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"They can't let it come out as a serious scientific a
"What's old Abel doing wasting his time looking for the Spatio-analyst then?"
"You expect him to advertise the fact that he's got him? What Abel does and what Abel seems to be doing are two different things."
"Well," said Rune, "if you're right, what are we to do?"
Fife said, "We have learned the danger, and that is the important thing. We'll find the Spatio-analyst if we can. We must keep all known agents of Trantor under strict scrutiny without really interfering with them. From their actions we may learn the course of coming events. We must suppress thoroughly any propaganda on Florina to the effect of the planet's destruction. The first faint whisper must meet with instant counteraction of the most violent sort.
"Most of all, we must remain united. That is the whole purpose of this meeting, in my eyes; the forming of a common front. We all know about continental autonomy and I'm sure there is no one more insistent upon it than I am. That is, under ordinary circumstances. These are not ordinary circumstances. You see that?"
More or less reluctantly, for continental autonomy was not a thing to be abandoned lightly, they saw that.
"Then," said Fife, "we will wait for the second move."
That had been a year ago. They had left and there had followed the strangest and most complete fiasco ever to have fallen to the lot of the Squire of Fife in a moderately long and a more than moderately audacious career.
No second move followed. There were no further letters to any of them. The Spatio-analyst remained unfound, while Trantor maintained a desultory search. There was no trace of apocalyptic rumors on Florina, and the harvesting and processing of kyrt continued its smooth pace.
The Squire of Rune took to calling Fife at weekly intervals.
"Fife," he would call. "Anything new?" His fatness would quiver with delight and thick chuckles would force their way out of his gullet.
Fife took it bleakly and stolidly. What could he do? Over and over again he sifted the facts. It was no use. Something was missing. Some vital factor was missing.
And then it all began exploding at once, and he had the answer. He knew he had the answer, and it was what he had not expected.
He had called a meeting once again. The chronometer now said two twenty-nine.
They were begi
Fife began. "Squires! Last year I speculated on a distant and complicated danger. In so doing I fell into a trap. The danger exists, but it is not distant. It is near us, very near. One of you already knows what I mean. The others will find out shortly."
"What do you mean?" asked Bort shortly.
"High treason!" shot back Fife.