| Oh yes, he said, no, he corrected himself, they have. | “哦，是的，”他说，“哦，不是，”他更正一下，“他们确实发现了那种方法。” |
| He rounded on the doubting part of his audience, which was all of it, and so it took a little while to round on it completely. | 他环视着四周持怀疑观点的听众，其实就是全部听众，所以他花了点时间才把他们环视完。 |
| Have you been to California? he demanded. Do you know the sort of stuff they do there? | “你去过加州么？”他问道。“你知道他们在那儿做甚么吗？” |
| Three members of his audience said they had and that he was talking nonsense. | 三位听众表示他们去过加州，而且根本搞不清他在说什么。 |
| You haven’t seen anything, insisted Arthur. Oh yes, he added, because someone was offering to buy another round. | “你们啥都没看到，”阿瑟坚持着。“哦，好的，”他补充道，因为有个人要再请一轮酒。 |
| The evidence, he said, pointing at himself, and not missing by more than a couple of inches, is before your eyes. Fourteen hours in a trance, he said, in a tank. In a trance. I was in a tank. I think, he added after a thoughtful pause, I already said that. | “证据，”他一边说着一边不偏不倚地指着自己，“远在天边，近在眼前。十四个小时的昏迷，”他说，“在一个大箱子中。在昏迷中。我在一个大箱子中。我认为，”他在一个意味深长的停顿后补充道，“我已经讲过了。” |
| He waited patiently while the next round was duly distributed. He composed the next bit of his story in his mind, which was going to be something about the tank needing to be orientated along a line dropped perpendicularly from the Pole Star to a baseline drawn between Mars and Venus, and was about to start trying to say it when he decided to give it a miss. | 下一轮酒正好上来了，他耐心地等待着酒被分配下去。他在脑中沉淀着下一段的故事，这段故事应该讲述着箱子的朝向，应当从火星到金星之间的基线上再引一条垂直到北极星的连线，箱子应当顺着那条连线摆放。当他刚打算讲述这段时，他决定先跳过这些。 |
| Long time, he said instead, in a tank. In a trance. He looked round severely at his audience, to make sure it was all following attentively. | “好长时间，”他转而说，“都在箱子中。在昏迷中。”他严格地盯着他的听众，确保他们都在跟着他的思路。 |
| He resumed. | 他重新回到了话题上。 |
| Where was I? he said. | “我刚才说到哪儿了？”他说。 |
| In a trance, said one. | “在昏迷中，”一个人说。 |
| In a tank, said another. | “在箱子中，”另一个人说。 |
| Oh yes, said Arthur. Thank you. And slowly, he said pressing onwards, slowly, slowly slowly, all your excess body fat… turns… to… he paused for effect, subcoo… subyoo… subtoocay… he paused for breath subcutaneous gold, which you can have surgically removed. Getting out of the tank is hell. What did you say? | “哦，好的，”阿瑟说。“谢谢你。而且慢慢地，”他加重了语气，“，慢慢地，慢慢地慢慢地，你所有的多余脂肪……转化……成了……”——他停了一下制造效果，“披……疲……铍……”——他停了一下缓口气儿——“皮下组织黄金，你可以通过外科手术取出来。从那箱子里出来真是受罪。您说啥？” |
| I was just clearing my throat. | “我只是在清嗓子。” |
| I think you doubt me. | “我认为你在质疑我。” |
Oh yes, he said, no, he corrected himself, they have.
He rounded on the doubting part of his audience, which was all of it, and so it took a little while to round on it completely.
Have you been to California? he demanded. Do you know the sort of stuff they do there?
Three members of his audience said they had and that he was talking nonsense.
You haven’t seen anything, insisted Arthur. Oh yes, he added, because someone was offering to buy another round.
The evidence, he said, pointing at himself, and not missing by more than a couple of inches, is before your eyes. Fourteen hours in a trance, he said, in a tank. In a trance. I was in a tank. I think, he added after a thoughtful pause, I already said that.
He waited patiently while the next round was duly distributed. He composed the next bit of his story in his mind, which was going to be something about the tank needing to be orientated along a line dropped perpendicularly from the Pole Star to a baseline drawn between Mars and Venus, and was about to start trying to say it when he decided to give it a miss.
Long time, he said instead, in a tank. In a trance. He looked round severely at his audience, to make sure it was all following attentively.
He resumed.
Where was I? he said.
In a trance, said one.
In a tank, said another.
Oh yes, said Arthur. Thank you. And slowly, he said pressing onwards, slowly, slowly slowly, all your excess body fat… turns… to… he paused for effect, subcoo… subyoo… subtoocay… he paused for breath subcutaneous gold, which you can have surgically removed. Getting out of the tank is hell. What did you say?
I was just clearing my throat.
I think you doubt me.
“哦，是的，”他说，“哦，不是，”他更正一下，“他们确实发现了那种方法。”
他环视着四周持怀疑观点的听众，其实就是全部听众，所以他花了点时间才把他们环视完。
“你去过加州么？”他问道。“你知道他们在那儿做甚么吗？”
三位听众表示他们去过加州，而且根本搞不清他在说什么。
“你们啥都没看到，”阿瑟坚持着。“哦，好的，”他补充道，因为有个人要再请一轮酒。
“证据，”他一边说着一边不偏不倚地指着自己，“远在天边，近在眼前。十四个小时的昏迷，”他说，“在一个大箱子中。在昏迷中。我在一个大箱子中。我认为，”他在一个意味深长的停顿后补充道，“我已经讲过了。”
下一轮酒正好上来了，他耐心地等待着酒被分配下去。他在脑中沉淀着下一段的故事，这段故事应该讲述着箱子的朝向，应当从火星到金星之间的基线上再引一条垂直到北极星的连线，箱子应当顺着那条连线摆放。当他刚打算讲述这段时，他决定先跳过这些。
“好长时间，”他转而说，“都在箱子中。在昏迷中。”他严格地盯着他的听众，确保他们都在跟着他的思路。
他重新回到了话题上。
“我刚才说到哪儿了？”他说。
“在昏迷中，”一个人说。
“在箱子中，”另一个人说。
“哦，好的，”阿瑟说。“谢谢你。而且慢慢地，”他加重了语气，“，慢慢地，慢慢地慢慢地，你所有的多余脂肪……转化……成了……”——他停了一下制造效果，“披……疲……铍……”——他停了一下缓口气儿——“皮下组织黄金，你可以通过外科手术取出来。从那箱子里出来真是受罪。您说啥？”
“我只是在清嗓子。”
“我认为你在质疑我。”
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