“How nice to see you again, Miss Brand,” the doctor said cheerfully. “Did your father ever get his watch back from that young woman?”
海伦说：“没有。”然后微微脸红了。“医生，这是贾斯特先生，我的……”
Helene said, “No,” and blushed faintly. “Doctor, this is Mr. Justus, my—”
“我还活着而且还在呼吸，杰克·贾斯特！”亨尼西医生高兴地叫道，“我猜你还在《观察家报》工作吧。会有摄影师来吗？”
“Jake Justus, as I live and breathe!” exclaimed Dr. Hennessey happily. “Still with the Examiner, I presume. Will there be a photographer ing?”
杰克本想解释他不再是记者了，但觉得还是不提为好，于是只说：“不，这次没有摄影师。”
Jake started to explain he was no longer a reporter, decided it would be more tactful not to mention it, and just said, “No, no photographer this time.”
“太可惜了。”亨尼西医生说。
“Too bad,” said Dr. Hennessey.
“这是罗斯·麦克劳林。”海伦接着说。
“This is Ross McLaurin,” Helene went on.
年轻人用一种机械而礼貌的声音说：“你好，医生。”
The young man said, “How do you do, doctor,” in an automatic and polite voice.
“这是马龙先生。”她又补充道。
“And this is Mr. Malone,” she added.
“啊，是的。”医生愉快地说。他清了清嗓子。“我通常晚上不会来我的实验室，但从你在电话里的谈话中，我觉得这肯定是紧急情况。有些失忆的病例非常令人难过。”他同情地笑了笑，把手放在马龙的肩膀上。“我猜这位就是我们的病人吧。”
“Ah yes,” the doctor said pleasantly. He cleared his throat. “I usually don’t e down to my laboratory in the evening, but I gathered from your conversation on the phone that this was definitely urgent. Some of these loss-of-memory cases are very sad.” He smiled sympathetically and laid a hand on Malone’s shoulder. “This would be our patient, I presume.”
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“不，不，不。”海伦说，“在那边。”她指了指罗斯·麦克劳林。
“No, no, no,” Helene said. “Over there.” She indicated Ross McLaurin.
“啊，是的。”亨尼西医生泰然自若地说，“麦克劳林先生。的确如此。现在，如果你能直接到这边来……”
“Ah yes.” Dr. Hennessey said, with magnificent aplomb. “Mr. McLaurin. Yes indeed. Now if you’ll just e right over here—”
病人要坐的椅子似乎是房间里所有电器设备的焦点。罗斯·麦克劳林顺从地坐了下来，虽然有点犹豫，并按照指示将手放在每只扶手末端的橡胶垫上。
The chair in which the patient was to sit seemed to be the focal point of all the electrical gadgets in the room. Ross McLaurin sat down in it obediently, though a bit hesitantly, and rested his hands, as directed, on the rubber pads at the end of each arm.
当医生在他的上臂绑上一个电极时，他抗议地抬头看着海伦。
It was when the doctor was strapping an electrode on the upper part of his arm that he looked up protestingly at Helene.
“你答应过我，如果我和马龙先生谈话，他们就不会这样对我。”
“You promised me if I’d talk to Mr. Malone, they wouldn’t do this to me.”
“这不是电椅。”海伦说，“只是看起来像而已。”
“It’s not the electric chair,” Helene said. “It only looks like one.”
“哈，哈，哈。”医生毫无幽默感地说，“我所有的病人都对这种相似之处发表过评论。现在，年轻人，没有什么会伤害你。一点都没有。就舒服地往后靠。对，就这样。”
“Ha, ha, ha,” the doctor said humorlessly. “All my patients ment on that similarity. Now there’s nothing to hurt you, young man. Nothing at all. Just sit back, quite fortably. That’s right.”
在椅子上方，病人看不到的地方，有一个红蓝相间的表盘，蓝色那面标着“真实”，红色那面标着“虚假”。
Over the chair, placed where the patient couldn’t see it, was a red and blue dial, marked “True” on the blue side and “False” on the red.
“首先我要让病人保持平衡。”亨尼西医生解释道，“安静。现在安静。很好。”他指着表盘补充道，“看到指针是如何平衡的了吧，正好在中间？病人很放松。”
“First I balance the patient,” explained Dr. Hennessey. “Quiet. Quiet, now. That’s fine.” He added, pointing to the dial, “See how the needle is balanced, right in the center? The patient is at ease.”
“放松。”杰克小声嘀咕道，“他可能都吓呆了。”
“At ease,” Jake muttered under his breath. “He’s probably petrified.”
小主，
医生没听到他的话。“现在我从简单的问题开始。”他对开始有点萎靡不振的年轻人说，“你在哪里？”
The doctor didn’t hear him. “Now I begin with simple questions.” He addressed the young man, who was beginning to droop a little. “Where are you?”
沉默了很长时间。
There was a long silence.
“你在哪里？”医生的声音提高了一点，再次问道。
“Where are you?” the doctor demanded, a shade louder.
罗斯·麦克劳林看着他，然后回答道：“我在这儿。你在哪里？”这让一切都陷入了混乱。
Ross McLaurin looked at him and threw everything into confusion by answering, “Here I am. Where are you?”
亨尼西医生决定换一个简单的问题。“今天星期几？”
Dr. Hennessey decided to try another simple question. “What day of the week is it?”
年轻人沉思了一会儿。“星期天？”他试探着说。
The young man was very thoughtful for a minute. “Sunday?” he suggested.
海伦抬头看了看表盘。上面显示“真实”。“哎呀，该死。”她说，“他觉得是星期天。不管怎么说，今天到底星期几，星期五？”
Helene looked up at the dial. It registered “True.” “Well, damn it,” she said, “he thinks it’s Sunday. What day is it anyway, Friday?”
“星期一。”马龙说。
“Monday,” Malone said.
医生摇了摇头。“今天是星期六。”他锐利地看了看马龙，然后又看了看坐在椅子上的年轻人。“你在医生的办公室里吗？”他目光敏锐地问道。
The doctor shook his head. “It’s Saturday.” He looked searchingly at Malone and then at the young man in the chair. “Are you in a doctor’s office?” he asked, eagle-eyed.
罗斯·麦克劳林嘟囔了些什么，听不清楚。
Ross McLaurin mumbled something unintelligible.
“我没听见你说什么。”医生严厉地说。他又重复了一遍问题。
“I didn’t hear you,” the doctor said sternly. He repeated the question.
年轻人又嘟囔了一遍。这次隐约能听到“草原上的家”几个字。
The young man mumbled again. This time the words “home on the range” were faintly distinguishable.
医生转向海伦。“很难从他那里问出什么。”
The doctor turned to Helene. “It’s difficult to get much out of him.”
海伦用力地点点头。“他不是个很健谈的人。”
Helene nodded vigorously. “He’s not a very talkative person.”
“我要试试一些巧妙的心理问题。”他紧紧地盯着他的病人。“告诉我。一条狗能跑进树林多远？”
“I’m going to try a few trick psychological questions.” He fixed an eagle eye on his patient. “Tell me. How far can a dog run into the woods?”
小主，
这次完全没有回应。
This time there was no response at all.
“一条狗能跑进树林多远？”医生更大声地问道。
“How far can a dog run into the woods?” the doctor demanded in a louder tone.
还是没有回应。
Still no response.