Prelude to Foundation - Isaac Asimov [148]
"That does not cover an opinion deliberately advanced in order to instigate a riot."
"How can you say it was, Officer?"
At this point, Mistress Tisalver interposed in a shrill voice, "1 can say it, Officer. She saw there was a crowd present, a crowd of gutter people who were just looking for trouble. She deliberately said he was an Imperial agent when she knew nothing of the sort and she shouted it to the crowd to stir them up. It was plain that she knew what she was doing."
"Casilia," said her husband pleadingly, but she cast one look at him and he said no more.
Russ turned to Mistress Tisalver. "Did you lodge the complaint, Mistress?"
"Yes. These two have been living here for a few days and they've done nothing but make trouble. They've invited people of low reputation into my apartment, damaging my standing with my neighbors."
"Is it against the law, Officer," asked Seldon, "to invite clean, quiet citizens of Dahl into one's room? The two rooms upstairs are our rooms. We have rented them and they are paid for. Is it a crime to speak to Dahlites in Dahl, Officer?"
"No, it is not," said Russ. "That is not part of the complaint. What gave you reason, Mistress Venabili, to suppose the person you so accused was, in fact, an Imperial agent?"
Doss said, "He had a small brown mustache, from which I concluded he was not a Dahlite. I surmised he was an Imperial agent"
"You surmised? Your associate, Master Seldon, has no mustache at all. Do you surmise he is an Imperial agent?"
"In any case," said Seldon hastily, "there was no riot. We asked the crowd to take no action against the supposed newsman and I'm sure they didn't."
"You're sure, Master Seldon?" said Russ. "Our information is that you left immediately after making your accusation. How could you witness what happened after you left?"
"I couldn't," said Seldon, "but let me ask you-Is the man dead? Is the man hurt?"
"The man has been interviewed. He denies he is an Imperial agent and we have no information that he is. He also claims he was handled roughly."
"He may well be lying in both respects," said Seldon. "I would suggest a Psychic Probe."
"That cannot be done on the victim of a crime," said Russ. "The sector government is very firm on that. It might do if you two, as the criminals in this case, each underwent a Psychic Probe. Would you like us to do that?"
Seldon and Dors exchanged glances for a moment, then Seldon said, "No, of course not."
"Of course not," repeated Russ with just a tinge of sarcasm in his voice, "hut you're ready enough to suggest it for someone else."
The other officer, Astinwald, who had so far not said a word, smiled at this.
Russ said, "We also have information that two days ago you engaged in a knife fight in Billibotton and badly hurt a Dahlite citizen named"-he struck a button on his computer pad and studied the new page on the screen-"Elgin Marron."
Doss said, "Dot your information tell you how the fight started?"
"That is irrelevant at the moment, Mistress. Do you deny that the fight took place?"
"Of course we don't deny the fight took place," said Seldon hotly, "but we deny that we in any way instigated that. We were attacked. Mistress Venabili was seized by this Marron and it was clear he was attempting to rape her. What happened afterward was pure self-defense. Or does Dahl condone rape?"
Russ said with very little intonation in his voice, "You say you were attacked? By how many?"
"Ten men."
"And you alone-with a woman-defended yourself against tea men?"
"Mistress Venabili and I defended ourselves. Yes."
"How is it, then, chat neither of you shows any damage whatever? Are either of you cut or bruised where it doesn't show right now?"
"No, Officer."
"How is it, then, that in the fight of one-plus a woman-against ten, you are in no way hurt, but that the complainant, Elgin Marron, has been hospitalized with wounds and will require a skin transplant on his upper lip?"