Where have you been? he demanded. Making some coffee, said Arthur, still wearing his very placid face. He had long ago realized that the only way of being in Ford’s company successfully was to keep a large stock of very placid faces and wear them at all times. You missed the best bit! raged Ford. You missed the bit where I jumped the guy! Now, he said, I shall have to jump him, all over him! He hurled himself recklessly at a chair and broke it. It was better, he said sullenly, last time, and waved vaguely in the direction of another broken chair which he had already got trussed up on the dining table. I see, said Arthur, casting a placid eye over the trussed up wreckage, and, er, what are all the ice cubes for? What? screamed Ford. What? You missed that bit too? That’s the suspended animation facility! I put the guy in the suspended animation facility. Well I had to didn’t I? So it would seem, said Arthur, in his placid voice. Don’t touch that!!! yelled Ford. Arthur, who was about to replace the phone, which was for some mysterious reason lying on the table, off the hook, paused, placidly. OK, said Ford, calming down, listen to it. Arthur put the phone to his ear. It’s the speaking clock, he said. Beep, beep, beep, said Ford, is exactly what is being heard all over that guy’s ship, while he sleeps, in the ice, going slowly round a little-known moon of Sesefras Magna. The London Speaking Clock! I see, said Arthur again, and decided that now was the time to ask the big one. Why? he said, placidly. With a bit of luck, said Ford, the phone bill will bankrupt the buggers. He threw himself, sweating, on to the sofa. Anyway, he said, dramatic arrival don’t you think? “你到哪兒去了？”他問。 “衝咖啡。”阿瑟說，臉色仍然非常鎮定。在很久以前他就認識到，在福特的身邊呆下去的唯一方式就是保持一種非常鎮定的臉色，並且要一直這樣。 “你錯過了最好的部分！”福特怒斥道，“你錯過了我跳過那個傢伙的那部分！現在，”他說，“我必須得跳這個，從他身上跳過去!” 他滿不在乎地跳進一張椅子，把椅子弄碎了。 “上一次，”他陰沉地說，“要好一點。”他向着另一張破了的椅子的方向胡亂揮了揮手，他已經把那把椅子的碎片捆了起來放在餐桌上。 “我明白。”阿瑟說，目光鎮定地看了看那堆捆起來的破爛，“另外，呃，這些冰塊是幹什麼用的？” “什麼？”福特尖叫起來，“什麼？這個你也錯過了？那是維生設備，我把那傢伙放進了維生設備。我必須得這麼做是吧？” “看起來是這樣。”阿瑟用鎮定的聲音說。 “別碰那個！！！”福特大喝一聲。 阿瑟鎮定地停下來，——他本來正準備把電話放好，因爲電話正爲了某種神祕的原因躺在桌子上，話筒落在一邊。 “好了。”福特平靜下來，“你聽聽電話。” 阿瑟把電話放在耳朵邊上。 “是報時信號。”他說。 “嗶，嗶，嗶。”福特說，“這就是那個傢伙在冰塊裏面睡覺的時候，我在他船上到處都一直聽的聲音，那時候飛船圍着塞瑟弗雷斯的一顆很少有人知道的月亮慢慢轉着圈。倫敦的報時信號！” “我明白。”阿瑟又說了一遍，並且覺得是時候問重要問題了。 “爲什麼？”他鎮定地問。 “運氣好的話，”福特說，“電話費會讓那個王八蛋破產。” 他汗流浹背地倒在沙發上。 “無論如何，”他說，“我的出現很引入注目吧，你覺得呢？”
