on the second morning seldon stirred awake and looked up at dors, who sat at his bedside, viewing a book-film and taking notes. in a voice that was almost normal, seldon said, "still here, dors?"

she put down the book-film. "i cant leave you alone, can i? and i dont trust anyone else."

"it seems to me that every time i wake up, i see you. have you been here all the time?"

"sleeping or waking, yes."

"but your classes?"

"i have an assistant who has taken over for a while." dors leaned over and grasped haris hand. noticing his embarrassment (he was, after all, in bed), she removed it.

"hari, what happened? i was so frightened."

seldon said, "i have a confession to make."

"what is it, hari?"

"i thought perhaps you were part of a conspiracy--"

"a conspiracy?" she said vehemently.

"i mean, to maneuver me upperside where id be outside university jurisdiction and therefore subject to being picked up by imperial forces."

"but upperside isnt outside university jurisdiction. sector jurisdiction on trantor is from the planetary center to the sky."

"ah, i didnt know that. but you didnt come with me because you said you had a busy schedule and, when i was getting paranoid, i thought you were deliberately abandoning me. please forgive me. obviously, it was you who got me down from there. did anyone else care?"

"they were busy men," said dors carefully. "they thought you had come down earlier. i mean, it was a legitimate thought."

"clowzia thought so too?"

"the young intern? yes, she did."

"well, it may still have been a conspiracy. without you, i mean."

"no, hari, it is my fault. i had absolutely no right to let you go upperside alone. it was my job to protect you. i cant stop blaming myself for what happened, for you getting lost."

"now, wait a minute," said seldon, suddenly irritated. "i didnt get lost. what do you think i am?"

"id like to know what you call it. you were nowhere around when the others left and you didnt get back to the entrance--or to the neighborhood of the entrance anyway--till well after dark."

"but thats not what happened. i didnt get lost just because i wandered away and couldnt find my way back. i told you i was suspecting a conspiracy and i had cause to do so. im not totally paranoid."

"well then, what did happen?"

seldon told her. he had no trouble remembering it in full detail; he had lived with it in nightmare for most of the preceding day.

dors listened with a frown. "but thats impossible. a jet-down? are you sure?"

"of course im sure. do you think i was hallucinating?"

"but the imperial forces could not have been searching for you. they could not have arrested you upperside without creating the same ferocious rumpus they would have if they had sent in a police force to arrest you on campus."

"then how do you explain it?"

"im not sure," said dors, "but its possible that the consequences of my failure to go upperside with you might have been worse than they were and that hummin will be seriously angry with me."

"then lets not tell him," said seldon. "it ended well."

"we must tell him," said dors grimly. "this may not be the end."