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The walls were of wood, but the floor consisted of a large iron trough,
房間的墻壁是木頭做的，但是地板卻是由一個大鐵槽構成的。
and when I came to examine it I could see a crust of metallic deposit all over it.
當我開始察看它時，我看到上面積了滿滿一層金屬積屑。
I had stooped and was scraping at this to see exactly what it was
我彎下腰去，正用手指去挖，想看看到底是什么東西，
when I heard a muttered exclamation in German and saw the cadaverous face of the colonel looking down at me.
這時只聽到一聲德語的低沉的驚叫，同時看到上校那張死灰色的臉正朝下望著我。
'What are you doing there?' he asked.
'你在那兒干什么？'他問道。
I felt angry at having been tricked by so elaborate a story as that which he had told me.
由于上了他那精心編造的故事的當，我感到很生氣。
'I was admiring your fuller's-earth,' said I;
'我正在欣賞您的漂白土，'我說，
'I think that I should be better able to advise you as to your machine if I knew what the exact purpose was for which it was used.'
'我想如果我知道了使用這臺機器的真正目的，我不是更能向您提供一些有關它的建議嗎？'
The instant that I uttered the words I regretted the rashness of my speech.
可是話一出口，我立即就為自己魯莽的語言而感到后悔。
His face set hard, and a baleful light sprang up in his gray eyes.
他的臉色變得很難看，灰色的眼睛里射出了邪惡的光芒。
'Very well,' said he, 'you shall know all about the machine.'
'很好，'他說，'你會知道這機器的一切！'
He took a step backward, slammed the little door, and turned the key in the lock.
他向后退了一步，砰地一聲關上了小門，將插在鎖孔里的鑰匙轉動了一下。
I rushed towards it and pulled at the handle,
我向門沖去，使勁地拉著把手，
but it was quite secure, and did not give in the least to my kicks and shoves.
但是這門關得嚴嚴實實，盡管我連踢帶推，它卻紋絲不動。
'Hello!' I yelled. 'Hello! Colonel! Let me out!'
'喂！'我大叫起來。'喂，上校！放我出去！'
