So much time, it groaned, oh so much time. And pain as well, so much of that, and so much time to suffer it in too. One or the other on its own I could probably manage. It’s the two together that really get me down. Oh hello, you again.

Marvin? said Arthur sharply, crouching down beside it. Is that you?

You were always one, groaned the aged husk of the robot, for the super-intelligent question, weren’t you?

What is it? whispered Fenchurch in alarm, crouching behind Arthur, and grasping on to his arm.

He’s sort of an old friend, said Arthur. I…

Friend! croaked the robot pathetically. The word died away in a kind of crackle and flakes of rust fell out of its mouth. You’ll have to excuse me while I try and remember what the word means. My memory banks are not what they were you know, and any word which falls into disuse for a few zillion years has to get shifted down into auxiliary memory back-up. Ah, here it comes.

The robot’s battered head snapped up a bit as if in thought.

Hmm, he said, what a curious concept.

He thought a little longer.

No, he said at last, don’t think I ever came across one of those. Sorry, can’t help you there.

He scraped a knee along pathetically in the dust, an then tried to twist himself up on his misshapen elbows.

Is there any last service you would like me to perform for you perhaps? he asked in a kind of hollow rattle. A piece of paper that perhaps you would like me to pick up for you? Or maybe you would like me, he continued, to open a door?

His head scratched round in its rusty neck bearings and seemed to scan the distant horizon.

Don’t seem to be any doors around at present, he said, but I’m sure that if we waited long enough, someone would build one. And then, he said slowly twisting his head around to see Arthur again, I could open it for you. I’m quite used to waiting you know.

Arthur, hissed Fenchurch in his ear sharply, you never told me of this. What have you done to this poor creature?

Nothing, insisted Arthur sadly, he’s always like this…

Ha! snapped Marvin. Ha! he repeated. What do you know of always? You say “always” to me, who, because of the silly little errands your organic lifeforms keep on sending me through time on, am now thirty-seven times older than the Universe itself? Pick your words with a little more care, he coughed, and tact.

He rasped his way through a coughing fit and resumed.

“这么长时间，”它呻吟着，“这么长时间。还有痛苦，也这么多，而且还是这么长时间的这么多痛苦。如果只是其中一种我还应该能应付得了。两个一起来我就真没办法了。哦你好，又是你啊。”

“马文？”阿瑟尖声叫道，他在它身边蹲下来，“是你吗？”

“你永远是这样，”机器人陈旧的外壳呻吟着，“问一些超级聪明的问题，是不是？”

“这是什么？”芬切琪在阿瑟背后蹲下来，抓住了他的胳膊，警惕地问。

“算是个老朋友，”阿瑟说，“我……”

“朋友！”机器人悲惨地咕哝。这个词在一阵劈啪声中消散了，几片锈斑从它嘴里落下来，“请你原谅我要努力回忆这个词是什么意思。我的记忆库不像以前了，你知道。所有几万亿年没用过的词都被放到辅助存储备份里面去了。啊，找到了。”

机器人砸扁了的头向上合了一下，似乎在思考。

“唔，”他说，“真是个奇怪的概念。”

他又想了一会。

“不对，”他最后说，“我想我没遇到过一个这样的。对不起，我帮不了你。”

他在尘土里悲惨地滑动着一只膝盖，然后努力要在自己扭曲的手肘上撑起来。

“有没有什么最后的服务你可能会希望我做的？”他用一种空洞的咔咔声问，“要我给你捡张纸？或者要我，”他接着说，“打开一扇门？”

他那生锈的脖子支撑着的头吱吱转动这，看起来在扫描远处的天际。

“看起来这会儿周围没有门，”他说，“不过我肯定如果我们等的时间够长的话，会有人修一个起来的。然后，”他慢慢扭过头来看着阿瑟，“我就可以给你开门了。我非常习惯等待了，你知道。”

“阿瑟，”芬切琪在他耳边严厉地小声说，“你从来没跟我说过这个。你对这个可怜的东西干了些什么？”

“什么都没干，”阿瑟悲伤地声明，“他永远这个样子……”

“哈！”马文厉声说，“哈！”他重复了一遍，“你知道永远？你对我，这个由于你这种生命组织一直派我穿越时间去完成那些愚蠢的小任务，现在已经比宇宙自己都古老三十七倍的机器人，说‘永远’？多注意一点收回你的用词吧，”他咳嗽着，“用点脑子。”

他咳嗽着向前划拉，又接着说。