‘Let’s open it anyway. What else are we going to do?’

“管他呢，我们拆吧。不然怎么办？”

‘I don’t know,’ said Arthur, who really wasn’t sure.

“我不知道。”阿瑟说。他真的拿不准。

He had taken his damaged knives over to the forge bright and early that morning and Strinder had had a look at them and said that he would see what he could do.

今天一大早，他把损坏的小刀拿到了铁匠铺，斯林德看了几眼，说自己尽力而为。

They had tried the usual business of waving the knives through the air, feeling for the point of balance and the point of flex and so on, but the joy was gone from it, and Arthur had a sad feeling that his sandwich making days were probably numbered.

他们像往常一样拿着刀在空中挥舞，感觉平衡和韧性之类的，可过去的那种喜悦已经失去了踪影。阿瑟很伤心，自己做三明治的日子怕是屈指可数了。

He hung his head.

他垂下脑袋。

The next appearance of the Perfectly Normal Beasts was imminent, but Arthur felt that the usual festivities of hunting and feasting were going to be rather muted and uncertain. Something had happened here on Lamuella, and Arthur had a horrible feeling that it was him.

绝对正常兽很快就会再次出现，但阿瑟预感到，今年狩猎和宴会的气氛恐怕会有点沉闷，有点不安。在拉姆拉发生了些事情，而他心里有种可怕的感觉，觉得那事儿就是他自己。

‘What do you think it is?’ urged Random, turning the parcel over in her hands.

“你猜这是什么？”兰登摆弄着包裹。

‘I don’t know,’ said Arthur. ‘Something bad and worrying, though.’

“不知道。”阿瑟说，“反正是些让人烦恼的坏东西。”

‘How do you know?’ Random protested.

“你怎么知道？”兰登不肯相信。

‘Because anything to do with Ford Prefect is bound to be worse and more worrying than something that isn’t,’ said Arthur. ‘Believe me.’

“因为和福特.长官扯上关系的任何东西绝对都比一般的东西更坏更烦恼。”阿瑟说，“相信我。”

‘You’re upset about something, aren’t you?’ said Random.

“你有些心事对吧？”兰登问。

Arthur sighed.

阿瑟叹了口气。

‘I’m just feeling a little jumpy and unsettled, I think,’ said Arthur.

“只是心绪不宁，有点神经质，我想。”阿瑟说。

‘I’m sorry,’ said Random, and put the package down again. She could see that it really would upset him if she opened it. She would just have to do it when he wasn’t looking.

“抱歉。”兰登把包裹放下。她看出来，要是自己打开包裹，那真会搞得阿瑟非常不安。所以她只好等他不注意的时候再说。