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Zaphod Beeblebrox paced nervously up and down the cabin, brushing his hands over pieces of glea with excitement

Trillian sat hunched over a cluures Her voice was carried round the Tannoy system of the whole ship

"Five to one against and falling" she said, "four to one against and fallingthree to onetwooneprobability factor of one to onewe have normality, I repeat we have normality" She turned her ht s you still can't cope with is therefore your own problem Please relax You will be sent for soon"

Zaphod burst out in annoyance: "Who are they, Trillian?"

Trillian span her seat round to face hied

"Just a couple of guys we seem to have picked up in open space," she said "Section ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha"

"Yeah, well, that's a very sweet thought, Trillian," complained Zaphod, "but do you really think it's wise under the circu, we must have the police of half the Galaxy after us by now, and we stop to pick up hitchhikers OK, so ten out of ten for style, but , yeah?"

He tapped irritably at a control panel Trillian quietlyiht include--dash, bravado, conceit--he was mechanically inept and could easily blow the ship up with an extravagant gesture Trillian had come to suspect that the main reason why he had had such a wild and successful life that he never really understood the significance of anything he did

"Zaphod," she said patiently, "they were floating unprotected in open spaceyou wouldn't want them to have died, would you?"

"Well, you knowno Not as such, but"

"Not as such? Not die as such? But?" Trillian cocked her head on one side

"Well, ht have picked them up later"

"A second later and they would have been dead"

"Yeah, so if you'd taken the trouble to think about the probleone away"

"You'd been happy to let them die?"

"Well, you know, not happy as such, but"

"Anyway," said Trillian, turning back to the controls, "I didn't pick them up"

"What do you mean? Who picked them up then?"

"The ship did"

"Huh?"

"The ship did All by itself"

"Huh?"

"Whilst ere in Improbability Drive"

"But that's incredible"

"No Zaphod Just very very improbable"

"Er, yeah"

"Look, Zaphod," she said, patting his aruys, I expect I'll send the robot down to get the them up here Hey, Marvin!"

In the corner, the robot's head swung up sharply, but then wobbled about imperceptibly It pulled itself up to its feet as if it was about five pounds heavier that it actually was, and ht was a heroic effort to cross the rooh her left shoulder

"I think you ought to know I' very depressed," it said Its voice was low and hopeless

"Oh God," muttered Zaphod and slumped into a seat

"Well," said Trillian in a bright co to occupy you and keep your s"

"It won't work," droned Marvin, "I have an exceptionally large mind"

"Marvin!" warned Trillian

"Alright," said Marvin, "what do you want me to do?"

"Go down to nu the two aliens up here under surveillance"

With a microsecond pause, and a finely calculatedyou could actually take offence at--Marvin s human

"Just that?" he said