I’m glad you see. I thought you mightn’t believe any of this, so when I called her this time I used the telephone answering machine to record the call. He went across to the telephone machine and fiddled and fumed with all its buttons for a while, because it was the one which was pArticularly recommended by Which? magazine and is almost impossible to use without going mad. Here it is, he said at last, wiping the sweat from his brow. The voice was thin and crackly with its journey to a geostationary satellite and back, but it was also hauntingly calm. Perhaps I should explain, Arcane Jill Watson’s voice said, that the phone is in fact in a room that he never comes into. It’s in the Asylum you see. Wonko the Sane does not like to enter the Asylum and so he does not. I feel you should know this because it may save you phoning. If you would like to meet him, this is very easily arranged. All you have to do is walk in. He will only meet people outside the Asylum. Arthur’s voice, at its most mystified: I’m sorry, I don’t understand. Where is the asylum? Where is the Asylum? Arcane Jill Watson again. Have you ever read the instructions on a packet of toothpicks? On the tape, Arthur’s voice had to admit that he had not. You may want to do that. You may find that it clarifies things for you a little. You may find that it indicates to you where the Asylum is. Thank you. The sound of the phone line went dead. Arthur turned the machine off. Well, I suppose we can regard that as an invitation, he said with a shrug. I actually managed to get the address from the guy on the science magazine. Fenchurch looked up at him again with a thoughtful frown, and looked at the tickets again. Do you think it’s worth it? she said. Well, said Arthur, the one thing that everyone I spoke to agrees on, apart from the fact that they all thought he was barking mad, is that he does know more than any man living about dolphins. “很高興你能明白。我以爲你可能會完全不信這些，所以這次我打給她的時候我用電話答錄機給錄下來了。” 他走到答錄機前面，對着所有的按鈕怒氣衝衝地折騰了一會，因爲這是《哪個？》（英國著名消費雜誌）雜誌特別推薦的型號，你幾乎不可能在使用的時候不氣得發瘋。 “就是這個，”他最後終於一邊擦掉眉毛上的汗一邊說。 在同步衛星上跑了個來回的聲音微弱而且斷斷續續，不過也平靜得令人難忘。 “也許我該解釋一下，”神祕?吉兒?沃森的聲音說，“這個電話實際上在一個他從來不進的房間裏面。在庇護所裏面，你知道。獨醒客不喜歡進庇護所，所以從來不進。我覺得你有必要知道這個，因爲這可以讓你少打點電話。如果你想見他，就很容易安排了。你要做的就是走進去。他只在庇護所外面見客人。” 阿瑟的聲音，處於一種最迷惑的狀態： “對不起，我不明白，庇護所在哪兒？” “庇護所在哪兒？”神祕?吉兒?沃森重複了一遍，“你有沒有讀過牙籤包上的說明？” 磁帶裏面，阿瑟的聲音不得不承認自己沒讀過。 “你會樂意讀一讀的。你會發現那會幫你把事情弄明白點。你會發現那能告訴你庇護所在什麼地方。謝謝。” 電話線掛上了。阿瑟關掉了答錄機。 “好吧，我覺得我們可以把這看作是一個邀請，”他聳聳肩說，“實際上我是從科學雜誌那兒的那個夥計那裏搞到的地址。” 芬切琪再次皺着眉擡頭看着他，又看看票。 “你覺得值得嗎？”她說。 “嗯，”阿瑟說，“跟我談過的所有人除了一致認爲他在胡扯八道以外，也還都同意一件事，就是關於海豚，他比任何活着的人知道的都多。”
