证。我心中有一股冲动……始终驱策我向前……所以我停不下来……我不想吃也不想睡……只想不断继续研究……不断……继续……”
His voice was a whisper; his wasted, blue-veined hand rested tremblingly upon his forehead. There was a frenzy in his eyes that faded and went out.
他的声音愈来愈小。他抬起颤抖的右手覆在额头，那只手臂枯瘦憔悴，布满一条条殷蓝色的血管。他刚才露出的狂热眼神，已在不知不觉间消逝无踪。
He said more quietly, "Then I never told you about the Mule's mutant powers, did I? But then……did you say you knew about it?"
他又以较平静的口吻说：“所以，我从未告诉你们有关骡的突变能力，是吗？可是……你们是不是说已经知道了？”
"It was Captain Pritcher, Ebling," said Bayta. "Remember?"
“艾布林，是普利吉上尉告诉我们的。”贝泰答道，“你还记得吗？”
"He told you?" There was a tinge of outrage in his tone. "But how did he find out?"
“他告诉你们的？”他的语气中透出愤怒，“但他又是如何发现的？”
"He's been conditioned by the Mule. He's a colonel now, a Mule's man. He came to advise us to surrender to the Mule, and he told us……what you told us."
“他已经被骡制约了。他成了骡的部下，如今是一名上校。他来找我们，是想劝我们向骡投降，并且告诉我们……你刚才说的那些。”
"Then the Mule knows we're here? I must hurry……Where's Magnifico? Isn't he with you?"
“所以骡知道我们在这里？我得加紧行动……马巨擘在哪里？他没有跟你们在一起吗？”
"Magnifico's sleeping," said Toran, impatiently. "It's past midnight, you know."
“马巨擘正在睡觉。”杜伦有些不耐烦地说，“你可知道，现在已经过了午夜。”
"It is? Then……Was I sleeping when you came in?"
“是吗？那么……你们进来的时候，我是不是睡着了？”
"You were," said Bayta decisively, "and you're not going back to work, either. You're getting into bed. Come on, Torie, help me. And you stop pushing at me, Ebling, because it's just your luck I don't shove you under a shower first. Pull off his shoes, Torie, and tomorrow you come down here and drag him out into the open air before he fades completely away. Look at you, Ebling, you'll be growing cobwebs. Are you hungry?"
“你的确睡着了。”贝泰坚决地说，“你现在也不准再继续工作，你应该上床休息。来，杜，帮我一下。艾布林，你别再推我，我没有把你抓去淋浴，已经算是你的运气。杜，把他的鞋子脱掉；明天你还要来，趁他还没有完全垮掉，把他拖到外面呼吸呼吸新鲜空气。艾布林，你看看你，身上都要长蜘蛛网了。你饿不饿？”
Ebling Mis shook his head and looked up from his cot in a peevish confusion. "I want you to send Magnifico down tomorrow," he muttered.
艾布林·米斯摇摇头，又从吊床中抬起头来，显得又气恼又茫然。“我要你们明天叫马巨擘来这里。”他喃喃道。
Bayta tucked the sheet around his neck. "You'll have me down tomorrow, with washed clothes. You're going to take a good bath, and then get out and visit the farm and feel a little sun on you."
贝泰把被单拉到他的脖子周围。“不，是我明天会来这里，我会带着换洗衣物来。你需要好好洗个澡，然后到附近农场散散步，晒一点太阳。”
"I won't do it," said Mis weakly. "You hear me? I'm too busy."
“我不要。”米斯以虚弱的口气说，“你听到了吗？我太忙了。”
His sparse hair spread out on the pillow like a silver fringe about his head. His voice was a confidential whisper. "You want that Second Foundation, don't you?"
他稀疏的银发铺散在枕头上，好像他脑后有一圈银色的光环。他以充满自信的语气，小声地说：“你们希望找到第二基地，对不对？”
Toran turned quickly and squatted down on the cot beside him. "What about the Second Foundation, Ebling?"
杜伦迅速转身，在吊床旁边蹲下来。“艾布林，第二基地怎么样？”
The psychologist freed an arm from beneath the sheet and his tired fingers clutched at Toran's sleeve. "The Foundations were established at a great Psychological Convention presided over by Hari Seldon. Toran, I have located the published minutes of that Convention. Twenty-five fat films. I have already looked through various summaries."
心理学家从被单里伸出一只手，用孱弱的手指抓住杜伦的袖子。“建立两个基地的提案，首度出现于哈里·谢顿所主持的一个心理学大会上。杜伦，我已经找到那个大会的正式记录，总共二十五卷粗大的胶卷。我也已经浏览过各个摘要。”
"Well?"
“结果呢？”
"Well, do you know that it is very easy to find from them the exact location of the First Foundation, if you know anything at all about psychohistory. It is frequently referred to, when you understand the equations. But Toran, nobody mentions the Second Foundation, There has been no reference to it anywhere."
“结果呢，你知道吗，只要你对心理史学稍有涉猎，就非常容易从中发现第一基地的正确位置。如果你看得懂那些方程式，便会发现它常常出现。可是，杜伦，没有人提到过第二基地，任何记录中都没有只字片语。”
Toran's eyebrows pulled into a frown. "It doesn't exist?"
杜伦皱起了眉头。“所以它不存在？”
"Of course it exists," cried Mis, angrily, "who said it didn't? But there's less talk of it. Its significance……and all about it……are better hidden, better obscured. Don't you see? It's the more important of the two. It's the critical one; the one that counts! And I've got the minutes of the Seldon Convention. The Mule hasn't won yet?
“它当然存在，”米斯怒吼道，“谁说它不存在？只不过他们尽量不提。它的使命……以及它的一切……都比第一基地更隐晦，也隐藏得更好。你们难道看不出来吗？第二基地比第一基地更为重要。它是谢顿计划真正的关键、真正的主角！我已经找到谢顿大会的记录。骡还没有赢……”
Quietly, Bayta turned the lights down. "Go to sleep!"
贝泰轻轻把灯关掉。“睡觉吧！”
Without speaking, Toran and Bayta made their way up to their own quarters.
杜伦与贝泰走回自己的房间，没有再说一句话。
The next day, Ebling Mis bathed and dressed himself, saw the sun of Trantor and felt the wind of Trantor for the last time. At the end of the day he was once again submerged in the gigantic recesses of the library, and never emerged thereafter.
第二天，艾布林·米斯洗了一个澡，换了一身衣服。这是他最后一次见到川陀的太阳，最后一次感受到川陀的微风。当天晚上，他再度钻进图书馆中那个巨大幽深的角落，从此再也没有出来。
In the week that followed, life settled again into its groove. The sun of Neotrantor was a calm, bright star in Trantor's night sky. The farm was busy with its spring planting. The University grounds were silent in their desertion. The Galaxy seemed empty. The Mule might never have existed.
接下来一个星期，生活又恢复了常轨。在川陀的夜空中，新川陀的太阳是一颗静寂而明亮的恒星。农场正在忙着春耕，大学校园依旧保持遗世独立的静谧。银河仿佛一片空虚，骡好像从来未曾存在。
Bayta was thinking that as she watched Toran light his cigar carefully and look up at the sections of blue sky visible between the swarming metal spires that encircled the horizon.
贝泰望着杜伦，心中这么想着。杜伦则一面仔细点燃雪茄，一面抬起头，透过地平线上无数金属尖塔间的隙缝，盯着支离破碎的蓝天。
"It's a nice day," he said.
“天气真好。”他说。
"Yes, it is. Have you everything mentioned on the list, Torie?"
“没错。杜，我要买的东西，你都写下来了吗？”
"Sure. Half pound butter, dozen eggs, string beans……Got it all down here, Bay. I'll have it right."
“当然。半磅奶油、一打鸡蛋、四季豆……都记下来了。贝，我会买齐的。”
"Good. And make sure the vegetables are of the last harvest and not museum relics. Did you see Magnifico anywhere, by the way?"
“很好。要确定蔬菜都是刚采下来的，可别买到陈年旧货。对了，你有没有看到马巨擘？”
"Not since breakfast. Guess he's down with Ebling, watching a book-film."
“早餐后就没有再看到他了。我猜他又去找艾布林，陪他一块看书报胶卷。”
"All right. Don't waste any time, because I'll need the eggs for dinner."
“好吧。别浪费任何时间，我等着那些鸡蛋做晚餐。”
Toran left with a backward smile and a wave of the hand.
杜伦一面走，一面回过头来笑了笑，同时挥了挥手。
Bayta turned away as Toran slid out of sight among the maze of metal. She hesitated before the kitchen door, about-faced slowly, and entered the colonnade leading to the elevator that burrowed down into the recesses.
杜伦的身影消失在金属迷宫后，贝泰立刻转身向后走。她在厨房门口犹豫了一下，又缓缓向后转，穿过柱廊，走入电梯，来到位于地底深处那个幽深的角落。
Ebling Mis was there, head bent down over the eyepieces of the projector, motionless, a frozen, questing body. Near him sat Magnifico, screwed up into a chair, eyes sharp and watching……a bundle of slatty limbs with a nose emphasizing his scrawny face.
艾布林·米斯仍然在那里，他低着头，双眼对着投影机的接目镜，全身僵凝一动不动，全神贯注地进行研究。在他身旁，马巨擘蜷缩在一张椅子上，瞪着一双目光炯炯的大眼睛……看来像是一团胡乱堆起的木板，上面插着一根长长的大鼻子。
Bayta said softly, "Magnifico……"
贝泰轻轻唤道：“马巨擘……”
Magnifico scrambled to his feet. His voice was an eager whisper. "My lady!"
马巨擘爬起来，压低声音热情地说：“我亲爱的女士！”
"Magnifico," said Bayta, "Toran has left for the farm and won't be back for a while. Would you be a good boy and go out after him with a message that I'll write for you?"
“马巨擘，”贝泰说，“杜伦到农场去了，好一阵子才会回来。你能不能做个好孩子，帮我带个信给他？我马上就可以写。”
"Gladly, my lady. My small services are but too eagerly yours, for the tiny uses you can put them to."
“乐于效劳，我亲爱的女士。只要我派得上一点点小用场，随时乐意为您效绵薄之力。”
She was alone with Ebling Mis, who had not moved. Firmly, she placed her hand upon his shoulder. "Ebling……"
然后，就只剩下贝泰与一动不动的艾布林·米斯。她伸出手来，用力按在他的肩头。“艾布林……”
The psychologist started, with a peevish cry, "What is it?" He wrinkled his eyes. "Is it you, Bayta? Where's Magnifico?"
心理学家吃了一惊，气急败坏地吼道：“怎么回事？”他眯起眼睛看了看，“贝泰，是你吗？马巨擘到哪里去了？”
"I sent him away. I want to be alone with you for a while." She enunciated her words with exaggerated distinctness. "I want to talk to you, Ebling."
“我把他支开了，我想和你独处一会儿。”她故意一字一顿地强调，“艾布林，我要和你谈谈。”
The psychologist made a move to return to his projector, but her hand on his shoulder was firm. She felt the bone under the sleeve clearly. The flesh seemed to have fairly melted away since their arrival on Trantor. His face was thin, yellowish, and bore a half-week stubble. His shoulders were visibly stooped, even in a sitting position.
心理学家作势要继续看投影机，肩膀却被贝泰紧紧抓住。她清清楚楚摸到他衣服下面的骨头。自从他们来到川陀，米斯身上的筋肉似乎一寸寸剥离。如今他面容消瘦，脸色枯黄，好几天没有刮胡子。甚至坐着的时候，他的肩头也明显地垮下。
Bayta said, "Magnifico isn't bothering you, is he, Ebling? He seems to be down here night and day."
贝泰说：“艾布林，马巨擘没有打扰你吧？他好像一天到晚都待在这里。”
"No, no, no! Not at all. Why, I don't mind him. He is silent and never disturbs me. Sometimes he carries the films back and forth for me; seems to know what I want without my speaking. Just let him be."
“不，不，不！一点都没有。哎呀，我不介意他在这里。他很安静，从来不打扰我。有时候他还会帮我搬胶卷；好像我还没开口，他就知道我要找什么。你就别管他了。”
"Very well……but, Ebling, doesn't he make you wonder? Do you hear me, Ebling? Doesn't he make you wonder?"
“很好……可是，艾布林，他难道不会让你纳闷吗？艾布林，你在听我说话吗？他难道不会让你纳闷吗？”
She jerked a chair close to his and stared at him as though to pull the answer out of his eyes.
她把一张椅子拉到他旁边，然后坐下来瞪着他，仿佛想从他眼中看出答案。
Ebling Mis shook his head. "No. What do you mean?"
艾布林·米斯摇摇头。“不会。你这话是什么意思？”
"I mean that Colonel Pritcher and you both say the Mule can condition the emotions of human beings. But are you sure of it? Isn't Magnifico himself a flaw in the theory?"
“我的意思是，普利吉上校和你都说骡能够制约人类的情感。可是你能肯定这一点吗？马巨擘本身不就是这个理论的反例？”
There was silence.
接下来是一阵沉默。
Bayta repressed a strong desire to shake the psychologist. "What's wrong with you, Ebling? Magnifico was the Mule's clown. Why wasn't he conditioned to love and faith? Why should he, of all those in contact with the Mule, hate him so.
贝泰真想使劲摇晃这位心理学家，不过总算是忍住了。“艾布林，你到底是哪里不对劲？马巨擘是骡的小丑，他为什么没有被制约成充满敬爱和信心？那么多人和骡接触过，为什么只有他会憎恨骡？”
"But……but he was conditioned. Certainly, Bay!" He seemed to gather certainty as he spoke. "Do you suppose that the Mule treats his clown the way he treats his generals? He needs faith and loyalty in the latter, but in his clown he needs only fear. Didn't you ever notice that Magnifico's continual state of panic is pathological in nature? Do you suppose it is natural for a human being to be as frightened as that all the time? Fear to such an extent becomes comic. It was probably comic to the Mule……and helpful, too, since it obscured what help we might have gotten earlier from Magnifico."
“可是……可是他的确被制约了。贝，我肯定！”一旦开口，他似乎就恢复了自信，“你以为骡对待他的小丑，需要像对待将领一样吗？他需要将领们对他产生信心和忠心，但是小丑却只需要充满畏惧。马巨擘经常性的惊恐是一种病态，你难道没有注意到吗？你认为一个心理正常的人，会时时刻刻表现得那么害怕吗？恐惧到了这种程度就变成滑稽。或许骡就觉得这样很滑稽……而且这也对他有利，因为我们早先从马巨擘那里得知的事，并不能肯定哪些真正有帮助。”
Bayta said, "You mean Magnifico's information about the Mule was false?"
贝泰说：“你的意思是，马巨擘提供的情报根本就是假的？”
"it was misleading. It was colored by pathological fear. The Mule is not the physical giant Magnifico thinks. He is more probably an ordinary man outside his mental powers. But if it amused him to appear a superman to poor Magnifico? The psychologist shrugged. "In any case, Magnifico's information is no longer of importance."
“它是一种误导，它被病态的恐惧渲染了。骡并不像马巨擘所想象的，是个魁梧壮硕的巨人。除了精神力量之外，他很可能与常人无异。但是，他大概喜欢让可怜的马巨擘以为他是超人……”心理学家耸耸肩，“总之，马巨擘的情报不再重要。”
"What is, then?"
“那么，什么才重要呢？”
But Mis shook himself loose and returned to his projector.
米斯只是甩开贝泰的手，回到投影机的怀抱。
"What is, then?" she repeated. "The Second Foundation?"
“那么，什么才重要呢？”她又重复一遍，“第二基地吗？”
The psychologist's eyes jerked towards her. "Have I told you anything about that? I don't remember telling you anything. I'm not ready yet. What have I told you?"
心理学家突然扬起目光。“我对你这么说过吗？我不记得对你说过任何事，我还没有准备好。我究竟对你说过什么？”
"Nothing," said Bayta, intensely. "Oh, Galaxy, you've told me nothing, but I wish you would because I'm deathly tired. When will it be over?"
“什么都没说过。”贝泰激动地说，“喔，银河啊，你什么都没有告诉过我，但是我希望你赶紧说，因为我快要烦死了。这一切什么时候才会结束？”
Ebling Mis peered at her, vaguely rueful, "Well, now, my……my dear, I did not mean to hurt you. I forget sometimes……who my friends are. Sometimes it seems to me that I must not talk of all this. There's a need for secrecy……but from the Mule, not from you, my dear." He patted her shoulder with a weak amiability.
艾布林·米斯带着几丝悔意凝视着她。“好吧，我……我亲爱的孩子，我不是有意要让你伤心。有些时候，我会忘记……谁才是我的朋友。有些时候，我觉得自己一句话都不能透露。我必须守口如瓶……但这是为了防范骡，而不是防你，亲爱的孩子。”他轻拍她的肩膀，勉强表现得和蔼可亲。
She said, "What about the Second Foundation?"
她追问道：“到底有没有第二基地的线索？”
His voice was automatically a whisper, thin and sibilant. "Do you know the thoroughness with which Seldon covered his traces? The proceedings of the Seldon Convention would have been of no use to me at a as little as a month ago, before this strange insight came. Even now, it seems……tenuous. The papers put out by the Convention are often apparently unrelated; always obscure. More than once I wondered if the members of the Convention, themselves, knew all that was in Seldon's mind. Sometimes I think he used the Convention only as a gigantic front, and single-handed erected the structure……"
米斯自然而然压低声音，仿佛是在耳语。“你知道谢顿掩盖线索的工作，做得多么彻底吗？我花了一个月的时间研究谢顿大会的记录，在那个奇异的灵感出现前，却连一点进展也没有。即使现在，它似乎……仍旧隐晦。大会上发表的那些论文，大多数都显然毫不相干，而且一律晦涩难解。我曾经不止一次怀疑，那些出席大会的学者，他们是否真正了解谢顿的想法。有时我认为，他只是利用这个大会做幌子，实际上却独力建立……”
"Of the Foundations?" urged Bayta.
“两个基地？”贝泰追问。
"Of the Second Foundation! Our Foundation was simple. But the Second Foundation was only a name. It was mentioned, but if there was any elaboration, it was hidden deep in the mathematics. There is still much I don't even begin to understand, but for seven days, the bits have been clumping together into a vague picture.
“第二基地！我们的基地相当单纯。第二基地则始终只是一个名字。它偶尔被提到，但若真有什么智慧的结晶，却一定深藏在数学结构里面。有很多细节我还完全不懂，但是过去这七天，我已将零星的线索拼凑起来，拼出一个大概的图像。
"Foundation Number One was a world of physical scientists. It represented a concentration of the dying science of the Galaxy under the conditions necessary to make it live again. No psychologists were included. It was a peculiar distortion, and must have had a purpose. The usual explanation was that Seldon's psychohistory worked best where the individual working units……human beings……had no knowledge of what was coming, and could therefore react naturally to all situations. Do you follow me, my dear……"
“第一号基地是自然科学家的世界。它将银河系濒临失传的科学集中起来，而且能够确保这些科学的复兴。然而，唯独心理学家没有包括在内。这是个特殊的例外，一定有某种目的。一般的解释是，谢顿的心理史学的前提必须是它的研究对象……人类群体……对于未来的发展都毫不知情，因此对于各种情况的反应都是自然而然的，它的威力才能发挥到极致。我亲爱的孩子，你听得懂吗……”
"Yes, doctor."
“博士，我听得懂。”
"Then listen carefully. Foundation Number Two was a world of mental scientists. It was the mirror image of our world. Psychology, not physics, was king." Triumphantly. "You see?"
“那么你仔细听好。第二号基地则是心灵科学家的世界，它是我们那个世界的镜像。那里的主流科学不是物理学，而是心理学。”然后，他得意洋洋地说：“懂了吗？”
"I don't."
“不懂。”
"But think, Bayta, use your head. Hari Seldon knew that his psychohistory could predict only probabilities, and not certainties. There was always a margin of error, and as time passed that margin increases in geometric progression. Seldon would naturally guard as well as he could against it. Our Foundation was scientifically vigorous. It could conquer armies and weapons. It could pit force against force. But what of the mental attack of a mutant such as the Mule?"
“贝泰，想想看，动动你的脑子。哈里·谢顿了解他的心理史学只能预测几率，无法确定任何事。凡事都会有失误的几率，而随着时光的流逝，这个几率会以几何数列的方式增加。谢顿自然会尽可能弥补这个缺失。我们的基地借着科学而蓬勃发展；它能打败敌人的武器，征服敌人的军队。换句话说，以有形的力量对抗有形的力量。可是遇到像骡这样的突变种，用精神的力量发动攻击，我们又有什么办法？”
"That would be for the psychologists of the Second Foundation!" Bayta felt excitement rising within her.
“那就得由第二基地的心理学家出马！”贝泰感到精神鼓舞起来。
"Yes, yeeeeeee! Certainly!"
“没错，没错，没错！正是这样！”
"But they have done nothing so far."
“可是目前为止，他们什么都还没有做。”
"How do you know they haven't?"
“你怎么知道他们什么都没有做？”
Bayta considered that, "I don't. Do you have evidence that they have?"
贝泰想了一下。“我不知道。你有他们采取行动的证据吗？”
"No. There are many factors I know nothing of. The Second Foundation could not have been established full-grown, any more than we were. We developed slowly and grew in strength; they must have also. The stars know at what stage their strength is now. Are they strong enough to fight the Mule? Are they aware of the danger in the first place? Have they capable leaders?"
“没有。我不知道的因素还多得很。第二基地现在还不可能羽翼丰满，正如我们一样。我们一直慢慢发展，实力一天天茁壮，他们一定也是这样。天晓得他们如今的实力究竟如何。他们强大到足以对付骡了吗？最重要的是，他们了解其中的危险吗？他们有没有精明能干的领导者？”
"But if they follow Seldon's plan, then the Mule must be beaten by the Second Foundation."
“但是只要他们遵循谢顿计划，骡就必定会被第二基地打败。”
"Ah," and Ebling Mis's thin face wrinkled thoughtfully, "is it that again? But the Second Foundation was a more difficult job than the First. Its complexity is hugely greater; and consequently so is its possibility of error. And if the Second Foundation should not beat the Mule, it is bad……ultimately bad. It is the end, may be, of the human race as we know it."
“啊，”艾布林·米斯瘦削的脸庞皱起来，显得若有所思，“又来啦？可是第二基地的任务比第一基地更为艰难。它的复杂度比我们大得太多，失误的几率也因而成正比。假如第二基地都无法击败骡，那可就糟了……糟透了。也许，这就是人类文明的终结。”
"No."
“不可能。”
"Yes. If the Mule's descendants inherit his mental powers……You see? Homo sapiens could not compete. There would be a new dominant race……a new aristocracy……with homo sapiens demoted to slave labor as an inferior race. Isn't that so?"
“可能的。只要骡的后代遗传到他的精神力量……你明白了吗？‘智人’将无法和他们抗衡。银河中会出现一种新的强势族群、一种新的贵族，而‘智人’将被贬成次等生物和奴隶。有没有道理？”
"Yes, that is so."
“没错，有道理。”
"And even if by some chance the Mule did not establish a dynasty, he would still establish a distorted new Empire upheld by his personal power only. It would die with his death; the Galaxy would be left where it was before he came, except that there would no longer be Foundations around which a real and healthy Second Empire could coalesce. It would mean thousands of years of barbarism. It would mean no end in sight."
“即使由于某种因素，使得骡未能建立一个皇朝，他仍然能靠自己的力量，支撑一个畸形的新帝国。这个帝国将随着他的死亡而灰飞烟灭，银河系则会恢复到他出现之前的局势。唯一不同的是，两个基地将不复存在，而使那个真正的、良善的‘第二帝国’胎死腹中。这代表着上万年的蛮荒状态，代表着人类看不见任何希望。”
"What can we do? Can we warn the Second Foundation?"
“我们能做些什么呢？我们能警告第二基地吗？”
"We must, or they may go under through ignorance, which we can not risk. But there is no way of warning them."
“我们必须这么做，否则他们可能一直不知情，终致被骡消灭，我们不能冒这种险……问题是我们没有办法警告他们。”
"No way?"
“没有办法吗？”
"I don't know where they are located. They are 'at the other end of the Galaxy' but that is all, and there are millions of worlds to choose from."
“我不知道他们在哪里。据说他们在‘银河的另一端’，但这却是仅有的线索，所以有几百万个世界都可能是第二基地。”
"But, Ebling, don't they say?" She pointed vaguely at the films that covered the table.
“可是，艾布林，它们难道都没有提到吗？”她随手指了指摆满桌面的一大堆胶卷。
"No, they don't. Not where I can find it……yet. The secrecy must mean something. There must be a reason? A puzzled expression returned to his eyes. "But I wish you'd leave. I have wasted enough time, and it's growing short……it's growing short."
“没有，没有提到。至少，我还一直没有找到。他们藏得那么隐密，一定有重大意义。一定有什么原因……”他再度露出迷惑的眼神，“我希望你马上离开。我已经浪费太多时间，所剩无几了……所剩无几了。”
He tore away, petulant and frowning.
他掉过头去，皱着眉头，一脸不悦。
Magnifico's soft step approached. "Your husband is home, my lady."
马巨擘轻巧的脚步声逐渐接近。“我亲爱的女士，您的丈夫回来了。”
Ebling Mis did not greet the clown. He was back at his projector.
艾布林·米斯没有跟小丑打招呼，他已经开始在用投影机了。
That evening Toran, having listened, spoke, "And you think he's really right, Bay? You think he isn't……"He hesitated.
当天傍晚，听完贝泰的转述，杜伦说道：“贝，你认为他说的都是对的？你并不认为他……”他犹豫地住了口。
"He is right, Torie. He's sick, I know that. The change that's come over him, the loss in weight, the way he speaks……he's sick. But as soon as the subject of the Mule or the Second Foundation, or anything he is working on, comes up, listen to him. He is lucid and clear as the sky of outer space. He knows what he's talking about. I believe him."
“杜，他说的都对。他生病了，这点我知道。他的那些变化，人瘦了好多，说话古里古怪，都代表他生病了。但是当他提到骡、第二基地，或者和他现在的工作有关的话题时，请你还是相信他。他的思想仍和外太空一样澄澈透明。他知道自己在说些什么，我相信他。”
"Then there's hope." It was half a question.
“那么我们还有希望。”这句话算是半个疑问句。
"I……I haven't worked it out. Maybe! Maybe not! I'm carrying a blaster from now on." The shiny-barreled weapon was in her hand as she spoke. "Just in case, Torie, just in case."
“我……我还没有想清楚。可能有！可能没有！从现在起，我要随身带一把手铳。”她一面说话，一面举起手中那柄闪闪发光的武器，“只是以防万一，杜，只是以防万一。”
"In case what?"
“以防什么万一？”
Bayta laughed with a touch of hysteria, "Never mind. Maybe I'm a little crazy, too……like Ebling Mis."
贝泰近乎歇斯底里地哈哈大笑。“你别管了。也许我也有点疯了……就像艾布林·米斯一样。”
Ebling Mis at that time had seven days to live, and the seven days slipped by, one after the other, quietly.
那时，艾布林·米斯还有七天好活，而这七天无声无息地一天接着一天溜走。
To Toran, there was a quality of stupor about them. The warming days and the dull silence covered him with lethargy. All life seemed to have lost its quality of action, and changed into an infinite sea of hibernation.
对杜伦而言，这些日子过得恍恍惚惚。暖和的天气与无聊的静寂令他昏昏欲睡。仿佛周遭的一切都失去生机，进入永恒的冬眠状态。
Mis was a hidden entity whose burrowing work produced nothing and did not make itself known. He had barricaded himself. Neither Toran nor Bayta could see him. Only Magnifico's go-between characteristics were evidence of his existence. Magnifico, grown silent and thoughtful, with his tiptoed trays of food and his still, watchful witness in the gloom.
米斯仍然躲在地底深处，他的工作似乎没有任何成绩，也没有透露任何风声。他将自己完全封闭，连杜伦与贝泰都见不到他了。只有居中跑腿的马巨擘，是米斯依然存在的间接证据。马巨擘现在变得沉默寡言、心事重重，他每天仍蹑手蹑脚将食物送进去，然后在幽暗中瞪大眼睛，一动不动地看着米斯工作。
Bayta was more and more a creature of herself. The vivacity died, the self-assured competence wavered. She, too, sought her own worried, absorbed company, and once Toran bad come upon her, fingering her blaster. She had put it away quickly, forced a smile.
贝泰则愈来愈孤僻，原本的活泼开朗消失了，天生的自信心也开始动摇。她也常常一个人躲起来，怔怔地想着自己的心事。杜伦有一次还看到她默默轻抚着手中的武器，而她则赶紧藏起手铳，勉强挤出一个笑容。
"What are you doing with it, Bay?"
“贝，你拿着那玩意做什么？”
"Holding it. Is that a crime?"
“拿着就是拿着。难道犯罪吗？”
"You'll blow your fool head off."
“你会把你的笨脑袋轰掉。”
"Then I'll blow it off. Small loss!"
“那就轰掉好了。反正没什么损失！”
Married life had taught Toran the futility of arguing with a female in a dark-brown mood. He shrugged, and left her.
婚姻生活教了杜伦一件事，那就是跟心情欠佳的女性争辩是白费力气。他耸耸肩，默默走了开。
On the last day, Magnifico scampered breathless into their presence. He clutched at them, frightened. "The learned doctor calls for you. He is not well."
最后那一天，马巨擘突然气喘吁吁跑到他俩面前。他紧紧抓住杜伦与贝泰，脸上露出惊恐的神色。“老博士请您们去一趟，他的情况不妙。”
And he wasn't well. He was in bed, his eyes unnaturally large, unnaturally bright. He was dirty, unrecognizable.
他的情况果然不妙。他躺在床上，眼睛异常地睁得老大，异常地炯炯有神。他脏得不像样，几乎让人认不出他是谁。
"Ebling!" cried Bayta.
“艾布林！”贝泰大叫。
"Let me speak," croaked the psychologist, lifting his weight to a thin elbow with an effort. "Let me speak. I am finished; the work I pass on to you. I have kept no notes; the scrap-figures I have destroyed. No other must know. All must remain in your minds."
“听我说几句话。”心理学家以阴惨的声音说，同时用枯瘦的手肘吃力地撑起身子。“听我说几句话。我已经不行了，我要把工作传给你们。我没有做任何笔记，零星的计算我也全销毁了。绝不能让别人知道，一切都要装在你们脑子里。”
"Magnifico," said Bayta, with rough directness. "Go upstairs!"
“马巨擘，”贝泰毫不客气地直接对他说，“到楼上去！”
Reluctantly, the clown rose and took a backward step. His sad eyes were on Mis.
小丑心不甘、情不愿地站起来，退后了一步。他悲凄的目光始终停留在米斯身上。
Mis gestured weakly, "He won't matter; let him stay. Stay, Magnifico."
米斯无力地挥挥手。“他没有关系，让他留下来。马巨擘，别走。”
The clown sat down quickly. Bayta gazed at the floor. Slowly, slowly, her lower lip caught in her teeth.
小丑立刻坐下来。贝泰凝视着地板，慢慢地，慢慢地，她的牙齿咬住了下唇。
Mis said, in a hoarse whisper, "I am convinced the Second Foundation can win, if it is not caught prematurely by the Mule. It has kept itself secret; the secrecy must be upheld; it has a purpose. You must go there; your information is vital……may make all the difference. Do you hear me?"
米斯用嘶哑而细微的声音说：“我确信第二基地能够胜利，除非骡先下手为强。它藏得很秘密，它必须如此，这有重大的意义。你们必须到那里去，你们的消息极为重要……能够改变一切。你们听懂了吗？”
Toran cried in near-agony, "Yes, yes! Tell us how to get there, Ebling? Where is it?"
杜伦痛苦地大声吼道：“懂，懂！艾布林，告诉我们怎么去那里。它到底在哪里？”
"I can tell you," said the faint voice.
“我现在就告诉你们。”他用奄奄一息的声音说。
He never did.
他却没有说出来。
Bayta, face frozen white, lifted her blaster and shot, with an echoing clap of noise. From the waist upward, Mis was not, and a ragged hole was in the wall behind. From numb fingers, Bayta's blaster dropped to the floor.
脸色煞白的贝泰举起手铳并立即发射，激起一阵轰然巨响。米斯的上半身完全消失，后面的墙壁还出现一个破碎的窟窿。那柄手铳随即从贝泰麻木的手指间滑落到地板上。