11 Stowaway
第11章 偷渡客
It was a little over a month before the summer could be said to have started. Started, that is, to the extent that Homir Munn had written his final financial report of the fiscal year, seen to it that the substitute librarian supplied by the Government was sufficiently aware of the subtleties of the post……"last year's man had been quite unsatisfactory……"and arranged to have his little cruiser the Unimara……"named after a tender and mysterious episode of twenty years past……"taken out of its winter cobwebbery.
还有一个月多一点，夏天才能算是真正开始。不过，侯密尔·孟恩已经写好这个会计年度的年终报告，并仔细考核了政府派来的代理馆员，确定他能胜任这项并不简单的工作……去年那个人实在太差劲了。他还从密封了近一年的船库中，拖出他的单人太空游艇单海号……这个古怪番号，是根据二十年前一件神秘而敏感的事件命名的。
He left Terminus in a sullen distemper. No one was at the port to see him off. That would not have been natural since no one ever had in the past. He knew very well that it was important to have this trip in no way different from any he had made in the past, yet he felt drenched in a vague resentment. He, Homir Munn, was risking his neck in derring-doery of the most outrageous sort, and yet he left alone.
当他离开端点星的时候，心中充满着抑郁与不满。没有任何人到太空航站为他送行。这是很自然的事，因为过去也从来没有。他非常明白，必须让这趟旅行看来毫无特殊之处，但是肚子里还是冒出一股无名火。他，侯密尔·孟恩，正冒着杀头的危险，从事一件荒谬绝伦的任务，却连一个同伴也没有。
At least, so he thought.
至少，那是他当时的认知。
And it was because he thought wrongly, that the following day was one of confusion, both on the Unimara and in Dr. Darell's suburban home.
可是因为他有所不知，所以第二天在单海号上，以及达瑞尔博士位于郊区的家中，各自出现一场混乱的局面。
It hit Dr. Darell's home first, in point of time, through the medium of Poli, the maid, whose month's vacation was now quite a thing of the past. She flew down the stairs in a flurry and stutter.
根据时间的顺序，达瑞尔博士家中的骚动首先爆发。导火线是家里的女佣波莉，她早已度完一个月的假期。她突然慌慌张张地从楼梯飞奔而下，同时结结巴巴地大叫大嚷。
The good doctor met her and she tried vainly to put emotion into words but ended by thrusting a sheet of paper and a cubical object at him.
她冲到博士面前，想要把惊恐化为语言。结果比手画脚了老半天，硬是挤不出半句话，最后只能递给他一张纸和一个方形物体。
He took them unwillingly and said: "What's wrong, Poli?"
他只好把东西接过来，问道：“波莉，怎么回事？”
"She's gone, doctor."
“博士，她走了。”
"Who's gone?"
“谁走了？”
"Arcadia!"
“艾嘉蒂娅！”
"What do you mean, gone? Gone where? What are you talking about?"
“你说‘走了’是什么意思？走到哪里去？你到底在说什么？”
And she stamped her foot: 'I don't know. She's gone, and there's a suitcase and some clothes gone with her and there's that letter. Why don't you read it, instead of just standing there? Oh, you men!"
她急得直跺脚。“我可不知道。她就是不见了，还有一只手提箱和几件衣服也不见了，却多出了这封信。你别光站在那里，为什么不看看信呢？喔，你们男人啊！”
Dr. Darell shrugged and opened the envelope. The letter was not long, and except for the angular signature, "Arkady," was in the ornate and flowing handwriting of Arcadia's transcriber.
达瑞尔博士耸耸肩，然后拆开了信封。信的内容并不长，除了“艾卡蒂”那个笨拙的签名，其余都是优雅而秀丽的字体，显然是听写机列印出来的。
Dear Father:
亲爱的爸爸：
It would have been simply too heartbreaking to say good-by to you in person. I might have cried like a little girl and you would have been ashamed of me. So I'm writing a letter instead to tell you how much III miss you, even while I'm having this perfectly wonderful summer vacation with Uncle Homir. III take good care of myself and it won't be long before I抦 home again. Meanwhile, I'm leaving you something that's all my own. You can have it now.
我不敢当面向您告别，那样我会太难过，也许会像小女孩一样哭起来，让您感到我不争气。所以我决定写封信告诉您，虽然我将要和侯密尔叔叔度过一个快乐无比的暑假，我仍然会非常想念您。我会好好照顾自己，并且会尽快回家。此外，我留给您一件我自己的东西，您现在就可以打开看看。
Your loving daughter,
挚爱您的女儿
Arkady.
艾卡蒂
He read it through several times with an expression that grew blanker each time. He said stiffly, "Have you read this, Poli?"
他把这封信反复看了好几遍，表情显得越来越和缓。最后，他硬邦邦地问道：“波莉，你有没有看过这封信？”
Poli was instantly on the defensive. "I certainly can't be blamed for that, doctor. The envelope has 'Poli' written on the outside, and I had no way of telling there was a letter for you on the inside. I'm no snoop, doctor, and in the years I've been with……"
波莉立刻为自己辩护。“博士，这件事你绝对不能怪我。信封上明明写着‘波莉’，我根本不知道里面竟然是给你的信。博士，我可不是喜欢刺探隐私的人，过去这么多年来……”
Darell held up a placating hand, "Very well, Poli. It's not important. I just wanted to make sure you understood what had happened."
达瑞尔做了一个少安毋躁的手势。“很好，波莉，这点并不重要。我只是想确定，你了解到发生了什么事。”
He was considering rapidly. It was no use telling her to forget the matter. With regard to the enemy, "forget" was a meaningless word; and the advice, insofar as it made the matter more important, would have had an opposite effect.
他心念电转：叫她忘掉这件事是没有用的。他们所面对的敌人，字典里可没有“忘”这个字；而如果给她任何忠告，却会让事情显得更严重，刚好会造成反效果。
He said instead, "She's a queer little girl, you know. Very romantic. Ever since we arranged to have her go off on a space trip this summer, she's been quite excited."
因此他说：“你也知道，她是个心思古怪的小女孩，非常天真浪漫。自从我们计划让她在暑假做一次太空旅行，她就一直兴奋得不得了。”
"And just why has no one told me about this space trip?"
“可是为什么没有一个人告诉我这档事？”
"It was arranged while you were away, and we forgot It's nothing more complicated than that."
“是在你休假期间安排的，后来我们忘记说了。事情就是这么简单。”
Poli's original emotions now concentrated themselves into a single, overwhelming indignation, "Simple, is it? The poor chick has gone off with one suitcase, without a decent stitch of clothes to her, and alone at that. How long will she be away?"
此时，波莉原先的激动全部凝聚成一股凶猛的怒气。“简单，是不是？可怜的小姑娘只带了一只手提箱，里面没有一件像样的衣裳，又是一个人去的。她要去多久呢？”
"Now I won't have you worrying about it, Poli. There will be plenty of clothes for her on the ship. It's been all arranged. Will you tell Mr. Anthor, that I want to see him? Oh, and first……"is this the object that Arcadia has left for me?" He turned it over in his hand.
“波莉，这点你大可放心。太空船上早已为她准备了足够的衣物。请你去告诉安索先生，说我想见他好吗？喔，等一下……这是不是艾嘉蒂娅留给我的东西？”他将手中那个方形物体转了一转。
Poli tossed her head. "I'm sure I don't know. The letter was on top of it and that's every bit I can tell you. Forget to tell me, indeed. If her mother were alive……"
波莉猛摇着头。“我保证我不知道。我只能告诉你，那封信就是放在这东西上头。竟然忘了告诉我，真是的。如果孩子的妈还活着……”
Darell, waved her away. "Please call Mr. Anthor."
达瑞尔挥手赶她走。“请你去把安索先生找来。”
Anthor's viewpoint on the matter differed radically from that of Arcadia's father. He punctuated his initial remarks with clenched fists and tom hair, and from there, passed on to bitterness.
对于这个突如其来的变化，安索的看法与艾嘉蒂娅的父亲南辕北辙。他的反应极为强烈，说话的时候捏紧拳头，还拼命扯着头发，后来又露出愁眉苦脸的表情。
"Great Space, what are you waiting for? What are we both waiting for? Get the spaceport on the viewer and have them contact the Unimara."
“老天啊，你到底还在等什么？我们两个还在等什么？赶紧用影像电话接通太空航站，让他们立刻联络单海号。”
"Softly, Pelleas, she's my daughter."
“别激动，裴礼斯，她可是我的女儿。”
"But it's not your Galaxy."
“但银河系可不是你的。”
"Now, wait. She's an intelligent girl, Pelleas, and she's thought this thing out carefully. We had better follow her thoughts while this thing is fresh. Do you know what this thing is?"
“冷静一点。裴礼斯，她是个聪明的女孩，这个行动是她仔细计划的结果。趁着事情刚发生不久，我们最好赶紧揣摩一下她的想法。你知不知道这是什么东西？”
"No. Why should it matter what it is?'
“不知道。它是什么又有什么关系？”
"Because it's a sound-receiver."
“因为这是个集音器。”
"That thing?"
“那玩意儿？”
"It's homemade, but it will work. I've tested it. Don't you see? It's her way of telling us that she's been a party to our conversations of policy. She knows where Homir Munn is going and why. She's decided it would be exciting to go along."
“这是手工做的，不过仍然管用，我已经测试过了。你难道看不出来吗？她用这个方法告诉我们，当我们讨论那个计划的时候，她也等于在现场。她知道侯密尔·孟恩要去哪里，以及此行的目的。她认为跟他一道去，会是一次惊险刺激的经验。”
"Oh, Great Space," groaned the younger man. "Another mind for the Second Foundation to pick."
“喔，老天啊。”年轻人发出呻吟，“又有一个心灵，即将成为第二基地的猎物。”
"Except that there's no reason why the Second Foundation should, a priori, suspect a fourteen-year-old girl of being a danger……"unless we do anything to attract attention to her, such as calling back a ship out of space for no reason other than to take her off. Do you forget with whom we're dealing? How narrow the margin is that separates us from discovery? How helpless we are thereafter?"
“话不能这么说，第二基地没有理由怀疑一个十四岁的女孩……除非我们轻举妄动，让他们把注意力转移到她身上，比如说，为了把她追回来，贸然下令召回那艘太空船。你忘了我们的对手是什么人吗？我们的意图是多么容易被发现？而万一被发现，我们又会是多么无助？”
"But we can't have everything depend on an insane child."
“可是我们不能把这一切，托付给一个疯狂的小孩子。”
She's not insane, and we have no choice. She need not have written the letter, but she did it to keep us from going to the police after a lost child. Her letter suggests that we convert the entire matter into a friendly offer on the part of Munn to take an old friend's daughter off for a short vacation. And why not? He's been my friend for nearly twenty years. He's known her since she was three, when I brought her back from Trantor. It's a perfectIy natural thing, and, in fact, ought to decrease suspicion. A spy does not carry a fourteen-year-old niece about with him."
“她可不疯狂，而我们也毫无选择。她根本不需要写这封信，但她还是写了，就是不想让我们以为她是无缘无故失踪而报警。她在信中暗示，要我们对这件事另作解释，看成是孟恩带着老友的女儿去度假。这又有何不可呢？我和他结识快二十年了。艾嘉蒂娅三岁的时候，我把她从川陀带回来，他就一直看着她长大。这是再自然不过的事，而且事实上，还应该会减轻对方的疑心。真正的间谍，不会带着一个十四岁的侄女到处乱跑。”
"So. And what will Munn do when he finds her?"
“好的。可是等到孟恩发现她，他又会怎么办？”
Dr. Darell heaved his eyebrows once. "I can't say……"but I presume she抣l handle him."
达瑞尔博士扬了扬眉毛。“我说不准……但想必她有办法应付。”
But the house was somehow very lonely at night and Dr. Darell found that the fate of the Galaxy made remarkably little difference while his daughter's mad little life was in danger.
不过到了晚上，这个家突然显得份外冷清。达瑞尔博士发现，当疯狂的女儿有可能小命不保时，银河系的命运似乎一点也不重要了。
The excitement on the Unimara, if involving fewer people, was considerably more intense.
而在单海号上发生的骚动，牵涉的人虽然较少，紧张惊险的程度却大有过之。
In the luggage compartment, Arcadia found herself, in the first place, aided by experience, and in the second, hampered by the reverse.
艾嘉蒂娅一直躲在行李舱中。刚开始的时候，她还能靠经验应付各种状况，可是不久之后，她就变得手足无措。
Thus, she met the initial acceleration with equanimity and the more subtle nausea that accompanied the inside-outness of the first jump through hyperspace with stoicism. Both had been experienced on space hops before, and she was tensed for them. She knew also that luggage compartments were included in the ship's ventilation-system and that they could even be bathed in wall-light. This last, however, she excluded as being too unconscionably unromantic. She remained in the dark, as a conspirator should, breathing very softly, and listening to the little miscellany of noises that surrounded Homir Munn.
也就是说，在最初的加速过程中，她始终能保持镇定；而在第一次超空间跃迁时，她虽然有些恶心想吐，仍然可以勉力应付。她以前搭过太空船，体验过这两种难受的感觉，懂得如何严阵以待。此外，她还知道行李舱中也有空调系统，甚至还有壁光照明。然而，她并未开启壁光，因为那样实在太不浪漫了。她像阴谋分子那样栖身于黑暗中，同时尽量屏住气息，倾听着侯密尔·孟恩发出的各种噪音。
They were undistinguished noises, the kind made by a man alone. The shuffling of shoes, the rustle of fabric against metal, the soughing of an upholstered chair seat retreating under weight, the sharp click of a control unit, or the soft slap of a palm over a photoelectric cell.
那些都是很普通的噪音，男人独处时都会发出类似的声响。包括鞋子磨蹭地板的声音，衣服与金属物体的摩擦声，椅垫被体重压出的哀号，按动操纵装置的尖锐响声，还有手掌轻拍光电管的噼啪声。
Yet, eventually, it was the lack of experience that caught up with Arcadia. In the book films and on the videos, the stowaway seemed to have such an infinite capacity for obscurity. Of course, there was always the danger of dislodging something which would fall with a crash, or of sneezing……"in videos you were almost sure to sneeze; it was an accepted matter. She knew all this, and was careful. There was also the realization that thirst and hunger might be encountered. For this, she was prepared with ration cans out of the pantry. But yet things remained that the films never mentioned, and it dawned upon Arcadia with a shock that, despite the best intentions in the world, she could stay hidden in the closet for only a limited time.
然而，艾嘉蒂娅终于因为经验不足而遇到问题。无论在胶卷书或超视影片中，偷渡者似乎都有神不知鬼不觉的本事。当然总会有些意外发生，比如说将什么东西碰倒，掉在地板上发出巨响，或者忍不住打喷嚏……超视影片里一定有类似的情节，观众也都视为理所当然。她对这些都了然于胸，所以处处小心。她也料到自己会饿、会渴，所以预先从家里拿了好些罐头。可是影片不可能对现实问题面面顾到，于是艾嘉蒂娅终于惊觉……即使运气再好，准备得再周全，她也不能在这个小舱中躲藏太久。
And on a one-man sports-cruiser, such as the Unimara, living space consisted, essentially, of a single room, so that there wasn't even the risky possibility of sneaking out of the compartment while Munn was engaged elsewhere.
而在单海号这种单人太空游艇中，活动空间算来算去也只有一间舱房，因此她连偷偷溜到别处去的机会都没有，因为孟恩根本不会离开。
She waited frantically for the sounds of sleep to arise. If only she knew whether he snored. At least she knew where the bunk was and she could recognize the rolling protest of one when she heard it. There was a long breath and then a yawn. She waited through a gathering silence, punctuated by the bunk's soft protest against a changed position or a shifted leg.
她耐着性子等待，希望等到一些代表孟恩入睡的声音。倘若晓得他是否会打鼾，那该有多好。不过她至少知道睡床的位置，如果那里传出翻身的声音，自己应该分辨得出来。不知道过了多久，总算传来一阵深长的呼吸声，然后是一个呵欠声。艾嘉蒂娅继续耐心等待，在万籁俱寂中，只有睡床偶尔会发出一些声响，代表床上的人换了一个姿势，或者踢了踢腿。
The door of the luggage compartment opened easily at the pressure of her finger, and her craning neck……
她用一根指头轻轻推开行李舱的门，准备探头出去……
There was a definite human sound that broke off sharply.
原先明明听到的声音，却在这一瞬间戛然而止。
Arcadia solidified. Silence! Still silence!
艾嘉蒂娅全身僵硬。四周一片死寂！一片死寂！
She tried to poke her eyes outside the door without moving her head and failed. The head followed the eyes.
她想模仿卡通人物，让脑袋留在舱内，把眼珠突出门外，结果功败垂成。她的脑袋随着眼珠伸了出去。
Homir Munn was awake, of course……"reading in bed, bathed in the soft, unspreading bed light, staring into the darkness with wide eyes, and groping one hand stealthily under the pillow.
侯密尔·孟恩当然还醒着……他躺在床上看书，全身笼罩在柔和而不扩散的光芒中。现在，他正睁大眼睛向暗处凝视，同时一只手偷偷伸到枕头底下。
Arcadia's head moved sharply back of itself. Then, the light went out entirely and Munn's voice said with shaky sharpness, "I've got a blaster, and I'm shooting, by the Galaxy……"
艾嘉蒂娅想也没想，脑袋就猛然缩回来。灯光随即完全熄灭，孟恩则发出尖锐而颤抖的声音：“我握着一把核铳，银河在上，我要发射了……”
And Arcadia wailed, "It's only me. Don't shoot."
艾嘉蒂娅立刻哭喊道：“别射，是我。”
Remarkable what a fragile flower romance is. A gun with a nervous operator behind it can spoil the whole thing.
浪漫的幻想有如一朵脆弱无比的小花。一个神经过敏的人手中的一把核铳，就足以摧毁一切。
The light was back on……"all over the ship……"and Munn was sitting up in bed. The somewhat grizzled hair on his thin chest and the sparse one-day growth on his chin lent him an entirely fallacious appearance of disreputability.
太空艇内随即大放光明……孟恩端坐在床上，单薄的胸膛露出有些斑白的胸毛，下巴的胡子已经一整天没刮，使他看来潦倒不堪。
Arcadia stepped out, yanking at her metallene jacket which was supposed to be guaranteed wrinkleproof.
艾嘉蒂娅走出来，用力拉了拉具有金属光泽的外衣。那是多此一举，因为这种外衣保证不会起皱。
After a wild moment in which he almost jumped out of bed, but remembered, and instead yanked the sheet up to his shoulders, Munn gargled, "W……wha……what……"
孟恩感到万分诧异，差一点要从床上跳下来。不过他好像突然想到什么，赶紧把床单拉到肩膀的高度，含糊不清地问道：“怎、怎么、怎么……”
He was completely incomprehensible.
他完全一头雾水。
Arcadia said meekly, "Would you excuse me for a minute? I've got to wash my hands." She knew the geography of the vessel, and slipped away quickly. When she returned, with her courage oozing back, Homir Munn was standing before her with a faded bathrobe on the outside and a brilliant fury on the inside.
艾嘉蒂娅温顺地说：“对不起，失陪一下好吗？我得先去洗洗手。”她知道这艘太空艇的结构，说完就一溜烟不见了。当她再度出现的时候，勇气也跟着回来了。侯密尔·孟恩穿上一件褪了色的睡袍，站在她面前，一肚子的怒气有待发作。
"What the black holes of Space are you d……doing aboard this ship? H……how did you get on here? What do you th……think I'm supposed to do with you? What's going on here?"
“你究竟在搞、搞什么黑洞？你是怎、怎么上来的？你要、要我拿你怎么办？这到底是怎么回事？”
He might have asked questions indefinitely, but Arcadia interrupted sweetly, "I just wanted to come along, Uncle Homir."
他的问题可以一直不断问下去，艾嘉蒂娅却以甜美的语气插嘴道：“侯密尔叔叔，我只是想跟你一起去。”
"Why? I'm not going anywhere?"
“为什么？我哪里也不去啊。”
"You're going to Kalgan for information about the Second Foundation."
“你准备到卡尔根，去搜集第二基地的情报。”
And Munn let out a wild howl and collapsed completely. For one horrified moment, Arcadia thought he would have hysterics or beat his head against the wall. He was still holding the blaster and her stomach grew ice-cold as she watched it.
孟恩发出一声狂嗥，整个人随即崩溃。艾嘉蒂娅吓了一大跳，以为他会陷入歇斯底里，甚至会去撞墙。而且核铳仍握在他手中，她每次瞄到，胃部都不禁冒出一股寒气。
"Watch out……Take it easy……"was all she could think of to say.
“小心……冷静点……”她一时之间只能想到这两句话。
But he struggled back to relative normality and threw the blaster on to the bunk with a force that should have set it off and blown a hole through the ship's hull.
还好他很快就勉强恢复正常。他使劲将核铳丢到床上，险些令那柄武器走火，将太空艇轰出一个大窟窿。
"How did you get on?" he asked slowly, as though gripping each word with his teeth very carefully to prevent it from trembling before letting it out.
“你是怎么上来的？”他说得很慢，仿佛每个字都用牙齿仔细咬过，免得这些字眼在空气中打战。
"It was easy. I just came into the hangar with my suitcase, and said, 'Mr. Munn's baggage!' and the man in charge just waved his thumb without even looking up."
“那还不容易。我提着手提箱走进船库，然后说：‘孟恩先生的行李！’那名管理员连头也没抬，就挥挥手让我通过。”
"I'll have to take you back, you know," said Homir, and there was a sudden wild glee within him at the thought. By Space, this wasn't his fault.
“你知道吗，我得送你回去。”侯密尔说到这里，心中突然一阵狂喜。太空啊，这可不是他的错。
"You can't," said Arcadia, calmly, "it would attract attention."
“你不能那样做，”艾嘉蒂娅冷静地说，“那会使人起疑的。”
"What?"
“什么？”
"You know. The whole purpose of your going to Kalgan was because it was natural for you to go and ask for permission to look into the Mule's records. And you've got to be so natural that you're to attract no attention at all. If you go back with a girl stowaway, it might even get into the tele-news reports."
“你心里明白。你这次会到卡尔根去，是因为对你而言，去那里要求查阅骡的资料，是自然而然的一件事。你的一举一动都要表现得很自然，不可以让任何人起疑。如果你半途折返，把一个偷渡的女孩送回去，也许连超视新闻都会报道呢。”
"Where did you g……get those notions about Kalgan? These……uh……childish? He was far too flippant for conviction, of course, even to one who knew less than did Arcadia.
“关于卡尔根的事，你是从哪里听、听来的？这实在是、是幼稚的想法……”当然，这两句话毫无说服力，甚至骗不过知道得比艾嘉蒂娅更少的人。
"I heard," she couldn't avoid pride completely, "with a sound-recorder. I know all about it……"so you've got to let me come along."
“我用一台集音器听到的。”她的骄傲溢于言表，“我对你们的计划一清二楚……所以你一定得让我一起去。”
"What about your father?" He played a quick trump. "For all he knows, you're kidnapped……dead."
“你爸爸又会怎么想呢？”他打出一张王牌，“他会以为你被绑架了……死了。”
"I left a note," she said, overtrumping, "and he probably knows he mustn't make a fuss, or anything. You'll probably get a space-gram from him."
“我留了一张便条，”她回敬一张更大的王牌，“他应该知道绝不能大惊小怪。你可能会收到他的太空电报。”
To Munn the only explanation was sorcery, because the receiving signal sounded wildly two seconds after she finished.
她刚说完这句话，两秒钟之后，收报讯号便嘎嘎作响。对孟恩而言，似乎只有魔法才能解释这一切。
She said: "That's my father, I bet," and it was.
她说：“我敢打赌，一定是我爸爸。”她果然说对了。
The message wasn't long and it was addressed to Arcadia. It said: "Thank you for your lovely present, which I'm sure you put to good use. Have a good time."
电文是写给艾嘉蒂娅的，内容只有短短几句话：“谢谢你送我那件可爱的礼物，相信你一定曾经善加利用。祝假期愉快。”
"You see," she said, "that's instructions."
“你看，”她说，“这就是他的嘱咐。”
Homir grew used to her. After a while, he was glad she was there. Eventually, he wondered how he would have made it without her. She prattIed! She was excited! Most of all, she was completely unconcerned. She knew the Second Foundation was the enemy, yet it didn't bother her. She knew that on Kalgan, he was to deal with a hostile officialdom, but she could hardly wait.
侯密尔很快便习惯了她的存在。不久之后，他更是很高兴有她作伴。最后他简直难以想象，如果没有她，自己如何撑完全程。她喜欢胡言乱语！她显得兴奋异常！最重要的是，她一点都不在乎。她明明知道敌人正是第二基地，却根本不担心。她也晓得一旦抵达卡尔根，他得面对一群充满敌意的官僚，然而她就是迫不及待。
Maybe it came of being fourteen.
也许是因为她才十四岁。
At any rate, the week-long trip now meant conversation rather than introspection. To be sure, it wasn't a very enlightening conversation, since it concerned, almost entirely, the girl's notions on the subject of how best to treat the Lord of Kalgan. Amusing and nonsensical, and yet delivered with weighty deliberation.
无论如何，一周的旅程有了聊天的对象，不再需要整天自言自语。其实，他们的谈话并没有什么建设性的内容，几乎都是这个女孩在发表高见，讲述她心中对付卡尔根统领的妙计。简直是既好笑又荒唐，可是她却煞有介事，说得认真无比。
Homir found himself actually capable of smiling as he listened and wondered out of just which gem of historical fiction she got her twisted notion of the great universe.
听了她的高论，侯密尔忍不住莞尔，而且相当纳闷：她对银河大势的古怪观点，究竟是从哪本精彩的历史小说看来的？
It was the evening before the last jump. Kalgan was a bright star in the scarcely-twinkling emptiness of the outer reaches of the Galaxy. The ship's telescope made it a sparkling blob of barely-perceptible diameter.
准备做最后一次跃迁的那天傍晚，在银河外缘稀疏的群星间，卡尔根已经是一颗明亮的星星。透过太空艇的望远镜看去，那颗恒星变作一个闪烁的斑点。
Arcadia sat cross-legged in the good chair. She was wearing a pair of slacks and a none-too-roomy shirt that belonged to Homir. Her own more feminine wardrobe had been washed and ironed for the landing.
艾嘉蒂娅正翘着一条腿，坐在唯一的一张椅子上。她穿着侯密尔的家常裤和衬衫，却不显得如何松垮。她自己的衣服则已经洗净熨平，留待降落后再穿。
She said, "I'm going to write historical novels, you know." She was quite happy about the trip. Uncle Homir didn't the least mind listening to her and it made conversation so much more pleasant when you could talk to a really intelligent person who was serious about what you said.
她说：“你知道吗，我将来准备写历史小说。”她相当喜欢这趟旅行，因为侯密尔叔叔总是用心聆听她的心声。能够和一个真正有智慧的人交谈，对方又认真倾听你的高论，实在是人生一大乐事。
She continued: "I've read books and books about all the great men of Foundation history. You know, like Seldon, Hardin, Mallow, Devers and all the rest. I've even read most of what you've written about the Mule, except that it isn't much fun to read those parts where the Foundation loses. Wouldn't you rather read a history where they skipped the silly, tragic parts?"
她继续说：“我读了一本又一本的基地伟人传记。你知道的，例如谢顿、哈定、马洛、迪伐斯，还有其他所有的英雄。就连你写的有关骡的文章，大多数我也都读过，不过基地战败的那段历史看了令人不舒服。如果把那些愚蠢而悲惨的部分删掉，历史不是更好看吗？”
"Yes, I would," Munn assured her, gravely. "But it wouldn't be a fair history, would it, Arkady? You'd never get academic respect, unless you give the whole story."
“对，会更好看。”孟恩以严肃的口吻说，“可是那就不是忠实的历史了，艾卡蒂，你说对不对？除非将史实完整呈现，否则你不会获得任何学术地位。”
"Oh, poof. Who cares about academic respect?" She found him delightful. He hadn't missed calling her Arkady for days. "My novels are going to be interesting and are going to sell and be famous. What's the use of writing books unless you sell them and become well-known? I don't want just some old professors to know me. It's got to be everybody."
“喔，呸。谁在乎什么学术地位？”她觉得他实在可爱。这几天，他都没有忘记叫她“艾卡蒂”。“我的小说要写得好看，要成为畅销名着，要让我声名大噪。如果你的书卖不出去，不能让你出名，写作又还有什么意义呢？我可不要只让几个老教授认识我，我一定要家喻户晓。”
Her eyes darkened with pleasure at the thought and she wriggled into a more comfortable position. "In fact, as soon as I can get father to let me, I'm going to visit Trantor, so's I can get background material on the First Empire, you know. I was born on Trantor; did you know that?"
这个想法让她高兴得连眼珠都变了颜色。她挪动了一下，换了一个更舒服的姿势。“事实上，你知道吗，只要爸爸一点头，我马上要到川陀去，以便搜集第一帝国的背景资料。我就是在川陀出生的，你知不知道？”
He did, but he said, "You were?" and put just the right amount of amazement into his voice. He was rewarded with something between a beam and a simper.
他当然知道，却故意说：“真的吗？”并在声音中加入适度的惊奇。艾嘉蒂娅则回报一个半真半假的笑容。
"Uh-huh. My grandmother……you know, Bayta Darell, you've heard of her……was on Trantor once with my grandfather. In fact, that's where they stopped the Mule, when all the Galaxy was at his feet; and my father and mother went there also when they were first married. I was born there. I even lived there till mother died, only I was just three then, and I don't remember much about it. Were you ever on Trantor, Uncle Homir?"
“喔……喔。我奶奶……你知道的，就是贝泰·达瑞尔，你一定听说过……她曾经和我爷爷在川陀住过一段时间。事实上，当时整个银河都踩在骡的脚下，而他们就是在那里阻止了骡。我爸爸妈妈结婚后也去了川陀，我就是在那里出生的。而且我一直住在那儿，直到妈妈去世；我当时才三岁，所以没有什么印象。侯密尔叔叔，你去过川陀吗？”
"No, can't say I was." He leaned back against the cold bulkhead and listened idly. Kalgan was very close, and he felt his uneasiness flooding back.
“没有，不能算去过。”他靠着冰冷的舱壁，随口答了一句。卡尔根已经近在眼前，他觉得不安的情绪又卷土重来了。
"Isn't it just the most romantic world? My father says that under Stannel V, it had more people than any ten worlds nowadays. He says it was just one big world of metals……"one big city……"that was the capital of all the Galaxy. He's shown me pictures that he took on Trantor. It's all in ruins now, but it's still stupendous. I'd just love to see it again. In fact……Homir!"
“它算不算银河中最传奇的世界？爸爸告诉我，斯达涅尔五世在位时期，上面的人口超过当今十个世界的总和。他还说那是个被金属覆盖的世界……单一的大都会……是整个银河系的首都。他给我看过他在川陀照的相片。现在到处都是废墟，不过仍旧壮观无比。我多么希望能再去那里。其实啊……侯密尔！”
"Yes?"
“啊？”
"Why don't we go there, when we're finished with Kalgan?"
“办完卡尔根的事，我们就去川陀好不好？”
Some of the fright hurtled back into his face. "What? Now don't start on that. This is business, not pleasure. Remember that."
孟恩脸上再度露出明显的惧色。“什么？你可别再兴风作浪。我们在办正事，不是在观光旅游。这点你可要牢记。”
"But it is business" she squeaked. "There might be incredible amounts of information on Trantor, don't you think so……"
“但这也是正事呀。”她尖声抗议，“川陀也许有数不清的重要资料。你相不相信？”
"No, I don't He scrambled to his feet "Now untangle yourself from the computer. We've got to make the last jump, and then you turn in." One good thing about landing, anyway; he was about fed up with trying to sleep on an overcoat on the metal floor.
“不，我不相信。”他爬了起来，“现在请你离电脑远一点。我们得进行最后一次跃迁，然后你就该上床了。”无论如何，降落后总有一件事会改善：他已经恨透了在金属地板上裹着外套睡觉。
The calculations were not difficult. The "Space Route Handbook" was quite explicit on the Foundation-Kalgan route. There was the momentary twitch of the timeless passage through hyperspace and the final light-year dropped away.
跃迁的计算并不困难。在《太空航道手册》上，基地至卡尔根的路线描述得十分详尽。在进入超空间的瞬间，他们照例感到轻微的抽搐，而下一刻，最后一光年的距离便消失了。
The sun of Kalgan was a sun now……"large, bright, and yellow-white; invisible behind the portholes that had automatically closed on the sun-lit side.
卡尔根的太阳终于有了太阳的模样……巨大、明亮、辐射出乳白色的光芒。但由于“日照侧”的舷窗早已自动关闭，他们两人并不能直接看见。
Kalgan was only a night's sleep away.
一觉醒来，就能抵达卡尔根了。