17 The Proof

CHAPTER 17 The Proof "I know that all of this must sound incredible to you," the Time Traveler said. "I don't expect you to believe me. You must think I'm lying, or making it all up." "You could earn a living writing stories like this," the editor said with a sigh. "So you don't believe me?" asked the Time

“我知道这一切对你来说一定听起来不可思议。”时间旅行者说。 “我不指望你会相信我。 你一定认为我在说谎，或者是瞎编的。” “你可以靠写这样的故事谋生，”编辑叹了口气说。 “所以你不相信我？”时间问道

Traveler. "I didn't think you would. I hardly believe it myself. But then, how do you explain these?" We all watched as the Time Traveler reached into the pocket of his robe and pulled out two wilted flowers. He placed them on the table in front of us, and we all stared at them. They didn't look like any flower I knew. The Time Traveler looked down at them with a smile on his face, as if he was recalling a fond memory. "They're the flowers that Weena put in my jacket pocket," he explained. "The doctor got up from his chair to look more closely at the flowers our friend had taken from his pocket. "It's odd. I've never seen this type of flower before. May I have them?" he asked. "Certainly not," answered the Time Traveler. After a moment, the doctor asked, "Where did you really get them?" The Time Traveler closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead with his hands. He took his hands

旅行者。“我没想到你会。 我自己也很难相信。 那么，你怎么解释这些呢？”我们都看着时间旅行者从长袍口袋里掏出两朵枯萎的花。 他把它们放在我们面前的桌子上，我们都盯着它们看。 它们不像我认识的任何一朵花。 时间旅行者低头看着他们，脸上带着微笑，仿佛在回忆一段美好的回忆。 “那是薇娜放在我夹克口袋里的花，”他解释道。 医生从椅子上站起来，仔细地看了看我们的朋友从口袋里拿出来的花。 “这是奇数。我以前从未见过这种花。 可以给我吗？”他问。 “当然不是，”时间旅行者回答。 过了一会儿，医生问：“你到底是从哪儿弄来的？”时间旅行者闭上眼睛，用手揉着额头。 他握住他的手

away and opened his eyes. When he spoke, he sounded upset. "I got them from Weena." Then he looked around the room. A look of doubt and confusion appeared on his face. "Or did I? Did I really travel through time? Or was it all a dream? Is there really a machine sitting in my workshop?" He stood up quickly and grabbed the lamp from the table. He opened the door and rushed into the hallway. We all followed him as he made his way to the workshop. The Time Machine sat in the corner of the room. We gathered around it. The metal, ivory, and crystal glimmered in the lamplight. I reached out and touched its metal frame. It looked the same as before—except for bits of grass, moss, and dirt on its frame. I also saw that a metal rail was slightly bent, just as the Time Traveler had described. The Time Traveler put the lamp on the bench. He ran his fingers along the bent rail. Seeing the

走开，睁开眼睛。他说话时，听起来很不安。 “我从威娜那儿得到的。”然后他环顾了一下房间。 他脸上露出疑惑和困惑的神色。 “是吗？”我真的穿越时间了吗？ 或者这一切都是一场梦？我的车间里真的有一台机器吗？”他迅速站起来，抓起桌上的灯。 他打开门，冲进走廊。 他向车间走去时，我们都跟着他。 时间机器坐在房间的角落里。 我们聚集在它周围。金属、象牙和水晶在灯光下闪闪发光。 我伸手摸了摸它的金属框架。 它看起来和以前一样——除了它的框架上有一些草、苔藓和泥土。 我还看到一根金属栏杆微微弯曲，正如时间旅行者所描述的那样。 时间旅行者把灯放在长凳上。 他用手指摸着弯曲的栏杆。 看到了

machine again seemed to make our friend feel better. It was as if the dirt and damage proved that his story was true. "It did happen, then. It's all true." He picked up the lamp, and we followed him out into the hall. He seemed very tired, so we put on our coats to leave. The doctor shook the Time Traveler's hand and said, "You should rest. You've been working too hard." The Time Traveler laughed loudly and said good night. After I left, I spent most of the night thinking about the fantastic tale. Could it be true? The Time Traveler had no reason to make up the story. And I had no reason not to believe him. The next day, I happened to pass by his house. I decided to drop in and see how he was feeling after a good night's sleep. I knocked on the door and was greeted by the housekeeper. She told me the Time Traveler was in his workshop. I walked down the hallway and entered the room, but he was not there. I stared at the Time

机器似乎又一次让我们的朋友感觉好些了。 似乎泥土和损坏证明了他说的是真的。 “那么，事情确实发生了。都是真的。” 他拿起灯，我们跟着他进了大厅。 他看起来很累，所以我们穿上外套准备离开。 医生握着时间旅行者的手说：“你应该休息。 你工作太辛苦了。” 时间旅行者大声笑着说晚安。 离开后，我几乎整晚都在想这个奇妙的故事。 这是真的吗？时间旅行者没有理由编造这个故事。 我没有理由不相信他。 第二天，我碰巧经过他的房子。 我决定去看看他睡了个好觉后感觉如何。 我敲了敲门，管家迎了上来。 她告诉我时间旅行者在他的工作室里。 我沿着走廊走进房间，但他不在。 我盯着时间

Machine for a moment, and touched the lever. I tried to imagine it journeying through the ages. When the Time Traveler did not appear after a few minutes, I left the room. I walked down the hall, where I found my friend coming down the stairs. He had a small camera under one arm and a knapsack under the other. A large smile filled his face and he said, "I'm very busy right now." "Do you really travel through time?" was all I could think to ask. "Yes," he replied calmly as he looked me in the eyes. "Yes, I do. And I'll prove it to you beyond any doubt. Wait here and I'll be back in half an hour—with all the specimens and proof I need!" He smiled and disappeared down the hallway and into the workshop. So I sat down in a room off the hallway, took out my newspaper, and began to read. Just then, I remembered that I was supposed to meet another friend shortly. I got up and went to find the Time Traveler. I wanted to

机器停了一会儿，又碰了一下操纵杆。 我试着想象它穿越了几个世纪。 几分钟后时间旅行者还没有出现，我就离开了房间。 我走过大厅，发现我的朋友正从楼梯上下来。 他一只胳膊下夹着一个小照相机，另一只胳膊下夹着一个背包。 他脸上洋溢着灿烂的笑容，说：“我现在很忙。” “你真的能穿越时间吗？”这是我唯一能想到的问题。 “是的，”他看着我的眼睛平静地回答。 “是的，我知道。我会毫无疑问地证明给你看。 在这儿等着，我半小时后回来——带着我需要的所有标本和证据！”他笑了笑，消失在走廊上，走进了车间。 于是我在走廊旁边的一个房间里坐下，拿出报纸，开始读起来。 就在这时，我想起我很快就要见另一个朋友了。 我起身去找时间旅行者。 我想

tell him I had to leave, but that I would be right back. As I reached the door to the workshop, I heard odd noises coming from inside. A gust of wind whirled around me as I opened the door. The sound of the wind was followed by the crash of broken glass. I stepped inside the workshop. The Time Traveler was not there. The Time Machine had not moved, but it had become a ghostly blur. I thought I saw someone sitting in it, but I couldn't be certain. The machine was slowly disappearing. And then it was gone. I stood in silence, staring at the spot where the invention had been sitting. I didn't know what to think. I decided to wait, in the hopes of hearing another strange story and seeing my friend's photographs and specimens from the future. But that was three years ago. The Time Traveler has not returned. And I'm afraid that now he never will.

告诉他我得走了，但我马上就回来。 当我走到车间门口时，我听到里面传来奇怪的声音。 我打开门时，一阵风在我周围旋转。 风声过后是玻璃破碎的声音。 我走进车间。 时间旅行者不在那里。 时间机器没有移动，但它变成了一个幽灵般的模糊。 我想我看见有人坐在里面，但我不能确定。 机器慢慢地消失了。 然后它就消失了。我静静地站着，盯着那个发明曾经坐过的地方。 我不知道该怎么想。 我决定等等，希望能听到另一个奇怪的故事，看到我朋友未来的照片和标本。 但那是三年前的事了。 时间旅行者还没有回来。 恐怕他永远也不会知道了。