I’m glad you see. I thought you mightn’t believe any of this, so when I called her this time I used the telephone answering machine to record the call.
He went across to the telephone machine and fiddled and fumed with all its buttons for a while, because it was the one which was particularly recommended by Which? magazine and is almost impossible to use without going mad.
Here it is, he said at last, wiping the sweat from his brow.
The voice was thin and crackly with its journey to a geostationary satellite and back, but it was also hauntingly calm.
Perhaps I should explain, Arcane Jill Watson’s voice said, that the phone is in fact in a room that he never comes into. It’s in the Asylum you see. Wonko the Sane does not like to enter the Asylum and so he does not. I feel you should know this because it may save you phoning. If you would like to meet him, this is very easily arranged. All you have to do is walk in. He will only meet people outside the Asylum.
Arthur’s voice, at its most mystified:
I’m sorry, I don’t understand. Where is the asylum?
Where is the Asylum? Arcane Jill Watson again. Have you ever read the instructions on a packet of toothpicks?
On the tape, Arthur’s voice had to admit that he had not.
You may want to do that. You may find that it clarifies things for you a little. You may find that it indicates to you where the Asylum is. Thank you.
The sound of the phone line went dead. Arthur turned the machine off.
Well, I suppose we can regard that as an invitation, he said with a shrug. I actually managed to get the address from the guy on the science magazine.
Fenchurch looked up at him again with a thoughtful frown, and looked at the tickets again.
Do you think it’s worth it? she said.
Well, said Arthur, the one thing that everyone I spoke to agrees on, apart from the fact that they all thought he was barking mad, is that he does know more than any man living about dolphins.
“很高兴你能明白。我以为你可能会完全不信这些，所以这次我打给她的时候我用电话答录机给录下来了。”
他走到答录机前面，对着所有的按钮怒气冲冲地折腾了一会，因为这是《哪个？》（英国著名消费杂志）杂志特别推荐的型号，你几乎不可能在使用的时候不气得发疯。
“就是这个，”他最后终于一边擦掉眉毛上的汗一边说。
在同步卫星上跑了个来回的声音微弱而且断断续续，不过也平静得令人难忘。
“也许我该解释一下，”神秘?吉儿?沃森的声音说，“这个电话实际上在一个他从来不进的房间里面。在庇护所里面，你知道。独醒客不喜欢进庇护所，所以从来不进。我觉得你有必要知道这个，因为这可以让你少打点电话。如果你想见他，就很容易安排了。你要做的就是走进去。他只在庇护所外面见客人。”
阿瑟的声音，处于一种最迷惑的状态：
“对不起，我不明白，庇护所在哪儿？”
“庇护所在哪儿？”神秘?吉儿?沃森重复了一遍，“你有没有读过牙签包上的说明？”
磁带里面，阿瑟的声音不得不承认自己没读过。
“你会乐意读一读的。你会发现那会帮你把事情弄明白点。你会发现那能告诉你庇护所在什么地方。谢谢。”
电话线挂上了。阿瑟关掉了答录机。
“好吧，我觉得我们可以把这看作是一个邀请，”他耸耸肩说，“实际上我是从科学杂志那儿的那个伙计那里搞到的地址。”
芬切琪再次皱着眉抬头看着他，又看看票。
“你觉得值得吗？”她说。
“嗯，”阿瑟说，“跟我谈过的所有人除了一致认为他在胡扯八道以外，也还都同意一件事，就是关于海豚，他比任何活着的人知道的都多。”