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.
“树林。”医生绝望地喊道，“狗！”
“Woods.” the doctor shouted desperately. “Dog!”
罗斯·麦克劳林顺从地、热心地抬起头，然后叫了一声。
Ross McLaurin looked up obediently and helpfully and barked.
医生有点怀疑地转向海伦。“恐怕病人喝醉了。我们不能再继续下去了。”
The doctor turned to Helene a little dubiously. “I’m afraid the patient is inebriated. We can’t go on with this.”
“哦，不，我们能继续。”海伦坚定地说。
“Oh yes we can,” Helene said firmly.
“这可不科学。”亨尼西医生反对道。
“It isn’t scientific,” Dr. Hennessey objected.
“不。”杰克小声说，“但很有趣。”
“No,” Jake murmured, “but it’s lots of fun.”
到目前为止，红蓝表盘上的指针只是微微颤动了一下。
So far the needle on the red and blue dial had only performed a faint tremolo.
“就问他——就说一个词。”海伦恳求道，“星期二。”
“Just ask him—just say one word,” Helene implored. “Tuesday.”
这位心理心理学家皱起了眉头。“我已经问过他了。他觉得是星期天。”
The psycho-psychologist frowned. “I’ve already asked him that. He thinks it’s Sunday.”
“不，不，不。”杰克插嘴道，“图伊兹（英文同星期二）。这是个名字。”
“No, no, no,” Jake put in. “Tuesday. It’s a name.”
“每周有两个星期二。”海伦补充道。
“Two Tuesdays in every week,” Helene added.
在角落里，马龙开始唱歌，“不久后每天都会是星期二。”
In his corner Malone began singing, “Every day’ll be Tuesday by and by.”
这一次，利奥纳多·亨尼西医生看马龙的眼神明显充满了恐惧。最后，他深吸一口气，大喊道：“星期二！”仿佛在喊“哇！”
This time the look Dr. Leonardo Hennessey gave Malone was definitely fearful. Finally he drew a long breath and shouted, “Tuesday!” as though he were crying “Boo!”
什么也没发生。
Nothing happened.
“你看——”医生转向海伦说道。
“You see—” the doctor began, turning to Helene.
“试试另一个名字。”她建议道，“试试‘马龙’。”
“Try another name,” she suggested. “Try ‘Malone.’”
亨尼西医生的脸开始变成深红色。他用催眠似的眼神盯着病人，大喊道：“马龙！”
Dr. Hennessey’s face was beginning to turn a deep cerise. He focused a hypnotic eye on his patient and yelped, “Malone!”
小主，
突然，罗斯·麦克劳林看起来像一个被召回生命的人。他抬起头，眼睛发亮。
Suddenly Ross McLaurin seemed like a man recalled to life. He lifted his head and looked up, his eyes bright.
“那是我！”他得意地叫道。
“That’s me!” he exclaimed triumphantly.
亨尼西医生擦了擦额头。他转向律师。“我好像没取得什么进展。也许你自己问他几个问题……”他的声音有点沙哑。
Dr. Hennessey mopped his brow. He turned to the lawyer. “I don’t seem to be getting very far. Perhaps if you would ask him a few questions yourself—” His voice was a little hoarse.
马龙怀疑地说：“我试试。”他走到年轻人面前，紧紧地盯着他。
Malone said, “I’ll try,” very skeptically. He walked over to the young man and looked at him fixedly.
“告诉我，罗斯。是你杀了杰拉尔德·图伊兹吗？”
“Tell me, Ross. Did you murder Gerald Tuesday?”
有那么一会儿，一片寂静。每个人都带着不同程度的焦虑看着病人。最后，他的嘴唇开始缓慢而有节奏地动起来，从他嘴里发出微弱的声音。
For a moment there was silence. Everyone watched the patient, with varying degrees of anxiety. At last his lips began to move, slowly and rhythmically, and a faint sound came from them.
“数——子弹——”其余的听不清了。
“Count—the bullets—” the rest was indistinguishable.
“但这是一起刺杀案。”马龙开始说。海伦示意他安静。
“But this was a stabbing,” Malone began. Helene hushed him.
“大声点，罗斯。”她说。
“Louder, Ross,” she said.
嘟囔声变大了，但还是不清楚。听众们听到了“四万亿”几个字。
The mumble grew louder, though not clearer. The listeners caught the words “Forty thousand million.”
“世界上没有那么多钱。”杰克厌恶地说。
“There’s not that much money in the world,” Jake said disgustedly.
“不管怎么说，这是个动机。”海伦小声说。
“It’s a motive, anyway,” Helene murmured.
甚至连利奥纳多·亨尼西医生也开始显得兴奋起来。他俯身在病人身上，眼睛发亮。
Even Dr. Leonardo Hennessey began to look excited. He leaned over the patient, his eyes blazing.
“六周——在地狱里——”罗斯·麦克劳林继续用微弱的声音说着。有几个词听不清了，然后是，“五个——魔鬼——黑暗——”
“Six weeks—in hell—” Ross McLaurin went on in a faint whisper. There were a few words lost, and then, “Five—devils—dark—”
“天哪！”海伦说。她的脸色非常苍白。
“Good God!” Helene said. Her face was very pale.
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他们都急切地倾身向前，想听清病人接下来的话。
They all leaned forward breathlessly to catch the patient’s next words.
年轻人得意地说完最后一句：“靴子——靴子——靴子——靴子——又上下移动起来！战争中没有退伍！”
In a triumphant outburst the young man finished, “Boots—boots—boots—boots—movin’ up and down again! There’s no discharge in the war!”
表盘上的指针大幅度地摆向标有“真实”的那一边。罗斯·麦克劳林想起了吉卜林的《靴子》全文。
The needle on the dial swung far over to the side marked “True.” Ross McLaurin had remembered all of Kipling’s Boots.
几分钟后，在出租车里，杰克转向海伦。
A few minutes later, in the taxicab, Jake turned to Helene.
“好吧。”他严肃地说，“我听说过病人把医生弄病了。但这是我第一次看到有人把一个心理心理学家逼疯两次！”
“Well,” he said solemnly, “I’ve heard of the patient making the doctor sick. But this is the first time I ever saw anyone drive a psycho-psychologist double nuts!”