Then the whole house fell on Bond, a baulk of timber hit him at the base of the neck and he rolled sluggishly6 off Goldfinger on to the floor and lay still.
The vortex of light through which Bond was whirling slowly flattened7 into a disc, a yellow moon, and then into a burning Cyclops eye. Something was written round the fiery8 eyeball. It was a message, an important message for him. He must read it. Carefully, one by one, Bond spelled out the tiny letters. The message said: SOCIЙTЙ ANONYME MAZDA. What was its significance? A hard bolt of water hit Bond in the face. The water stung his eyes and filled his mouth. He retched desperately9 and tried to move. He couldn't. His eyes cleared, and his brain. There was a throbbing10 pain at the back of his neck. He was staring up into a big enamelled light bowl with one powerful bulb. He was on some sort of a table and his wrists and ankles were bound to its edges. He felt with his fingers. He felt polished metal.
A voice, Goldfinger's voice, flat, uninterested, said, 'Now we can begin.'
Bond turned his head towards the voice. His eyes were dazzled by the light. He squeezed them hard and opened them. Goldfinger was sitting in a canvas chair. He had taken off his jacket and was in his shirt sleeves. There were red marks round the base of his throat. On a folding table beside him were various tools and metal instruments and a control panel. On the other side of the table Tilly Masterton sat in another chair. She was strapped11 to it by her wrists and ankles. She sat bolt upright as if she was in school. She looked incredibly beautiful, but shocked, remote. Her eyes gazed vacantly at Bond. She was either drugged or hypnotized.
Bond turned his head to the right. A few feet away stood the Korean. He still wore his bowler12 hat but now he was stripped to the waist. The yellow skin of his huge torso glinted with sweat. There was no hair on it. The flat pectoral muscles were as broad as dinner plates and the stomach was concave below the great arch of the ribs13. The biceps and forearms, also hairless, were as thick as thighs14. The ten-minutes-to-two oil slicks of the eyes looked pleased, greedy. The mouthful of blackish teeth formed an oblong grin of anticipation15.
Bond raised his head. The quick look round hurt. They were in one of the factory workrooms. White light blazed round the iron doors of two electric furnaces. There were bluish sheets of metal stacked in wooden frames. From somewhere came the whir of a generator16. There was a distant, muffled17 sound of hammering, and, behind the sound, the faraway iron pant of the power plant.
Bond glanced down the table on which he lay spread-eagled. He let his head fall back with a sigh. There was a narrow slit18 down the centre of the polished steel table. At the far end of the slit, like a foresight19 framed in the vee of his parted feet, were the glinting teeth of a circular saw.
Bond lay and stared up at the little message on the lamp bulb. Goldfinger began to speak in a relaxed conversational20 voice. Bond pulled the curtains tight across the ghastly peep-show of his imagination and listened.
'Mr Bond, the word "pain" comes from the Latin poena meaning "penalty" - that which must be paid. You must now pay for the inquisitiveness21 which your attack upon me proves, as I suspected, to be inimical. Curiosity, as they say, killed the cat. This time it will have to kill two cats, for I fear I must also count this girl an enemy. She tells me she is staying at the Bergues. One telephone call proved that to be false. Oddjob was sent to where you were both hidden and recovered her rifle and also a ring which it happens that I recognize. Under hypnotism the rest came out. This girl came here to kill me. Perhaps you did too. You have both failed. Now must come the poena. Mr Bond' - the voice was weary, bored - 'I have had many enemies in my time. I am very successful and immensely rich, and riches, if I may inflict22 another of my aphorisms23 upon you, may not make you friends but they greatly increase the class and variety of your enemies.'
'That's very neatly24 put.'
Goldfinger ignored the interruption. 'If you were a free man, with your talent for inquiry25, you would be able to find round the world the relics26 of those who have wished me ill, or who have tried to thwart27 me. There have, as I said, been many of these people and you would find, Mr Bond, that their remains28 resemble those of hedgehogs squashed upon the roads in summertime.'
'Very poetic29 simile30.'
'By chance, Mr Bond. I am a poet in deeds - not often in words. I am Concerned to arrange my actions in appropriate and effective patterns. But that is by the way. I wish to convey to you that it was a most evil day for you when you first crossed my path and, admittedly in a very minor31 fashion, thwarted32 a minuscule33 project upon which I was engaged. On that occasion it was someone else who suffered the poena that should have been meted34 out to you. An eye was taken for the eye, but it was not yours. You were lucky and, if you had then found an oracle35 to consult, the oracle would have said to you, "Mr Bond, you have been fortunate. Keep away from Mr Auric Goldfinger. He is a most powerful man. If Mr Goldfinger wanted to crush you, he would only have to turn over in his sleep to do so."'
'You express yourself most vividly36.' Bond turned his head. The great brown and orange football of a head was bent37 slightly forward. The round moon-face was bland38, indifferent. Casually39, one hand reached out to the control panel and pressed down a switch. There came a slow metallic40 growl41 from the end of the table on which Bond lay. It curved quickly up to a harsh whine42 and then to a shrill43 high whistle that was barely audible. Bond turned his head wearily away. How soon could he manage to die? Was there any way he could hasten death? A friend of his had survived the Gestapo. He had described to Bond how he had tried to commit suicide by holding his breath. By superhuman will-power, after a few minutes without breathing, unconsciousness had come. But, with the blackout of the senses, will and intention had also left the body. At once reason was forgotten. The body's instinct to live manned the pumps and got breath back into the body again. But Bond could try it. There was nothing else to help him through the pain barrier before the blessing44 of death. For death was the only exit. He knew he could never squeal45 to Goldfinger and live with himself again - even in the unlikely event that Goldfinger could be bought off with the truth. No, he must stick to his thin story and hope that the others who would now follow him on Gold-finger's trail would have better luck. Who would M choose? Probably 008, the second killer46 in the small section of three. He was a good man, more careful than Bond. M would know that Goldfinger had killed Bond and he would give 008 licence to kill in return. 258 in Geneva would put him on to the scent47 that would end with Bond's inquiry about the Entre-prises Auric. Yes, fate would catch up with Goldfinger if Bond could only keep his mouth shut. If he gave the least clue away, Goldfinger would escape. That was unthinkable.
'Now then, Mr Bond,' Goldfinger's voice was brisk. 'Enough of these amiabilities. Sing, as my Chicago friends put it, and you will die quickly and painlessly. The girl also. Sing not, and your death will be one long scream. The girl I shall then give to Oddjob, as I did that cat, for supper. Which is it to be?'
Bond said, 'Don't be a fool, Goldfinger. I told my friends at Universal where I was going and why. The girl's parents know that she went with me. I made inquiries48 about this factory of yours before we came here. We shall be traced here very easily. Universal is powerful. You will have the police after you within days of our disappearance49. I will make a deal with you. Let us go and nothing more will be heard of the matter. I will vouch50 for the girl. You are making a stupid mistake. We are two perfectly51 innocent people.'
Goldfinger said in a bored voice, 'I'm afraid you don't understand, Mr Bond. Whatever you have managed to find out about me, which I suspect is very little, can only be a grain of the truth. I am engaged upon gigantic enterprises. To take the gamble of letting either of you leave here alive would be quite ludicrous. It is out of the question. As for my being bothered by the police, I shall be delighted to receive them if they come. Those of my Koreans who can speak won't do so - nor will the mouths of my electric furnaces which will have vaporized you both and all your belongings52 at two thousand degrees Centigrade. No, Mr Bond, make your choice. Perhaps I can encourage you' - there came the noise of a lever moving across iron teeth. 'The saw is now approaching your body at about an inch every minute. Meanwhile,' he glanced at Odd job and held up one finger, 'a little massage53 from Oddjob. To begin with, only grade one. Grades two and three are still more persuasive54.'
Bond closed his eyes. The sickly zoo-smell of Oddjob enveloped55 him. Big, rasping fingers set to work on him carefully, delicately. A pressure here, combined with a pressure there, a sudden squeeze, a pause, and then a quick, sharp blow. Always the hard hands were surgically56 accurate. Bond ground his teeth until he thought they would break. The sweat of pain began to form pools in the sockets57 of his closed eyes. The shrill whine of the saw was getting louder. It reminded Bond of the sawdust-scented sounds of long ago summer evenings at home in England. Home? This was his home, this cocoon58 of danger he had chosen to live in. And here he would be buried 'in some corner of a foreign blast furnace that is for ever two thousand degrees Centigrade'. God rest ye merry gentlemen of the Secret Service! What should he give himself as an epitaph? What should be his 'famous last words'? That you have no choice about your birth, but you can choose the way you die? Yes, it would look well on a tombstone - not Savoir vivre but Savoir mourir.
'Mr Bond.' Goldfinger's voice held an ounce of urgency. 'Is this really necessary? Just tell me the truth. Who are you? Who sent you here? What do you know? Then it will be so easy. You shall both have a pill. There will be no pain. It will be like taking a sleeping draught59. Otherwise it will be so messy - so messy and distressing60. And are you being fair to the girl? Is this the behaviour of an English gentleman?'
Oddjob's torment61 had stopped. Bond turned his head slowly towards the voice and opened his eyes. He said, 'Goldfinger, there is nothing more to tell because there is nothing. If you will not accept my first bargain I will make you another. The girl and I will work for you. How about that? We are capable people. You could put us to good use.'
'And get a knife, two knives in my back? Thank you no, Mr Bond.'
Bond decided62 it was time to stop talking. It was time to start winding63 up the mainspring of will-power that must not run down again until he was dead. Bond said politely, 'Then you can go and -- yourself.' He expelled all the breath from his lungs and closed his eyes.
'Even I am not capable of that, Mr Bond,' said Goldfinger with good humour. 'And now, since you have chosen the stony64 path instead of the smooth, I must extract what interest I can from your predicament by making the path as stony as possible. Oddjob, grade two.'
The lever on the table moved across iron teeth. Now Bond could feel the wind of the saw between his knees. The hands came back.
Bond counted the slowly pounding pulse that utterly65 possessed66 his body. It was like the huge panting power plant in the other part of the factory but, in his case, it was slowly decelerating. If only it would slow down quicker. What was this ridiculous will to live that refused to listen to the brain? Who was making the engine run on although the tank was dry of fuel? But he must empty his mind of thought, as well as his body of oxygen. He must become a vacuum, a deep hole of unconsciousness.
Still the light burned red through his eyelids67. Still he could feel the bursting pressure in his temples. Still the slow drum of life beat in his ears.
A scream tried to force its way through the clamped teeth.
Die damn you die die damn you die damn you die damn you die damn you die…
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1
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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momentum
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| n.动力，冲力，势头；动量 | |
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rammed
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| v.夯实（土等）( ram的过去式和过去分词 )；猛撞；猛压；反复灌输 | |
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4
backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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downwards
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| adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地） | |
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sluggishly
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| adv.懒惰地；缓慢地 | |
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7
flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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8
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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throbbing
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| a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
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11
strapped
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| adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
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12
bowler
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| n.打保龄球的人，（板球的）投（球）手 | |
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13
ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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14
thighs
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| n.股，大腿( thigh的名词复数 )；食用的鸡（等的）腿 | |
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15
anticipation
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| n.预期，预料，期望 | |
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generator
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| n.发电机，发生器 | |
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17
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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18
slit
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| n.狭长的切口；裂缝；vt.切开，撕裂 | |
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19
foresight
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| n.先见之明，深谋远虑 | |
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20
conversational
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| adj.对话的，会话的 | |
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21
inquisitiveness
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| 好奇，求知欲 | |
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22
inflict
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| vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担 | |
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23
aphorisms
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| 格言，警句( aphorism的名词复数 ) | |
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24
neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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25
inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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26
relics
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| [pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸 | |
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27
thwart
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| v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的) | |
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28
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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poetic
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| adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的 | |
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simile
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| n.直喻，明喻 | |
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minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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32
thwarted
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| 阻挠( thwart的过去式和过去分词 )； 使受挫折； 挫败； 横过 | |
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33
minuscule
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| adj.非常小的；极不重要的 | |
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34
meted
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| v.（对某人）施以，给予（处罚等）( mete的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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oracle
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| n.神谕，神谕处，预言 | |
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vividly
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| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
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37
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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38
bland
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| adj.淡而无味的，温和的，无刺激性的 | |
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casually
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| adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地 | |
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40
metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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41
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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42
whine
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| v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣 | |
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43
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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44
blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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45
squeal
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| v.发出长而尖的声音；n.长而尖的声音 | |
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46
killer
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| n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者 | |
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47
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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48
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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49
disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
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50
vouch
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| v.担保；断定；n.被担保者 | |
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51
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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52
belongings
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| n.私人物品，私人财物 | |
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53
massage
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| n.按摩，揉；vt.按摩，揉，美化，奉承，篡改数据 | |
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54
persuasive
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| adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的 | |
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55
enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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56
surgically
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| adv. 外科手术上, 外科手术一般地 | |
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57
sockets
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| n.套接字，使应用程序能够读写与收发通讯协定(protocol)与资料的程序( Socket的名词复数 )；孔( socket的名词复数 )；（电器上的）插口；托座；凹穴 | |
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58
cocoon
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| n.茧 | |
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59
draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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60
distressing
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| a.使人痛苦的 | |
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61
torment
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| n.折磨；令人痛苦的东西(人)；vt.折磨；纠缠 | |
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62
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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63
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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64
stony
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| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
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65
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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66
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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67
eyelids
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| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
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