經典科幻文學:《基本上無害 Mostly Harmless》 第15章13

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

“管他呢，我們拆吧。不然怎麼辦？”

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

“我不知道。”阿瑟說。他真的拿不準。

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，他把損壞的小刀拿到了鐵匠鋪，斯林德看了幾眼，說自己盡力而爲。

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.

他們像往常一樣拿着刀在空中揮舞，感覺平衡和韌性之類的，可過去的那種喜悅已經失去了蹤影。阿瑟很傷心，自己做三明治的日子怕是屈指可數了。

He hung his head.

他垂下腦袋。

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.

絕對正常獸很快就會再次出現，但阿瑟預感到，今年狩獵和宴會的氣氛恐怕會有點沉悶，有點不安。在拉姆拉發生了些事情，而他心裏有種可怕的感覺，覺得那事兒就是他自己。

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

“你猜這是什麼？”蘭登擺弄着包裹。

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

“不知道。”阿瑟說，“反正是些讓人煩惱的壞東西。”

‘How do you know?’ Random protested.

“你怎麼知道？”蘭登不肯相信。

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

“因爲和福特.長官扯上關係的任何東西絕對都比一般的東西更壞更煩惱。”阿瑟說，“相信我。”

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

“你有些心事對吧？”蘭登問。

Arthur sighed.

阿瑟嘆了口氣。

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

“只是心緒不寧，有點神經質，我想。”阿瑟說。

‘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。”蘭登把包裹放下。她看出來，要是自己打開包裹，那真會搞得阿瑟非常不安。所以她只好等他不注意的時候再說。