经典科幻文学:《宇宙尽头的餐馆》第20章3大纲

“I’m just saying that the question could be anything at all,” said Arthur, “and I don’t see how I am meant to know.”
“Because,” hissed Zaphod, “you were there when your planet did the big firework.”
“We have a thing on Earth…” began Arthur.
“Had,” corrected Zaphod.
“… called tact. Oh never mind. Look, I just don’t know.”
A low voice echoed dully round the cabin.
“I know,” said Marvin.
Ford called out from the controls he was still fighting a losing battle with.
“Stay out of this Marvin,” he said, “this is organism talk.”
“It’s printed in the Earthman’s brainwave patterns,” continued Marvin, “but I don’t suppose you’ll be very interested in knowing that.”
“You mean,” said Arthur, “you mean you can see into my mind?”
“Yes,” said Marvin.
Arthur stared in astonishment.
“And…?” he said.
“It amazes me how you can manage to live in anything that small.”
“Ah,” said Arthur, “abuse.”
“Yes,” confirmed Marvin.
“Ah, ignore him,” said Zaphod, “he’s only making it up.”
“Making it up?” said Marvin, swivelling his head in a parody of astonishment, “Why should I want to make anything up? Life’s bad enough as it is without wanting to invent any more of it.”
“Marvin,” said Trillian in the gentle, kindly voice that only she was still capable of assuming in talking to this misbegotten creature, “if you knew all along, why then didn’t you tell us?”
Marvin’s head swivelled back to her.

“我只是想说明那个问题可能是任何东西。”阿瑟说，“另外，我丝毫看不出有什么理由我应该知道它。”
“因为，”赞福德嘶嘶地说，“垮嘲拘星球变成一团巨大的焰火时，你在现场。”
“我们在地球上有一种说法”阿瑟说道：
“曾经有，”赞福德纠正他说。
“…叫做机敏。噢，别管这个了。你瞧，我确实不知道。”
一个低沉的声音迟钝地回响在舱内。
“我知道。”马文说。
控制台边的福特喊丁一嗓子，他还在那儿继续打一场正在输掉的战斗。
“别瞎搀和，马文。”他说，“这是有机体之间的谈话。”
“它就印在这个地球人的脑渡图形中。”马文继续说道，“但我觉得你们不会对我的话感兴趣。”
“你的意思是，”阿瑟问，“你是说你能看穿我的思想？”
“是的。”马文说。
阿瑟惊愕地瞪大了眼腈。
“然后呢……”他说。
“令我感到惊讶的是，你怎么可能成功地做到靠这么小的一个脑子生活下去。”
“好啊，”阿瑟说，“你在侮辱我。”
“没错。”马文赞同道。
“噢，别管他，”赞福德说，“全是他瞎编出来的。”
“瞎编？”马文说，模仿出吃惊的样子，摇晃着脑袋，“为什么我希望编造什么东西呢？生话已经够糟糕的了，用不着再为它增添更多的糟糕玩意儿了。”
“马文，”崔莉现在也只有她还仍然能用这样的态度来和这个设计拙劣的家伙说话了，“如果你早就知道，为什么不告诉我们呢t”
马文的脑袋朝她转过来。