da.solongandthanksforallthefish-第18部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


th；　falls　somewhat　short；　in　its　position；　of　the　whole　truth　in　all　its　glorious　aspects。
　　And　the　reasons　for　this　are　obvious。　Editing；　selection；　the　need　to　balance　that　which　is　interesting　with　that　which　is　relevant　and　cut　out　all　the　tedious　happenstance。
　　Like　this　for　instance。
　　…　Arthur　Dent　went　to　bed。　He　went　up　the　stairs；　all　fifteen　of　them；　opened　the　door；　went　into　his　room；　took　off　his　shoes　and　socks　and　then　all　the　rest　of　his　clothes　one　by　one　and　left　them　in　a　neatly　crumpled　heap　on　the　floor。　He　put　on　his　pyjamas；　the　blue　ones　with　the　stripe。　He　washed　his　face　and　hands；　cleaned　his　teeth；　went　to　the　lavatory；　realized　that　he　had　once　again　got　this　all　in　the　wrong　order；　had　to　wash　his　hands　again　and　went　to　bed。　He　read　for　fifteen　minutes；　spending　the　first　ten　minutes　of　that　trying　to　work　out　where　in　the　book　he　had　got　to　the　previous　night；　then　he　turned　out　the　light　and　within　a　minute　or　so　more　was　asleep。
　　…　It　was　dark。　He　lay　on　his　left　side　for　a　good　hour。
　　…　After　that　he　moved　restlessly　in　his　sleep　for　a　moment　and　then　turned　over　to　sleep　on　his　right　side。　Another　hour　after　this　his　eyes　flickered　briefly　and　he　slightly　scratched　his　nose；　though　there　was　still　a　good　twenty　minutes　to　go　before　he　turned　back　on　to　his　left　side。　And　so　he　whiled　the　night　away；　sleeping。
　　…　At　four　he　got　up　and　went　to　the　lavatory　again。　He　opened　the　door　to　the　lavatory。。。　…　and　so　on。
　　It's　guff。　It　doesn't　advance　the　action。　It　makes　for　nice　fat　books　such　as　the　American　market　thrives　on；　but　it　doesn't　actually　get　you　anywhere。　You　don't；　in　short；　want　to　know。
　　But　there　are　other　omissions　as　well；　beside　the　teethcleaning　and　trying　to　find　fresh　socks　variety；　and　in　some　of　these　people　have　often　seemed　inordinately　interested。
　　What；　they　want　to　know；　about　all　that　stuff　off　in　the　wings　with　Arthur　and　Trillian；　did　that　ever　get　anywhere？
　　To　which　the　answer　is；　of　course；　mind　your　own　business。
　　And　what；　they　say；　was　he　up　to　all　those　nights　on　the　planet　Krikkit？　Just　because　the　planet　didn't　have　Fuolornis　Fire　Dragons　or　Dire　Straits　doesn't　mean　that　everyone　just　sat　up　every　night　reading。
　　Or　to　take　a　more　specific　example；　what　about　the　night　after　the　mittee　meeting　party　on　Prehistoric　Earth；　when　Arthur　found　himself　sitting　on　a　hillside　watching　the　moon　rise　over　the　softly　burning　trees　in　pany　with　a　beautiful　young　girl　called　Mella；　recently　escaped　from　a　lifetime　of　staring　every　morning　at　a　hundred　nearly　identical　photographs　of　moodily　lit　tubes　of　toothpaste　in　the　art　department　of　an　advertising　agency　on　the　planet　Golgafrincham。　What　then？　What　happened　next？　And　the　answer　is；　of　course；　that　the　book　ended。
　　The　next　one　didn't　resume　the　story　till　five　years　later；　and　you　can；　claim　some；　take　discretion　too　far。
　　…　This　Arthur　Dent；　…　es　the　cry　from　the　furthest　reaches　of　the　galaxy；　and　has　even　now　been　found　inscribed　on　a　mysterious　deep　space　probe　thought　to　originate　from　an　alien　galaxy　at　a　distance　too　hideous　to　contemplate；　…　what　is　he；　man　or　mouse？　Is　he　interested　in　nothing　more　than　tea　and　the　wider　issues　of　life？　Has　he　no　spirit？　has　he　no　passion？　Does　he　not；　to　put　it　in　a　nutshell；　fuck？
　　Those　who　wish　to　know　should　read　on。　Others　may　wish　to　skip　on　to　the　last　chapter　which　is　a　good　bit　and　has　Marvin　in　it。
　　
　　
　　　Chapter　26
　　
　　Arthur　Dent　allowed　himself　for　an　unworthy　moment　to　think；　as　they　drifted　up；　that　he　very　much　hoped　that　his　friends　who　had　always　found　him　pleasant　but　dull；　or　more　latterly；　odd　but　dull；　were　having　a　good　time　in　the　pub；　but　that　was　the　last　time；　for　a　while；　that　he　thought　of　them。
　　They　drifted　up；　spiralling　slowly　around　each　other；　like　sycamore　seeds　falling　from　sycamore　trees　in　the　autumn；　except　going　the　other　way。
　　And　as　they　drifted　up　their　minds　sang　with　the　ecstatic　knowledge　that　either　what　they　were　doing　was　pletely　and　utterly　and　totally　impossible　or　that　physics　had　a　lot　of　catching　up　to　do。
　　Physics　shook　its　head　and；　looking　the　other　way；　concentrated　on　keeping　the　cars　going　along　the　Euston　Road　and　out　towards　the　Westway　flyover；　on　keeping　the　streetlights　lit　and　on　making　sure　that　when　somebody　on　Baker　Street　dropped　a　cheeseburger　it　went　splat　upon　the　ground。
　　Dwindling　headily　beneath　them；　the　beaded　strings　of　light　of　London　…　London；　Arthur　had　to　keep　reminding　himself；　not　the　strangely　coloured　fields　of　Krikkit　on　the　remote　fringes　of　the　galaxy；　lighted　freckles　of　which　faintly　spanned　the　opening　sky　above　them；　but　London　…　swayed；　swaying　and　turning；　turned。
　　…　Try　a　swoop；　…　he　called　to　Fenchurch。
　　…　What？
　　Her　voice　seemed　strangely　clear　but　distant　in　all　the　vast　empty　air。　It　was　breathy　and　faint　with　disbelief　…　all　those　things；　clear；　faint；　distant；　breathy；　all　at　the　same　time。
　　…　We're　flying。。。　…　she　said。
　　…　A　trifle；　…　called　Arthur；　…　think　nothing　of　it。　Try　a　swoop。
　　…　A　sw。。。
　　Her　hand　caught　his；　and　in　a　second　her　weight　caught　it　too；　and　stunningly；　she　was　gone；　tumbling　beneath　him；　clawing　wildly　at　nothing。
　　Physics　glanced　at　Arthur；　and　clotted　with　horror　he　was　gone　too；　sick　with　giddy　dropping；　every　part　of　him　screaming　but　his　voice。
　　They　plummeted　because　this　was　London　and　you　really　couldn't　do　this　sort　of　thing　here。
　　He　couldn't　catch　her　because　this　was　London；　and　not　a　million　miles　from　here；　seven　hundred　and　fifty…six；　to　be　exact；　in　Pisa；　Galileo　had　clearly　demonstrated　that　two　falling　bodies　fell　at　exactly　the　same　rate　of　acceleration　irrespective　of　their　relative　weights。
　　They　fell。
　　Arthur　realized　as　he　fell；　giddily　and　sickeningly；　that　if　he　was　going　to　hang　around　in　the　sky　believing　everything　that　the　Italians　had　to　say　about　physics　when　they　couldn't　even　keep　a　simple　tower　straight；　that　they　were　in　dead　trouble；　and　damn　well　did　fall　faster　than　Fenchurch。
　　He　grappled　her　from　above；　and　fumbled　for　a　tight　grip　on　her　shoulders。　He　got　it。
　　Fine。　They　were　now　falling　together；　which　was　all　very　sweet　and　romantic；　but　didn't　solve　the　basic　problem；　which　was　that　they　were　falling；　and　the　ground　wasn't　waiting　around　to　see　if　he　had　any　more　clever　tricks　up　his　sleeve；　but　was　ing　up　to　meet　them　like　an　express　train。
　　He　couldn't　support　her　weight；　he　hadn't　anything　he　could　support　it　with　or　against。　The　only　thing　he　could　think　was　that　they　were　obviously　going　to　die；　and　if　he　wanted　anything　other　than　the　obvious　to　happen　he　was　going　to　have　to　do　something　other　than　the　obvious。　Here　he　felt　he　was　on　familiar　territory。
　　He　let　go　of　her；　pushed　her　away；　and　when　she　turned　her　face　to　him　in　a　gasp　of　stunned　horror；　caught　her　little　finger　with　his　little　finger　and　swung　her　back　upwards；　tumbling　clumsily　up　after　her。
　　…　Shit；　…　she　said；　as　she　sat　panting　and　breathless　on　absolutely　nothing　at　all；　and　when　she　had　recovered　herself　they　fled　on　up　into　the　night。
　　Just　below　cloud　level　they　paused　and　scanned　where　they　had　impossibly　e。　The　ground　was　something　not　to　regard　with　any　too　firm　or　steady　an　eye；　but　merely　to　glance　at；　as　it　were；　in　passing。
　　Fenchurch　tried　some　little　swoops；　daringly；　and　found　that　if　she　judged　herself　just　right　against　a　body　of　wind　she　could　pull　off　some　really　quite　dazzling　ones　with　a　little　pirouette　at　the　end；　followed　by　a　little　drop　which　made　her　dress　billow　around　her；　and　this　is　where　readers　who　are　keen　to　know　what　Marvin　and　Ford　Prefect　have　been　up　to　all　this　while　should　look　ahead　to　later　chapters；　because　Arthur　now　could　wait　no　longer　and　helped　her　take　it　off。
　　It　drifted　down　and　away　whipped　by　the　wind　until　it　was　a　speck　which　finally　vanished；　and　for　various　plicated　reasons　revolutionized　the　life　of　a　family　on　Hounslow；　over　whose　washing　line　it　was　discovered　draped　in　the　morning。
　　In　a　mute　embrace；　they　drifted　up　till　they　were　swimming　amongst　the　misty　wraiths　of　moisture　that　you　can　see　feathering　around　the　wings　of　an　aeroplane　but　never　feel　because　you　are　sitting　warm　inside　the　stuffy　aeroplane　and　looking　through　the　little　scratchy　perspex　window　while　somebody　else's　son　tries　patiently　to　pour　warm　milk　into　your　shirt。
　　Arthur　and　Fenchurch　could　feel　them；　wispy　cold　and　thin；　wreathing　round　their　bodies；　very　cold；　very　thin。　They　felt；　even　Fenchurch；　now　protected　from　the　elements　by　only　a　couple　of　fragments　from　Marks　and　Spencer；　that　if　they　were　not　going　to　let　the　force　of　gravity　bother　them；　then　mere　cold　or　paucity　of　atmosphere　could　go　and　whistle。
　　The　two　fragments　from　Marks　and　Spencer　which；　as　Fenchurch　rose　now　into　the　misty　body　of　the　clouds；　Arthur　removed　very；　very　slowly；　which　is　the　only　way　it's　possible　to　do　it　when　you're　flying　and　also　not　using　your　hands；　went　on　to　create　considerable　havoc　in　the　morning　in；　respectively；　counting　from　top　to　bottom；　Isleworth　and　Richmond。
　　They　were　in　the　cloud　for　a　long　time；　because　it　was　stacked　very　high；　and　when　finally　they　emerged　wetly　above　it；　Fenchurch　slowly　spinning　like　a　starfish　lapped　by　a　rising　tidepool；　they　found　that　above　the　clouds　is　where　the　night　get　seriously　moonlit。
　　The　light　is　darkly　brilliant。　There　are　different　mountains　up　there；　but　they　are　mountains；　with　their　own　white　arctic　snows。
　　They　had　emerged　at　the　top　of　the　high…stacked　cumulo…nimbus；　and　now　began　lazily　to　drift　down　its　contours；　as　Fenchurch　eased　Arthur　in　turn　from　his　clothes；　prised　him　free　of　them　till　all　were　gone；　winding　their　surprised　way　down　into　the　enveloping　whiteness。
　　She　kissed　him；　kissed　his　neck；　his　chest；　and　soon　they　were　drifting　on；　turning　slowly；　in　a　kind　of　speechless　T…shape；　which　might　have　caused　even　a　Fuolornis　Fire　Dragon；　had　one　flown　past；　replete　with　pizza；　to　flap　its　wings　and　cough　a　little。
　　There　were；　however；　no　Fuolornis　Fire　Dragons　in　the　clouds　nor　could　there　be　for；　like　the　dinosaurs；　the　dodos；　and　the　Greater　Dr