Forward the Foundation - Isaac Asimov [3]
It posed an impossible problem and he resented having to spend any time whatever on departmental tasks, so he walked home at the end of the day in a morose mood.
Ordinarily he could always count on a walk through the campus to rouse his spirits. Streeling University was high-domed and the campus gave the feeling of being out in the open without the necessity of enduring the kind of weather he had experienced on his one (and only) visit to the Imperial Palace. There were trees, lawns, walks, almost as though he were on the campus of his old college on his home world of Helicon.
The illusion of cloudiness had been arranged for the day with the sunlight (no sun, of course, just sunlight) appearing and disappearing at odd intervals. And it was a little cool, just a little.
It seemed to Seldon that the cool days came a little more frequently than they used to. Was Trantor saving energy? Was it increasing inefficiency? Or (and he scowled inwardly as he thought it) was he getting old and was his blood getting thin? He placed his hands in his jacket pockets and hunched up his shoulders.
Usually he did not bother guiding himself consciously. His body knew the way perfectly from his offices to his computer room and from there to his apartment and back. Generally he negotiated the path with his thoughts elsewhere, but today a sound penetrated his consciousness. A sound without meaning.
"Jo . . . Jo . . . Jo . . . Jo . . ."
It was rather soft and distant, but it brought back a memory. Yes, Amaryl's warning. The demagogue. Was he here on campus?
His legs swerved without Seldon's making a conscious decision and brought him over the low rise to the University Field, which was used for calisthenics, sports, and student oratory.
In the middle of the Field was a moderate-sized crowd of students who were chanting enthusiastically. On a platform was someone he didn't recognize, someone with a loud voice and a swaying rhythm.
It wasn't this man, Joranum, however. He had seen Joranum on holovision a number of times. Since Amaryl's warning, Seldon had paid close attention. Joranum was large and smiled with a kind of vicious camaraderie. He had thick sandy hair and light blue eyes.
This speaker was small, if anything-thin, wide-mouthed, dark-haired, and loud. Seldon wasn't listening to the words, though he did hear the phrase "power from the one to the many" and the many-voiced shout in response.
Fine, thought Seldon, but just how does he intend to bring this about -and is he serious?
He was at the outskirts of the crowd now and looked around far someone he knew. He spotted Finangelos, a pret-math undergraduate. Not a bad young man, dark and woolly-haired.
"Finangelos," he called out.
"Professor Seldon" said Finangelos after a moment of staring as though unable to recognize Seldon without a keyboard at his fingertips he trotted over. "Did you come to listen to this guy?"
"I didn't come for any purpose but to find out what the noise was. Who is he?"
"His name is Namarti, Professor. He's speaking for Jo-Jo."
"I hear that, " said Seldon as he listened to the chant again. It began each time the speaker made a telling point, apparently. "But who is this Namarti? I don't recognize the name. What department is he in?"
"He's not a member of the University, Professor. He's one of Jo-Jo's men."
"If he's not a member of the University, he has no right to speak here without a permit. Does he have one, do you suppose?"
"I wouldn't know, Professor."
"Well then, let's find out."
Seldon started into the crowd, but Finangelos caught his sleeve. "Don't start anything, Professor. He's got goons with him."
There were six young men behind the speaker, spaced rather widely, legs apart, arms folded, scowling.
"Goons?"
"For rough stuff, in case anyone tries anything funny."
"Then he's certainly not a member of the University and even a permit wouldn't cover what you call his `goons'. -Finangelos, signal through to the University security officers. They should have been here by now without a