6 The Disappearance of the Time Machine

CHAPTER 6 The Disappearance of the Time Machine The full moon was rising above the green countryside. The Eloi had gone. It was getting cold, so I decided to walk down the hill and find a place to sleep. I looked back toward the white building where I had eaten and saw the White Sphinx. Near it were the bushes with purple flowers and the grass lawn. Suddenly, I realized that something

第六章时间机器的消失一轮满月正从绿色的乡村上空升起。 埃洛伊人走了。天越来越冷了，所以我决定走下山找个地方睡觉。 我回头看了看我吃过饭的白色建筑，看到了白色的狮身人面像。 靠近它的是开着紫色花朵的灌木丛和草坪。 突然，我意识到

was wrong. The lawn was empty. The Time Machine was gone! All at once, I imagined being trapped in the future. What had happened to my machine? What if I couldn't return home? My heart filled with fear, and I ran down the hill as fast as I could. I ran so quickly that I tripped and fell, cutting my face. As I bolted through the bushes, I told myself that the Eloi must have moved it. Maybe they had pushed it into the bushes where I couldn't see it, or moved it into one of their buildings. But deep down, I knew it wasn't them. They hadn't shown any interest in the machine when I arrived. And besides, they weren't strong enough to move it. Something else must have happened to it. Why had I left the machine? Finally, I reached the lawn. I searched for my invention in the bushes, but I found nothing. I pulled at my hair and looked up. The Sphinx seemed to look down at me with a laughing smile on its face.

是错误的。草坪上空无一人。 时间机器不见了！突然间，我想象自己被困在了未来。 我的机器怎么了？ 如果我回不了家怎么办？ 我心里充满了恐惧，我以最快的速度跑下山去。 我跑得太快了，绊了一跤，划破了脸。 当我穿过灌木丛时，我告诉自己，一定是埃洛伊人移动了它。 也许他们把它塞进了我看不见的灌木丛里，或者把它搬进了他们的房子里。 但内心深处，我知道不是他们。 我到的时候，他们对那台机器没有表现出任何兴趣。 而且，他们也没有足够的力量来移动它。 肯定发生了别的什么事。 我为什么要离开机器？ 最后，我来到了草坪。 我在灌木丛中寻找我的发明，但什么也没找到。 我揪了揪头发，抬起头来。 狮身人面像似乎低头看着我，脸上带着大笑的微笑。

I didn't know who had moved the Time Machine or where it was, but at least I knew that it hadn't been sent through time. I still had the lever in my pocket, and the machine would not work without it. But where could it be? I was filled with panic again. I ran through the bushes in the moonlight. As I dashed about, I scared some sort of white animal and it ran off. I guessed that it was a deer. Finally, I gave up and returned to the great white building. The hall where I had eaten was empty. I lit a match and wandered into the next room.

我不知道是谁移动了时间机器，也不知道它在哪里，但至少我知道它没有穿越时间。 杠杆还在我的口袋里，没有它机器就不能工作。 但它会在哪里呢？我又充满了恐慌。 我在月光下穿过灌木丛。 当我奔跑的时候，我吓到了某种白色的动物，它跑掉了。 我猜那是一只鹿。 最后，我放弃了，回到了那座伟大的白色建筑。 我吃过饭的大厅空无一人。 我点燃了一根火柴，走到隔壁房间。

The floor of the room was covered with cushions. The Eloi were lying on them, asleep. Some woke up and looked at me. I grabbed them by the shoulders and shook them. "Where is my Time Machine?" I cried. Some laughed, and some were confused at my question. I finally stopped when I saw how foolish I was acting. I ran out of the room and into the moonlight. I could hear the Eloi yelling from inside the building. They sounded frightened. It was as if

房间的地板上铺着靠垫。 爱洛伊人躺在上面睡着了。 有些人醒了过来，看着我。 我抓住他们的肩膀摇了摇。 “我的时间机器在哪里？”我哭了。 有些人笑了，有些人对我的问题感到困惑。 当我意识到自己的行为有多么愚蠢时，我终于停了下来。 我跑出房间，走进月光下。 我能听到埃洛伊人在大楼里大喊大叫。 他们听起来很害怕。就好像

they didn't want me to go outside. I was very tired and upset, but I tried to look for my machine again. As I stumbled through the bushes, I thought I saw more animals hiding in the shadows. Finally, I couldn't search anymore. I lay down on the ground near the Sphinx and quickly fell asleep. When I woke up, it was morning. I sat up and remembered my problem. But the sun was shining and I was rested. Last night's panic was behind me, and I felt better. Instead of running around in the bushes, I knew I would have to learn more about this world. If the Time Machine was gone, maybe I could find enough tools and parts to make another. If I couldn't, at least this world was beautiful and carefree. I could be happy here. But my best hope was still to search for my machine. I began by asking the Eloi if they knew where it was. But they didn't understand my questions, and I got nowhere.

他们不想让我出去。 我很累，也很沮丧，但我试着再次寻找我的机器。 当我跌跌撞撞地穿过灌木丛时，我想我看到阴影里藏着更多的动物。 最后，我不能再搜索了。 我躺在狮身人面像附近的地上，很快就睡着了。 当我醒来时，已经是早晨了。 我坐了起来，想起了我的问题。 但是阳光灿烂，我休息得很好。 昨晚的恐慌已经过去了，我感觉好多了。 我知道我必须更多地了解这个世界，而不是在灌木丛里跑来跑去。 如果时间机器没了，也许我能找到足够的工具和零件再造一个。 如果我不能，至少这个世界是美丽的，无忧无虑的。 我在这里会很开心的。但我最大的希望仍然是寻找我的机器。 我开始问埃洛伊人是否知道它在哪里。 但他们不理解我的问题，我什么也没得到。

So I carefully examined the lawn. It wasn't long before I found a mark in the grass where something had been dragged. I also came across small, oddly shaped footprints. The mark and the footprints led me to the base of the White Sphinx. The base was made of bronze and had square panels on its sides. They didn't have handles, but I was sure the panels were doors. I knocked on the doors. From the sound, I could tell the base was hollow. It was clear to me that my Time Machine was inside the base of the statue, behind the bronze doors. How it got there was another question. Two young Eloi in orange robes were watching me. I smiled at them and motioned to them to come closer. I showed them that I wanted to open the bronze doors. It was clear from the looks on their faces that this idea bothered them very much. It was as if I had said something rude and shocking. They turned and

于是我仔细地检查了草坪。 没过多久，我就在草地上发现了一个被拖过的痕迹。 我还发现了形状奇怪的小脚印。 标记和脚印把我带到了白色狮身人面像的底部。 底座是铜制的，四面有方形的镶板。 它们没有把手，但我确信那些嵌板是门。 我敲了门。从声音中，我可以看出底部是空的。 我很清楚，我的时间机器就在雕像的底座里，在铜门后面。 它是如何到达那里的是另一个问题。 两个穿着橙色长袍的年轻埃洛伊人在看着我。 我对他们微笑，示意他们走近一点。 我告诉他们我想打开铜门。 从他们脸上的表情可以清楚地看出，这个想法使他们非常烦恼。 就好像我说了些粗鲁而令人震惊的话。 他们转过身来