经典科幻文学:《生命 宇宙及一切》第32章2

At least, if it wasn’t real, it did support them, and as that is what sofas are supposed to do, this, by any test that mattered, was a real sofa.
The voice on the solar wind breathed to them again.
I hope you are comfortable, it said.
They nodded.
And I would like to congratulate you on the accuracy of your deductions.
Arthur quickly pointed out that he hadn’t deduced anything much himself, Trillian was the one. She had simply asked him along because he was interested in life, the Universe, and everything.
That is something in which I too am interested, breathed Hactar.
Well, said Arthur, we should have a chat about it sometime. Over a cup of tea.
There slowly materialized in front of them a small wooden table on which sat a silver teapot, a bone china milk jug, a bone china sugar bowl, and two bone china cups and saucers.
Arthur reached forward, but they were just a trick of the light. He leaned back on the sofa, which was an illusion his body was prepared to accept as comfortable.
Why, said Trillian, do you feel you have to destroy the Universe?
She found it a little difficult talking into nothingness, with nothing on which to focus. Hactar obviously noticed this. He chuckled a ghostly chuckle.
If it’s going to be that sort of session, he said, we may as well have the right sort of setting.

即使不是真的，至少，它也让他们坐上了。沙发也就起这个作用，因此，说它是真的毕竟没错。
粒子风中，那声音又飘来了。
“希望你们感觉舒适。”它说。
他们点点头。
“同时，恭喜你们，你们的推论是准确的。”
阿瑟立即指出，自己什么也没推，是崔莉安推的。她把自己带上，是因为自己对生命、宇宙及一切的问题很感兴趣。
“那个问题，我也很感兴趣。”黑克特轻声道。
“好啊，”阿瑟说，“那咱们可以聊聊，喝点茶什么的。”
面前，缓缓显现出一张小木桌，桌上有一把银茶壶，一只骨瓷牛奶罐，一个骨瓷糖碗，两套骨瓷杯子加碟子。
阿瑟伸手去拿，却发现它们只是光线魔术。他躺回沙发，虽然只是幻影，却也还算舒适。
“你为什么，”崔莉安问，“想摧毁宇宙？”
她觉得对着空气讲话很难，因为不知道在跟谁讲。黑克特显然也注意到了，他发出鬼魅一般咯咯的笑声。
“如果是像这样的场景，”他说，“那我们也应该换个背景。”