经典科幻文学:《 再见 多谢你们的鱼》第9章3

I was clearing my throat.
She was clearing her throat, confirmed a significant part of the audience in a low rumble.
Oh yes, said Arthur, all right. And you then split the proceeds… he paused again for a maths break, fifty-fifty with the alchemist. Make a lot of money!
He looked swayingly around at his audience, and could not help but be aware of an air of scepticism about their jumbled felt very affronted by this.
How else, he demanded, could I afford to have my face dropped?
friendly arms began to help him en, he protested, as the cold February breeze brushed his face, looking lived-in is all the rage in California at the moment. You’ve got to look as if you’ve seen the Galaxy. Life, I mean. You’ve got to look as if you’ve seen life. That’s what I got. A face drop. Give me eight years, I said. I hope being thirty doesn’t come back into fashion or I’ve wasted a lot of money.
He lapsed into silence for a while as the friendly arms continued to help him along the lane to his house.
Got in yesterday, he mumbled. I’m very happy to be home. Or somewhere very like it…
Jet lag, muttered one of his friends. Long trip from California. Really mucks you up for a couple of days.
I don’t think he’s been there at all, muttered another. I wonder where he has been. And what’s happened to him.
After a little sleep Arthur got up and pottered round the house a bit. He felt woozy and a little low, still disoriented by the journey. He wondered how he was going to find Fenny.
He sat and looked at the fish bowl. He tapped it again, and despite being full of water and a small yellow Babel fish which was gulping its way around rather dejectedly, it still chimed its deep and resonant chime as clearly and mesmerically as before.
Someone is trying to thank me, he thought to himself. He wondered who, and for what.

“我在清嗓子。”
“她是在清嗓子，”一大部分听众低声说着。
“哦，是的，”阿瑟说，“好吧。于是你就可以分成……”他再一次停顿以进行数学上的考虑，“跟炼金术士五五分成。赚他一大笔钱！”
他的目光在听众间游移，不禁注意到了一股怀疑主义的气场从他们迷惑的脸上升腾起来。他觉得这是被冒犯了。
“我怎么会，”他问，“让自己没面子？”
友善的臂膀开始帮他回家。“听着，”他抗议道，二月的料峭微风刮过他的脸，“看起来像没见过世面的，是会让此刻全加利福尼亚愤怒的。你必须看起来好像见识过了银河系。生命，我其实是指。你必须看起来好像见识过了生命。而这就是我得到的。没了面子。要我说，给我八年。我希望而立之年不会再次成为时尚，要么我就浪费了一大笔钱。”
他又归于了沉寂，友善的臂膀继续帮他走过通向家的小路。
“昨天到的，”他喃喃自语。“我真高兴能回家。或者回到一个非常非常像家的地方……”
“时差闹的，”他的一个朋友咕哝着。“从加州的漫长旅途。真的会把你搞乱几天。”
“我根本不认为他去了那儿，”另一个人嘟囔着。“我很疑惑他去了哪儿。他身上出了什么事儿。”
小睡了一会儿之后阿瑟起床，开始在房子里闲逛。他觉得有些糊涂和虚弱，依然被旅途搞得晕头转向。他考虑着他该如何找到芬妮。
他坐下来看着鱼缸。他再一次敲击它，尽管鱼缸里装满了水和一条有些沮丧的巴别鱼，它依然发出了深沉的共鸣声，如同以前一样清晰而让人迷醉。
有人在试着感谢我，他思忖着。他想着那到底是谁，又是为了什么。