Chapter 16

16 THE CROWD KEEPS CLAPPING AND CHEERING. T. Edison tries to smile, but it looks like it is hurting his face. He peeks backstage. While no one is looking, he signs instructions to Mr. Chimp, who is hidden in the shadows. Mr. Chimp nods and gets to work, fiddling with something inside the electric elephant. "Very impressive," Edison's voice booms through the movie speakers, drowning out the clapping and the cheering. "But I am still very concerned about safety."

人群不停地鼓掌欢呼。 爱迪生试图微笑，但看起来好像伤了他的脸。 他瞥了一眼后台。趁没人注意，他向躲在暗处的黑猩猩先生下达指令。 猩猩先生点了点头，开始工作，摆弄着电子大象体内的东西。 “非常令人印象深刻，”爱迪生的声音在电影扬声器中回荡，盖过了掌声和欢呼声。 “但我仍然非常担心安全问题。”

"You saw it for yourself. It works safely," says Watson. Edison nods. He checks to see Mr. Chimp crossing two particular wires, with no one noticing him, and signing back: Now T. Edison smiles for real. "Yes, yes. Your Finger Thing lit one lightbulb. But what if it had to do more work? With more electricity? Wouldn't it be more dangerous?" "Not at all," says Frank. "Well," says Edison, "if you're so sure, it shouldn't be a problem for you to power dear Topsy, our beloved Midville elephant." Frank and Watson exchange a glance. They both wonder what Edison might be up to.

“你自己也看到了。它工作安全，”沃森说。 爱迪生点点头。他检查了一下，看到黑猩猩先生越过了两根电线，没有人注意到他，他回了一句：现在T。 爱迪生真的笑了。“是的,是的。 你的手指点亮了一个灯泡。 但是如果它需要做更多的功呢？ 用更多的电？那样不是更危险吗？”“一点也不，”弗兰克说。 “好吧，”爱迪生说，“如果你这么确定，给亲爱的Topsy供电应该不成问题，我们心爱的米德维尔大象。” 弗兰克和华生交换了一下目光。 他们都想知道爱迪生在做什么。

"Give it the Electro-Finger!" yells Charlie the postman. "Yeah, do that!" adds Fireman Chad. "OK," says Frank Einstein. "That should be simple enough." Frank sets the Electro-Finger on LOW, aims it at the model elephant, and presses the button. Slowly the elephant begins to raise its trunk. Frank increases the power. The elephant shakes its head and flaps its ears. Watson nods and smiles. In the shadows, Klank bangs his monkey- wrench hand on the side of his metal body as Frank gives Topsy full Electro-Finger power. The mechanical elephant raises its trunk and trumpets. Janegoodall starts the crowd clapping and cheering again. And that is when a faint wisp of smoke starts leaking out Topsy's left ear.

“给它电指！”邮递员查理喊道。 “是的，照做！”消防员查德补充道。 “好吧，”弗兰克·爱因斯坦说。 “这应该很简单。” 弗兰克把电子手指调到LOW档，对准大象模型，按下按钮。 大象开始慢慢地抬起它的鼻子。 弗兰克增加了功率。 大象摇了摇头，拍打着耳朵。 华生点点头，微笑着。在阴影中，弗兰克给了托普西全部的电子手指能量，克兰克用他的猴子扳手手敲打着他金属身体的一侧。 机械象抬起鼻子，吹号。 珍妮古德尔再次引起人群的鼓掌和欢呼。 就在这时，一缕微弱的烟雾开始从Topsy的左耳中渗出。

Edison points at the smoke so the crowd doesn't miss it. "Oh no!" Edison calls, in fake alarm. Frank quickly shuts down the Electro- Finger. But Topsy smokes out both ears now. She twitches. She shakes. "Make it stop!" someone in the crowd yells. Frank holds up the Electro-Finger to show that it's off, but no one sees. All eyes are on Topsy. The elephant shakes and shudders. She smokes and convulses. In one last burst of smoke and a twitch, she tips over and falls with a resounding THUD. "Einstein's Electro-Finger electrocuted Topsy!" someone screams. "That invention is a death machine!" "Oh my!" "AIEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Someone throws a Fall Festival gourd, and it splatters wetly onstage.

爱迪生指着烟雾，这样人们就不会错过了。 “哦,不!”爱迪生打来电话，假装报警。 弗兰克迅速关闭了电子手指。 但托普西现在把两只耳朵都抽掉了。 她抽搐。她摇。“让它停下来！”人群中有人喊道。 弗兰克举起电子手指，表示它已经关闭，但没有人看到。 所有的目光都集中在Topsy身上。大象颤抖着。 她抽烟并抽搐。在最后一阵烟雾和抽搐中，她翻倒在地，发出响亮的“砰”的一声。 “爱因斯坦的电指触电了托普西！”有人尖叫。 “那个发明是一个死亡机器！”“哦,我的!”“AIEEEEEEEEEEEE !”有人扔了一个中秋葫芦，葫芦在舞台上湿溅。

Klank grabs Klink and from out of the shadows jumps to protect Frank and Watson. "Frank Einstein is good! The Electro- Finger is a good invention! I will give you all hugs!" Klank extends his flexible metal arms. "Oh no," says Watson, more to himself than to anyone else. "That does not look good."

Klank抓住了Klink，从阴影中跳出来保护Frank和Watson。 “弗兰克·爱因斯坦很棒！”电子手指是一个很好的发明！我会给你们所有人拥抱的！”克兰克伸出他灵活的金属手臂。 “哦，不，”华生说，与其说是对别人，不如说是对自己。 “这看起来不太好。”

"Killer robots, too?!" another hysterical voice screams. A small orange pumpkin bounces off Klank and splits in half, dripping its stringy pumpkin guts. "Frank Einstein is creating monsters!" yells someone who sounds exactly like T. Edison trying to disguise his voice. "No, wait—" Frank starts to explain. But then the crowd starts taking apart the rest of the Fall Festival display and moving toward the stage. Janegoodall understands the dangerous power of the crowd mind. She runs toward the backstage exit and calls out to her friends, "Follow me, NOW!" Frank, Watson, Klink, and Klank follow Janegoodall. The crowd of angry Midville villagers swarms after them, shaking pitchforks and lifting burning torches, calling, "Frank Einstein

“还有杀人机器人？！”另一个歇斯底里的声音尖叫道。 一个橙色的小南瓜被Klank弹开，裂成两半，流着它的南瓜内脏。 “弗兰克·爱因斯坦在创造怪物！”一个声音和T一模一样的人喊道。 爱迪生试图掩饰自己的声音。 “不，等等——”弗兰克开始解释。 但随后人群开始拆散剩下的秋季节日表演，走向舞台。 珍妮古德尔了解群众思想的危险力量。 她跑向后台出口，对她的朋友们喊道：“跟我来，现在！”弗兰克、沃森、克林克和克兰克跟着珍妮古德尔。 愤怒的米德维尔村民成群结队地跟在他们后面，挥舞着干草叉，举起燃烧着的火炬，喊着：“弗兰克·爱因斯坦。