Alan later wrote a short story, 60 in the new, 'frank', rather jaundiced, socially conscious style of Angus Wilson, itself in E.M. Forster's tradition. It began:
之后,图灵写了一个小故事,“弗兰克”,相当有偏见,笔调颇有一点安格斯·威尔逊注的味道。故事是这样的:
Alec Pryce was getting rather (illegible) with his Christmas shopping. His method was slightly unconventional. He would walk round the shops in London or Manchester until he saw something which took his fancy, and then think of some one of his friends ... who would be pleased by it.
艾里克·普瑞斯对圣诞礼物越来越不当回事,他实在有点反传统。他在伦敦和曼彻斯特的商店里来回遛达,碰到中意的东西,就想一下,哪个朋友会喜欢这个东西。
It was a sort of allegory of his method of work (though he didn't know it) which depended on waiting for inspiration.When applied to Christmas shopping this method led to a variety of emotions just as much as when applied to work. Long periods of semi-despair wandering the stores, and every half hour or so, but quite erratically, something would leap out from the miserable background.
这种方式,似乎完全是依赖灵感的,他用这种方式工作,也用这种方式选礼物。他在商店里游荡了许久,大约每隔半个小时左右,他会看中一件东西。
This morning Alec had spent a good two hours at it. He had found a wooden fruit bowl which would just suit Mrs Bewley. She would be sure to appreciate it.
这天上午,艾里克已经逛了两个小时,他看到了一个木制的果盘,正适合比尔维夫人,她一定会喜欢的。
Alec had also bought an electric blanket for his mother, who suffered from a poor circulation. It was more than he had wanted to pay, but she certainly needed just that, and would never think of getting one for herself. One or two other minor commitments had been dealt with.
艾里克还给血管不畅的母亲买了一个电热毯,他没想到价格会那么贵,可是她肯定需要这个,而且她肯定不会自己买。他还买了一两件别的东西。
But now it was time for lunch, and Alec was walking towards the university but looking for a reasonably good restaurant. Alec had been working rather hard until two or three weeks before. It was about interplanetary travel.
现在到了午餐时间,艾里克朝大学方向走去,一路寻觅着,有没有像样的餐馆。在两三个星期之前,艾里克一直很努力地工作,他的工作与星际旅行有关。
Alec had always been rather keen on such crackpot problems, but although he rather liked to let himself go rather wildly to newspapermen or on the Third Programme when he got the chance, when he wrote for technically trained readers, his work was quite sound, or had been when he was younger.
艾里克一直对这种古怪的问题情有独钟。有机会的时候,他也喜欢在报纸或广播上讲话,他写的技术文章很有水平,或者说,他从小就很会写作。
This last paper was real good stuff, better than he'd done since his mid twenties when he had introduced the idea which is now becoming known as 'Pryce's buoy'. Alec always felt a glow of pride when this phrase was used. The rather obvious double-entendre rather pleased him too.
最近这篇论文,比他二十几岁时写的那篇更加出色。他二十几岁时,提出了"艾里克航标"的概念,现在已经广为人知。每当有人提起这个词,艾里克都会油然产生一股自豪。