Ford quickly stood up and whisked the towel away. The robot rose ecstatically into the air, pursuing a kind of wriggly path.

福特迅速站起身来，手腕一抖收起毛巾。机器人心醉神迷地升到半空，其线路很有些蜿蜒曲折。

It turned and saw Ford.

它转过身来看见了福特。

‘Mr. Prefect, sir! I’m so happy to see you!’

“长官先生，哦！看见您真是太高兴了！”

‘Good to see you, little fella,’ said Ford.

“我也一样，小家伙。”福特说。

The robot rapidly reported back to its central control that everything was now for the best in this best of all possible worlds, the alarms rapidly quelled themselves, and life returned to normal.

机器人很快就报告主控室，在这个所有可能的世界中最美好的世界里，一切都已经达到了最佳状态，警报声很快平息下来，生活又回到了正常的轨道上。

At least, almost to normal.

基本上正常，至少是。

There was something odd about the place.

这地方总是透着些古怪。

The little robot was gurgling with electric delight. Ford hurried on down the corridor, letting the thing bob along in his wake telling him how delicious everything was, and how happy it was to be able to tell him that.

小机器人的电子欢乐简直没法抑制。福特快步朝走廊另一头走去，任那东西晃晃悠悠地跟在自己屁股后头。它不停地告诉他一切都多么美好，能够把这一情况通报给他自己又多么的高兴。

Ford, however, was not happy.

福特可高兴不起来。

He passed faces of people he didn’t know. They didn’t look like his sort of people. They were too well groomed. Their eyes were too dead. Every time he thought he saw someone he recognised in the distance, and hurried along to say hello, it would turn out to be someone else, with an altogether neater hairstyle and a much more thrusting, purposeful look than, well, than anybody Ford knew.

一路上他遇到不少生面孔。他们与他不像一路人。他们打扮得太整齐，他们的眼睛死气沉沉。每次他都远远地好像看见个熟人，跑过去打招呼，最后都会发现自己认错了。眼前的家伙总之是发型太齐整，神色太进步，举止太精英，甚至赛过，是的，赛过他认识的任何人。

A staircase had been moved a few inches to the left. A ceiling had been lowered slightly. A lobby had been remodelled. All these things were not worrying in themselves, though they were a little disorienting. The thing that was worrying was the decor. It used to be brash and glitzy. Expensive – because the Guide sold so well through the civilised and post-civilised Galaxy – but expensive and fun. Wild games machines lined the corridors. Insanely painted grand pianos hung from ceilings, vicious sea creatures from the planet Viv reared up out of pools in tree-filled atria, robot butlers in stupid shirts roamed the corridors seeking whose hands they might press frothing drinks into. People used to have pet vastdragons on leads and pterospondes on perches in their offices. People knew how to have a good time, and if they didn’t there were courses they could sign up for which would put that right.

这边的楼梯被人往左边移了几寸。那儿的天花板稍稍降低了些。一个大厅给重新设计过了。这一切本身倒没什么可让他担心的，尽管的确让他有一点点晕头转向。让他担心的是装潢。大楼过去的风格既唐突又耀眼，非常昂贵——因为《指南》在整个文明世界和后文明世界卖得实在太好——但却是逗乐的昂贵。走廊上排满疯狂的游戏机；天花板上吊着漆得疯疯癫癫的大钢琴；种满树的前厅里，从威弗星运来的暴躁海兽在池塘里直翻腾；机器侍应穿着傻乎乎的衬衣，在走廊里飞来飞去，拼命把冒泡泡的饮料往大家手里塞。好多办公室里还栓着宠物龙宝宝和各种长翅膀的东西。他们知道怎么找乐子——就算不知道也没关系，有课可以上，保证教会为止。

There was none of that now.

现在这些全没了。

Somebody had been through the place doing some iniquitous kind of taste job on it.

有些个没品位的坏家伙把这地方搞了个底朝天。