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23
第二十三章
The news networks don’t like this kind of thing. They regard it as a waste. An incontrovertible spaceship arrives out of nowhere in the middle of London and it is sensational news of the highest magnitude. Another completely different one arrives three and a half hours later and somehow it isn’t.
新闻网不喜欢这档子事。在他们看来这实在是浪费。一艘宇宙飞船从青天白日底下开进了伦敦，这就是最最激动人心的消息。三个半钟头之后又跑来艘完全不同的飞船，可不知怎么的，这一回谁也激动不起来了。
‘ANOTHER SPACECRAFT!’ said the headlines and news stand billboards. ‘THIS ONE’S PINK.’ A couple of months later they could have made a lot more of it. The third spacecraft, half an hour after that, the little four berth Hrundi runabout, only made it on to the local news.
“有一艘飞船！”新闻上的头版头条说，“这回是粉红色的。”可惜它没出现在两个月之后，否则大家准能好好炒炒这消息。等到了半个钟头第三艘飞船出现，新闻界已经完全失去兴趣，那艘四舱的忽兰蒂小型登陆艇只在地方新闻上露下脸，然后就没声音了。
Ford and Arthur had come screaming down out of the stratosphere and parked neatly on Portland Place. It was just after six-thirty in the evening and there were spaces free. They mingled briefly with the crowd that gathered round to ogle, then said loudly that if no one else was going to call the police they would, and made good their escape.
福特和阿瑟尖叫着冲出同温层，干净利索地停在波特兰区，刚过六点三十，泊车免费。人群很快聚集起来对着飞船大眼瞪小眼，他俩也混进人堆里，然后大声嚷嚷说，要是还没人叫警察，他们可要去叫了，并且就这么成功的开溜。
‘Home…’ said Arthur, a husky tone creeping into his voice as he gazed, misty-eyed around him.
“家……”阿瑟打量着四周，眼睛雾蒙蒙的，声音里还钻进些嘶哑的调子。
‘Oh don’t get all maudlin on me,’ snapped Ford. ‘We have to find your daughter and we have to find that bird thing.’
“哦，少跟我玩什么感伤。”福特厉声道，“我们得找到你女儿，还得找到那个鸟一样的东西。”
‘How?’ said Arthur. ‘This is a planet of five and a half billion people, and…’
“怎么找？”阿瑟问，“这星球上可有五十亿人而且……”
‘Yes,’ said Ford. ‘But only one of them has just arrived from outer space in a large silver spaceship accompanied by a mechanical bird. I suggest we just find a television and something to drink while we watch it. We need some serious room service.’
“没错。”福特说，“可其中只有一个是带着只机器鸟坐着艘银色的大飞船从外太空来的。我建议我们只需要找台电视机，一边看一边喝点东西。我们真的很需要些货真价实的客房服务。”
They checked into a large two-bedroomed suite at the Langham. Mysteriously, Ford’s Dine-O-Charge card, issued on a planet over five thousand light years away, seemed to present the hotel’s computer with no problems.
他们在朗廷大酒店要了带两个卧室的套间，福特的“随便吃”信用卡，尽管发卡机构位于五千光年外的某个行星，但在酒店的电脑上却似乎并没有遇到什么困难。
