经典科幻文学:《 再见 多谢你们的鱼》第35章3
日期:2015-07-15 00:21

(单词翻译:单击)

Where have you been? he demanded.
Making some coffee, said Arthur, still wearing his very placid face. He had long ago realized that the only way of being in Ford’s company successfully was to keep a large stock of very placid faces and wear them at all times.
You missed the best bit! raged Ford. You missed the bit where I jumped the guy! Now, he said, I shall have to jump him, all over him!
He hurled himself recklessly at a chair and broke it.
It was better, he said sullenly, last time, and waved vaguely in the direction of another broken chair which he had already got trussed up on the dining table.
I see, said Arthur, casting a placid eye over the trussed up wreckage, and, er, what are all the ice cubes for?
What? screamed Ford. What? You missed that bit too? That’s the suspended animation facility! I put the guy in the suspended animation facility. Well I had to didn’t I?
So it would seem, said Arthur, in his placid voice.
Don’t touch that!!! yelled Ford.
Arthur, who was about to replace the phone, which was for some mysterious reason lying on the table, off the hook, paused, placidly.
OK, said Ford, calming down, listen to it.
Arthur put the phone to his ear.
It’s the speaking clock, he said.
Beep, beep, beep, said Ford, is exactly what is being heard all over that guy’s ship, while he sleeps, in the ice, going slowly round a little-known moon of Sesefras Magna. The London Speaking Clock!
I see, said Arthur again, and decided that now was the time to ask the big one.
Why? he said, placidly.
With a bit of luck, said Ford, the phone bill will bankrupt the buggers.
He threw himself, sweating, on to the sofa.
Anyway, he said, dramatic arrival don’t you think?
“你到哪儿去了?”他问。
“冲咖啡。”阿瑟说,脸色仍然非常镇定。在很久以前他就认识到,在福特的身边呆下去的唯一方式就是保持一种非常镇定的脸色,并且要一直这样。
“你错过了最好的部分!”福特怒斥道,“你错过了我跳过那个家伙的那部分!现在,”他说,“我必须得跳这个,从他身上跳过去!”
他满不在乎地跳进一张椅子,把椅子弄碎了。
“上一次,”他阴沉地说,“要好一点。”他向着另一张破了的椅子的方向胡乱挥了挥手,他已经把那把椅子的碎片捆了起来放在餐桌上。
“我明白。”阿瑟说,目光镇定地看了看那堆捆起来的破烂,“另外,呃,这些冰块是干什么用的?”
“什么?”福特尖叫起来,“什么?这个你也错过了?那是维生设备,我把那家伙放进了维生设备。我必须得这么做是吧?”
“看起来是这样。”阿瑟用镇定的声音说。
“别碰那个!!!”福特大喝一声。
阿瑟镇定地停下来,——他本来正准备把电话放好,因为电话正为了某种神秘的原因躺在桌子上,话筒落在一边。
“好了。”福特平静下来,“你听听电话。”
阿瑟把电话放在耳朵边上。
“是报时信号。”他说。
“哔,哔,哔。”福特说,“这就是那个家伙在冰块里面睡觉的时候,我在他船上到处都一直听的声音,那时候飞船围着塞瑟弗雷斯的一颗很少有人知道的月亮慢慢转着圈。伦敦的报时信号!”
“我明白。”阿瑟又说了一遍,并且觉得是时候问重要问题了。
“为什么?”他镇定地问。
“运气好的话,”福特说,“电话费会让那个王八蛋破产。”
他汗流浃背地倒在沙发上。
“无论如何,”他说,“我的出现很引入注目吧,你觉得呢?”
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