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 I consented, hardly comprehending then thefull import of his words, and he nodded and went on down the corridor. I heardthe door of the laboratory slam, seated myself in a chair, and took up a dailypaper. 我同意了，当时几乎没听懂他话里的全部含义。他点了点头，沿着走廊朝前走去。我听见实验室的门砰的一声关上了，于是我在椅子里坐下来，拿起一份日报。What was he going to do before lunch-time?  他午饭前准备干什么？Then suddenly I was reminded by an advertisement thatI had promised to meet Richardson, the publisher, at two. 这时，报上的一张广告突然使我想起我曾答应两点钟和出版商理查森见面。 I looked at my watch, and saw that I couldbarely save that engagement. I got up and went down the passage to tell theTime Traveller.  我看了看手表，发现赴约的时间都快不够了。我赶忙起身，沿走道过去和时间游客告别。As I took hold of the handle of the door Iheard an exclamation, oddly truncated at the end, and a click and a thud. Agust of air whirled round me as I opened the door, and from within came thesound of broken glass falling on the floor. 当我握住门把手的时候，我听到一声惊叫，惊叫嘎然而止，接着是一声喀哒和一声巨响。我打开实验室的门，一股旋风在我身旁刮了起来，房子里传来破玻璃落地的声音。 The Time Traveller was not there. I seemedto see a ghostly, indistinct figure sitting in a whirling mass of black andbrass for a moment--a figure so transparent that the bench behind with itssheets of drawings was absolutely distinct; but this phantasm vanished as Irubbed my eyes. 时间游客不在里面。我好像看见一个鬼怪似的模糊身影，坐在一团旋转的黑黄相间的东西上，身出随即不见了，可它是那么透明，连后面摆有图纸的工作台我都看得清清楚楚。但当我拭目细看时，这幻影消失了。 The Time Machine had gone. Save for asubsiding stir of dust, the further end of the laboratory was empty. A pane ofthe skylight had, apparently, just been blown in. 时间机器不在了。实验室的那一头空空如也，只有被掀起的灰尘在徐徐落下，很显然，一块天窗玻璃刚刚砸下来。 I felt an unreasonable amazement. I knewthat something strange had happened, and for the moment could not distinguishwhat the strange thing might be. As I stood staring, the door into the gardenopened, and the man-servant appeared.  我感到一种莫名其妙的诧异。我知道奇怪的事情发生了，可一时又弄不清是什么奇怪的事情。我站在那里，目不转睛地望着眼前的情景，通花园的门开了，男仆走了进来。 We looked at each other. Then ideas beganto come. `Has Mr. ---- gone out that way?' said I. 我俩相互望了一眼，这时我心里有了主意。“先生是从那边出去的吗？” `No, sir. No one has come out this way. Iwas expecting to find him here.' “没有，先生。没人从这条路出来。我原以为在这里能找到他。” At that I understood. At the risk ofdisappointing Richardson I stayed on, waiting for the Time Traveller; waitingfor the second, perhaps still stranger story, and the specimens and photographshe would bring with him. But I am beginning now to fear that I must wait alifetime. The Time Traveller vanished three years ago. And, as everybody knowsnow, he has never returned. 这下我全明白了。我冒着得罪理查森的危险留了下来，等待时间游客的归来：等待第二个也许是更离奇的故事，等待他要带回的标本和照片。但是我现在又担心要等上一辈子了。时间游客已经失踪3年，众所周知，他至今没有回来。