I’m home, said Arthur hoarsely. He closed his eyes and greedily inhaled the steam from his tea as if it was well, as far as Arthur was concerned, as if it was tea, which it was.
I’m home, he repeated, home. It’s England, it’s today, the nightmare is over. He opened his eyes again and smiled serenely. I’m where I belong, he said in an emotional whisper.
There are two things I fell which I should tell you, said Ford, tossing a copy of the Guardian over the table at him.
I’m home, said Arthur.
Yes, said Ford. One is, he said pointing at the date at the top of the paper, that the Earth will be demolished in two days’ time.
I’m home, said Arthur. Tea, he said, cricket, he added with pleasure, mown grass, wooden benches, white linen jackets, beer cans…
Slowly he began to focus on the newspaper. He cocked his head on one side with a slight frown.
I’ve seen that one before, he said. His eyes wandered slowly up to the date, which Ford was idly tapping at. His face froze for a second or two and then began to do that terribly slow crashing trick which Arctic ice-floes do so spectacularly in the spring.
And the other thing, said Ford, is that you appear to have a bone in your beard. He tossed back his tea.
Outside the refreshment tent, the sun was shining on a happy crowd. It shone on white hats and red faces. It shone on ice lollies and melted them. It shone on the tears of small children whose ice lollies had just melted and fallen off the stick. It shone on the trees, it flashed off whirling cricket bats, it gleamed off the utterly extraordinary object which was parked behind the sight-screens and which nobody appeared to have noticed. It beamed on Ford and Arthur as they emerged blinking from the refreshment tent and surveyed the scene around them.
Arthur was shaking.
Perhaps, he said, I should…
No, said Ford sharply.
What? said Arthur.
Don’t try and phone yourself up at home.
How did you know?…
Ford shrugged.
But why not? said Arthur.
People who talk to themselves on the phone, said Ford, never learn anything to their advantage.
But…
n. 帐篷
v. 住帐篷,宿营