shí jiān yóu kè（ zhè yàng chēng hū tā shì wèile fāng biàn qǐ jiàn） zhèng zài gěi wǒ men jiǎng jiě yī gè shēn 'ào nán dǒng de wèn tí。 tā huī sè de yǎn jīng yī zhǎ yī zhǎ de， jiǒng jiǒng yòu shén， wǎng cháng cāng bái de miàn kǒng cǐ kè hóng guāng huàn fā。 bì lú lǐ lú huǒ xióng xióng， bái chì dēng zài yín zhì bǎi hé huā dēng pán lǐ shè chū róu hé de guāng liàng， zhào zài wǒ men bō lí bēi lǐ tiào dòng de qì pào shàng。 wǒ men zuò de yǐ zǐ， zhǐ yòu tā cái yòu， tā men yǔ qí shuō shì gōng wǒ men zuò de， bù rú shuō shì zài yōng bào wǒ men， fǔ wèi wǒ men。 wǎn fàn hòu de qì fēn shū shì qiè yì， rén men de sī xù zài zhè shí hòu wǎng wǎng huì bù qiú jīng què， cóng róng dì chí chěng bēn liú。 tā jiù zhè yàng yī biān yòng xiān xì de shí zhǐ huá zhe yào diǎn， yī biān zài xiàng wǒ men jiǎng shù zhè gè shēn 'ào de wèn tí， wǒ mendōu lǎn yáng yáng dì zuò zhe， qīn pèi tā zài zhè gè xīn miù lùn shàng（ wǒ men shì zhè yàng rèn wéi de） biǎo xiàn chū de rèn zhēn tài dù hé fēng fù de chuàng zào lì。
“ nǐ men yī dìng yào zǎi xì tīng wǒ jiǎng。 wǒ yào fǎn bó yī liǎng gè jīhū shì gōng rèn de guān diǎn。 bǐ rú， nǐ men zài xué xiào lǐ xué de jǐ hé jiù shì jiàn lì zài cuò wù de gài niàn shàng de。”
“ yào wǒ men cóng zhè lǐ tīng qǐ， fàn wéi bù miǎn dà liǎo diǎn bā？” fěi 'ěr bǐ shuō。 tā tóu shàng cháng zhe hóng tóu fā， xǐ huān yǔ rén zhēng biàn。
“ wǒ bù shì yào nǐ men jiē shòu shénme wú jī zhī tán。 nǐ men hěn kuài huì chéng rèn wǒ xū yào nǐ men chéng rèn de nèi róng de。 nǐ men zì rán zhī dào， shù xué shàng suǒ wèi de yī tiáo xiàn， yī tiáo kuān dù wéi líng de xiàn qí shí bìng bù cún zài。 zhè gè nǐ men zài xué xiào shì xué guò de bā？ shù xué shàng suǒ shuō de píng miàn yě shì méi yòu de， zhè xiē chún cuì shì chōu xiàng de dōng xī。”
“ bù cuò。” xīn lǐ xué jiā shuō。
“ jǐn yòu cháng、 kuān、 gāo de lì fāng tǐ shí jì shàng yě bù kě néng cún zài。”
“ wǒ fǎn duì zhè zhǒng tí fǎ，” fěi 'ěr bǐ shuō，“ gù tǐ dāng rán kě yǐ cún zài。 yī qiē shí zài de dōng xī ……”
“ duō shù rén shì zhè yàng rèn wéi de。 kě nǐ tīng wǒ shuō， yī gè shùn shí de lì fāng tǐ néng cún zài má？”
“ bù dǒng nǐ de yì sī。” fěi 'ěr bǐ shuō。
“ yī gè gēn běn méi yòu chí xù shí jiān de lì fāng tǐ néng gòu zhēn zhèng cún zài má？”
fěi 'ěr bǐ xiàn rù liǎo chén sī。“ hěn qīng chǔ”， shí jiān yóu kè jì xù dào，“ rèn hé yī gè shí zài de wù tǐ dū bì xū xiàng sì gè fāng xiàng shēn zhǎn： tā bì xū yòu cháng dù、 kuān dù、 gāo dù hé shí jiān chí xù dù。 dàn yóu yú rén lèi tiān shēng de quē xiàn， zhè diǎn wǒ dài huì 'ér zài jiě shì， wǒ men wǎng wǎng hū shì zhè gè shì shí。 shí jì shàng yòu sì wéi， qí zhōng sān wéi wǒ men chēng zuò kōng jiān de sān gè píng miàn， dì sì wéi jiù shì shí jiān。 rán 'ér， rén men xiàn zài zǒng xǐ huān zài qián sān zhě hé hòu zhě zhī jiān huá shàng yī tiáo shí jì bìng bù cún zài de qū fēn xiàn， yīn wéi wǒ men de yì shí cóng shēng mìng de kāi shǐ dào jié shù zhèng shì yán zhe shí jiān de tóng yī fāng xiàng duàn duàn xù xù cháo qián yùn dòng de。”
“ zhè，” yī gè nián qīng rén shuō zhe， duō duō suo suo dì zài dēng huǒ shàng chóngxīn diǎn rán liǎo tā de xuějiā yān。“ zhè…… yī diǎn què shí hěn qīng chǔ。”
“ shì 'ā， xǔ duō réndōu hū shì liǎo zhè yī diǎn， zhēn shì bù kě sī yì。” shí jiān yóu kè jì xù shuō dào， tā de xīng zhì gèng nóng liǎo。“ shí jì shàng zhè jiù shì dì sì wéi de nèi hán， suī rán yòu xiē rén tán lùn dì sì wéi shí bìng bù zhī dào tā men zhǐ de jiù shì zhè gè yì sī。 zhè qí shí zhǐ shì kàn dài shí jiān de lìng yī zhǒng fāng shì。 shí jiān hé kōng jiān sān wéi de rèn hé yī wéi zhī jiān dōuméi yòu shénme bù tóng， qū bié zhǐ shì wǒ men de yì shí shì yán zhe shí jiān xiàng qián yùn dòng de。 kě yòu xiē bèn dàn bǎ zhè gè guān diǎn de yì sī gǎo diān dǎo liǎo。 nǐ men tīng guò tā men yòu guān dì sì wéi de gāo jiàn má？”
“ wǒ méi tīng guò。” dì fāng zhǎngguān shuō。
“ shì zhè yàng de。 gēn jù wǒ men shù xué jiā de kàn fǎ， kōng jiān yòu sān wéi， rén men kě yǐ fēn bié chēng qí wéi cháng dù、 kuān dù、 hé gāo dù， ér qiě shǐ zhōng kě yǐ tōng guò chéng zhí jiǎo de sān gè píng miàn bǎ tā men biǎo shì chū lái。 dàn shì， yòu xiē xǐ huān páogēn wèn dǐ de rén zǒng yào wèn wèishénme piān piān shì sān wéi， wèishénme méi yòu lìng yī wéi lái tóng qí tā sān wéi xíng chéng zhí jiǎo ní？ tā men shèn zhì shì tú jiàn lì sì wéi jǐ hé。 xī méng · niǔ kē mǔ jiào shòu dà yuē yī gè yuè qián hái zài xiàng niǔ yuē shù xué xié huì jiě shì zhè gè wèn tí ní。 nǐ mendōu zhī dào， wǒ men kě yǐ zài zhǐ yòu liǎng wéi de píng miàn shàng biǎo xiàn yī gè sān wéi de lì tǐ tú。 tóng yàng， tā men rèn wéi néng gòu tōng guò sān wéi mó xíng lái biǎo xiàn sì wéi de dōng xī， zhǐ yào tā men néng gòu zhǎng wò tòu shì jì fǎ。 míng bái liǎo bā？”
“ wǒ xiǎng shì de，” dì fāng zhǎngguān qīng shēng shuō dào。 tā jǐn suǒ méi tóu sī kǎo qǐ lái， shuāng chún yī dòng yī dòng， hǎo xiàng zài chóngfù shénme shén mì de huà。“ shì de， wǒ xiǎng zhè xià míng bái liǎo。” tā guò liǎo yī huì 'ér shuō， liǎn shàng dǒu rán jiān lù chū liǎo xǐ sè。
“ ǹg， wǒ kě yǐ gào sù nǐ men， wǒ cóng shì zhè sì wéi jǐ hé de yán jiū yǐ yòu xiē shí hòu liǎo。 wǒ dé chū de yòu xiē jié lùn hěn xī qí。 bǐ rú zhè shì yī gè rén 8 suì shí de yī zhāng xiào xiàng， zhè shì 15 suì de， zhè shì 17 suì de， hái yòu yī zhāng shì 23 suì de， děng děng。 zhè xiē xiǎn rán dōushì yī gè rén de shēng huó piàn duàn， shì yòng 3 wéi biǎo xiàn chū lái de 4 wéi shēng mìng， zhè shì gù dìng de bù kě gǎi biàn de dōng xī。”
shí jiān yóu kè tíng děng liǎo piàn kè， yǐ biàn dà jiā néng gòu chōng fēn lǐ jiě tā de huà。 jiē zhe tā shuō，“ sī xiǎng yán jǐn de rén shí fēn qīng chǔ， shí jiān zhǐ shì kōng jiān de yī zhǒng。 zhè shì yī zhāng cháng jiàn de kē xué shì yì tú， jì lù tiān qì biàn huà de。 wǒ shǒu zhǐ zhe de zhè tiáo xiàn biǎo míng qì yā de biàn huà。 zuó tiān bái zhòu qì yā zhè me gāo， yè lǐ yòu jiàng xià qù liǎo， jīn tiān zǎo shàng yòu shàng shēng liǎo， màn màn dì yī zhí shēng dào zhè lǐ。 qì yā biǎo lǐ de shuǐ yín jué duì bù shì zài gōng rèn de kōng jiān sān wéi de yì yì shàng gòu huá chū zhè tiáo xiàn de？ kě tā yòu què què shí shí gòu huá chū liǎo zhè yàng yī tiáo xiàn。 yīn cǐ， wǒ men bì xū duàn dìng， zhè tiáo xiàn shì yán zhe shí jiān wéi de。”
“ kě shì，” yī shēng shuō huà shí shuāng yǎn jǐn dīng zhe lú huǒ lǐ de yī kuài méi。“ rú guǒ shí jiān zhēn de zhǐ shì kōng jiān de dì sì wéi， tā wèishénme xiàn zài 'ér qiě lì láidōu bèi rèn wéi shì bié de dōng xī ní？ wǒ men wèishénme bù néng zài shí jiān lǐ zì yóu huó dòng， jiù xiàng wǒ men zài kōng jiān de qí tā sān wéi lǐ nà yàng huó dòng？”
shí jiān yóu kè xiào liǎo。“ nǐ kěn dìng wǒ men néng zài kōng jiān zhōng zì yóu huó dòng má？ wǒ men zuǒ yòu néng dòng， qián hòu yě kě rèn yì huó dòng， rén men lì lái jiù shì zhè yàng huó dòng de。 wǒ chéng rèn wǒ men zài liǎng wéi zhōng néng gòu zì yóu huó dòng。 kě shàng xià néng dòng má？ dì qiú yǐn lì bǎ wǒ men zài dì miàn shàng。”
“ bù wán quán shì，” yī shēng shuō，“ yòng qì qiú xíng。”
“ dàn shì zài qì qiú fā míng zhī qián， chú liǎo jiànxiē shì de tiào yuè hé lù miàn gāo dī bù píng wài， rén shì bù néng rèn yì chuí zhí yùn dòng de。”
“ bù guǎn zěn me shuō， tā men hái shì néng gòu shàng xià yùn dòng de。” yī shēng shuō。
“ xiàng xià yào bǐ xiàng shàng róng yì， róng yì dé duō。”
“ ér zài shí jiān lǐ gēn běn bù néng dòng， nǐ wú fǎ lí kāi xiàn zài zhè yī shí kè。”“ wǒ qīn 'ài de xiān shēng， nǐ cuò jiù cuò zài zhè lǐ， zhè yě zhèng shì quán shì jiè de cuò wù suǒ zài。 wǒ men shǐ zhōng shì zài tuō lí xiàn zài， wǒ men de jīng shén cún zài jiù shì fēi wù zhì de， bìng qiě shì wú wéi de， tā yán zhe shí jiān wéi yún sù xiàng qián， cóng yáo lán zǒu xiàng fén mù。 zhè jiù xiàng wǒ men de shēng mìng， rú guǒ cóng lí dì 50 yīng lǐ de gāo kōng kāi shǐ， wǒ men jiù bì dìng xiàng xià jiàng luò。”
“ kě zhù yào de wèn tí shì，” xīn lǐ xué jiā chā huà shuō，“ nǐ néng gòu cháo kōng jiān de rèn hé yī gè fāng xiàng yùn dòng， ér nǐ zài shí jiān lǐ wú fǎ zǒu lái zǒu qù。”
“ zhè gè xiǎng fǎ jiù shì wǒ wěi dà fā xiàn de qì jī。 dàn shì， nǐ shuō wǒ men zài shí jiān lǐ bù néng yùn dòng shì cuò de。 bǐ rú， rú guǒ wǒ zài xíng xiàng dì huí yì yī zhuāng shì， wǒ biàn huí dào liǎo tā de fā shēng shí kè。 jiù xiàng nǐ men shuō de， wǒ biàn dé xīn bù zài yān liǎo。 wǒ yī xià zǐ tiào liǎo huí qù， dāng rán wǒ men de shuāng jiǎo wú fǎ tuì huí qù dāi shàng yī duàn shí jiān， jiù xiàng yī gè yě mán rén huò yī tóu dòng wù wú fǎ dāi zài lí dì 6 yīng chǐ de kōng jiān。 dàn shì， wén míng rén zài zhè yī diǎn shàng yào bǐ yě mán rén qiáng， tā kě yǐ chéng qì qiú pái chú dì qiú yǐn lì xiàng shàng shēng。 jì rán zhè yàng， tā wèishénme jiù bù néng zhǐ wàng zì jǐ zuì zhōng néng yán zhe shí jiān wéi tíng zhǐ yùn dòng huò jiā sù yùn dòng， shèn zhì nì xiàng yùn dòng ní？”
“ ò， zhè，” fěi 'ěr bǐ kāi kǒu dào，“ shì wán quán……”
“ wèishénme bù xíng？” shí jiān yóu kè wèn。
“ zhè bù hé qíng lǐ。” fěi 'ěr bǐ shuō。
“ shénme qíng lǐ？” shí jiān yóu kè wèn。
“ nǐ kě yǐ bǎ hēi de shuō chéng bái de，” fěi 'ěr bǐ shuō，“ kě nǐ yǒng yuǎn shuō fú bù liǎo wǒ。”
“ yě xǔ bù néng，” shí jiān yóu kè shuō，“ dàn nǐ xiàn zài kāi shǐ míng bái wǒ zuānyán sì wéi jǐ hé de mùdì liǎo。 hěn jiǔ yǐ qián， wǒ jiù cū cū gòu xiǎng guò yī zhǒng jī qì
“ qù chuān yuè shí jiān！” nà gè nián qīng rén dà jiào qǐ lái。
“ tā jiāng suí xīn suǒ yù dì zài kōng jiān hé shí jiān lǐ yùn dòng， wán quán yóu jià shǐ yuán kòng zhì。”
fěi 'ěr bǐ xiào dé qián yǎng hòu hé。
“ kě wǒ yòu shí yàn zhèng míng。” shí jiān yóu kè shuō。
“ zhè duì lì shǐ xué jiā shí zài shì tài fāng biàn liǎo，” xīn lǐ xué jiā tí shì shuō，“ pì rú， tā kě yǐ huí dào guò qù， qù hé shí rén men gōng rèn de guān yú hēi sī tíng sī zhàn yì de jìzǎi！”
“ nán dào nǐ bù jué dé yòu diǎn guò yú yǐn rén zhù mù liǎo má？” yī shēng shuō，“ wǒ men de zǔ xiān kě bù tài néng róng rěn nián dài chūchācuò。”
“ rén men kě yǐ zhí jiē cóng hé mǎ hé bólātú de zuǐ lǐ xué xí xī là yǔ liǎo。” zhè shì nà gè nián qīng rén de xiǎng fǎ。
“ nà yàng de huà， tā men yī dìng huì gěi nǐ de kǎo shì dǎ bù jí gé。 dé guó xué zhě yǐ jīng zài xī là yǔ shàng zuò liǎo xǔ duō gǎi jìn。”
“ hái yòu wèi lái ní，” nián qīng rén yòu shuō，“ xiǎng xiǎng bā！ rén men kě yǐ bǎ tā men suǒ yòu de qián tóu zī xià qù， ràng tā zài nà lǐ shēng xī zuàn qián， jiē zhe zài cháo qián gǎn。”
“ qù fā xiàn yī gè shè huì，” wǒ shuō，“ yī gè jiàn lì zài yán gé de zhù yì jī chǔ shàng de shè huì。”
“ jìn shì xiē bùzhuóbiānjì de qí tán guài lùn！” xīn lǐ xué jiā shuō。
“ shì de， wǒ yuán xiān yě shì zhè yàng xiǎng de， suǒ yǐ cóng bù tán lùn cǐ shì， zhí dào……”
“ zhí dào shí yàn zhèng míng！” wǒ dà shēng shuō dào，“ nǐ néng zhèng míng tā má？”
“ yòng shí yàn lái zhèng míng！” fěi 'ěr bǐ hǎn dào。 tā yǐ kāi shǐ gǎn dào tóu hūn nǎo zhàng liǎo。
“ fǎn zhèng yào ràng wǒ men kàn kàn nǐ de shí yàn，” xīn lǐ xué jiā shuō，“ suī rán zhè quán shì hú shuō bā dào， zhè nǐ qīng chǔ。”
shí jiān yóu kè cháo wǒ men dà jiā xiào xiào。 jiē zhe， tā réng rán miàn dài wēi xiào， shuāng shǒu shēn chā zài kù dài lǐ， màn tūn tūn dì zǒu chū liǎo fáng jiān。 wǒ men tīng jiàn tā gēn lā zhe tuō xié， yán zhe cháng cháng de guò dào xiàng shí yàn shì zǒu qù。
xīn lǐ xué jiā wàng zhe wǒ men。“ wǒ bù zhī dào tā xiǎng gǎo shénme míng táng？”
“ hái bù shì xiǎng shuǎ shuǎ huā zhāo。” yī shēng shuō。 fěi 'ěr bǐ zhèng zhǔn bèi gěi wǒ men jiǎng tā zài bó sī lè mǔ kàn dào de yī gè wū shī， kě hái méi lái dé jí jiǎng wán kāi tóu， shí jiān yóu kè jiù huí lái liǎo。 fěi 'ěr bǐ xiǎng jiǎng de nà bèi yì shì zhǐ dé gào chuī。
shí jiān yóu kè shǒu lǐ ná zhe yī gè shǎn shǎn fā liàng de jīn shǔ jià zǐ。 jià zǐ hé yī zhǐ xiǎo zhōng chàbù duō dà， zuò gōng shí fēn kǎo jiū， lǐ miàn xiāng yòu xiàng yá hé yī zhǒng tòu míng de dōng xī。 xiàn zài wǒ bì xū bǎ kàn dào de yī qiēdōu jiāo dài qīng chǔ， yīn wéi jiē xià qù de shì qíng héng héng chú fēi tā de jiě shì bèi jiē shòu héng héng jué duì shì wú fǎ lǐ yù de。 tā bǎ rēng zài fáng jiān lǐ de yī zhāng bā jiǎo xíng zhuō zǐ bān dào bì lú qián， zhuō zǐ yòu liǎng tiáo tuǐ jiù gē zài lú qián dì tǎn shàng。 tā bǎ nà gè jī xiè zhuāng zhì bǎi zài zhuō shàng， tuō guò yī zhāng yǐ zǐ zuò liǎo xià lái。 zhuō shàng jǐn yòu de lìng yī jiàn dōng xī shì yī zhǎn zhào zhe dēng zhào de xiǎo tái dēng， míng liàng de dēng guāng zhào zài zhè gè mó xíng shàng。 zhōu wéi hái diǎn zhe shí jǐ zhī là zhú， liǎng zhī chā zài bì lú jià shàng de tóng zhú tái shàng， lìng jǐ zhī chā zài bì shàng de zhú tái shàng， suǒ yǐ shuō fáng jiān lǐ dēng huǒ tōng míng。 wǒ zài zuì kào jìn lú huǒ de yī bǎ yǐ zǐ shàng zuò xià lái， suí jí yòu xiàng qián nuó liǎo nuó， jīhū bǎ zì jǐ bǎi dào liǎo shí jiān yóu kè hé bì lú de zhōng jiān。 fěi 'ěr bǐ zuò zài shí jiān yóu kè bèi hòu， liǎng yǎn cháo tā jiān bǎng qián miàn zhāng wàng zhe。 yī shēng hé dì fāng zhǎngguān zài yòu cè zhù shì zhe， xīn lǐ xué jiā zuò zài zuǒ cè， nián qīng rén zhàn zài xīn lǐ xué jiā de hòu miàn， wǒ men gè gèdōu quán shén guàn zhù。 zài wǒ kàn lái， rèn hé gòu sī qiǎo miào shǒu duàn gāo míng de huā zhāo yào zài zhè zhǒng qíng kuàng xià mán tiān guò hǎi dōushì bù dà kě néng de。
shí jiān yóu kè kàn kàn wǒ men， yòu kàn kàn jī xiè zhuāng zhì。“ hǎo liǎo bā？” xīn lǐ xué jiā shuō。
“ zhè gè xiǎo dōng xī”， shí jiān yóu kè shuō， tā yòng gēbo zhǒu chēng zhù zhuō zǐ， liǎng shǒu 'àn dào yí qì shàng，“ zhǐ shì yī gè mó xíng。 wǒ de jìhuà shì ràng jī qì chuān yuè shí jiān。 nǐ men huì zhù yì dào zhè dōng xī kàn shàng qù shì wāi xié de。 zhè gēn gān de biǎo miàn shǎn shǎn fā guāng， yàng zǐ hěn gǔ guài， sì hū yòu diǎn xiàng shì jiǎ de。” tā shuō wán jǔ shǒu zhǐ liǎo zhǐ，“ lìng wài， zhè shì yī gēn bái sè de xiǎo gàng gān， zhè biān hái yòu yī gēn。”
yī shēng cóng yǐ zǐ lǐ zhàn liǎo qǐ lái， yǎn jīng jǐn dīng zhe jī qì。“ zuòde zhēn piào liàng。” tā shuō。
“ huā liǎo liǎng nián de shí jiān cái zuò chū lái de。” shí jiān yóu kè huì bào shuō。 dāng wǒ mendōu gēn zhe yī shēng zhàn qǐ lái shí， tā yòu shuō，“ xiàn zài wǒ yào nǐ men zhī dào， zhè gēn gàng gān yī 'àn xià qù， jiù bǎ zhè jià jī qì sòng jìn liǎo wèi lái。 lìng yī gēn gàng gān cāo zuò nì xiàng yùn dòng。 zhè 'ān zǐ chōng dāng yī gè shí jiān yóu kè de zuò wèi。 wǒ mǎ shàng jiù 'àn zhè gēn gàng gān， jī qì huì fēi lí chū qù。 tā jiāng màn màn xiāo shī， zǒu jìn wèi lái de shí jiān， zuì hòu wú yǐng wú zōng。 qǐng nǐ men hǎohǎo kàn kàn zhè wán yì 'ér， zài jiǎn chá yī xià zhuō zǐ， què bǎo zhè zhōng jiān méi yòu rèn hé huā zhāo。 wǒ kě bù xiǎng làng fèi liǎo mó xíng hái bèi rén mà shì jiāng hú piàn zǐ。”
dà gài yòu yī fēn zhōng shí jiān guò qù liǎo， méi rén zuò shēng。 xīn lǐ xué jiā sì hū zhèng xiǎng duì wǒ shuō shénme， kě tā yòu gǎi biàn liǎo zhù yì。 jiē zhe shí jiān yóu kè jǔ qǐ shǒu zhǐ shēn xiàng gàng gān。“ bù，” tā tū rán shuō，“ ràng wǒ jiè yòng nǐ de shǒu。” tā zhuànxiàng xīn lǐ xué jiā， wò zhù tā de shǒu， jiào tā bǎ shí zhǐ shēn chū lái。 yīn cǐ， shì xīn lǐ xué jiā qīn shǒu bǎ shí jiān jī qì sòng rù màn wú zhǐ jìng de lǚ chéng de。 wǒ mendōu mù dǔ liǎo nà gēn gàng gān de zhuàndòng， wǒ bǎi fēn zhī bǎi kěn dìng zhè lǐ miàn méi yòu shuǎ huā zhāo。 jiù zài zhè shí， yī zhèn fēng chuī lái， dēng huǒ pū pū tiào dòng qǐ lái， bì lú jià shàng de yī zhī là zhú chuī miè liǎo。 nà tái xiǎo jī qì dǎzháo zhuǎn zhuǎn， yuè fēi yuè yuǎn， qǐng kè jiān zài shì yě lǐ chéng liǎo gè huàn yǐng， xiàng yī gè shǎn zhe wēi guāng de huáng tóng hé xiàng yá zhuǎn chū lái de xuán wō。 tā zǒu liǎo héng héng xiāo shī liǎo！ zhuō zǐ shàng chú liǎo nà zhǎn gū dēng yǐ yī wú suǒ yòu。
dà jiā chén mò liǎo piàn kè。 jiē zhe fěi 'ěr bǐ shuō tā zhēn shì gāi sǐ。
xīn lǐ xué jiā cóng huǎng pào zhōng huī fù guò lái， tū rán cháo zhuō zǐ dǐ xià kàn qù。 shí jiān yóu kè lè dé hā hā dà xiào。“ zěn me shuō？” tā xué qǐ liǎo xīn lǐ xué jiā de shuō huà qiāng diào。 suí hòu tā qǐ shēn zǒu dào bì lú jià shàng de yān yè guàn qián， bēizhe wǒ men kāi shǐ wǎng yān dǒu lǐ sài yān sī。
wǒ men miàn miàn xiāng qù， wú huà kě shuō。“ wǒ shuō，” yī shēng shuō，“ nǐ zhè shì dàngzhēn de？ nǐ zhēn de xiāng xìn nà jià jī qì zǒu dào shí jiān lǐ qù liǎo má？”
“ dāng rán。” shí jiān yóu kè shuō。 tā wān yāo zài bì lú huǒ shàng diǎn rán liǎo yī zhī zhǐ niǎn， rán hòu tā zhuǎn guò shēn lái， biān diǎn yān dǒu biān wàng zhe xīn lǐ xué jiā de liǎn。（ xīn lǐ xué jiā wèile gù zuò zhèn jìng， zì jǐ ná qǐ yī zhī xuějiā， lián yān pì gǔ dōuméi qiā diào jiù diǎn liǎo qǐ lái。）“ cǐ wài， wǒ nà lǐ hái yòu yī tái dà jī qì jí jiāng wán gōng。” héng héng tā zhǐ liǎo zhǐ shí yàn shì héng héng“ ān zhuāng wán bì hòu， wǒ dǎ suàn zì jǐ qù lǚ yóu yī tàng。”
“ nǐ shì shuō nà jià jī qì yǐ zǒu jìn lái lái？” fěi 'ěr bǐ wèn。
“ zǒu jìn liǎo wèi lái hái shì guò qù， wǒ bù gǎn kěn dìng。”
gé liǎo yī huì 'ér， xīn lǐ xué jiā lái liǎo líng gǎn。“ rú guǒ shuō qù liǎo shénme dì fāng， nà tā yī dìng shì zǒu jìn liǎo guò qù。” tā shuō。
“ wèishénme？” shí jiān yóu kè wèn。
“ yīn wéi wǒ xiāng xìn tā méi yòu zài kōng jiān lǐ yí dòng。 rú guǒ tā yǐ jìn rù wèi lái， nà tā xiàn zài kěn dìng hái zài zhè lǐ， yīn wéi tā bì dìng yào chuān guò xiàn zài cái néng zǒu jìn wèi lái。”
“ kě shì，” wǒ shuō，“ rú guǒ tā yǐ zǒu jìn guò qù， wǒ men gāng jìn fáng jiān shí jiù gāi kàn jiàn tā。 shàng xīng qī sì wǒ men zài zhè lǐ， hái yòu shàng shàng gè xīng qī sì， yǐ cǐ lèi tuī！”
“ yòu lì de fǎn bó。” dì fāng zhǎngguān píng lùn dào。 tā zhuànxiàng shí jiān yóu kè， bǎi chū yī fù gōng píng lùn shì de yàng zǐ。
“ háo wú dào lǐ，” shí jiān yóu kè shuō zhe zhuànxiàng xīn lǐ xué jiā，“ nǐ xiǎng xiǎng， zhè gè nǐ néng jiě shì。 zhè shì fǎn yìng diǎn xià de biǎo xiàng， shì chōng dàn de biǎo xiàng， zhè nǐ zhī dào。”
“ dāng rán。” xīn lǐ xué jiā shuō。 tā hái zài cì xiàng wǒ men bǎo zhèng shuō，“ zhè shì xīn lǐ xué shàng de yī gè jiǎn dān wèn tí。 wǒ yīnggāi xiǎng dào zhè gè dào lǐ， tā gòu míng xiǎn de， bìng qiě yòu zhù yú shuō míng zhè zhǒng mào sì máo dùn de xiàn xiàng。 wǒ men wú fǎ kàn jiàn zhè jià jī qì， yě xīn shǎng bù dào tā， zhè jiù xiàng wǒ men wú fǎ kàn dào xuánzhuàn de lún fú hé zài kōng zhōng fēi guò de zǐ dàn。 rú guǒ jī qì zài shí jiān zhōng lǚ xíng de sù dù bǐ wǒ men kuài 50 bèi huò zhě 100 bèi， rú guǒ tā zǒu yī fēn zhōng wǒ men cái zǒu yī miǎo zhōng， tā de sù dù chǎn shēng de yìn xiàng dāng rán jiù zhǐ shì tā mù zuò shí jiān lǚ xíng shí de wǔ shí fēn zhī yī huò bǎi fēn zhī yī。 zhè shì xiǎn 'ér yì jiàn de。” tā yòng shǒu zài yuán lái bǎi jī qì de dì fāng mō liǎo mō。“ míng bái liǎo bā？” tā xiào zhe wèn dào。
wǒ men zuò zài nà lǐ， liǎng yǎn dīng zhe kōng dàng dàng de zhuō zǐ kàn liǎo yī huì 'ér。 zhè shí， shí jiān yóu kè wèn wǒ men rú hé kàn dài zhè yī qiē。
“ zhè yī qiē jīn tiān wǎn shàng tīng qǐ lái hěn yòu dào lǐ，” yī shēng shuō，“ bù guò yào děng dào míng tiān zài xià jié lùn， děng míng zǎo dà jiā shén zhì qīng xǐng shí zài shuō。”
“ nǐ men xiǎng kàn kàn zhēn zhèng de shí jiān jī qì má？” shí jiān yóu kè wèn。 shuō wán tā shǒu lǐ ná zhe dēng， lǐng wǒ men yán zhe tōng fēng de cháng láng cháo tā de shí yàn shì zǒu qù。 wǒ qīng chǔ dì jì dé nà shǎn shuò de dēng huǒ， tā nà dà nǎo dài de cè yǐng， wǔ dòng de rén yǐng， jì dé wǒ men rú hé yī gè gè gēn zhe tā， xīn lǐ mí huò bù jiě kě yòu bù yuàn qīng xìn， rú hé zài shí yàn shì mù dǔ liǎo jiù zài wǒ men yǎn qián xiāo shī de nà jià xiǎo jī qì de dà hào fān bǎn。 dà jī qì de yòu xiē bù jiàn shì niè zhì de， yòu xiē shì xiàng yá zuò de， hái yòu xiē shì yòng shuǐ jīng shí cuò chéng huò jù chéng de。 jī qì yǐ dà tǐ wán chéng， dàn shì shuǐ jīng qū bàng hái bǎi zài dèng shàng de jǐ zhāng tú zhǐ bàng， méi yòu wán gōng。 wǒ ná qǐ yī gēn qū bàng zǎi xì kàn liǎo kàn， fā xiàn hǎo xiàng shì yòng shí yīng zuò de。
“ wǒ shuō，” yī shēng wèn dào，“ nǐ zhè shì wán quán rèn zhēn de？ hái shì piàn piàn rén de héng héng jiù xiàng qù nián shèng dàn jié nǐ gěi wǒ men kàn de nà gè guǐ？”
“ zuò zhè jià jī qì，” shí jiān yóu kè gāo jǔ zhe dēng shuō dào，“ wǒ xiǎng qù tàn suǒ shí jiān。 qīng chǔ liǎo bā？ wǒ zhè bèi zǐ hái cóng wèi zhè yàng rèn zhēn guò。”
wǒ men shuí yě bù zhī dào gāi rú hé qù lǐ jiě tā de zhè jù huà。
wǒ de shì xiàn yuè guò yī shēng de jiān bǎng hé fěi 'ěr bǐ tóu lái de mù guāng xiāng yù liǎo， tā biǎo qíng yán sù dì cháo wǒ shǐ liǎo gè yǎn sè。
`You must follow me carefully. I shall have to controvert one or two ideas that are almost universally accepted. The geometry, for instance, they taught you at school is founded on a misconception.'
`Is not that rather a large thing to expect us to begin upon?' said Filby, an argumentative person with red hair.
`I do not mean to ask you to accept anything without reasonable ground for it. You will soon admit as much as I need from you. You know of course that a mathematical line, a line of thickness NIL, has no real existence. They taught you that? Neither has a mathematical plane. These things are mere abstractions.'
`That is all right,' said the Psychologist.
`Nor, having only length, breadth, and thickness, can a cube have a real existence.'
`There I object,' said Filby. `Of course a solid body may exist. All real things--'
`So most people think. But wait a moment. Can an INSTANTANEOUS cube exist?'
`Don't follow you,' said Filby.
`Can a cube that does not last for any time at all, have a real existence?'
Filby became pensive. `Clearly,' the Time Traveller proceeded, `any real body must have extension in FOUR directions: it must have Length, Breadth, Thickness, and--Duration. But through a natural infirmity of the flesh, which I will explain to you in a moment, we incline to overlook this fact. There are really four dimensions, three which we call the three planes of Space, and a fourth, Time. There is, however, a tendency to draw an unreal distinction between the former three dimensions and the latter, because it happens that our consciousness moves intermittently in one direction along the latter from the beginning to the end of our lives.'
`That,' said a very young man, making spasmodic efforts to relight his cigar over the lamp; `that . . . very clear indeed.'
`Now, it is very remarkable that this is so extensively overlooked,' continued the Time Traveller, with a slight accession of cheerfulness. `Really this is what is meant by the Fourth Dimension, though some people who talk about the Fourth Dimension do not know they mean it. It is only another way of looking at Time. THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TIME AND ANY OF THE THREE DIMENSIONS OF SPACE EXCEPT THAT OUR CONSCIOUSNESS MOVES ALONG IT. But some foolish people have got hold of the wrong side of that idea. You have all heard what they have to say about this Fourth Dimension?'
`_I_ have not,' said the Provincial Mayor.
`It is simply this. That Space, as our mathematicians have it, is spoken of as having three dimensions, which one may call Length, Breadth, and Thickness, and is always definable by reference to three planes, each at right angles to the others. But some philosophical people have been asking why THREE dimensions particularly--why not another direction at right angles to the other three?--and have even tried to construct a Four-Dimension geometry. Professor Simon Newcomb was expounding this to the New York Mathematical Society only a month or so ago. You know how on a flat surface, which has only two dimensions, we can represent a figure of a three-dimensional solid, and similarly they think that by models of thee dimensions they could represent one of four--if they could master the perspective of the thing. See?'
`I think so,' murmured the Provincial Mayor; and, knitting his brows, he lapsed into an introspective state, his lips moving as one who repeats mystic words. `Yes, I think I see it now,' he said after some time, brightening in a quite transitory manner.
`Well, I do not mind telling you I have been at work upon this geometry of Four Dimensions for some time. Some of my results are curious. For instance, here is a portrait of a man at eight years old, another at fifteen, another at seventeen, another at twenty-three, and so on. All these are evidently sections, as it were, Three-Dimensional representations of his Four-Dimensioned being, which is a fixed and unalterable thing.
`Scientific people,' proceeded the Time Traveller, after the pause required for the proper assimilation of this, `know very well that Time is only a kind of Space. Here is a popular scientific diagram, a weather record. This line I trace with my finger shows the movement of the barometer. Yesterday it was so high, yesterday night it fell, then this morning it rose again, and so gently upward to here. Surely the mercury did not trace this line in any of the dimensions of Space generally recognized? But certainly it traced such a line, and that line, therefore, we must conclude was along the Time-Dimension.'
`But,' said the Medical Man, staring hard at a coal in the fire, `if Time is really only a fourth dimension of Space, why is it, and why has it always been, regarded as something different? And why cannot we move in Time as we move about in the other dimensions of Space?'
The Time Traveller smiled. `Are you sure we can move freely in Space? Right and left we can go, backward and forward freely enough, and men always have done so. I admit we move freely in two dimensions. But how about up and down? Gravitation limits us there.'
`Not exactly,' said the Medical Man. `There are balloons.'
`But before the balloons, save for spasmodic jumping and the inequalities of the surface, man had no freedom of vertical movement.' `Still they could move a little up and down,' said the Medical Man.
`Easier, far easier down than up.'
`And you cannot move at all in Time, you cannot get away from the present moment.'
`My dear sir, that is just where you are wrong. That is just where the whole world has gone wrong. We are always getting away from the present moment. Our mental existences, which are immaterial and have no dimensions, are passing along the Time-Dimension with a uniform velocity from the cradle to the grave. Just as we should travel DOWN if we began our existence fifty miles above the earth's surface.'
`But the great difficulty is this,' interrupted the Psychologist. `You CAN move about in all directions of Space, but you cannot move about in Time.'
`That is the germ of my great discovery. But you are wrong to say that we cannot move about in Time. For instance, if I am recalling an incident very vividly I go back to the instant of its occurrence: I become absent-minded, as you say. I jump back for a moment. Of course we have no means of staying back for any length of Time, any more than a savage or an animal has of staying six feet above the ground. But a civilized man is better off than the savage in this respect. He can go up against gravitation in a balloon, and why should he not hope that ultimately he may be able to stop or accelerate his drift along the Time-Dimension, or even turn about and travel the other way?'
`Oh, THIS,' began Filby, `is all--'
`Why not?' said the Time Traveller.
`It's against reason,' said Filby.
`What reason?' said the Time Traveller.
`You can show black is white by argument,' said Filby, `but you will never convince me.'
`Possibly not,' said the Time Traveller. `But now you begin to see the object of my investigations into the geometry of Four Dimensions. Long ago I had a vague inkling of a machine--'
`To travel through Time!' exclaimed the Very Young Man.
`That shall travel indifferently in any direction of Space and Time, as the driver determines.'
Filby contented himself with laughter.
`But I have experimental verification,' said the Time Traveller.
`It would be remarkably convenient for the historian,' the Psychologist suggested. `One might travel back and verify the accepted account of the Battle of Hastings, for instance!'
`Don't you think you would attract attention?' said the Medical Man. `Our ancestors had no great tolerance for anachronisms.'
`One might get one's Greek from the very lips of Homer and Plato,' the Very Young Man thought.
`In which case they would certainly plough you for the Little-go. The German scholars have improved Greek so much.'
`Then there is the future,' said the Very Young Man. `Just think! One might invest all one's money, leave it to accumulate at interest, and hurry on ahead!'
`To discover a society,' said I, `erected on a strictly communistic basis.'
`Of all the wild extravagant theories!' began the Psychologist.
`Yes, so it seemed to me, and so I never talked of it until--'
`Experimental verification!' cried I. `You are going to verify THAT?'
`The experiment!' cried Filby, who was getting brain-weary.
`Let's see your experiment anyhow,' said the Psychologist, `though it's all humbug, you know.'
The Time Traveller smiled round at us. Then, still smiling faintly, and with his hands deep in his trousers pockets, he walked slowly out of the room, and we heard his slippers shuffling down the long passage to his laboratory.
The Psychologist looked at us. `I wonder what he's got?'
`Some sleight-of-hand trick or other,' said the Medical Man, and Filby tried to tell us about a conjurer he had seen at Burslem; but before he had finished his preface the Time Traveller came back, and Filby's anecdote collapsed.
The thing the Time Traveller held in his hand was a glittering metallic framework, scarcely larger than a small clock, and very delicately made. There was ivory in it, and some transparent crystalline substance. And now I must be explicit, for this that follows--unless his explanation is to be accepted--is an absolutely unaccountable thing. He took one of the small octagonal tables that were scattered about the room, and set it in front of the fire, with two legs on the hearthrug. On this table he placed the mechanism. Then he drew up a chair, and sat down. The only other object on the table was a small shaded lamp, the bright light of which fell upon the model. There were also perhaps a dozen candles about, two in brass candlesticks upon the mantel and several in sconces, so that the room was brilliantly illuminated. I sat in a low arm-chair nearest the fire, and I drew this forward so as to be almost between the Time Traveller and the fireplace. Filby sat behind him, looking over his shoulder. The Medical Man and the Provincial Mayor watched him in profile from the right, the Psychologist from the left. The Very Young Man stood behind the Psychologist. We were all on the alert. It appears incredible to me that any kind of trick, however subtly conceived and however adroitly done, could have been played upon us under these conditions.
The Time Traveller looked at us, and then at the mechanism. `Well?' said the Psychologist.
`This little affair,' said the Time Traveller, resting his elbows upon the table and pressing his hands together above the apparatus, `is only a model. It is my plan for a machine to travel through time. You will notice that it looks singularly askew, and that there is an odd twinkling appearance about this bar, as though it was in some way unreal.' He pointed to the part with his finger. `Also, here is one little white lever, and here is another.'
The Medical Man got up out of his chair and peered into the thing. `It's beautifully made,' he said.
`It took two years to make,' retorted the Time Traveller. Then, when we had all imitated the action of the Medical Man, he said: `Now I want you clearly to understand that this lever, being pressed over, sends the machine gliding into the future, and this other reverses the motion. This saddle represents the seat of a time traveller. Presently I am going to press the lever, and off the machine will go. It will vanish, pass into future Time, and disappear. Have a good look at the thing. Look at the table too, and satisfy yourselves there is no trickery. I don't want to waste this model, and then be told I'm a quack.'
There was a minute's pause perhaps. The Psychologist seemed about to speak to me, but changed his mind. Then the Time Traveller put forth his finger towards the lever. `No,' he said suddenly. `Lend me your hand.' And turning to the Psychologist, he took that individual's hand in his own and told him to put out his forefinger. So that it was the Psychologist himself who sent forth the model Time Machine on its interminable voyage. We all saw the lever turn. I am absolutely certain there was no trickery. There was a breath of wind, and the lamp flame jumped. One of the candles on the mantel was blown out, and the little machine suddenly swung round, became indistinct, was seen as a ghost for a second perhaps, as an eddy of faintly glittering brass and ivory; and it was gone--vanished! Save for the lamp the table was bare.
Everyone was silent for a minute. Then Filby said he was damned.
The Psychologist recovered from his stupor, and suddenly looked under the table. At that the Time Traveller laughed cheerfully. `Well?' he said, with a reminiscence of the Psychologist. Then, getting up, he went to the tobacco jar on the mantel, and with his back to us began to fill his pipe.
We stared at each other. `Look here,' said the Medical Man, `are you in earnest about this? Do you seriously believe that that machine has travelled into time?'
`Certainly,' said the Time Traveller, stooping to light a spill at the fire. Then he turned, lighting his pipe, to look at the Psychologist's face. (The Psychologist, to show that he was not unhinged, helped himself to a cigar and tried to light it uncut.) `What is more, I have a big machine nearly finished in there'--he indicated the laboratory--`and when that is put together I mean to have a journey on my own account.'
`You mean to say that that machine has travelled into the future?' said Filby.
`Into the future or the past--I don't, for certain, know which.'
After an interval the Psychologist had an inspiration. `It must have gone into the past if it has gone anywhere,' he said.
`Why?' said the Time Traveller.
`Because I presume that it has not moved in space, and if it travelled into the future it would still be here all this time, since it must have travelled through this time.'
`But,' I said, `If it travelled into the past it would have been visible when we came first into this room; and last Thursday when we were here; and the Thursday before that; and so forth!'
`Serious objections,' remarked the Provincial Mayor, with an air of impartiality, turning towards the Time Traveller.
`Not a bit,' said the Time Traveller, and, to the Psychologist: `You think. You can explain that. It's presentation below the threshold, you know, diluted presentation.'
`Of course,' said the Psychologist, and reassured us. `That's a simple point of psychology. I should have thought of it. It's plain enough, and helps the paradox delightfully. We cannot see it, nor can we appreciate this machine, any more than we can the spoke of a wheel spinning, or a bullet flying through the air. If it is travelling through time fifty times or a hundred times faster than we are, if it gets through a minute while we get through a second, the impression it creates will of course be only one-fiftieth or one-hundredth of what it would make if it were not travelling in time. That's plain enough.' He passed his hand through the space in which the machine had been. `You see?' he said, laughing.
We sat and stared at the vacant table for a minute or so. Then the Time Traveller asked us what we thought of it all.
`It sounds plausible enough to-night,' said the Medical Man; 'but wait until to-morrow. Wait for the common sense of the morning.'
`Would you like to see the Time Machine itself?' asked the Time Traveller. And therewith, taking the lamp in his hand, he led the way down the long, draughty corridor to his laboratory. I remember vividly the flickering light, his queer, broad head in silhouette, the dance of the shadows, how we all followed him, puzzled but incredulous, and how there in the laboratory we beheld a larger edition of the little mechanism which we had seen vanish from before our eyes. Parts were of nickel, parts of ivory, parts had certainly been filed or sawn out of rock crystal. The thing was generally complete, but the twisted crystalline bars lay unfinished upon the bench beside some sheets of drawings, and I took one up for a better look at it. Quartz it seemed to be.
`Look here,' said the Medical Man, `are you perfectly serious? Or is this a trick--like that ghost you showed us last Christmas?'
`Upon that machine,' said the Time Traveller, holding the lamp aloft, `I intend to explore time. Is that plain? I was never more serious in my life.'
None of us quite knew how to take it.
I caught Filby's eye over the shoulder of the Medical Man, and he winked at me solemnly.
“ nǐ men yī dìng yào zǎi xì tīng wǒ jiǎng。 wǒ yào fǎn bó yī liǎng gè jīhū shì gōng rèn de guān diǎn。 bǐ rú， nǐ men zài xué xiào lǐ xué de jǐ hé jiù shì jiàn lì zài cuò wù de gài niàn shàng de。”
“ yào wǒ men cóng zhè lǐ tīng qǐ， fàn wéi bù miǎn dà liǎo diǎn bā？” fěi 'ěr bǐ shuō。 tā tóu shàng cháng zhe hóng tóu fā， xǐ huān yǔ rén zhēng biàn。
“ wǒ bù shì yào nǐ men jiē shòu shénme wú jī zhī tán。 nǐ men hěn kuài huì chéng rèn wǒ xū yào nǐ men chéng rèn de nèi róng de。 nǐ men zì rán zhī dào， shù xué shàng suǒ wèi de yī tiáo xiàn， yī tiáo kuān dù wéi líng de xiàn qí shí bìng bù cún zài。 zhè gè nǐ men zài xué xiào shì xué guò de bā？ shù xué shàng suǒ shuō de píng miàn yě shì méi yòu de， zhè xiē chún cuì shì chōu xiàng de dōng xī。”
“ bù cuò。” xīn lǐ xué jiā shuō。
“ jǐn yòu cháng、 kuān、 gāo de lì fāng tǐ shí jì shàng yě bù kě néng cún zài。”
“ wǒ fǎn duì zhè zhǒng tí fǎ，” fěi 'ěr bǐ shuō，“ gù tǐ dāng rán kě yǐ cún zài。 yī qiē shí zài de dōng xī ……”
“ duō shù rén shì zhè yàng rèn wéi de。 kě nǐ tīng wǒ shuō， yī gè shùn shí de lì fāng tǐ néng cún zài má？”
“ bù dǒng nǐ de yì sī。” fěi 'ěr bǐ shuō。
“ yī gè gēn běn méi yòu chí xù shí jiān de lì fāng tǐ néng gòu zhēn zhèng cún zài má？”
fěi 'ěr bǐ xiàn rù liǎo chén sī。“ hěn qīng chǔ”， shí jiān yóu kè jì xù dào，“ rèn hé yī gè shí zài de wù tǐ dū bì xū xiàng sì gè fāng xiàng shēn zhǎn： tā bì xū yòu cháng dù、 kuān dù、 gāo dù hé shí jiān chí xù dù。 dàn yóu yú rén lèi tiān shēng de quē xiàn， zhè diǎn wǒ dài huì 'ér zài jiě shì， wǒ men wǎng wǎng hū shì zhè gè shì shí。 shí jì shàng yòu sì wéi， qí zhōng sān wéi wǒ men chēng zuò kōng jiān de sān gè píng miàn， dì sì wéi jiù shì shí jiān。 rán 'ér， rén men xiàn zài zǒng xǐ huān zài qián sān zhě hé hòu zhě zhī jiān huá shàng yī tiáo shí jì bìng bù cún zài de qū fēn xiàn， yīn wéi wǒ men de yì shí cóng shēng mìng de kāi shǐ dào jié shù zhèng shì yán zhe shí jiān de tóng yī fāng xiàng duàn duàn xù xù cháo qián yùn dòng de。”
“ zhè，” yī gè nián qīng rén shuō zhe， duō duō suo suo dì zài dēng huǒ shàng chóngxīn diǎn rán liǎo tā de xuějiā yān。“ zhè…… yī diǎn què shí hěn qīng chǔ。”
“ shì 'ā， xǔ duō réndōu hū shì liǎo zhè yī diǎn， zhēn shì bù kě sī yì。” shí jiān yóu kè jì xù shuō dào， tā de xīng zhì gèng nóng liǎo。“ shí jì shàng zhè jiù shì dì sì wéi de nèi hán， suī rán yòu xiē rén tán lùn dì sì wéi shí bìng bù zhī dào tā men zhǐ de jiù shì zhè gè yì sī。 zhè qí shí zhǐ shì kàn dài shí jiān de lìng yī zhǒng fāng shì。 shí jiān hé kōng jiān sān wéi de rèn hé yī wéi zhī jiān dōuméi yòu shénme bù tóng， qū bié zhǐ shì wǒ men de yì shí shì yán zhe shí jiān xiàng qián yùn dòng de。 kě yòu xiē bèn dàn bǎ zhè gè guān diǎn de yì sī gǎo diān dǎo liǎo。 nǐ men tīng guò tā men yòu guān dì sì wéi de gāo jiàn má？”
“ wǒ méi tīng guò。” dì fāng zhǎngguān shuō。
“ shì zhè yàng de。 gēn jù wǒ men shù xué jiā de kàn fǎ， kōng jiān yòu sān wéi， rén men kě yǐ fēn bié chēng qí wéi cháng dù、 kuān dù、 hé gāo dù， ér qiě shǐ zhōng kě yǐ tōng guò chéng zhí jiǎo de sān gè píng miàn bǎ tā men biǎo shì chū lái。 dàn shì， yòu xiē xǐ huān páogēn wèn dǐ de rén zǒng yào wèn wèishénme piān piān shì sān wéi， wèishénme méi yòu lìng yī wéi lái tóng qí tā sān wéi xíng chéng zhí jiǎo ní？ tā men shèn zhì shì tú jiàn lì sì wéi jǐ hé。 xī méng · niǔ kē mǔ jiào shòu dà yuē yī gè yuè qián hái zài xiàng niǔ yuē shù xué xié huì jiě shì zhè gè wèn tí ní。 nǐ mendōu zhī dào， wǒ men kě yǐ zài zhǐ yòu liǎng wéi de píng miàn shàng biǎo xiàn yī gè sān wéi de lì tǐ tú。 tóng yàng， tā men rèn wéi néng gòu tōng guò sān wéi mó xíng lái biǎo xiàn sì wéi de dōng xī， zhǐ yào tā men néng gòu zhǎng wò tòu shì jì fǎ。 míng bái liǎo bā？”
“ wǒ xiǎng shì de，” dì fāng zhǎngguān qīng shēng shuō dào。 tā jǐn suǒ méi tóu sī kǎo qǐ lái， shuāng chún yī dòng yī dòng， hǎo xiàng zài chóngfù shénme shén mì de huà。“ shì de， wǒ xiǎng zhè xià míng bái liǎo。” tā guò liǎo yī huì 'ér shuō， liǎn shàng dǒu rán jiān lù chū liǎo xǐ sè。
“ ǹg， wǒ kě yǐ gào sù nǐ men， wǒ cóng shì zhè sì wéi jǐ hé de yán jiū yǐ yòu xiē shí hòu liǎo。 wǒ dé chū de yòu xiē jié lùn hěn xī qí。 bǐ rú zhè shì yī gè rén 8 suì shí de yī zhāng xiào xiàng， zhè shì 15 suì de， zhè shì 17 suì de， hái yòu yī zhāng shì 23 suì de， děng děng。 zhè xiē xiǎn rán dōushì yī gè rén de shēng huó piàn duàn， shì yòng 3 wéi biǎo xiàn chū lái de 4 wéi shēng mìng， zhè shì gù dìng de bù kě gǎi biàn de dōng xī。”
shí jiān yóu kè tíng děng liǎo piàn kè， yǐ biàn dà jiā néng gòu chōng fēn lǐ jiě tā de huà。 jiē zhe tā shuō，“ sī xiǎng yán jǐn de rén shí fēn qīng chǔ， shí jiān zhǐ shì kōng jiān de yī zhǒng。 zhè shì yī zhāng cháng jiàn de kē xué shì yì tú， jì lù tiān qì biàn huà de。 wǒ shǒu zhǐ zhe de zhè tiáo xiàn biǎo míng qì yā de biàn huà。 zuó tiān bái zhòu qì yā zhè me gāo， yè lǐ yòu jiàng xià qù liǎo， jīn tiān zǎo shàng yòu shàng shēng liǎo， màn màn dì yī zhí shēng dào zhè lǐ。 qì yā biǎo lǐ de shuǐ yín jué duì bù shì zài gōng rèn de kōng jiān sān wéi de yì yì shàng gòu huá chū zhè tiáo xiàn de？ kě tā yòu què què shí shí gòu huá chū liǎo zhè yàng yī tiáo xiàn。 yīn cǐ， wǒ men bì xū duàn dìng， zhè tiáo xiàn shì yán zhe shí jiān wéi de。”
“ kě shì，” yī shēng shuō huà shí shuāng yǎn jǐn dīng zhe lú huǒ lǐ de yī kuài méi。“ rú guǒ shí jiān zhēn de zhǐ shì kōng jiān de dì sì wéi， tā wèishénme xiàn zài 'ér qiě lì láidōu bèi rèn wéi shì bié de dōng xī ní？ wǒ men wèishénme bù néng zài shí jiān lǐ zì yóu huó dòng， jiù xiàng wǒ men zài kōng jiān de qí tā sān wéi lǐ nà yàng huó dòng？”
shí jiān yóu kè xiào liǎo。“ nǐ kěn dìng wǒ men néng zài kōng jiān zhōng zì yóu huó dòng má？ wǒ men zuǒ yòu néng dòng， qián hòu yě kě rèn yì huó dòng， rén men lì lái jiù shì zhè yàng huó dòng de。 wǒ chéng rèn wǒ men zài liǎng wéi zhōng néng gòu zì yóu huó dòng。 kě shàng xià néng dòng má？ dì qiú yǐn lì bǎ wǒ men zài dì miàn shàng。”
“ bù wán quán shì，” yī shēng shuō，“ yòng qì qiú xíng。”
“ dàn shì zài qì qiú fā míng zhī qián， chú liǎo jiànxiē shì de tiào yuè hé lù miàn gāo dī bù píng wài， rén shì bù néng rèn yì chuí zhí yùn dòng de。”
“ bù guǎn zěn me shuō， tā men hái shì néng gòu shàng xià yùn dòng de。” yī shēng shuō。
“ xiàng xià yào bǐ xiàng shàng róng yì， róng yì dé duō。”
“ ér zài shí jiān lǐ gēn běn bù néng dòng， nǐ wú fǎ lí kāi xiàn zài zhè yī shí kè。”“ wǒ qīn 'ài de xiān shēng， nǐ cuò jiù cuò zài zhè lǐ， zhè yě zhèng shì quán shì jiè de cuò wù suǒ zài。 wǒ men shǐ zhōng shì zài tuō lí xiàn zài， wǒ men de jīng shén cún zài jiù shì fēi wù zhì de， bìng qiě shì wú wéi de， tā yán zhe shí jiān wéi yún sù xiàng qián， cóng yáo lán zǒu xiàng fén mù。 zhè jiù xiàng wǒ men de shēng mìng， rú guǒ cóng lí dì 50 yīng lǐ de gāo kōng kāi shǐ， wǒ men jiù bì dìng xiàng xià jiàng luò。”
“ kě zhù yào de wèn tí shì，” xīn lǐ xué jiā chā huà shuō，“ nǐ néng gòu cháo kōng jiān de rèn hé yī gè fāng xiàng yùn dòng， ér nǐ zài shí jiān lǐ wú fǎ zǒu lái zǒu qù。”
“ zhè gè xiǎng fǎ jiù shì wǒ wěi dà fā xiàn de qì jī。 dàn shì， nǐ shuō wǒ men zài shí jiān lǐ bù néng yùn dòng shì cuò de。 bǐ rú， rú guǒ wǒ zài xíng xiàng dì huí yì yī zhuāng shì， wǒ biàn huí dào liǎo tā de fā shēng shí kè。 jiù xiàng nǐ men shuō de， wǒ biàn dé xīn bù zài yān liǎo。 wǒ yī xià zǐ tiào liǎo huí qù， dāng rán wǒ men de shuāng jiǎo wú fǎ tuì huí qù dāi shàng yī duàn shí jiān， jiù xiàng yī gè yě mán rén huò yī tóu dòng wù wú fǎ dāi zài lí dì 6 yīng chǐ de kōng jiān。 dàn shì， wén míng rén zài zhè yī diǎn shàng yào bǐ yě mán rén qiáng， tā kě yǐ chéng qì qiú pái chú dì qiú yǐn lì xiàng shàng shēng。 jì rán zhè yàng， tā wèishénme jiù bù néng zhǐ wàng zì jǐ zuì zhōng néng yán zhe shí jiān wéi tíng zhǐ yùn dòng huò jiā sù yùn dòng， shèn zhì nì xiàng yùn dòng ní？”
“ ò， zhè，” fěi 'ěr bǐ kāi kǒu dào，“ shì wán quán……”
“ wèishénme bù xíng？” shí jiān yóu kè wèn。
“ zhè bù hé qíng lǐ。” fěi 'ěr bǐ shuō。
“ shénme qíng lǐ？” shí jiān yóu kè wèn。
“ nǐ kě yǐ bǎ hēi de shuō chéng bái de，” fěi 'ěr bǐ shuō，“ kě nǐ yǒng yuǎn shuō fú bù liǎo wǒ。”
“ yě xǔ bù néng，” shí jiān yóu kè shuō，“ dàn nǐ xiàn zài kāi shǐ míng bái wǒ zuānyán sì wéi jǐ hé de mùdì liǎo。 hěn jiǔ yǐ qián， wǒ jiù cū cū gòu xiǎng guò yī zhǒng jī qì
“ qù chuān yuè shí jiān！” nà gè nián qīng rén dà jiào qǐ lái。
“ tā jiāng suí xīn suǒ yù dì zài kōng jiān hé shí jiān lǐ yùn dòng， wán quán yóu jià shǐ yuán kòng zhì。”
fěi 'ěr bǐ xiào dé qián yǎng hòu hé。
“ kě wǒ yòu shí yàn zhèng míng。” shí jiān yóu kè shuō。
“ zhè duì lì shǐ xué jiā shí zài shì tài fāng biàn liǎo，” xīn lǐ xué jiā tí shì shuō，“ pì rú， tā kě yǐ huí dào guò qù， qù hé shí rén men gōng rèn de guān yú hēi sī tíng sī zhàn yì de jìzǎi！”
“ nán dào nǐ bù jué dé yòu diǎn guò yú yǐn rén zhù mù liǎo má？” yī shēng shuō，“ wǒ men de zǔ xiān kě bù tài néng róng rěn nián dài chūchācuò。”
“ rén men kě yǐ zhí jiē cóng hé mǎ hé bólātú de zuǐ lǐ xué xí xī là yǔ liǎo。” zhè shì nà gè nián qīng rén de xiǎng fǎ。
“ nà yàng de huà， tā men yī dìng huì gěi nǐ de kǎo shì dǎ bù jí gé。 dé guó xué zhě yǐ jīng zài xī là yǔ shàng zuò liǎo xǔ duō gǎi jìn。”
“ hái yòu wèi lái ní，” nián qīng rén yòu shuō，“ xiǎng xiǎng bā！ rén men kě yǐ bǎ tā men suǒ yòu de qián tóu zī xià qù， ràng tā zài nà lǐ shēng xī zuàn qián， jiē zhe zài cháo qián gǎn。”
“ qù fā xiàn yī gè shè huì，” wǒ shuō，“ yī gè jiàn lì zài yán gé de zhù yì jī chǔ shàng de shè huì。”
“ jìn shì xiē bùzhuóbiānjì de qí tán guài lùn！” xīn lǐ xué jiā shuō。
“ shì de， wǒ yuán xiān yě shì zhè yàng xiǎng de， suǒ yǐ cóng bù tán lùn cǐ shì， zhí dào……”
“ zhí dào shí yàn zhèng míng！” wǒ dà shēng shuō dào，“ nǐ néng zhèng míng tā má？”
“ yòng shí yàn lái zhèng míng！” fěi 'ěr bǐ hǎn dào。 tā yǐ kāi shǐ gǎn dào tóu hūn nǎo zhàng liǎo。
“ fǎn zhèng yào ràng wǒ men kàn kàn nǐ de shí yàn，” xīn lǐ xué jiā shuō，“ suī rán zhè quán shì hú shuō bā dào， zhè nǐ qīng chǔ。”
shí jiān yóu kè cháo wǒ men dà jiā xiào xiào。 jiē zhe， tā réng rán miàn dài wēi xiào， shuāng shǒu shēn chā zài kù dài lǐ， màn tūn tūn dì zǒu chū liǎo fáng jiān。 wǒ men tīng jiàn tā gēn lā zhe tuō xié， yán zhe cháng cháng de guò dào xiàng shí yàn shì zǒu qù。
xīn lǐ xué jiā wàng zhe wǒ men。“ wǒ bù zhī dào tā xiǎng gǎo shénme míng táng？”
“ hái bù shì xiǎng shuǎ shuǎ huā zhāo。” yī shēng shuō。 fěi 'ěr bǐ zhèng zhǔn bèi gěi wǒ men jiǎng tā zài bó sī lè mǔ kàn dào de yī gè wū shī， kě hái méi lái dé jí jiǎng wán kāi tóu， shí jiān yóu kè jiù huí lái liǎo。 fěi 'ěr bǐ xiǎng jiǎng de nà bèi yì shì zhǐ dé gào chuī。
shí jiān yóu kè shǒu lǐ ná zhe yī gè shǎn shǎn fā liàng de jīn shǔ jià zǐ。 jià zǐ hé yī zhǐ xiǎo zhōng chàbù duō dà， zuò gōng shí fēn kǎo jiū， lǐ miàn xiāng yòu xiàng yá hé yī zhǒng tòu míng de dōng xī。 xiàn zài wǒ bì xū bǎ kàn dào de yī qiēdōu jiāo dài qīng chǔ， yīn wéi jiē xià qù de shì qíng héng héng chú fēi tā de jiě shì bèi jiē shòu héng héng jué duì shì wú fǎ lǐ yù de。 tā bǎ rēng zài fáng jiān lǐ de yī zhāng bā jiǎo xíng zhuō zǐ bān dào bì lú qián， zhuō zǐ yòu liǎng tiáo tuǐ jiù gē zài lú qián dì tǎn shàng。 tā bǎ nà gè jī xiè zhuāng zhì bǎi zài zhuō shàng， tuō guò yī zhāng yǐ zǐ zuò liǎo xià lái。 zhuō shàng jǐn yòu de lìng yī jiàn dōng xī shì yī zhǎn zhào zhe dēng zhào de xiǎo tái dēng， míng liàng de dēng guāng zhào zài zhè gè mó xíng shàng。 zhōu wéi hái diǎn zhe shí jǐ zhī là zhú， liǎng zhī chā zài bì lú jià shàng de tóng zhú tái shàng， lìng jǐ zhī chā zài bì shàng de zhú tái shàng， suǒ yǐ shuō fáng jiān lǐ dēng huǒ tōng míng。 wǒ zài zuì kào jìn lú huǒ de yī bǎ yǐ zǐ shàng zuò xià lái， suí jí yòu xiàng qián nuó liǎo nuó， jīhū bǎ zì jǐ bǎi dào liǎo shí jiān yóu kè hé bì lú de zhōng jiān。 fěi 'ěr bǐ zuò zài shí jiān yóu kè bèi hòu， liǎng yǎn cháo tā jiān bǎng qián miàn zhāng wàng zhe。 yī shēng hé dì fāng zhǎngguān zài yòu cè zhù shì zhe， xīn lǐ xué jiā zuò zài zuǒ cè， nián qīng rén zhàn zài xīn lǐ xué jiā de hòu miàn， wǒ men gè gèdōu quán shén guàn zhù。 zài wǒ kàn lái， rèn hé gòu sī qiǎo miào shǒu duàn gāo míng de huā zhāo yào zài zhè zhǒng qíng kuàng xià mán tiān guò hǎi dōushì bù dà kě néng de。
shí jiān yóu kè kàn kàn wǒ men， yòu kàn kàn jī xiè zhuāng zhì。“ hǎo liǎo bā？” xīn lǐ xué jiā shuō。
“ zhè gè xiǎo dōng xī”， shí jiān yóu kè shuō， tā yòng gēbo zhǒu chēng zhù zhuō zǐ， liǎng shǒu 'àn dào yí qì shàng，“ zhǐ shì yī gè mó xíng。 wǒ de jìhuà shì ràng jī qì chuān yuè shí jiān。 nǐ men huì zhù yì dào zhè dōng xī kàn shàng qù shì wāi xié de。 zhè gēn gān de biǎo miàn shǎn shǎn fā guāng， yàng zǐ hěn gǔ guài， sì hū yòu diǎn xiàng shì jiǎ de。” tā shuō wán jǔ shǒu zhǐ liǎo zhǐ，“ lìng wài， zhè shì yī gēn bái sè de xiǎo gàng gān， zhè biān hái yòu yī gēn。”
yī shēng cóng yǐ zǐ lǐ zhàn liǎo qǐ lái， yǎn jīng jǐn dīng zhe jī qì。“ zuòde zhēn piào liàng。” tā shuō。
“ huā liǎo liǎng nián de shí jiān cái zuò chū lái de。” shí jiān yóu kè huì bào shuō。 dāng wǒ mendōu gēn zhe yī shēng zhàn qǐ lái shí， tā yòu shuō，“ xiàn zài wǒ yào nǐ men zhī dào， zhè gēn gàng gān yī 'àn xià qù， jiù bǎ zhè jià jī qì sòng jìn liǎo wèi lái。 lìng yī gēn gàng gān cāo zuò nì xiàng yùn dòng。 zhè 'ān zǐ chōng dāng yī gè shí jiān yóu kè de zuò wèi。 wǒ mǎ shàng jiù 'àn zhè gēn gàng gān， jī qì huì fēi lí chū qù。 tā jiāng màn màn xiāo shī， zǒu jìn wèi lái de shí jiān， zuì hòu wú yǐng wú zōng。 qǐng nǐ men hǎohǎo kàn kàn zhè wán yì 'ér， zài jiǎn chá yī xià zhuō zǐ， què bǎo zhè zhōng jiān méi yòu rèn hé huā zhāo。 wǒ kě bù xiǎng làng fèi liǎo mó xíng hái bèi rén mà shì jiāng hú piàn zǐ。”
dà gài yòu yī fēn zhōng shí jiān guò qù liǎo， méi rén zuò shēng。 xīn lǐ xué jiā sì hū zhèng xiǎng duì wǒ shuō shénme， kě tā yòu gǎi biàn liǎo zhù yì。 jiē zhe shí jiān yóu kè jǔ qǐ shǒu zhǐ shēn xiàng gàng gān。“ bù，” tā tū rán shuō，“ ràng wǒ jiè yòng nǐ de shǒu。” tā zhuànxiàng xīn lǐ xué jiā， wò zhù tā de shǒu， jiào tā bǎ shí zhǐ shēn chū lái。 yīn cǐ， shì xīn lǐ xué jiā qīn shǒu bǎ shí jiān jī qì sòng rù màn wú zhǐ jìng de lǚ chéng de。 wǒ mendōu mù dǔ liǎo nà gēn gàng gān de zhuàndòng， wǒ bǎi fēn zhī bǎi kěn dìng zhè lǐ miàn méi yòu shuǎ huā zhāo。 jiù zài zhè shí， yī zhèn fēng chuī lái， dēng huǒ pū pū tiào dòng qǐ lái， bì lú jià shàng de yī zhī là zhú chuī miè liǎo。 nà tái xiǎo jī qì dǎzháo zhuǎn zhuǎn， yuè fēi yuè yuǎn， qǐng kè jiān zài shì yě lǐ chéng liǎo gè huàn yǐng， xiàng yī gè shǎn zhe wēi guāng de huáng tóng hé xiàng yá zhuǎn chū lái de xuán wō。 tā zǒu liǎo héng héng xiāo shī liǎo！ zhuō zǐ shàng chú liǎo nà zhǎn gū dēng yǐ yī wú suǒ yòu。
dà jiā chén mò liǎo piàn kè。 jiē zhe fěi 'ěr bǐ shuō tā zhēn shì gāi sǐ。
xīn lǐ xué jiā cóng huǎng pào zhōng huī fù guò lái， tū rán cháo zhuō zǐ dǐ xià kàn qù。 shí jiān yóu kè lè dé hā hā dà xiào。“ zěn me shuō？” tā xué qǐ liǎo xīn lǐ xué jiā de shuō huà qiāng diào。 suí hòu tā qǐ shēn zǒu dào bì lú jià shàng de yān yè guàn qián， bēizhe wǒ men kāi shǐ wǎng yān dǒu lǐ sài yān sī。
wǒ men miàn miàn xiāng qù， wú huà kě shuō。“ wǒ shuō，” yī shēng shuō，“ nǐ zhè shì dàngzhēn de？ nǐ zhēn de xiāng xìn nà jià jī qì zǒu dào shí jiān lǐ qù liǎo má？”
“ dāng rán。” shí jiān yóu kè shuō。 tā wān yāo zài bì lú huǒ shàng diǎn rán liǎo yī zhī zhǐ niǎn， rán hòu tā zhuǎn guò shēn lái， biān diǎn yān dǒu biān wàng zhe xīn lǐ xué jiā de liǎn。（ xīn lǐ xué jiā wèile gù zuò zhèn jìng， zì jǐ ná qǐ yī zhī xuějiā， lián yān pì gǔ dōuméi qiā diào jiù diǎn liǎo qǐ lái。）“ cǐ wài， wǒ nà lǐ hái yòu yī tái dà jī qì jí jiāng wán gōng。” héng héng tā zhǐ liǎo zhǐ shí yàn shì héng héng“ ān zhuāng wán bì hòu， wǒ dǎ suàn zì jǐ qù lǚ yóu yī tàng。”
“ nǐ shì shuō nà jià jī qì yǐ zǒu jìn lái lái？” fěi 'ěr bǐ wèn。
“ zǒu jìn liǎo wèi lái hái shì guò qù， wǒ bù gǎn kěn dìng。”
gé liǎo yī huì 'ér， xīn lǐ xué jiā lái liǎo líng gǎn。“ rú guǒ shuō qù liǎo shénme dì fāng， nà tā yī dìng shì zǒu jìn liǎo guò qù。” tā shuō。
“ wèishénme？” shí jiān yóu kè wèn。
“ yīn wéi wǒ xiāng xìn tā méi yòu zài kōng jiān lǐ yí dòng。 rú guǒ tā yǐ jìn rù wèi lái， nà tā xiàn zài kěn dìng hái zài zhè lǐ， yīn wéi tā bì dìng yào chuān guò xiàn zài cái néng zǒu jìn wèi lái。”
“ kě shì，” wǒ shuō，“ rú guǒ tā yǐ zǒu jìn guò qù， wǒ men gāng jìn fáng jiān shí jiù gāi kàn jiàn tā。 shàng xīng qī sì wǒ men zài zhè lǐ， hái yòu shàng shàng gè xīng qī sì， yǐ cǐ lèi tuī！”
“ yòu lì de fǎn bó。” dì fāng zhǎngguān píng lùn dào。 tā zhuànxiàng shí jiān yóu kè， bǎi chū yī fù gōng píng lùn shì de yàng zǐ。
“ háo wú dào lǐ，” shí jiān yóu kè shuō zhe zhuànxiàng xīn lǐ xué jiā，“ nǐ xiǎng xiǎng， zhè gè nǐ néng jiě shì。 zhè shì fǎn yìng diǎn xià de biǎo xiàng， shì chōng dàn de biǎo xiàng， zhè nǐ zhī dào。”
“ dāng rán。” xīn lǐ xué jiā shuō。 tā hái zài cì xiàng wǒ men bǎo zhèng shuō，“ zhè shì xīn lǐ xué shàng de yī gè jiǎn dān wèn tí。 wǒ yīnggāi xiǎng dào zhè gè dào lǐ， tā gòu míng xiǎn de， bìng qiě yòu zhù yú shuō míng zhè zhǒng mào sì máo dùn de xiàn xiàng。 wǒ men wú fǎ kàn jiàn zhè jià jī qì， yě xīn shǎng bù dào tā， zhè jiù xiàng wǒ men wú fǎ kàn dào xuánzhuàn de lún fú hé zài kōng zhōng fēi guò de zǐ dàn。 rú guǒ jī qì zài shí jiān zhōng lǚ xíng de sù dù bǐ wǒ men kuài 50 bèi huò zhě 100 bèi， rú guǒ tā zǒu yī fēn zhōng wǒ men cái zǒu yī miǎo zhōng， tā de sù dù chǎn shēng de yìn xiàng dāng rán jiù zhǐ shì tā mù zuò shí jiān lǚ xíng shí de wǔ shí fēn zhī yī huò bǎi fēn zhī yī。 zhè shì xiǎn 'ér yì jiàn de。” tā yòng shǒu zài yuán lái bǎi jī qì de dì fāng mō liǎo mō。“ míng bái liǎo bā？” tā xiào zhe wèn dào。
wǒ men zuò zài nà lǐ， liǎng yǎn dīng zhe kōng dàng dàng de zhuō zǐ kàn liǎo yī huì 'ér。 zhè shí， shí jiān yóu kè wèn wǒ men rú hé kàn dài zhè yī qiē。
“ zhè yī qiē jīn tiān wǎn shàng tīng qǐ lái hěn yòu dào lǐ，” yī shēng shuō，“ bù guò yào děng dào míng tiān zài xià jié lùn， děng míng zǎo dà jiā shén zhì qīng xǐng shí zài shuō。”
“ nǐ men xiǎng kàn kàn zhēn zhèng de shí jiān jī qì má？” shí jiān yóu kè wèn。 shuō wán tā shǒu lǐ ná zhe dēng， lǐng wǒ men yán zhe tōng fēng de cháng láng cháo tā de shí yàn shì zǒu qù。 wǒ qīng chǔ dì jì dé nà shǎn shuò de dēng huǒ， tā nà dà nǎo dài de cè yǐng， wǔ dòng de rén yǐng， jì dé wǒ men rú hé yī gè gè gēn zhe tā， xīn lǐ mí huò bù jiě kě yòu bù yuàn qīng xìn， rú hé zài shí yàn shì mù dǔ liǎo jiù zài wǒ men yǎn qián xiāo shī de nà jià xiǎo jī qì de dà hào fān bǎn。 dà jī qì de yòu xiē bù jiàn shì niè zhì de， yòu xiē shì xiàng yá zuò de， hái yòu xiē shì yòng shuǐ jīng shí cuò chéng huò jù chéng de。 jī qì yǐ dà tǐ wán chéng， dàn shì shuǐ jīng qū bàng hái bǎi zài dèng shàng de jǐ zhāng tú zhǐ bàng， méi yòu wán gōng。 wǒ ná qǐ yī gēn qū bàng zǎi xì kàn liǎo kàn， fā xiàn hǎo xiàng shì yòng shí yīng zuò de。
“ wǒ shuō，” yī shēng wèn dào，“ nǐ zhè shì wán quán rèn zhēn de？ hái shì piàn piàn rén de héng héng jiù xiàng qù nián shèng dàn jié nǐ gěi wǒ men kàn de nà gè guǐ？”
“ zuò zhè jià jī qì，” shí jiān yóu kè gāo jǔ zhe dēng shuō dào，“ wǒ xiǎng qù tàn suǒ shí jiān。 qīng chǔ liǎo bā？ wǒ zhè bèi zǐ hái cóng wèi zhè yàng rèn zhēn guò。”
wǒ men shuí yě bù zhī dào gāi rú hé qù lǐ jiě tā de zhè jù huà。
wǒ de shì xiàn yuè guò yī shēng de jiān bǎng hé fěi 'ěr bǐ tóu lái de mù guāng xiāng yù liǎo， tā biǎo qíng yán sù dì cháo wǒ shǐ liǎo gè yǎn sè。
`You must follow me carefully. I shall have to controvert one or two ideas that are almost universally accepted. The geometry, for instance, they taught you at school is founded on a misconception.'
`Is not that rather a large thing to expect us to begin upon?' said Filby, an argumentative person with red hair.
`I do not mean to ask you to accept anything without reasonable ground for it. You will soon admit as much as I need from you. You know of course that a mathematical line, a line of thickness NIL, has no real existence. They taught you that? Neither has a mathematical plane. These things are mere abstractions.'
`That is all right,' said the Psychologist.
`Nor, having only length, breadth, and thickness, can a cube have a real existence.'
`There I object,' said Filby. `Of course a solid body may exist. All real things--'
`So most people think. But wait a moment. Can an INSTANTANEOUS cube exist?'
`Don't follow you,' said Filby.
`Can a cube that does not last for any time at all, have a real existence?'
Filby became pensive. `Clearly,' the Time Traveller proceeded, `any real body must have extension in FOUR directions: it must have Length, Breadth, Thickness, and--Duration. But through a natural infirmity of the flesh, which I will explain to you in a moment, we incline to overlook this fact. There are really four dimensions, three which we call the three planes of Space, and a fourth, Time. There is, however, a tendency to draw an unreal distinction between the former three dimensions and the latter, because it happens that our consciousness moves intermittently in one direction along the latter from the beginning to the end of our lives.'
`That,' said a very young man, making spasmodic efforts to relight his cigar over the lamp; `that . . . very clear indeed.'
`Now, it is very remarkable that this is so extensively overlooked,' continued the Time Traveller, with a slight accession of cheerfulness. `Really this is what is meant by the Fourth Dimension, though some people who talk about the Fourth Dimension do not know they mean it. It is only another way of looking at Time. THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TIME AND ANY OF THE THREE DIMENSIONS OF SPACE EXCEPT THAT OUR CONSCIOUSNESS MOVES ALONG IT. But some foolish people have got hold of the wrong side of that idea. You have all heard what they have to say about this Fourth Dimension?'
`_I_ have not,' said the Provincial Mayor.
`It is simply this. That Space, as our mathematicians have it, is spoken of as having three dimensions, which one may call Length, Breadth, and Thickness, and is always definable by reference to three planes, each at right angles to the others. But some philosophical people have been asking why THREE dimensions particularly--why not another direction at right angles to the other three?--and have even tried to construct a Four-Dimension geometry. Professor Simon Newcomb was expounding this to the New York Mathematical Society only a month or so ago. You know how on a flat surface, which has only two dimensions, we can represent a figure of a three-dimensional solid, and similarly they think that by models of thee dimensions they could represent one of four--if they could master the perspective of the thing. See?'
`I think so,' murmured the Provincial Mayor; and, knitting his brows, he lapsed into an introspective state, his lips moving as one who repeats mystic words. `Yes, I think I see it now,' he said after some time, brightening in a quite transitory manner.
`Well, I do not mind telling you I have been at work upon this geometry of Four Dimensions for some time. Some of my results are curious. For instance, here is a portrait of a man at eight years old, another at fifteen, another at seventeen, another at twenty-three, and so on. All these are evidently sections, as it were, Three-Dimensional representations of his Four-Dimensioned being, which is a fixed and unalterable thing.
`Scientific people,' proceeded the Time Traveller, after the pause required for the proper assimilation of this, `know very well that Time is only a kind of Space. Here is a popular scientific diagram, a weather record. This line I trace with my finger shows the movement of the barometer. Yesterday it was so high, yesterday night it fell, then this morning it rose again, and so gently upward to here. Surely the mercury did not trace this line in any of the dimensions of Space generally recognized? But certainly it traced such a line, and that line, therefore, we must conclude was along the Time-Dimension.'
`But,' said the Medical Man, staring hard at a coal in the fire, `if Time is really only a fourth dimension of Space, why is it, and why has it always been, regarded as something different? And why cannot we move in Time as we move about in the other dimensions of Space?'
The Time Traveller smiled. `Are you sure we can move freely in Space? Right and left we can go, backward and forward freely enough, and men always have done so. I admit we move freely in two dimensions. But how about up and down? Gravitation limits us there.'
`Not exactly,' said the Medical Man. `There are balloons.'
`But before the balloons, save for spasmodic jumping and the inequalities of the surface, man had no freedom of vertical movement.' `Still they could move a little up and down,' said the Medical Man.
`Easier, far easier down than up.'
`And you cannot move at all in Time, you cannot get away from the present moment.'
`My dear sir, that is just where you are wrong. That is just where the whole world has gone wrong. We are always getting away from the present moment. Our mental existences, which are immaterial and have no dimensions, are passing along the Time-Dimension with a uniform velocity from the cradle to the grave. Just as we should travel DOWN if we began our existence fifty miles above the earth's surface.'
`But the great difficulty is this,' interrupted the Psychologist. `You CAN move about in all directions of Space, but you cannot move about in Time.'
`That is the germ of my great discovery. But you are wrong to say that we cannot move about in Time. For instance, if I am recalling an incident very vividly I go back to the instant of its occurrence: I become absent-minded, as you say. I jump back for a moment. Of course we have no means of staying back for any length of Time, any more than a savage or an animal has of staying six feet above the ground. But a civilized man is better off than the savage in this respect. He can go up against gravitation in a balloon, and why should he not hope that ultimately he may be able to stop or accelerate his drift along the Time-Dimension, or even turn about and travel the other way?'
`Oh, THIS,' began Filby, `is all--'
`Why not?' said the Time Traveller.
`It's against reason,' said Filby.
`What reason?' said the Time Traveller.
`You can show black is white by argument,' said Filby, `but you will never convince me.'
`Possibly not,' said the Time Traveller. `But now you begin to see the object of my investigations into the geometry of Four Dimensions. Long ago I had a vague inkling of a machine--'
`To travel through Time!' exclaimed the Very Young Man.
`That shall travel indifferently in any direction of Space and Time, as the driver determines.'
Filby contented himself with laughter.
`But I have experimental verification,' said the Time Traveller.
`It would be remarkably convenient for the historian,' the Psychologist suggested. `One might travel back and verify the accepted account of the Battle of Hastings, for instance!'
`Don't you think you would attract attention?' said the Medical Man. `Our ancestors had no great tolerance for anachronisms.'
`One might get one's Greek from the very lips of Homer and Plato,' the Very Young Man thought.
`In which case they would certainly plough you for the Little-go. The German scholars have improved Greek so much.'
`Then there is the future,' said the Very Young Man. `Just think! One might invest all one's money, leave it to accumulate at interest, and hurry on ahead!'
`To discover a society,' said I, `erected on a strictly communistic basis.'
`Of all the wild extravagant theories!' began the Psychologist.
`Yes, so it seemed to me, and so I never talked of it until--'
`Experimental verification!' cried I. `You are going to verify THAT?'
`The experiment!' cried Filby, who was getting brain-weary.
`Let's see your experiment anyhow,' said the Psychologist, `though it's all humbug, you know.'
The Time Traveller smiled round at us. Then, still smiling faintly, and with his hands deep in his trousers pockets, he walked slowly out of the room, and we heard his slippers shuffling down the long passage to his laboratory.
The Psychologist looked at us. `I wonder what he's got?'
`Some sleight-of-hand trick or other,' said the Medical Man, and Filby tried to tell us about a conjurer he had seen at Burslem; but before he had finished his preface the Time Traveller came back, and Filby's anecdote collapsed.
The thing the Time Traveller held in his hand was a glittering metallic framework, scarcely larger than a small clock, and very delicately made. There was ivory in it, and some transparent crystalline substance. And now I must be explicit, for this that follows--unless his explanation is to be accepted--is an absolutely unaccountable thing. He took one of the small octagonal tables that were scattered about the room, and set it in front of the fire, with two legs on the hearthrug. On this table he placed the mechanism. Then he drew up a chair, and sat down. The only other object on the table was a small shaded lamp, the bright light of which fell upon the model. There were also perhaps a dozen candles about, two in brass candlesticks upon the mantel and several in sconces, so that the room was brilliantly illuminated. I sat in a low arm-chair nearest the fire, and I drew this forward so as to be almost between the Time Traveller and the fireplace. Filby sat behind him, looking over his shoulder. The Medical Man and the Provincial Mayor watched him in profile from the right, the Psychologist from the left. The Very Young Man stood behind the Psychologist. We were all on the alert. It appears incredible to me that any kind of trick, however subtly conceived and however adroitly done, could have been played upon us under these conditions.
The Time Traveller looked at us, and then at the mechanism. `Well?' said the Psychologist.
`This little affair,' said the Time Traveller, resting his elbows upon the table and pressing his hands together above the apparatus, `is only a model. It is my plan for a machine to travel through time. You will notice that it looks singularly askew, and that there is an odd twinkling appearance about this bar, as though it was in some way unreal.' He pointed to the part with his finger. `Also, here is one little white lever, and here is another.'
The Medical Man got up out of his chair and peered into the thing. `It's beautifully made,' he said.
`It took two years to make,' retorted the Time Traveller. Then, when we had all imitated the action of the Medical Man, he said: `Now I want you clearly to understand that this lever, being pressed over, sends the machine gliding into the future, and this other reverses the motion. This saddle represents the seat of a time traveller. Presently I am going to press the lever, and off the machine will go. It will vanish, pass into future Time, and disappear. Have a good look at the thing. Look at the table too, and satisfy yourselves there is no trickery. I don't want to waste this model, and then be told I'm a quack.'
There was a minute's pause perhaps. The Psychologist seemed about to speak to me, but changed his mind. Then the Time Traveller put forth his finger towards the lever. `No,' he said suddenly. `Lend me your hand.' And turning to the Psychologist, he took that individual's hand in his own and told him to put out his forefinger. So that it was the Psychologist himself who sent forth the model Time Machine on its interminable voyage. We all saw the lever turn. I am absolutely certain there was no trickery. There was a breath of wind, and the lamp flame jumped. One of the candles on the mantel was blown out, and the little machine suddenly swung round, became indistinct, was seen as a ghost for a second perhaps, as an eddy of faintly glittering brass and ivory; and it was gone--vanished! Save for the lamp the table was bare.
Everyone was silent for a minute. Then Filby said he was damned.
The Psychologist recovered from his stupor, and suddenly looked under the table. At that the Time Traveller laughed cheerfully. `Well?' he said, with a reminiscence of the Psychologist. Then, getting up, he went to the tobacco jar on the mantel, and with his back to us began to fill his pipe.
We stared at each other. `Look here,' said the Medical Man, `are you in earnest about this? Do you seriously believe that that machine has travelled into time?'
`Certainly,' said the Time Traveller, stooping to light a spill at the fire. Then he turned, lighting his pipe, to look at the Psychologist's face. (The Psychologist, to show that he was not unhinged, helped himself to a cigar and tried to light it uncut.) `What is more, I have a big machine nearly finished in there'--he indicated the laboratory--`and when that is put together I mean to have a journey on my own account.'
`You mean to say that that machine has travelled into the future?' said Filby.
`Into the future or the past--I don't, for certain, know which.'
After an interval the Psychologist had an inspiration. `It must have gone into the past if it has gone anywhere,' he said.
`Why?' said the Time Traveller.
`Because I presume that it has not moved in space, and if it travelled into the future it would still be here all this time, since it must have travelled through this time.'
`But,' I said, `If it travelled into the past it would have been visible when we came first into this room; and last Thursday when we were here; and the Thursday before that; and so forth!'
`Serious objections,' remarked the Provincial Mayor, with an air of impartiality, turning towards the Time Traveller.
`Not a bit,' said the Time Traveller, and, to the Psychologist: `You think. You can explain that. It's presentation below the threshold, you know, diluted presentation.'
`Of course,' said the Psychologist, and reassured us. `That's a simple point of psychology. I should have thought of it. It's plain enough, and helps the paradox delightfully. We cannot see it, nor can we appreciate this machine, any more than we can the spoke of a wheel spinning, or a bullet flying through the air. If it is travelling through time fifty times or a hundred times faster than we are, if it gets through a minute while we get through a second, the impression it creates will of course be only one-fiftieth or one-hundredth of what it would make if it were not travelling in time. That's plain enough.' He passed his hand through the space in which the machine had been. `You see?' he said, laughing.
We sat and stared at the vacant table for a minute or so. Then the Time Traveller asked us what we thought of it all.
`It sounds plausible enough to-night,' said the Medical Man; 'but wait until to-morrow. Wait for the common sense of the morning.'
`Would you like to see the Time Machine itself?' asked the Time Traveller. And therewith, taking the lamp in his hand, he led the way down the long, draughty corridor to his laboratory. I remember vividly the flickering light, his queer, broad head in silhouette, the dance of the shadows, how we all followed him, puzzled but incredulous, and how there in the laboratory we beheld a larger edition of the little mechanism which we had seen vanish from before our eyes. Parts were of nickel, parts of ivory, parts had certainly been filed or sawn out of rock crystal. The thing was generally complete, but the twisted crystalline bars lay unfinished upon the bench beside some sheets of drawings, and I took one up for a better look at it. Quartz it seemed to be.
`Look here,' said the Medical Man, `are you perfectly serious? Or is this a trick--like that ghost you showed us last Christmas?'
`Upon that machine,' said the Time Traveller, holding the lamp aloft, `I intend to explore time. Is that plain? I was never more serious in my life.'
None of us quite knew how to take it.
I caught Filby's eye over the shoulder of the Medical Man, and he winked at me solemnly.
wǒ xiǎng wǒ men dāng shí shuí yě bù tài xiāng xìn shí jiān jī qì。 shì shí shàng， shí jiān yóu kè shì gè cōng míng dé ràng rén bù gǎn xiāng xìn de rén。 nǐ cóng wèi gǎn dào kàn tòu guò tā， nǐ zǒng shì huái yí tā tǎn shuài de bèi hòu hái yòu suǒ bǎo liú， hái lìng yòu yòng xīn。 yào shì ràng fěi 'ěr bǐ zhǎn shì zhè tái jī qì bìng yòng shí jiān yóu kè de huà lái jìn xíng jiě shì， wǒ men jiù bù huì zhè yàng yí lǜ chóngchóng， yīn wéi wǒ men yī dìng huì kàn chuān tā de dòng jī， lián shā zhū dedōu néng lǐ jiě fěi 'ěr bǐ。 dàn shì， shí jiān yóu kè bù jǐn jǐn shì yòu jǐ fēn yì xiǎng tiān kāi， ér qiě wǒ mendōu bù xiāng xìn tā。 kě yǐ ràng yī gè bù rú tā cōng míng de rén míng shēng dà zhèn de shì qíng dào tā shǒu lǐ jiù chéng liǎo piàn rén de bǎ xì。 shì qíng zuòde tài róng yì shí zài shì gè cuò wù。 nà xiē bù hé tā kāi wán xiào de yán sù rèn zhēn de rén cóng wèi gǎn dào mō， tòu guò tā de xíng wéi。 tā men fǎn zhèng yě zhī dào， suī rán tā men shàn cháng pàn duàn， kě qīng yì xiāng xìn tā jiù rú tóng yòng dàn ké bān yì suì de cí qì qù zhuāng shì tuō 'ér suǒ。 suǒ yǐ， wǒ xiǎng wǒ men zài nà gè xīng qī sì dào xià yī gè xīng qī sì de zhè duàn shí jiān lǐ， shuí yě méi yòu duō tán shí jiān lǚ xíng de shì， bù guò wǒ men dà duō shù rén de nǎo zǐ lǐ wú yí hái diàn jì zhe tā suī rán kě yí què yòu qián zài kě néng xìng。 zhè jiù shì qí biǎo miàn shàng kě néng 'ér shì shí shàng bùqiè shí jì， yě jiù shì zào chéng nián dài diān dǎo hé tiān xià dà luàn de kě néng xìng。 wǒ zì jǐ zé yī xīn xiǎng zhe jī qì lǐ miàn de guǐ huā zhāo。 wǒ jì dé xīng qī wǔ zài lín ní 'ān yù shàng yī shēng hòu tóng tā tǎo lùn guò zhè gè wèn tí。 tā shuō tā zài dì bīn gēn jiàn guò lèi sì de shì qíng， bìng qiě tè bié qiáng diào liǎo là zhú bèi chuī miè de xiàn xiàng。 dàn huā zhāo shì rú hé shuǎ de， tā méi fǎ jiě shì。
jiē xià lái de xīng qī sì wǒ yòu qù liǎo lǐ shì mǎn héng héng wǒ xiāng xìn wǒ shì shí jiān yóu kè de cháng kè zhī héng héng yóu yú dào dé wǎn， wǒ fā xiàn sì wǔ gè rén yǐ jù jí zài tā de huì kè shì lǐ。 yī shēng zhàn zài bì lú qián， yī shǒu ná zhe yī zhāng zhǐ， yī shǒu wò zhe yī kuài shǒu biǎo。 wǒ cháo sì zhōu kàn kàn， xiǎng xún zhǎo shí jiān yóu kè。“ xiàn zài yǐ jīng 7 diǎn bàn liǎo”， yī shēng shuō，“ wǒ kàn wǒ men zuì hǎo xiān chī fàn bā？”
“ zěn me bù jiàn……” wǒ wèn zhe shuō chū liǎo wǒ men zhù rén de míng zì。
“ nǐ gāng lái？ zhēn shì guài shì， tā yī dìng shì dān gē liǎo。 tā liú liǎo zhāng biàn tiáo， jiào wǒ 7 diǎn zhōng hái bù jiàn tā huí lái jiù xiān dài dà jiā chī fàn。 tā shuō tā huí lái hòu zài gēn dà huǒ jiě shì。”
“ yòu fàn bù chī sì hū yòu diǎn kě xī。” yī wèi zhù míng rì bào de biān ji shuō。 yī shēng suí hòu yáo liǎo yáo líng。
chú liǎo yī shēng hé wǒ， xīn lǐ xué jiā shì wéi yī chū xí shàng cì wǎn cān huì de rén。 qí tā jǐ gè rén fēn bié shì shàng miàn tí dào de nà wèi biān ji bù lán kè， yī wèi jì zhě， hái yòu yī wèi shì gè liú zhe shān yáng hú zǐ、 nèi xiàng pà xiū de nán zǐ， zhè rén wǒ bù rèn shí。 jù wǒ guān chá， tā zhěng gè wǎn shàng méi kāi kǒu shuō yī jù huà。 yòng cān shí， dà jiādōu zài cāi cè shí jiān yóu kè quē xí de yuán yīn， wǒ bàn kāi wán xiào dì tí dào liǎo shí jiān lǚ xíng。 biān ji yào wǒ men jiě shì yī xià， xīn lǐ xué jiā zhù dòng yào qiú duì wǒ men nà tiān mù dǔ de“ qiǎo miào de guài shì hé bǎ xì” zuò yī fān rú shí de miáo shù。 tā zhèng jiǎng dào yī bàn， tōng zǒu láng de mén màn màn dì、 qiǎo rán wú shēng dì dǎ kāi liǎo。 wǒ shì cháo mén zuò de， dì yī gè kàn dào liǎo yǎn qián de qíng jìng。“ nǐ hǎo！” wǒ shuō，“ zhōng yú huí lái lā！” wǒ jīng tàn yī shēng。 zhè shí mén kāi dé gèng dà liǎo， shí jiān yóu kè zhàn zài wǒ men miàn qián。
“ tiān nǎ！ lǎo xiōng， zěn me huí shì？” yī shēng dà shēng wèn dào。 tā shì dì 'èr gè kàn jiàn tā de， quán zhuō de réndōu zhuǎn shēn cháo mén kǒu wàng qù。
tā xiǎn dé láng bèi bù kān， wài tào yòu huī yòu zàng， xiù guǎn shàng zhān mǎn liǎo qīng xī xī de wū jì， tóu fā luàn qī bā zāo， hǎo xiàng biàn dé gèng jiā huī bái liǎo héng héng rú guǒ bù shì yīn wéi tóu fā shàng de huī chén hé wū gòu， nà jiù shì tóu fā zhēn de bǐ yǐ qián gèng bái liǎo。 tā liǎn sè rú tǔ， xià bā shàng liú zhe yī tiáo hái méi yòu wán quán yù hé de zōng sè kǒu zǐ。 tā shén qíng wéi huái， miàn róng kū gǎo， hǎo xiàng chī jìn liǎo kǔ tóu。 tā zhàn zài mén kǒu， yóu yù liǎo piàn kè， fǎng fó bèi dēng guāng cì huā liǎo yǎn。 suí hòu， tā yī qué yī guǎi dì zǒu jìn liǎo fáng jiān， xiàng shì wǒ jiàn guò de nà xiē tuǐ suān jiǎo tòng de tú bù lǚ xíng zhě。 wǒ men jìng jìng dì wàng zhe tā， děng dài tā kāi kǒu shuō huà。
tā yī shēng bù kēng， fèi jìn dì lái dào zhuō qián， cháo jiǔ píng zuò liǎo gè shǒu shì。 biān ji zhēn mǎn yī bēi xiāng bìn， tuī dào tā miàn qián。 tā yī yǐn 'ér jìn， zhè xià hǎo xiàng lái liǎo diǎn jīng shén， yīn wéi tā cháo zhuō bàng de rén wàng liǎo yī yǎn， liǎn shàng yòu lüè guò liǎo yī sī yīngyǒu de wēi xiào。“ nǐ dào dǐ shàng nǎ 'ér qù liǎo， lǎo xiōng？” yī shēng wèn。 shí jiān yóu kè hǎo xiàng méi tīng jiàn。“ wǒ bù lái dǎ rǎo nǐ men，” tā shuō， shēng yīn yòu diǎn chàn dǒu，“ wǒ méi shì。” tā shuō dào zhè lǐ yòu tíng liǎo xià lái， shēn chū bēi zǐ yòu yào liǎo diǎn jiǔ， yòu shì yī kǒu hē liǎo gè jīng guāng。“ bù cuò。” tā shuō。 shuāng yǎn yuè lái yuè yòu shén， miàn jiá shàng yě fàn chū liǎo dàn dàn de hóng yùn。 tā yòng chí dùn de zàn xǔ de mù guāng cháo wǒ men liǎn shàng sǎo liǎo yī yǎn， jiē zhe zài wēn nuǎn shū shì de fáng jiān lǐ dōu liǎo yī juàn。 suí hòu tā yòu kāi kǒu shuō huà liǎo， hǎo xiàng hái shì bù zhī dào gāi shuō shí me。“ wǒ qù xǐ gè zǎo， huàn huàn yī fú， rán zài xià lái xiàng nǐ men jiě shì…… gěi wǒ liú diǎn yáng ròu， wǒdōu yào chán sǐ liǎo。”
tā cháo biān ji kàn liǎo yī yǎn。 biān ji shì wèi xī kè， tā xī wàng biān ji yī qiē rú yì。 biān ji tí liǎo gè wèn tí。“ mǎ shàng jiù gào sù nǐ，” shí jiān yóu kè dá dào，“ wǒ zhè múyàng héng héng tài kě xiào liǎo！ bù guò gé yī huì 'ér jiù hǎo liǎo。”
tā fàng xià jiǔ bēi， cháo lǒu dào mén zǒu qù。 wǒ zài cì zhù yì dào liǎo tā zǒu lù yī qué yī guǎi de yàng zǐ hé ruǎn mián mián de jiǎo bù。 wǒ cóng zuò wèi shàng zhàn lì qǐ lái， zài tā chū mén de shí hòu zhe qīng liǎo tā de shuāng jiǎo。 tā de jiǎo shàng zhǐ tào liǎo yī shuāng xuè jì bān bān de pò wà zǐ， lián xié dōuméi chuān。 zhè shí mén zài tā shēn hòu guān shàng liǎo， wǒ zhēn xiǎng gēn tā chū qù bāng bāng tā， kě yī xiǎng dào tā tǎo yàn bié rén wèitā de shì qíng dà jīng xiǎo guài yòu dǎ xiāo liǎo niàn tóu。 wǒ yī shí xīn luàn rú má， bù zhī suǒ cuò。 zhè shí， wǒ tīng jiàn biān ji shuō“ zhù míng kē xué jiā de jīng rén zhī jǔ，” tā（ chū yú xí guàn） yòu zài kǎo lǜ tā de wén zhāng biāo tí liǎo。 wǒ de zhù yì lì yòu bèi lā huí dào liǎo qì fēn rè liè de cān zhuō shàng。
“ zhè shì wán shénme yóu xì？” jì zhě shuō，“ tā yī zhí zài bàn yǎn yè yú qǐ gài má？ wǒ zhēn bù míng bái。” wǒ hé xīn lǐ xué jiā mù guāng xiāng yù， wǒ cóng tā liǎn shàng kàn chū lái， wǒ liǎ de lǐ jiě shì xiāng tóng de。 wǒ xiǎng qǐ liǎo shí jiān yóu kè yī qué yī guǎi pá lóu de tòng kǔ múyàng， yǐ wéi qí tā rén yī gè yě méi zhù yì dào tā de jiǎo bù hǎo。
dì yī gè cóng jīng yà zhōng huī fù guò lái de shì yī shēng。 tā yáo yáo líng héng héng shí jiān yóu kè bù xǐ huān ràng pú rén zhàn zài cān zhuō bàng héng héng shì yì shàng rè cài。 zhè shí biān ji gū gū zhe ná qǐ liǎo dāo chā， nà gè chén mò guǎ yán de rén yě gēn zhe ná qǐ liǎo dāo chā。 wǎn fàn jì xù jìn xíng。 zhuō shàng de tán huà yòu duàn shí jiān jìng biàn chéng liǎo jiào hǎn， hái bù shí mào chū jǐ shēng jīng tàn。 zhè shí biān ji zài yě 'àn nà bù zhù tā de hàoqí xīn liǎo：“ wǒ men de péng yǒu shì yòu bàng mén zuǒ dào lái mí bǔ tā bù gāo de shōu rù ní？ hái shì zài xué ní bù jiá ní sǎ 'èr shì ní？” tā wèn dào。“ wǒ kěn dìng zhè hé shí jiān jī qì yòu guān。” wǒ jiē guò xīn lǐ xué jiā xù shù de wǒ men shàng cì jù huì de huà tí dá dào。 xīn lái de kè rén xiǎn rán bù xiāng xìn； biān ji tí chū liǎo fǎn duì yì jiàn：“ zhè shí jiān lǚ xíng jiū jìng shì shénme？ yī gè rén zǒng bù huì zài qí tán guài lùn lǐ gǔn dé mǎn shēn shì ní bā？” shuō zhe tā xiǎng qǐ liǎo shénme， yú shì jiù fěng cì wā kǔ qǐ lái，“ nán dào wèi lái rén lián dǎn yī shuà dōuméi yòu？” jì zhě yě shì sǐ bù xiāng xìn， tā zhàn dào liǎo biān ji de yī biān， duì zhěng gè shì qíng héng jiā cháo nòng。 tā liǎ dōushì xīn shì de xīn wén gōng zuò zhě héng héng nà zhǒng shēng xìng kuài lè yòu quē fá lǐ mào de nián qīng rén。“ wǒ men de《 hòu tiān》 bào tè yuē jì zhě bào dào shuō，” jì zhě zhèng shuō zhe héng héng qí shí shì hǎn zhe héng héng shí jiān yóu kè huí lái liǎo。 tā chuānzhuó pǔ tōng de yè lǐ fú， chú liǎo miàn kè yǐ jiù xiǎn dé huāng huái， gāng cái ràng wǒ men dà chī yī jīng de yàng zǐ yǐ wú yǐng wú zōng。
“ wǒ shuō，” biān ji xīng gāo cǎi liè dì shuō，“ zhè xiē jiā huǒ shuō nǐ gāng cái dào xià xīng qī lǚ xíng qù liǎo！ gēn wǒ men jiǎng jiǎng xiǎo luó sī bó lǐ de shì， hǎo má？ nǐ jué dé tā de mìng yùn rú hé？”
shí jiān yóu kè yī shēng bù kēng dì lái dào liú gěi tā de zuò wèi bàng， hé yǐ wǎng yī yàng 'ān xiáng dì xiào liǎo。“ wǒ de yáng ròu ní？” tā shuō，“ dāo chā shàng yòu néng chā shàng ròu zhēn shì xiǎng shòu 'ā！”
“ gù shì！” biān ji hǎn dào。
“ qù tā mā de gù shì bā！” shí jiān yóu kè shuō。“ wǒ xiǎng chī diǎn dōng xī。 wǒ bù tián bǎo dù pí shì shénme yě bù huì jiǎng de。 xiè xiè， bǎ yán dì yī dì。”
“ jiù jiǎng yī jù huà，” wǒ shuō，“ nǐ qù shí jiān lǚ xíng liǎo má？”
“ shì de。” shí jiān yóu kè zuǐ lǐ sài mǎn liǎo dōng xī， tā biān diǎn tóu biān huí dá。
“ wǒ yuàn chū měi xíng zì yī xiān lìng de jià， mǎi xià jì lù gǎo。” biān ji shuō。 shí jiān yóu kè bǎ bō lí bēi tuī xiàng nà wèi chén mò zhě， bìng yòng zhǐ jiá qiāo qiāo bēi zǐ。 liǎng yǎn yī zhí wàng zhe shí jiān yóu kè de chén mò zhě xià liǎo yī tiào， gǎn máng wèitā zhēn mǎn jiǔ bēi。 suí hòu chī fàn de qì fēn shì lìng rén bù kuài de。 jiù wǒ 'ér yán， wèn tí bù shí dì mào dào zuǐ biān， wǒ gǎn shuō qí tā rén yī dìng yě yòu tóng gǎn。 xīn wén jì zhě jiǎng qǐ liǎo hǎi dí · bō tè de yì shì qù wén， xiǎng huǎn hé yī xià jǐn zhāng de qì fēn。 shí jiān yóu kè yī mén xīn sī zhǐ gù chī fàn， wèi kǒu dà dé xiàng gè liú làng hàn。 yī shēng diǎn rán xiāng yān， mī yǎn wàng zhe shí jiān yóu kè。 chén mò zhě sì hū bǐ píng shí gèng bèn kǒu zhuō shé， tā bù tíng dì mèn shēng hē zhe xiāng mó jiǔ， jiè yǐ yǎn shì nèi xīn de jǐn zhāng bù 'ān。 shí jiān yóu kè zhōng yú tuī kāi pán zǐ， cháo wǒ men wàng liǎo yī yǎn。“ wǒ xiǎng wǒ yīnggāi dào qiàn”， tā shuō，“ gāng cái wǒ shí zài shì 'è jí liǎo。 wǒ de jīng lì tài jīng rén liǎo。” tā shēn shǒu qǔ liǎo yī gǔ xuějiā yān， qiē qù yān pì gǔ。“ hái shì qù xī yān shì bā， gù shì tài cháng liǎo， zǒng bù néng zài zhè yóu xī xī de pán zǐ qián jiǎng bā。” tā shùn shǒu yáo liǎo yáo líng， lǐng dà jiā zǒu jìn gé bì fáng jiān。
“ nǐ duì dài xī、 qiáo shì hé bù lán kè jiǎng guò shí jiān lǚ xíng jī qì de shì má？” tā yī biān wèn wǒ yī biān kào shàng 'ān lè yǐ， diǎn chū liǎo zhè sān wèi xīn kè rén de míng zì。
“ kě zhè zhǒng shì qíng chún shǔ hú chě。” biān ji shuō。
“ jīn wǎn wǒ wú fǎ biàn lùn。 wǒ yuàn yì bǎ jīng guò gào sù nǐ men， dàn wǒ bù xiāng biàn lùn。 rú guǒ nǐ men xiǎng tīng，” tā jì xù shuō dào，“ wǒ jiù bǎ wǒ de zāo yù quán gào sù nǐ men， dàn bù néng dǎ duàn wǒ de huà。 wǒ hěn xiǎng bǎ zhè gè gù shì jiǎng chū lái， dà duō shù nèi róng tīng qǐ lái xiàng shì huǎng huà， kě shì qíng jiù shì zhè yàng！ zhè shì zhēn de héng héng jué duì shì zhēn huà。 wǒ 4 diǎn zhōng hái zài shí yàn shì， suí hòu…… wǒ dù guò liǎo 8 tiān shí jiān…… zhè shì shuí yě bù céng yòu guò de rì zǐ 'ā！ wǒ xiàn zài zhēn shì jīng pí lì jié， kě wǒ bù bǎ shì qíng gào sù nǐ men shì bù huì shuì jué qù de， jiǎng wán liǎo zài shuì。 dàn bù xǔ chā huà！ dū tóng yì má？”
“ tóng yì。” biān ji shuō。 wǒ men qí tā rén yě gēn zhe shuō liǎo shēng“ tóng yì”。 yú shì， shí jiān yóu kè kāi shǐ jiǎng shù wǒ xià miàn jì lù de zhè gè gù shì。 tā xiān shì kào zài yǐ zǐ shàng， jiǎng huà xiàng gè láolèi guò dù de rén， hòu lái xiè jiǎng yuè qǐ jìn。 jì lù shí， wǒ tè bié gǎn dào bǐ mò de qiàn quē， yóu qí shì wǒ zì shēn néng lì de bù zú， wú fǎ bǎ zhè gù shì lín lí jìn zhì dì biǎo dá chū lái。 wǒ xiǎng， nǐ men huì jù jīng huì shén dì qù dú de， dàn shì nǐ men wú fǎ qīn yǎn mù dǔ jiǎng shù zhě zài xiǎo dēng zhào shè xià de nà zhāng cāng bái 'ér yòu yán sù de liǎn， yě wú fǎ tīng dào tā de jiǎng huà shēng diào。 nǐ men yě wú fǎ zhī dào tā de biǎo qíng shì rú hé suí zhe gù shì de fā zhǎn 'ér biàn huà de。 wǒ men zhè xiē tīng zhòng dà duō zuò zài dēng yǐng lǐ， yīn wéi xī yān shì lǐ méi yòu diǎn là zhú， dēng guāng zhǐ zhào dào liǎo jì zhě de liǎn hé nà wèi chén mò zhě de xiǎo tuǐ。 qǐ chū， wǒ men hái bù shí dì xiāng hù wàng wàng， guò liǎo yī huì 'ér， jiù zài yě wú xiá gù jí bié rén， zhǐ shì liǎng yǎn dīng zhe shí jiān yóu kè de liǎn。
The next Thursday I went again to Richmond--I suppose I was one of the Time Traveller's most constant guests--and, arriving late, found four or five men already assembled in his drawing-room. The Medical Man was standing before the fire with a sheet of paper in one hand and his watch in the other. I looked round for the Time Traveller, and--`It's half-past seven now,' said the Medical Man. `I suppose we'd better have dinner?'
`Where's----?' said I, naming our host.
`You've just come? It's rather odd. He's unavoidably detained. He asks me in this note to lead off with dinner at seven if he's not back. Says he'll explain when he comes.'
`It seems a pity to let the dinner spoil,' said the Editor of a well-known daily paper; and thereupon the Doctor rang the bell.
The Psychologist was the only person besides the Doctor and myself who had attended the previous dinner. The other men were Blank, the Editor aforementioned, a certain journalist, and another--a quiet, shy man with a beard--whom I didn't know, and who, as far as my observation went, never opened his mouth all the evening. There was some speculation at the dinner-table about the Time Traveller's absence, and I suggested time travelling, in a half-jocular spirit. The Editor wanted that explained to him, and the Psychologist volunteered a wooden account of the `ingenious paradox and trick' we had witnessed that day week. He was in the midst of his exposition when the door from the corridor opened slowly and without noise. I was facing the door, and saw it first. `Hallo!' I said. `At last!' And the door opened wider, and the Time Traveller stood before us. I gave a cry of surprise. `Good heavens! man, what's the matter?' cried the Medical Man, who saw him next. And the whole tableful turned towards the door.
He was in an amazing plight. His coat was dusty and dirty, and smeared with green down the sleeves; his hair disordered, and as it seemed to me greyer--either with dust and dirt or because its colour had actually faded. His face was ghastly pale; his chin had a brown cut on it--a cut half healed; his expression was haggard and drawn, as by intense suffering. For a moment he hesitated in the doorway, as if he had been dazzled by the light. Then he came into the room. He walked with just such a limp as I have seen in footsore tramps. We stared at him in silence, expecting him to speak.
He said not a word, but came painfully to the table, and made a motion towards the wine. The Editor filled a glass of champagne, and pushed it towards him. He drained it, and it seemed to do him good: for he looked round the table, and the ghost of his old smile flickered across his face. `What on earth have you been up to, man?' said the Doctor. The Time Traveller did not seem to hear. `Don't let me disturb you,' he said, with a certain faltering articulation. `I'm all right.' He stopped, held out his glass for more, and took it off at a draught. `That's good,' he said. His eyes grew brighter, and a faint colour came into his cheeks. His glance flickered over our faces with a certain dull approval, and then went round the warm and comfortable room. Then he spoke again, still as it were feeling his way among his words. `I'm going to wash and dress, and then I'll come down and explain things. . . Save me some of that mutton. I'm starving for a bit of meat.'
He looked across at the Editor, who was a rare visitor, and hoped he was all right. The Editor began a question. `Tell you presently,' said the Time Traveller. `I'm--funny! Be all right in a minute.'
He put down his glass, and walked towards the staircase door. Again I remarked his lameness and the soft padding sound of his footfall, and standing up in my place, I saw his feet as he went out. He had nothing on them but a pair of tattered blood-stained socks. Then the door closed upon him. I had half a mind to follow, till I remembered how he detested any fuss about himself. For a minute, perhaps, my mind was wool-gathering. Then, 'Remarkable Behaviour of an Eminent Scientist,' I heard the Editor say, thinking (after his wont) in headlines. And this brought my attention back to the bright dinner-table.
`What's the game?' said the Journalist. `Has he been doing the Amateur Cadger? I don't follow.' I met the eye of the Psychologist, and read my own interpretation in his face. I thought of the Time Traveller limping painfully upstairs. I don't think any one else had noticed his lameness.
The first to recover completely from this surprise was the Medical Man, who rang the bell--the Time Traveller hated to have servants waiting at dinner--for a hot plate. At that the Editor turned to his knife and fork with a grunt, and the Silent Man followed suit. The dinner was resumed. Conversation was exclamatory for a little while, with gaps of wonderment; and then the Editor got fervent in his curiosity. `Does our friend eke out his modest income with a crossing? or has he his Nebuchadnezzar phases?' he inquired. `I feel assured it's this business of the Time Machine,' I said, and took up the Psychologist's account of our previous meeting. The new guests were frankly incredulous. The Editor raised objections. `What WAS this time travelling? A man couldn't cover himself with dust by rolling in a paradox, could he?' And then, as the idea came home to him, he resorted to caricature. Hadn't they any clothes-brushes in the Future? The Journalist too, would not believe at any price, and joined the Editor in the easy work of heaping ridicule on the whole thing. They were both the new kind of journalist--very joyous, irreverent young men. `Our Special Correspondent in the Day after To-morrow reports,' the Journalist was saying--or rather shouting--when the Time Traveller came back. He was dressed in ordinary evening clothes, and nothing save his haggard look remained of the change that had startled me.
`I say,' said the Editor hilariously, `these chaps here say you have been travelling into the middle of next week! Tell us all about little Rosebery, will you? What will you take for the lot?'
The Time Traveller came to the place reserved for him without a word. He smiled quietly, in his old way. `Where's my mutton?' he said. `What a treat it is to stick a fork into meat again!'
`Story!' cried the Editor.
`Story be damned!' said the Time Traveller. `I want something to eat. I won't say a word until I get some peptone into my arteries. Thanks. And the salt.'
`One word,' said I. `Have you been time travelling?'
`Yes,' said the Time Traveller, with his mouth full, nodding his head.
`I'd give a shilling a line for a verbatim note,' said the Editor. The Time Traveller pushed his glass towards the Silent Man and rang it with his fingernail; at which the Silent Man, who had been staring at his face, started convulsively, and poured him wine. The rest of the dinner was uncomfortable. For my own part, sudden questions kept on rising to my lips, and I dare say it was the same with the others. The Journalist tried to relieve the tension by telling anecdotes of Hettie Potter. The Time Traveller devoted his attention to his dinner, and displayed the appetite of a tramp. The Medical Man smoked a cigarette, and watched the Time Traveller through his eyelashes. The Silent Man seemed even more clumsy than usual, and drank champagne with regularity and determination out of sheer nervousness. At last the Time Traveller pushed his plate away, and looked round us. `I suppose I must apologize,' he said. `I was simply starving. I've had a most amazing time.' He reached out his hand for a cigar, and cut the end. `But come into the smoking-room. It's too long a story to tell over greasy plates.' And ringing the bell in passing, he led the way into the adjoining room.
`You have told Blank, and Dash, and Chose about the machine?' he said to me, leaning back in his easy-chair and naming the three new guests.
`But the thing's a mere paradox,' said the Editor.
`I can't argue to-night. I don't mind telling you the story, but I can't argue. I will,' he went on, `tell you the story of what has happened to me, if you like, but you must refrain from interruptions. I want to tell it. Badly. Most of it will sound like lying. So be it! It's true--every word of it, all the same. I was in my laboratory at four o'clock, and since then . . . I've lived eight days . . . such days as no human being ever lived before! I'm nearly worn out, but I shan't sleep till I've told this thing over to you. Then I shall go to bed. But no interruptions! Is it agreed?'
`Agreed,' said the Editor, and the rest of us echoed `Agreed.' And with that the Time Traveller began his story as I have set it forth. He sat back in his chair at first, and spoke like a weary man. Afterwards he got more animated. In writing it down I feel with only too much keenness the inadequacy of pen and ink --and, above all, my own inadequacy--to express its quality. You read, I will suppose, attentively enough; but you cannot see the speaker's white, sincere face in the bright circle of the little lamp, nor hear the intonation of his voice. You cannot know how his expression followed the turns of his story! Most of us hearers were in shadow, for the candles in the smoking-room had not been lighted, and only the face of the Journalist and the legs of the Silent Man from the knees downward were illuminated. At first we glanced now and again at each other. After a time we ceased to do that, and looked only at the Time Traveller's face.
jiē xià lái de xīng qī sì wǒ yòu qù liǎo lǐ shì mǎn héng héng wǒ xiāng xìn wǒ shì shí jiān yóu kè de cháng kè zhī héng héng yóu yú dào dé wǎn， wǒ fā xiàn sì wǔ gè rén yǐ jù jí zài tā de huì kè shì lǐ。 yī shēng zhàn zài bì lú qián， yī shǒu ná zhe yī zhāng zhǐ， yī shǒu wò zhe yī kuài shǒu biǎo。 wǒ cháo sì zhōu kàn kàn， xiǎng xún zhǎo shí jiān yóu kè。“ xiàn zài yǐ jīng 7 diǎn bàn liǎo”， yī shēng shuō，“ wǒ kàn wǒ men zuì hǎo xiān chī fàn bā？”
“ zěn me bù jiàn……” wǒ wèn zhe shuō chū liǎo wǒ men zhù rén de míng zì。
“ nǐ gāng lái？ zhēn shì guài shì， tā yī dìng shì dān gē liǎo。 tā liú liǎo zhāng biàn tiáo， jiào wǒ 7 diǎn zhōng hái bù jiàn tā huí lái jiù xiān dài dà jiā chī fàn。 tā shuō tā huí lái hòu zài gēn dà huǒ jiě shì。”
“ yòu fàn bù chī sì hū yòu diǎn kě xī。” yī wèi zhù míng rì bào de biān ji shuō。 yī shēng suí hòu yáo liǎo yáo líng。
chú liǎo yī shēng hé wǒ， xīn lǐ xué jiā shì wéi yī chū xí shàng cì wǎn cān huì de rén。 qí tā jǐ gè rén fēn bié shì shàng miàn tí dào de nà wèi biān ji bù lán kè， yī wèi jì zhě， hái yòu yī wèi shì gè liú zhe shān yáng hú zǐ、 nèi xiàng pà xiū de nán zǐ， zhè rén wǒ bù rèn shí。 jù wǒ guān chá， tā zhěng gè wǎn shàng méi kāi kǒu shuō yī jù huà。 yòng cān shí， dà jiādōu zài cāi cè shí jiān yóu kè quē xí de yuán yīn， wǒ bàn kāi wán xiào dì tí dào liǎo shí jiān lǚ xíng。 biān ji yào wǒ men jiě shì yī xià， xīn lǐ xué jiā zhù dòng yào qiú duì wǒ men nà tiān mù dǔ de“ qiǎo miào de guài shì hé bǎ xì” zuò yī fān rú shí de miáo shù。 tā zhèng jiǎng dào yī bàn， tōng zǒu láng de mén màn màn dì、 qiǎo rán wú shēng dì dǎ kāi liǎo。 wǒ shì cháo mén zuò de， dì yī gè kàn dào liǎo yǎn qián de qíng jìng。“ nǐ hǎo！” wǒ shuō，“ zhōng yú huí lái lā！” wǒ jīng tàn yī shēng。 zhè shí mén kāi dé gèng dà liǎo， shí jiān yóu kè zhàn zài wǒ men miàn qián。
“ tiān nǎ！ lǎo xiōng， zěn me huí shì？” yī shēng dà shēng wèn dào。 tā shì dì 'èr gè kàn jiàn tā de， quán zhuō de réndōu zhuǎn shēn cháo mén kǒu wàng qù。
tā xiǎn dé láng bèi bù kān， wài tào yòu huī yòu zàng， xiù guǎn shàng zhān mǎn liǎo qīng xī xī de wū jì， tóu fā luàn qī bā zāo， hǎo xiàng biàn dé gèng jiā huī bái liǎo héng héng rú guǒ bù shì yīn wéi tóu fā shàng de huī chén hé wū gòu， nà jiù shì tóu fā zhēn de bǐ yǐ qián gèng bái liǎo。 tā liǎn sè rú tǔ， xià bā shàng liú zhe yī tiáo hái méi yòu wán quán yù hé de zōng sè kǒu zǐ。 tā shén qíng wéi huái， miàn róng kū gǎo， hǎo xiàng chī jìn liǎo kǔ tóu。 tā zhàn zài mén kǒu， yóu yù liǎo piàn kè， fǎng fó bèi dēng guāng cì huā liǎo yǎn。 suí hòu， tā yī qué yī guǎi dì zǒu jìn liǎo fáng jiān， xiàng shì wǒ jiàn guò de nà xiē tuǐ suān jiǎo tòng de tú bù lǚ xíng zhě。 wǒ men jìng jìng dì wàng zhe tā， děng dài tā kāi kǒu shuō huà。
tā yī shēng bù kēng， fèi jìn dì lái dào zhuō qián， cháo jiǔ píng zuò liǎo gè shǒu shì。 biān ji zhēn mǎn yī bēi xiāng bìn， tuī dào tā miàn qián。 tā yī yǐn 'ér jìn， zhè xià hǎo xiàng lái liǎo diǎn jīng shén， yīn wéi tā cháo zhuō bàng de rén wàng liǎo yī yǎn， liǎn shàng yòu lüè guò liǎo yī sī yīngyǒu de wēi xiào。“ nǐ dào dǐ shàng nǎ 'ér qù liǎo， lǎo xiōng？” yī shēng wèn。 shí jiān yóu kè hǎo xiàng méi tīng jiàn。“ wǒ bù lái dǎ rǎo nǐ men，” tā shuō， shēng yīn yòu diǎn chàn dǒu，“ wǒ méi shì。” tā shuō dào zhè lǐ yòu tíng liǎo xià lái， shēn chū bēi zǐ yòu yào liǎo diǎn jiǔ， yòu shì yī kǒu hē liǎo gè jīng guāng。“ bù cuò。” tā shuō。 shuāng yǎn yuè lái yuè yòu shén， miàn jiá shàng yě fàn chū liǎo dàn dàn de hóng yùn。 tā yòng chí dùn de zàn xǔ de mù guāng cháo wǒ men liǎn shàng sǎo liǎo yī yǎn， jiē zhe zài wēn nuǎn shū shì de fáng jiān lǐ dōu liǎo yī juàn。 suí hòu tā yòu kāi kǒu shuō huà liǎo， hǎo xiàng hái shì bù zhī dào gāi shuō shí me。“ wǒ qù xǐ gè zǎo， huàn huàn yī fú， rán zài xià lái xiàng nǐ men jiě shì…… gěi wǒ liú diǎn yáng ròu， wǒdōu yào chán sǐ liǎo。”
tā cháo biān ji kàn liǎo yī yǎn。 biān ji shì wèi xī kè， tā xī wàng biān ji yī qiē rú yì。 biān ji tí liǎo gè wèn tí。“ mǎ shàng jiù gào sù nǐ，” shí jiān yóu kè dá dào，“ wǒ zhè múyàng héng héng tài kě xiào liǎo！ bù guò gé yī huì 'ér jiù hǎo liǎo。”
tā fàng xià jiǔ bēi， cháo lǒu dào mén zǒu qù。 wǒ zài cì zhù yì dào liǎo tā zǒu lù yī qué yī guǎi de yàng zǐ hé ruǎn mián mián de jiǎo bù。 wǒ cóng zuò wèi shàng zhàn lì qǐ lái， zài tā chū mén de shí hòu zhe qīng liǎo tā de shuāng jiǎo。 tā de jiǎo shàng zhǐ tào liǎo yī shuāng xuè jì bān bān de pò wà zǐ， lián xié dōuméi chuān。 zhè shí mén zài tā shēn hòu guān shàng liǎo， wǒ zhēn xiǎng gēn tā chū qù bāng bāng tā， kě yī xiǎng dào tā tǎo yàn bié rén wèitā de shì qíng dà jīng xiǎo guài yòu dǎ xiāo liǎo niàn tóu。 wǒ yī shí xīn luàn rú má， bù zhī suǒ cuò。 zhè shí， wǒ tīng jiàn biān ji shuō“ zhù míng kē xué jiā de jīng rén zhī jǔ，” tā（ chū yú xí guàn） yòu zài kǎo lǜ tā de wén zhāng biāo tí liǎo。 wǒ de zhù yì lì yòu bèi lā huí dào liǎo qì fēn rè liè de cān zhuō shàng。
“ zhè shì wán shénme yóu xì？” jì zhě shuō，“ tā yī zhí zài bàn yǎn yè yú qǐ gài má？ wǒ zhēn bù míng bái。” wǒ hé xīn lǐ xué jiā mù guāng xiāng yù， wǒ cóng tā liǎn shàng kàn chū lái， wǒ liǎ de lǐ jiě shì xiāng tóng de。 wǒ xiǎng qǐ liǎo shí jiān yóu kè yī qué yī guǎi pá lóu de tòng kǔ múyàng， yǐ wéi qí tā rén yī gè yě méi zhù yì dào tā de jiǎo bù hǎo。
dì yī gè cóng jīng yà zhōng huī fù guò lái de shì yī shēng。 tā yáo yáo líng héng héng shí jiān yóu kè bù xǐ huān ràng pú rén zhàn zài cān zhuō bàng héng héng shì yì shàng rè cài。 zhè shí biān ji gū gū zhe ná qǐ liǎo dāo chā， nà gè chén mò guǎ yán de rén yě gēn zhe ná qǐ liǎo dāo chā。 wǎn fàn jì xù jìn xíng。 zhuō shàng de tán huà yòu duàn shí jiān jìng biàn chéng liǎo jiào hǎn， hái bù shí mào chū jǐ shēng jīng tàn。 zhè shí biān ji zài yě 'àn nà bù zhù tā de hàoqí xīn liǎo：“ wǒ men de péng yǒu shì yòu bàng mén zuǒ dào lái mí bǔ tā bù gāo de shōu rù ní？ hái shì zài xué ní bù jiá ní sǎ 'èr shì ní？” tā wèn dào。“ wǒ kěn dìng zhè hé shí jiān jī qì yòu guān。” wǒ jiē guò xīn lǐ xué jiā xù shù de wǒ men shàng cì jù huì de huà tí dá dào。 xīn lái de kè rén xiǎn rán bù xiāng xìn； biān ji tí chū liǎo fǎn duì yì jiàn：“ zhè shí jiān lǚ xíng jiū jìng shì shénme？ yī gè rén zǒng bù huì zài qí tán guài lùn lǐ gǔn dé mǎn shēn shì ní bā？” shuō zhe tā xiǎng qǐ liǎo shénme， yú shì jiù fěng cì wā kǔ qǐ lái，“ nán dào wèi lái rén lián dǎn yī shuà dōuméi yòu？” jì zhě yě shì sǐ bù xiāng xìn， tā zhàn dào liǎo biān ji de yī biān， duì zhěng gè shì qíng héng jiā cháo nòng。 tā liǎ dōushì xīn shì de xīn wén gōng zuò zhě héng héng nà zhǒng shēng xìng kuài lè yòu quē fá lǐ mào de nián qīng rén。“ wǒ men de《 hòu tiān》 bào tè yuē jì zhě bào dào shuō，” jì zhě zhèng shuō zhe héng héng qí shí shì hǎn zhe héng héng shí jiān yóu kè huí lái liǎo。 tā chuānzhuó pǔ tōng de yè lǐ fú， chú liǎo miàn kè yǐ jiù xiǎn dé huāng huái， gāng cái ràng wǒ men dà chī yī jīng de yàng zǐ yǐ wú yǐng wú zōng。
“ wǒ shuō，” biān ji xīng gāo cǎi liè dì shuō，“ zhè xiē jiā huǒ shuō nǐ gāng cái dào xià xīng qī lǚ xíng qù liǎo！ gēn wǒ men jiǎng jiǎng xiǎo luó sī bó lǐ de shì， hǎo má？ nǐ jué dé tā de mìng yùn rú hé？”
shí jiān yóu kè yī shēng bù kēng dì lái dào liú gěi tā de zuò wèi bàng， hé yǐ wǎng yī yàng 'ān xiáng dì xiào liǎo。“ wǒ de yáng ròu ní？” tā shuō，“ dāo chā shàng yòu néng chā shàng ròu zhēn shì xiǎng shòu 'ā！”
“ gù shì！” biān ji hǎn dào。
“ qù tā mā de gù shì bā！” shí jiān yóu kè shuō。“ wǒ xiǎng chī diǎn dōng xī。 wǒ bù tián bǎo dù pí shì shénme yě bù huì jiǎng de。 xiè xiè， bǎ yán dì yī dì。”
“ jiù jiǎng yī jù huà，” wǒ shuō，“ nǐ qù shí jiān lǚ xíng liǎo má？”
“ shì de。” shí jiān yóu kè zuǐ lǐ sài mǎn liǎo dōng xī， tā biān diǎn tóu biān huí dá。
“ wǒ yuàn chū měi xíng zì yī xiān lìng de jià， mǎi xià jì lù gǎo。” biān ji shuō。 shí jiān yóu kè bǎ bō lí bēi tuī xiàng nà wèi chén mò zhě， bìng yòng zhǐ jiá qiāo qiāo bēi zǐ。 liǎng yǎn yī zhí wàng zhe shí jiān yóu kè de chén mò zhě xià liǎo yī tiào， gǎn máng wèitā zhēn mǎn jiǔ bēi。 suí hòu chī fàn de qì fēn shì lìng rén bù kuài de。 jiù wǒ 'ér yán， wèn tí bù shí dì mào dào zuǐ biān， wǒ gǎn shuō qí tā rén yī dìng yě yòu tóng gǎn。 xīn wén jì zhě jiǎng qǐ liǎo hǎi dí · bō tè de yì shì qù wén， xiǎng huǎn hé yī xià jǐn zhāng de qì fēn。 shí jiān yóu kè yī mén xīn sī zhǐ gù chī fàn， wèi kǒu dà dé xiàng gè liú làng hàn。 yī shēng diǎn rán xiāng yān， mī yǎn wàng zhe shí jiān yóu kè。 chén mò zhě sì hū bǐ píng shí gèng bèn kǒu zhuō shé， tā bù tíng dì mèn shēng hē zhe xiāng mó jiǔ， jiè yǐ yǎn shì nèi xīn de jǐn zhāng bù 'ān。 shí jiān yóu kè zhōng yú tuī kāi pán zǐ， cháo wǒ men wàng liǎo yī yǎn。“ wǒ xiǎng wǒ yīnggāi dào qiàn”， tā shuō，“ gāng cái wǒ shí zài shì 'è jí liǎo。 wǒ de jīng lì tài jīng rén liǎo。” tā shēn shǒu qǔ liǎo yī gǔ xuějiā yān， qiē qù yān pì gǔ。“ hái shì qù xī yān shì bā， gù shì tài cháng liǎo， zǒng bù néng zài zhè yóu xī xī de pán zǐ qián jiǎng bā。” tā shùn shǒu yáo liǎo yáo líng， lǐng dà jiā zǒu jìn gé bì fáng jiān。
“ nǐ duì dài xī、 qiáo shì hé bù lán kè jiǎng guò shí jiān lǚ xíng jī qì de shì má？” tā yī biān wèn wǒ yī biān kào shàng 'ān lè yǐ， diǎn chū liǎo zhè sān wèi xīn kè rén de míng zì。
“ kě zhè zhǒng shì qíng chún shǔ hú chě。” biān ji shuō。
“ jīn wǎn wǒ wú fǎ biàn lùn。 wǒ yuàn yì bǎ jīng guò gào sù nǐ men， dàn wǒ bù xiāng biàn lùn。 rú guǒ nǐ men xiǎng tīng，” tā jì xù shuō dào，“ wǒ jiù bǎ wǒ de zāo yù quán gào sù nǐ men， dàn bù néng dǎ duàn wǒ de huà。 wǒ hěn xiǎng bǎ zhè gè gù shì jiǎng chū lái， dà duō shù nèi róng tīng qǐ lái xiàng shì huǎng huà， kě shì qíng jiù shì zhè yàng！ zhè shì zhēn de héng héng jué duì shì zhēn huà。 wǒ 4 diǎn zhōng hái zài shí yàn shì， suí hòu…… wǒ dù guò liǎo 8 tiān shí jiān…… zhè shì shuí yě bù céng yòu guò de rì zǐ 'ā！ wǒ xiàn zài zhēn shì jīng pí lì jié， kě wǒ bù bǎ shì qíng gào sù nǐ men shì bù huì shuì jué qù de， jiǎng wán liǎo zài shuì。 dàn bù xǔ chā huà！ dū tóng yì má？”
“ tóng yì。” biān ji shuō。 wǒ men qí tā rén yě gēn zhe shuō liǎo shēng“ tóng yì”。 yú shì， shí jiān yóu kè kāi shǐ jiǎng shù wǒ xià miàn jì lù de zhè gè gù shì。 tā xiān shì kào zài yǐ zǐ shàng， jiǎng huà xiàng gè láolèi guò dù de rén， hòu lái xiè jiǎng yuè qǐ jìn。 jì lù shí， wǒ tè bié gǎn dào bǐ mò de qiàn quē， yóu qí shì wǒ zì shēn néng lì de bù zú， wú fǎ bǎ zhè gù shì lín lí jìn zhì dì biǎo dá chū lái。 wǒ xiǎng， nǐ men huì jù jīng huì shén dì qù dú de， dàn shì nǐ men wú fǎ qīn yǎn mù dǔ jiǎng shù zhě zài xiǎo dēng zhào shè xià de nà zhāng cāng bái 'ér yòu yán sù de liǎn， yě wú fǎ tīng dào tā de jiǎng huà shēng diào。 nǐ men yě wú fǎ zhī dào tā de biǎo qíng shì rú hé suí zhe gù shì de fā zhǎn 'ér biàn huà de。 wǒ men zhè xiē tīng zhòng dà duō zuò zài dēng yǐng lǐ， yīn wéi xī yān shì lǐ méi yòu diǎn là zhú， dēng guāng zhǐ zhào dào liǎo jì zhě de liǎn hé nà wèi chén mò zhě de xiǎo tuǐ。 qǐ chū， wǒ men hái bù shí dì xiāng hù wàng wàng， guò liǎo yī huì 'ér， jiù zài yě wú xiá gù jí bié rén， zhǐ shì liǎng yǎn dīng zhe shí jiān yóu kè de liǎn。
The next Thursday I went again to Richmond--I suppose I was one of the Time Traveller's most constant guests--and, arriving late, found four or five men already assembled in his drawing-room. The Medical Man was standing before the fire with a sheet of paper in one hand and his watch in the other. I looked round for the Time Traveller, and--`It's half-past seven now,' said the Medical Man. `I suppose we'd better have dinner?'
`Where's----?' said I, naming our host.
`You've just come? It's rather odd. He's unavoidably detained. He asks me in this note to lead off with dinner at seven if he's not back. Says he'll explain when he comes.'
`It seems a pity to let the dinner spoil,' said the Editor of a well-known daily paper; and thereupon the Doctor rang the bell.
The Psychologist was the only person besides the Doctor and myself who had attended the previous dinner. The other men were Blank, the Editor aforementioned, a certain journalist, and another--a quiet, shy man with a beard--whom I didn't know, and who, as far as my observation went, never opened his mouth all the evening. There was some speculation at the dinner-table about the Time Traveller's absence, and I suggested time travelling, in a half-jocular spirit. The Editor wanted that explained to him, and the Psychologist volunteered a wooden account of the `ingenious paradox and trick' we had witnessed that day week. He was in the midst of his exposition when the door from the corridor opened slowly and without noise. I was facing the door, and saw it first. `Hallo!' I said. `At last!' And the door opened wider, and the Time Traveller stood before us. I gave a cry of surprise. `Good heavens! man, what's the matter?' cried the Medical Man, who saw him next. And the whole tableful turned towards the door.
He was in an amazing plight. His coat was dusty and dirty, and smeared with green down the sleeves; his hair disordered, and as it seemed to me greyer--either with dust and dirt or because its colour had actually faded. His face was ghastly pale; his chin had a brown cut on it--a cut half healed; his expression was haggard and drawn, as by intense suffering. For a moment he hesitated in the doorway, as if he had been dazzled by the light. Then he came into the room. He walked with just such a limp as I have seen in footsore tramps. We stared at him in silence, expecting him to speak.
He said not a word, but came painfully to the table, and made a motion towards the wine. The Editor filled a glass of champagne, and pushed it towards him. He drained it, and it seemed to do him good: for he looked round the table, and the ghost of his old smile flickered across his face. `What on earth have you been up to, man?' said the Doctor. The Time Traveller did not seem to hear. `Don't let me disturb you,' he said, with a certain faltering articulation. `I'm all right.' He stopped, held out his glass for more, and took it off at a draught. `That's good,' he said. His eyes grew brighter, and a faint colour came into his cheeks. His glance flickered over our faces with a certain dull approval, and then went round the warm and comfortable room. Then he spoke again, still as it were feeling his way among his words. `I'm going to wash and dress, and then I'll come down and explain things. . . Save me some of that mutton. I'm starving for a bit of meat.'
He looked across at the Editor, who was a rare visitor, and hoped he was all right. The Editor began a question. `Tell you presently,' said the Time Traveller. `I'm--funny! Be all right in a minute.'
He put down his glass, and walked towards the staircase door. Again I remarked his lameness and the soft padding sound of his footfall, and standing up in my place, I saw his feet as he went out. He had nothing on them but a pair of tattered blood-stained socks. Then the door closed upon him. I had half a mind to follow, till I remembered how he detested any fuss about himself. For a minute, perhaps, my mind was wool-gathering. Then, 'Remarkable Behaviour of an Eminent Scientist,' I heard the Editor say, thinking (after his wont) in headlines. And this brought my attention back to the bright dinner-table.
`What's the game?' said the Journalist. `Has he been doing the Amateur Cadger? I don't follow.' I met the eye of the Psychologist, and read my own interpretation in his face. I thought of the Time Traveller limping painfully upstairs. I don't think any one else had noticed his lameness.
The first to recover completely from this surprise was the Medical Man, who rang the bell--the Time Traveller hated to have servants waiting at dinner--for a hot plate. At that the Editor turned to his knife and fork with a grunt, and the Silent Man followed suit. The dinner was resumed. Conversation was exclamatory for a little while, with gaps of wonderment; and then the Editor got fervent in his curiosity. `Does our friend eke out his modest income with a crossing? or has he his Nebuchadnezzar phases?' he inquired. `I feel assured it's this business of the Time Machine,' I said, and took up the Psychologist's account of our previous meeting. The new guests were frankly incredulous. The Editor raised objections. `What WAS this time travelling? A man couldn't cover himself with dust by rolling in a paradox, could he?' And then, as the idea came home to him, he resorted to caricature. Hadn't they any clothes-brushes in the Future? The Journalist too, would not believe at any price, and joined the Editor in the easy work of heaping ridicule on the whole thing. They were both the new kind of journalist--very joyous, irreverent young men. `Our Special Correspondent in the Day after To-morrow reports,' the Journalist was saying--or rather shouting--when the Time Traveller came back. He was dressed in ordinary evening clothes, and nothing save his haggard look remained of the change that had startled me.
`I say,' said the Editor hilariously, `these chaps here say you have been travelling into the middle of next week! Tell us all about little Rosebery, will you? What will you take for the lot?'
The Time Traveller came to the place reserved for him without a word. He smiled quietly, in his old way. `Where's my mutton?' he said. `What a treat it is to stick a fork into meat again!'
`Story!' cried the Editor.
`Story be damned!' said the Time Traveller. `I want something to eat. I won't say a word until I get some peptone into my arteries. Thanks. And the salt.'
`One word,' said I. `Have you been time travelling?'
`Yes,' said the Time Traveller, with his mouth full, nodding his head.
`I'd give a shilling a line for a verbatim note,' said the Editor. The Time Traveller pushed his glass towards the Silent Man and rang it with his fingernail; at which the Silent Man, who had been staring at his face, started convulsively, and poured him wine. The rest of the dinner was uncomfortable. For my own part, sudden questions kept on rising to my lips, and I dare say it was the same with the others. The Journalist tried to relieve the tension by telling anecdotes of Hettie Potter. The Time Traveller devoted his attention to his dinner, and displayed the appetite of a tramp. The Medical Man smoked a cigarette, and watched the Time Traveller through his eyelashes. The Silent Man seemed even more clumsy than usual, and drank champagne with regularity and determination out of sheer nervousness. At last the Time Traveller pushed his plate away, and looked round us. `I suppose I must apologize,' he said. `I was simply starving. I've had a most amazing time.' He reached out his hand for a cigar, and cut the end. `But come into the smoking-room. It's too long a story to tell over greasy plates.' And ringing the bell in passing, he led the way into the adjoining room.
`You have told Blank, and Dash, and Chose about the machine?' he said to me, leaning back in his easy-chair and naming the three new guests.
`But the thing's a mere paradox,' said the Editor.
`I can't argue to-night. I don't mind telling you the story, but I can't argue. I will,' he went on, `tell you the story of what has happened to me, if you like, but you must refrain from interruptions. I want to tell it. Badly. Most of it will sound like lying. So be it! It's true--every word of it, all the same. I was in my laboratory at four o'clock, and since then . . . I've lived eight days . . . such days as no human being ever lived before! I'm nearly worn out, but I shan't sleep till I've told this thing over to you. Then I shall go to bed. But no interruptions! Is it agreed?'
`Agreed,' said the Editor, and the rest of us echoed `Agreed.' And with that the Time Traveller began his story as I have set it forth. He sat back in his chair at first, and spoke like a weary man. Afterwards he got more animated. In writing it down I feel with only too much keenness the inadequacy of pen and ink --and, above all, my own inadequacy--to express its quality. You read, I will suppose, attentively enough; but you cannot see the speaker's white, sincere face in the bright circle of the little lamp, nor hear the intonation of his voice. You cannot know how his expression followed the turns of his story! Most of us hearers were in shadow, for the candles in the smoking-room had not been lighted, and only the face of the Journalist and the legs of the Silent Man from the knees downward were illuminated. At first we glanced now and again at each other. After a time we ceased to do that, and looked only at the Time Traveller's face.