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.I am to make you secure, give you houseroom, see thatyou are undisturbed.You will be safe here."Dors bent her head."We are grateful, Sunmaster Fourteen."Sunmaster turned to look at her with an sir of dispassionate contempt."I am notunaware of the customs of the tribes," he said."I know that among them a womanmay well speak before being spoken to.I am therefore not offended.I would askher to have a care among others of the Brethren who may be of lesser knowledgein the matter.""Oh really?" said Dors, who was clearly offended, even if Sunmaster was not."In truth," agreed Sunmaster."Nor is it needful to use my numerical identifierwhen I alone of my cohort am with you.'Sunmaster' will be sufficient.-Now Iwill ask you to come with me so that we may leave this place which is of tootribal a nature to comfort me.""Comfort is for all of us," said Seldon, perhaps a little more loudly than wasnecessary, "and we will not budge from this place unless we are assured that wewill not be forcibly bent to your liking against our own natures.It is ourcustom that a woman may speak whenever she has something to say.If you haveagreed to keep us secure, that security must be psychological as well asphysical."Sumnaster gazed at Seldon levelly and said, "You are bold, young tribesman.Yourname?""I am Hari Seldon of Helicon.My companion is Dors Venabili of Cinna."Sunmaster bowed slightly as Seldon pronounced his own name, did not move at themention of Dors's name.He said, "I have sworn to Tribesman Hummin that we willkeep you safe, so I will do what I can to protect your woman companion in this.If she wishes to exercise her impudence, I will do my best to see that she isheld guiltless.-Yet in one respect you must conform."And he pointed, with infinite scorn, first to Seldon's head and then to Dors's."What do you mean?" said Seldon."Your cephalic hair.""What about it?""It must not be seen.""Do you mean we're to shave our heads like you? Certainly not.""My head is not shaven, Tribesman Seldon.I was depilated when I enteredpuberty, as are all the Brethren and their women.""If we're talking about depilation, then more than ever the answer is no-never.""Tribesman, we ask neither shaving nor depilation.We ask only that your hair becovered when you are among us."'How?""I have brought skincaps that will mold themselves to your skulls, together withstrips that will hide the superoptical patches the eyebrows.You will wear themwhile with us.And of course, Tribesman Seldon, you will shave daily-or oftenerif that becomes necessary.""But why must we do this?""Because to us, hair on the head is repulsive and obscene.""Surely, you and all your people know that it is customary for others, in allthe worlds of the G=alaxy, to retain their cephalic hair.""We know.And those among us, like myself, who must deal with tribesmen now andthen, must witness this hair.We manage, but it is unfair to ask the Brethrengenerally to suffer the sight."Seldon said, "Very well, then, Sunmaster-but tell me.Since you are born withcephalic hair, as all of us are and as you all retain it visibly till puberty,why is it so necessary to remove it? Is it just a matter of custom or is theresome rationale behind it?"And the old Mycogenian said proudly, "By depilation, we demonstrate to theyoungster that he or she has become an adult and through depilation adults willalways remember who they are and never forget that all others are buttribesmen."He waited for no response (and, in truth, Seldon could think of none) butbrought out from some hidden compartment in his robe a handful of thin bits ofplastic of varying color, stared keenly at the two faces before him, holdingfirst one strip, then another, against each face."The colors must thatch reasonably," he said."No one will be fooled intothinking you are not wearing a skincap, but it must not be repulsively obvious."Finally, Sunmaster gave a particular strip to Seldon and showed him how it couldbe pulled out into a cap."Please put it on, Tribesman Seldom" he said."You will find the process clumsyat first, but you will grow accustomed to it
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