第十三章[第2页/共6页]

"It is entertaining," thought the little prince. "It is rather poetic. But it is of no great consequence."On matters of consequence, the little prince had ideas which were very different from those of the grown-ups.

"Then they belong to me, because I was the first person to think of it.""Is that all that is necessary""Certainly. When you find a diamond that belongs to nobody, it is yours. When you discover an island that belongs to nobody, it is yours. When you get an idea before any one else, you take out a patent on it: it is yours. So with me: I own the stars, because nobody else before me ever thought of owning them.""Yes, that is true," said the little prince. "And what do you do with them""I administer them," replied the businessman. "I count them and recount them. It is difficult. But I am a man who is naturally interested in matters of consequence."The little prince was still not satisfied.

“啊，星星吗？”

"Millions of those little objects," he said, "which one sometimes sees in the sky.""Flies"

“如许就行了吗？”

"Good morning," the little prince said to him. "Your cigarette has gone out.""Three and two make five. Five and seven make twelve. Twelve and three make fifteen. Good morning. Fifteen and seven make twenty-two. Twenty-two and six make twenty-eight. I haven't time to light it again. Twenty-six and five make thirty-one. Phew! Then that makes five-hundred-and-one-million, six-hundred-twenty-two-thousand, seven-hundred-thirty-one.""Five hundred million what" asked the little prince.